Sugar Glass Reflections

I'm shooting a short that involves a small child with a large pain of glass. For obvious safety reasons I was thinking about using sugar glass, but I need a very clear reflection given off by the glass.

Does any one know if sugar glass behaves differently to normal glass?

Edd Lukas, DP
London

Edd Lukas wrote :

>I'm shooting a short that involves a small child with a large pain of glass.

To keep that pane from being a pain, why not Plexiglas or lexan?

Jeff "fewer calories" Kreines

Does any one know if sugar glass behaves differently to normal glass?

The quality of reflection will probably depend on how well the sugar glass is made. Remember that there are other options like Smash resin, that are somewhat more stable than the sugar based versions.

Could this be done with a piece of acrylic sheet that gets swapped for the breakaway just before the smashing? That would give the best of both worlds.

Clive Mitchell
http://www.bigclive.com

For obvious safety reasons I was thinking about using sugar glass

Um, should I take it that you forgot to mention that you would be breaking the glass? If you're not, Pyrex is less breakable and Lexan is practically indestructible. I guess I'm not sure what your "obvious reasons" are.

Mitch Gross
NYC DP

Does any one know if sugar glass behaves differently to normal glass?

Yes, it is not as optically clear and is very fragile. As far as a reflecting surface it is nowhere near as smooth and flat as plate glass.

If safety is your concern, tempered glass such as that used in department store doors is nearly unbreakable and quite safe.

Bullet proof glass is, well, bullet proof. Laminated safety glass, such as auto windshield glass is another option.

Brian Heller
IA 600 DP

I guess I'm not sure what your "obvious reasons" are.

I'm guessing they're either going to break the glass for a stunt or feed it to the crew for second meal.

Art Adams, DP [film|hdtv|sdtv]
Mountain View, California - "Silicon Valley"