Besides the new Rabbit-Ears Rectangular, Rabbit-Ears Mini and the Rabbit-Ears Space attachment systems, there will be more softbox choices coming soon as Stefan Karle, managing director and founder of DoPchoice, explains.

“Our approach is to develop new products for filmmakers that will make it easier for them to work on set“, says Karle, a filmmaker himself, who started his career as a cinematographer at Munich Film School. “It is a huge advantage that I have a practical background in film because, I know what is being used and in which way on-set. We are speaking the same language.” As a DP, Karle worked frequently with soft lighting. “It required setting-up many flags or grids. It is always a big deal to mount them and huge units used to sag. In 90 percent of situations, the light is coming from above and is shining in the wrong direction.”

Since fabric products usually don’t last long when they are folded, the young pioneer was looking for a smarter solution. By experimenting with on-set tools for lighting, he developed the Butterfly Grids that are made to last with a specially-developed robust fabric. Manufacturing techniques keep each individual cell in the grid stable throughout a long life. Thanks to specially developed brackets, the Butterfly Grids are incredibly simple and quick to install. Each corner of the Butterfly Grid has a white fastener, making it easier to find regardless of the lighting conditions. Moreover, the grids can be installed at any angle, and the extremely lightweight material means less weight to hang. Funded by the Exist Programme of the Federal Ministry of Economics, the young entrepreneur put his first product on the market in 2009.

DoPchoice has since become a market leader in Europe when it comes to grids. Its portfolio now includes the Snapgrids, which can simply be mounted to a frostframe. The self-unfolding, self-tightening, light controlling grids stay taut, so that the light goes exactly where it should. The compact construction can be packed in about ten seconds.

“Usually fabric products are not appreciated on-set. They get dirty. They need to be folded in special ways,” Karle points out. “When it rains, the fabrics have to be dried, or they begin to grow mold. Our products are designed for the set. It starts with our storage bags. Some are made from truck tarp material, whilst others are made from extremely robust nylon. Both of them are water-repellent, and can even take the occasional mud bath, and still keep the contents clean and dry. Some rental houses have had to re-order the bags because the gaffers wanted to keep them for themselves.”