Quickie Matte Box

[Eric Elliott]

I had to do some shooting yesterday and didn't have any choice in timing or setup. I had to shoot into the sun and was getting bad glare 'n' flare. Only one crew guy to hold the boom... sun rapidly sinking....

Panic is the mother of invention.

I grabbed my Swiss Army knife, some black FomeCore, sticky Velcro strips, and a roll of gaffer's tape... and here's what I came up with:

http://www.sierratel.com/iisaw/temp/matte_01.jpg

http://www.sierratel.com/iisaw/temp/matte_02.jpg

http://www.sierratel.com/iisaw/temp/matte_03.jpg

Worked like a charm and unfolds to fit above the top foam sheet in my Pelican case!

[DM_rider]

wow, not bad for an on the spot project. I'll have to give it a shot.

[JustinT]

heh that actually looks store bought :)

[HorseFilms]

Not bad at all. I've seen a hell of a lot worse. Good work!

[x-angel]

this is why I dont get why matte boxes cost like hundreds of dollars when you can make it yourself for so much less.

[Sirius_Doggy]

this is why I dont get why matte boxes cost like hundreds of dollars when you can make it yourself for so much less.

Try adding two or three filters with a couple rotating stages to that DYI job and you'll understand.

Eric - Awesome job!

[x-angel]

filters I understand...

Define a rotating stage. Couldn't find anything on a quickie lookup

[J.R. Hudson]

Rotating stages are ones that actually turn or 'Rotate'. Think polorizers and grads.

The homemade MB is cool but really now, just use a flag cause it's not the same thing as my Mattebox that cost less than $300.00 and has a rotating stage and room for 2 filters.

Worth every penny.

[Sirius_Doggy]

Rotating stage allows the filter to rotate so you can adjust graduated filter angles.

[J.R. Hudson]

Opps Sirius. Sorry.

[Sirius_Doggy]

no prob - you beat me by a minute.....

[x-angel]

ok..now I get it.. I kinda figured it was something that obvious.. remember I am still new to all of this. I love it...but still new to it.

[Eric Elliott]

... just use a flag...

My first thought.

My second thought was, "Who's gonna hold it?"

I had only one crew with me and he was on the mic boom. And as some of the shots were handheld...

So where did you get your matte box for $300? That sounds like a great bargan. I may just have to retire my FomeCore quickie. ;)

[J.R. Hudson]

check Cavision.com

(ask for Jason; their customer service is 'Eh' but they're reputable.

[Eric Elliott]

Great site, John. Thanks!

[Slimothy]

That thing is pretty nifty. Someone else posted one that looked very similar about a year ago.

[amishjim]

My second thought was, "Who's gonna hold it?"


ummm C-Stand? under $100 all day on ebay

[The Machinist]

ummm C-Stand? under $100 all day on ebay

He needed a quick solution. No way a C-stand bought on ebay was going to satisfy his immediate need, that day.

This is an awesome DIY example. Faced with a tough shooting situation he didn't/couldn't prepare for in advance and instead used what he had lying around to make it work......just like McGuyver. Good job.

[amishjim]

look im just sayin.. the question was .. who was gonna hold the flag..... i offered a suggestion.........i find that the DV community loves to be underprepared, proud in fact. but when you are working for big companies paying big bucks you cant stand around with duct tape and carboard, you won't get hired again. I love the mattebox he made, wasnt refering to that actually..

[HybridCreations]

Easy Jim. Look at the photos....if you're goin' one-man band, do you want to carry a C-Stand into the woods? I think its a damn fine quickie mattebox. Whether or not Eric was "unprepared" for this shoot, he shows his ability to innovate under pressure and THAT is one of the most important qualities one needs when doing this kind of work IMHO.
-Ryan

EDIT: Nice touch editing the post that I responded to.

ummm C-Stand? under $100 all day on ebay
My problem is that you offered a suggestion in an obnoxious way. As if Eric hadn't even thought of what he would need. Producers love to throw curveballs on a shoot. The fact is we don't really know the situation here. And as for the "DV Community" LOVING to be underprepared, the issue MIGHT be that many in the DV Community are either hobbyists or working on a shoestring budget. The less expensive nature of DV is the reason some can do this work at all (Maybe we shouldn't be, but that's a different discussion). Many can't even afford a $300 mattebox. I agree that it's not good to be unprepared, I just don't think the DIY section is the place for bashing the DV Community's overall lack of preparedness.


when you are working for big companies paying big bucks you cant stand around with duct tape and carboard, you won't get hired again. Gaff tape and foamcore. 2 things he WAS prepared with. In my experience, big companies care about getting the shot much more than how it was executed. They paid for the day, and got what they paid for. In this scenario, Eric came up with a solution to a problem and I applaud him.