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MillimeterShoot Expertise: Camera Filters
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Barry Braverman
Guidelines for deciding when to get physical.
The Tiffen Dfx filter suite provides a staggering range of options based on familiar filter types and their associated looks.
Doing it in software
Camera-filter-simulation tools have come a long way in the last several years. The Tiffen Dfx filter suite (formerly 55mm from Digital Film Lab) includes more than 1,000 visual effects — including simulations of the most popular Tiffen filters such as the Black Pro-Mist, Diffusion/FX, and Soft/FX. One advantage of the Dfx software approach over the more traditional route is the ability to precisely apply a desired effect to only portions of the frame.
FxFactory Pro
Noise Industries FxFactory Pro offers shooters a range of interesting and compelling capabilities — from cartoon effects to more subtle blurs and ripples. Beyond the 150 preconfigured plug-ins, FxFactory Pro enables shooters to easily create their own plug-ins for a signature look. I used the camera-shake plug-in to simulate the moving train on several static shots for my recent The Darjeeling Limited behind-the-scenes show.
Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks is the single most important plug-in for HD shooters seeking greater post-camera image control.
The Magic Bullet
For HD shooters, Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks (MBL) is a tour de force and a must-have tool for post-camera image control. It doesn't replace every physical camera filter in your arsenal, but it sure is effective in replacing a bucket of them.
Most image-control plug-ins are designed by engineers without the foggiest clue how to connect the digital prowess of a workstation with the creative mind of the shooter. Designed to work inside an NLE host or Adobe After Effects, the typically editor-oriented plug-ins employ a cryptic interface that can be more frustrating than empowering. Shooters, by their nature, tend to be intuitive with a particular way of looking at the world, and Magic Bullet Looks in all its power and possibilities clearly respects that sensibility.
Among MBL’s many attributes is the ability to address excessive depth of field—the scourge of small-format HD shooters. Here, a shallow DOF is simulated by applying a soft ramped edge around a subject.
Adopting the metaphorical model of a basic camera-imaging system, Magic Bullet Looks enables precise control of exposure and contents of the matte box — diffusion, gradients, and color correction — and even unusual lens character events such as an anamorphic flare. One can also choose from a range of camera processing and postproduction options such as bleach bypass, night scope, and X-ray. And, because the tool is so well-designed and thought-out, it is much more likely you'll actually use MBL rather than let it sit idle due to an overly steep learning curve.
More than 100 presets and 36 looks are available inside MBL, which can run either as a standalone application or as a plug-in to Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and the various Avid incarnations. Given its vast capabilities, customizable looks, and support for Apple Motion, MBL can also be used as a powerful previsualization tool for indecisive directors shopping for just the right look on set.
Conclusion
Owing to the increased resolution of our images and the larger displays upon which they will likely be viewed, today's HD shooter must consider the entire workflow that begins at the camera and continues through image capture, processing, and postproduction. While the traditional optical filter continues to play a vital role, accomplished shooters must now look beyond the optical flat to other areas of control — to the camera-setup menus and increasingly to such inspired plug-ins as Magic Bullet to maintain the look and feel of their images.
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