subject: Why Use A Matte Box For Your Camera [print this page] "Need" is possibly a powerful word, but a matte box serves two purposes: a single, to cut down on undesirable lens flares; two, to allow for easily changeable filters in front of one's lens. You could not will need a single; it is determined by how you feel about lens flares, no matter whether you're arranging on employing filtration, and how high-profile you could afford to become if you're on a guerrilla production (a matte box screams "real film" more than possibly any other accessory, which I suspect is why a big portion of filmmakers run about with one particular attached: to appear legit).
A matte box is an integral a part of an independent filmmaker's toolbox. However, resulting from the simple design of a matte box, several filmmakers are confused over the solutions high price tag and wonder to themselves, why they must even invest the money on a matte box within the initial place.
The cost is connected with both the limited demand of such a niche item too because the material and specifics that go into generating the hardware. Matte boxes normally cost anywhere from $200 C $1500. The price tag will vary based on brand, size & modifiers.
Matte boxes are used to shield the front element from direct light. A matte box serves two primary purposes. Firstly, it keeps the camera lens in the shade helping to ensure that you avoid unsightly lens flares and also help you improve your lens's ability to handle contrast. This is important to understand as a filmmaker because you'll generally be moving your camera through different light trajectories in an attempt to keep your subject properly framed. A matte box helps you minimize the consequences of moving your camera about an environment.
Secondly, a matte box provides slots for you to use filters during your shoot. Getting the strongest possible footage while on set is a good habit to get into. This means, rather than spending countless hours in post production, filmmakers are diverting much more of their energies on getting as close to their final image as possible during the actual filming process. If you could commit for the look of one's film early on, then the use of filters is a great way to color and style your film before the footage has even been inserted into an editing system.
Less expensive matte boxes could not have the slots available for filters (or could have only 1 rather than 2), but additional expensive matte boxes usually hold at least two filters. This means it is possible to use any assortment of filters such because the 85b filter, polarizing filters, color filters, ND filters, ND graduated filters and so on.
Matte boxes built for DSLR's and smaller digital video cameras come in 2 main sizes. They either let for 3??3 filters or 4??4 filters. There are larger sizes too, but these are the 2 most common sizes.
You still use the rectangular mattes for 'Scope, 1.85, 16:9 ratio in a 4:3 matte box or 16:9 matte box to reduce the stray light.
Also a normal sunshade on a lens is not far enough away from the front of the lens to give a clean cutoff, you want the matte for the lens focal length to become at least about 9 inches away (6 times the width of the front element).
Another advantage of applying the matte box is that the "black" you get from the rectangular matte slide in front is blacker than black paint or flocking can be without it and gives more contrast.
You still have to have to use colored filters, ND, and IR cut in the filter holders too as various kinds of diffusion because you cannot get the same appear utilizing digital filters.
