Lightbridge started with a need.

A need for a more precise, repeatable way to work with reflected light. Not a new idea — bounce light has always been part of filmmaking. What was missing was control.

That need became CRLS Precision Reflectors.

It Started on Set

Reflected light has real advantages. It feels natural. It gives actors room to move. It lets the source stay somewhere a fixture can’t go — around a corner, through a window, into a room with no space for a stand.

The problem was always control. Move the angle a few degrees and the light moves with it. Spill needs flags. Flags need stands. Every adjustment costs time, space, and the crew’s attention — right when the DP is trying to look at the image, not manage equipment.

The original approach came from Austrian cinematographer Christian Berger, who developed his own reflective-light system and early prototypes for his own films. Jakob Ballinger worked as Berger’s gaffer starting around 2010, and the two developed the early ideas further — into something that could hold up on larger professional productions, not just one director’s set.

The question driving that work was simple: how do you turn reflected light into a precise, repeatable tool?

Lightbridge was founded in 2016 to continue that work and make the system available to other crews.

Made in Vienna

Lightbridge is based in Vienna, Austria. CRLS Precision Reflectors and core mechanical components are produced with specialized Austrian manufacturing partners, then assembled, checked, and prepared for professional use in Vienna. Specialist transport bags and select components come from long-term international manufacturing partners, chosen where their specific expertise is required.

Every reflector is built to hold the same characteristics across sizes, diffusion grades, and production batches. That matters when a rental house adds to an existing kit. It matters more when a crew needs a replacement years later and it has to match gear that’s already on the truck.

The equipment is designed for daily use — sound stages, small rooms, cars, cranes, exterior rigs, in heat, cold, and weather that doesn’t show up in product photography.

Built to Stay in Use

Lightbridge products carry a two-year warranty and direct manufacturer support from people who know the equipment and how it gets used on set.

Reflectors, grip components, and bags are available individually. A damaged part shouldn’t mean replacing a whole kit.

In the US, Lightbridge equipment and support are handled through Edgestone Bright, our dealer and distribution partner — so US crews and rental houses have a direct line for stock, orders, and support without waiting on international shipping.

CRLS has been used on productions including The White Ribbon, By the Sea, and Jessica Jones, and is used by professional crews, dealers, and rental houses across Europe and the US.

The system received an NAB Award of Excellence in 2018 and a Guild of Television Camera Professionals Innovation Award in 2023.

Since its introduction, CRLS has inspired at least eight competing interpretations of the concept — perhaps the most flattering form of recognition.

Awards are appreciated. What matters more is seeing the equipment back on set the next morning.

“After more than 20 years as a gaffer, I still believe the best lighting tools are the ones that give us more time to look, feel, and make decisions. That’s what we try to build.”

— Jakob Ballinger, Founder of Lightbridge

Explore the CRLS range, find your dealer, or reach out directly — we’re always happy to talk light.