Voile

You stretch voile directly in front of a light or across a large window — and suddenly you have soft, diffused light without the brutal loss of intensity that denser diffusion materials bring. The material is barely more than a whisper: a fine, transparent gauze that breaks and scatters light rays without suffocating them. Perfect when you need to transform harsh sunlight or the direct light of an Arri True Blue into something smooth, without sacrificing two stops.

On set, you mount voile with gaffer tape or magnets on a frame — C-stand or rigging — directly in front of the light source. The gradation is subtle: unlike Full CTB or ¼ CTB (color correction), here you are only changing the quality of the light, not the temperature. With voile, you get a kind of gentle environment for your key light — ideal for portrait shots where you still want to see the eyes sparkle, but don't need sharp shadows. Especially for daylight shooting at windows, voile is your best friend: you place it outside or inside over the pane, and the sky becomes a giant, diffuse softbox.

The tricky part: voile looks thin, but it takes away intensity — not dramatically like Full CTB or Frost, but measurably. Good DoPs therefore work with multiple layers or a combination: voile + black cloth behind it (to prevent light spill), or voile + silk for even warmer, more diffused light. In post-production, this directly affects your lighting composition — with voile-diffused light, softer transitions are created between key and fill, which particularly flatters skin in close-ups and softens imperfections.

Practical: voile is your go-to for quick, elegant light adjustments. You don't need an ND filter, no complicated flag architecture — just the material, tape, and 30 seconds. It works with any light source, is cost-effective, and durable. Next time the gaffer says the light is too hard, and you don't have time for a complete reconfiguration: voile is your answer.