Reflective panel without frame — white or silver cloth stretched over wood. Bounces light diffusely to fill shadows softly.
On set, you quickly need a solution to brighten shadow areas without it looking like ring light kitsch. The flat — a stretched wooden frame, usually covered with white or silver fabric — is your standard weapon for this. Unlike framed reflectors, the surface here lies flat and covers a large area. You position it parallel to the camera, let your key light fall onto it, and it bounces diffusely back into your actor's face or onto the shadow side of a set.
The crucial difference from hard reflectors: The flat diffuses the light through the fabric's texture. No reflections, no hot spots — just soft, even fill light. Silver flats are stronger, require less distance, and more precise placement. White flats are more forgiving, appear more natural, especially in close proximity. In practical workflow, you position the flat so that it hits the shadow edge of your subject without intruding into the frame. You usually maintain a distance of 1.5 to 3 meters depending on light intensity and the desired key-to-fill ratio.
The flat pays off particularly well for portraiture and close-ups: It creates soft, modeled shadows and prevents those flat, overexposed faces that occur when you use too much undirected fill light. Unlike large softboxes or light panels, you don't need electric light with a flat — any external source works. This makes it flexible, quickly adjustable, and ideal for fast setups. A standard flat usually measures 2x2 or 3x3 meters; smaller variants (1x1 meter) are more mobile but less efficient at long distances. Together with your key light and optionally a backlight, you create the classic three-point lighting — simple, controllable, timelessly effective.