Announced as a new method to paint with light and shadow that produces optimized skin tones, the Snapbridge Glide Kit introduces a new solution for lighting, named “layered lighting”.

In a world where bounce cards, soft boxes, and mirrored reflector boards are commonplace, Snapbridge Glide offers an entirely unique way to light that helps artists bring a new luminance to complexions and subline control to portrait lighting. Equally useful for cine, video and still photography – Snapbridge works with any light source the user prefers.

The new solution results from the efforts made by Lightbridge, maker of the Cine Reflect Lighting System (CRLS) with lighting specialist DoPchoice. Together they aim to push the envelope of reflective lighting, by creating a soft, beautiful light source that offers full creative control and the ability to add a soft but punchy addition to lighting, without bulky gear. Lightbridge calls this new approach “layered lighting”.

Snapbridge offers a uniquely creative and efficient way to paint with light and shadow that produces optimized skin tones. The name reflects the products and names of the two companies behind the solution; Lightbridge Precision Reflectors have become a staple on motion picture and broadcast sets worldwide for their natural and intuitive style of illumination. Similarly, DoPchoice instant-up Snapbags and Snapgrids are go-to essentials for softening and directing most types of LED lights on stage or location. Both brands have come together to create an entirely new approach to lighting that can be used with an artificial lamp or natural source.

A dark and a white side

The results offered by Snapbridge Glide are achieved by adding a soft DoPchoice bounce around the Lightbridge Precision Reflector. This brilliantly, simple lightweight instrument snaps out of a compact pouch and instantly finds its nearly flat 5′ octagonal shape. With a shallow build and light weight, it is built to go and to fit anywhere—even in tight spaces.

Versatile by nature, the Shallow offers a dark and a white side for two completely different modes. The white side, or Soft Mode, helps create gentle and beautiful bounced fill light around the precision reflector. On the reverse, the Dark Mode provides negative fill with a glow of light while reducing spill around the Precision Reflector. Both sides quickly accept Lightbridge Precision Reflectors at their center, thanks to the rail on the back of each Precision Reflector and the smart C-Wheel mount that fits standard 16mm Baby pin mounts. To help make mounting easy and safe, included is an anti-rotation Lightbridge Extender.

Set up and break down is quick and easy thanks to proprietary engineering, and each item fits into its own bag for clear and clean organization. The small footprint on and off set makes transport and set-up easy and gives small teams the option to create high quality lighting in little time.

From Lightbridge to Snapbridge

The Snapbridge Glide ready-to-go kit features: a Snapbridge 5-foot Shallow, one each 50×50 Lightbridge DIFF2 and DIFF3 Precision Reflector, one Speedbag 50, one C-Wheel Receiver, one Grip Bag, one Lightbridge 16mm Extension, and Cleaning Cloth. The Snapbridge 5-foot Shallow and DIFF Precision Reflectors can also be purchased as single items.

Lightbridge, makers of the innovative lighting solution Cine Reflect Lighting System (CRLS), was recently awarded a 2023 GTC Innovation Award by the Guild of Television Camera Professionals, headquartered in the UK. The annual GTC Innovation Award is an accolade reserved for equipment that has made a truly exceptional contribution to the art and craft of television camera professionals.

Conceived by visionary Austrian cinematographer Christian Berger, the Cine Reflect Lighting System (CRLS) is a style of painting with light and shadow that pairs proprietary high efficiency Precision Reflectors with industry standard light sources to make diffused light easier to control and modulate. With a choice of five surfaces: Diff 0 Mirror, Diff 1 Punch Black, Diff 2 blue Sky, Diff 3 Ambient Violet, and Diff 4 Super White, Cine Reflectors act as the key light delivering spill-free diffused output. The result is a natural look in light and shadow. Lightbridge was established in Austria by gaffer Jakob Ballinger to bridge the art and technology of light.