Matte box filters, which ones should I get?

[Chris Geukens]

Hi guys,

Well I've been put in charge of purchasing matte box filters for our new hvx/redrock camera package and I must say I am completely lost. After looking through catalog after catalog I've realized that there are hundreds of them. Can anyone here give me some advice on which filters would be good to get. I've heard that black promist is a good one and a polarizer but I have no idea what density they should be or anything else. If anyone could give me some suggestions on other good filters or anything else at all regarding them I would highly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Chris
​

 

[puredrifting]

Most filtration these days is better achieved in post. The problem with drastic looking filters like a Black ProMist is that if you shoot with it, you are stuck with that look, period. If the client, director, producers or DP decide that they don't like the look in the edit bay, oh well, tough.

The exceptions are filters for exposure. You want a circular polarizer. Polarizers are usefull for cutting down on reflections from glass and water. A great side effect is that Polas also give you bluer skies and more brilliant colors along with usually providing a stop and half to two stops of neutral density. But Polas only work optimally at 90 degrees from a light source, usually the sun. Meaning that you don't see much of a polarizing effect in the early AM and late PM.

You want at least three and preferably six ND Grads. The ND Grads are a graduated filter where a part of the filter has neutral density but it transitions to clear. You use these generally for taming overexposed skies and taming the contrast ration so that your camera can reproduce a more flattering picture. A minimal set would be soft edged ND 3, 6 and 9 but a better set would ND 3, 6 and 9 in both soft edged and hard edged graduations. The hard edged work better when you are on a long lens, the soft edged work better for normal and wide focal lengths.

You would also want a set of just solid NDs. These are the same as the grads except the entire filter is neutral density, not just a strip of it like on the grad. ND 3, 6, 9 would be a good start.

You want quality glass, something that uses white water Schott glass ideally. Most use the 4x4" size but there are many other sizes as well, depending on your matte box. Good filters cost a lot, I have been buying the Formatts lately and they are the cheapest of the good stuff at around $200.00 ea. You can go nuts and get the best of the best for about $500.00 ea.

I would avoid Cavision filters, resin filters. If you are going to use filters and trust you preciously lit and composed images to them, you need a filter than is totally distortion free in every aspect other than it's intended effect.

IMHO, "effects" filters are best done in post. Exposure filters really only work as you shoot, if you blow out your skies or have bad reflections, nothing can be done about that in post.

All my best,

Dan

 

[davide]

I know it's weird to resurrect threads but I had a question about puredriftings comment: when working with something like the DVX100 where the color is subsamlped to 4:1:1 is it better to do color effects via filters or try to achieve them in post? That is assuming that you know exactly what you want ahead of time. I'm just wondering which will end up achieving the cleanest looking images.

 

[puredrifting]

Most DPs would tell you in the case where the ultimate quality is desired, yes, adding filtration in post would add a layer of re-encoding of the DV codec, which does get noisier and dirtier more quickly than 4:2:2 formats.

FWIW, I have been editing a video and using a LOT of MB Looks on DVX-100 footage and I absolutely am blown away by the looks I can get with it and I am a DP. Most of the looks I am going for make the DVX footage look grainer, dirtier and more film like and look amazing. The reversal stock settings rock and have been a great starting point. I have some footage shot in a ghost town too and MB Looks has been instrumental in achieving a very duotone-like, gritty look, stuff that I could neer have achieved with optical filters.

I still enjoy post filtration better than camera filtration other than for exposure.

Just remember, in using optical filtration, WYSIWYG and you are stuck with it forever so get client/director/network sign offs in blood.

Dan