Home of Professional Cinematographers

Warming Filters

Published - 27th May 2010

I'm looking for anyone who has practical experience with warming filters used on a RED camera to offset very blue, low level lighting. A DP has asked my opinion on filtration to give the colourist a "fighting chance" on a shoot where we may have to shoot at the end of a very overcast day and he's looking for a way to bring the colour back into a manageable zone while not losing too much stop. 812? 81EF? Chocolate#1? Deca R3? Anyone happy with the results from this exercise? Thanks.

Rod Williams
Motion Picture and HD First Camera Assistant
Petaluma, California
U.S.A.
(707) 778-7524 Home
(415) 309-3407 Cell
facebook.com/rodwms

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Determine the colour temperature and use the correct filter to bring the scene's CT to the desired amount. Just place the various filters over the CT meter and use the one that brings the CT to what you want.

Mark Woods
Director of Photography
Pasadena, California
www.markwoods.com

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81ef is great on a Red

cheers,

Jeff Barklage

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I'm not sure warming filters are really necessary with the Red, even when the daylight gets into the 6000K range or higher. It just makes the blue channel less noisy when it's well-exposed at high colour temps. But if you really want to use warming filters, I wouldn't go too heavy, not an 81EF strength. Maybe an 1/8 Coral or something.

Unless you are aiming for a very warm, golden tone overall.

David Mullen, ASC
Los Angeles

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I would never use a warming filter with RED, even if I wanted it go Chocolate in the xfer. RED loves blue, and the better exposed it is the better control you'll have when colouring the image.

Hope this helps

Byron Shah
DoP Los Angeles

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I agree with David & Byron; while the RedRAW (to specify as unique from RAW, per another discussion on CML) allows for "adjustment" of colour temperature once it comes to processing, the sensor is unarguably balanced to the high end of the spectrum; I've seen plenty of cooling filters (1/8 CTB etc) in tungsten lit situations to help the colour response be more regular across the channels.

So I'd likewise urge that warming filters should be avoided unless there's ample light available; you MIGHT paint the camera for a warm look to keep production team in video village happy, then talk with
your DIT about processing the RedRAW separate from that look... But I'd definitely suggest that no light is blocked from getting to that sensor, particularly as the light starts to fade. Except for IR, to
hell with that stuff.

Boa Simon, Director of Photography
818-292-2445
http://www.boasimon.com
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2673848/

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>> I'm not sure warming filters are really necessary with the Red, even when the daylight gets into the >>6000K range or higher.

I agree. I shot a spot where the end of a walk was lit by bright blue sky through a hole in some trees (10,000k-ish) and while the flesh tones had some slight blue reflections in them from the light source the rest of the shot cleaned up very nicely. That was on an old build, too--probably 16.

Maybe an 812 or a light coral...? The sweet spot seems to be 5000k, so whatever brings it in the direction...

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Art Adams | Director of Photography
4 1 5 . 7 6 0 . 5 1 6 7

showreel -> www.artadams.net
trade writing -> art.provideocoalition.com

ICG, SOC, NWU

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