Filming & Production
Light diffusion
Also called: diffuser, diffusion panel
A bare bulb or panel is small relative to a face, so its shadow has a hard, sharp edge. Put fabric, frosted plastic or a softbox in front and the light now comes from a much larger surface, which wraps round the face and softens that line. What counts is size relative to the subject, and distance changes that. A 60cm softbox a metre away is a big soft source, and the same box across the room is nearly a point again.