Budget DIY Floppy Flag & Scrim for $60 | Negative Fill for Cinematic Lighting

In this video, I show how to create a budget DIY Floppy Flag & Scrim for $60 AUD.

A floppy can be an essential tool for cutting and shaping light on set.
Though professional floppies can cost upwards of $400, which is a steep price for those of us just starting out or looking to experiment with new techniques.

Join me as I delve into the process of selecting the right materials & parts to assembling the frame and adding the fabric. Alongside the final results, I share the challenges & lessons learned to help and inspire you to build your own budget light-shaping tool.

Whether you're looking to add contrast to your subject with negative fill or block surrounding unwanted light from your shot, this DIY floppy is a great starting point for filmmakers on a budget. If you find this video helpful or have any questions, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Parts that I used and where I bought them from:

• 4x 16mm Metal Curtain Rods (Highly recommended to find a smaller rod diameter instead) -
Link: https://www.curtainwonderland.com.au/...
Store & Price Paid: Curtain Wonderland | $15.80 AUD

• 4x Camera Flash Brackets -
Link: https://www.temu.com/goods.html?_bg_f...
Store & Price Paid: Temu | $25.84 AUD

• 1x Black Velvet Cloth -
Link: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10050...
Store & Price Paid: AliExpress | $19.48 AUD

Total Price Paid: $61.12 AUD

You can also find me here:

Instagram:   / alejandrourman_  
TikTok:   / alejandro.urman  
Portfolio: https://alejandrourman.com

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction
00:14 - What is a Floppy?
00:25 - Negative Fill & Blocking Light
00:42 - Expensive Professional Options
01:09 - Parts That I Used
01:14 - Finding the Right Frame Size
01:30 - Finding Budget Frames
01:46 - Various DIY Approaches
02:03 - PVC Option I Considered
02:16 - Curtain Rod Idea
02:25 - Sourcing Curtain Rods & Plastic Elbow Joints
02:38 - Testing Curtain Rods & Plastic Elbow Joints
02:49 - New Elbow Joint Idea
03:03 - Testing New Elbow Joint Idea
03:18 - Neewer Clips as Elbow Joints
03:32 - Temu Flash Bracket Mount as Elbow Joints
04:01 - Smaller Diameter Rod Recommendation
04:11 - Cons of Temu Flash Bracket Mount
04:22 - Black Velvet Fabric Sizing
04:34 - AliExpress Black Velvet Fabric
04:47 - Using the Black Velvet Fabric
05:00 - Final Result & Clamps/Clips Holding Frame
05:19 - Visual Before & After
05:37 - Final Recommendations
05:59 - Outro

Equipment used:

Camera -
• Sony A7IV (Filmed in SLog3/S-Gamut3.cine)
Lenses -
• Sony FE 24mm f/1.4 G Master Lens
• Sony FE Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Lens
Tripods -
• Fotopro X-Aircross 3
Lighting -
• Godox VL150 Video LED Light
• Godox Octa 95cm Softbox
Audio -
• Rode M5 Compact Condenser Microphone
• Rode AI-1 Audio Interface
Field Monitor -
• Desview R6 UHB 5.5” Monitor
Teleprompter -
• Glide Gear TMP100
Editing -
• DaVinci Resolve