The light modulator includes elongated elements and a support structure coupled to the elongated elements. Each element includes one or more lengthwise slits within an active optical area, and a light reflective planar surface with the light reflective planar surfaces lying in a grating plane. The support structure maintains a position of the elongated elements relative to each other and enables tilting of each element about a lengthwise axis. The elongated elements are tilted between a first modulator configuration wherein the elongated elements act to diffract an incident light into one or more diffraction orders, and a second modulator configuration wherein the elongated elements act to diffract the incident light into at least one diffraction order different than the one or more diffraction orders in the first modulator configuration.