Monochrome Day For Night Filters

Has anyone used the monochrome day for night filters by Formatt or any other manufacturers?

I understand they are available in degrees numbered 1-3. I understand that they differ from the regular day for night filters by not having heavy blue but how do they differ from heavy ND?

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards,

Jim Sofranko
NY/DP

Haven't tried the Formatt DFN. My favourite is the Tiffen Monochrome DFN, which comes in one strength. It has a yellow cast. You remove the yellow in color timing and the resultant image has a silvery moonlight quality that I like very much. Perhaps not appropriate if your taste in night shots is more the James Cameron deep blue look.

Combining the Tiffen Mono DFN with a low-con or pro-mist in a heavier-than-usual grade also works for me. ND grads on top and bottom can also help. I've done DFN shots with six filters working.

Appropriate lighting, of course, is more important than the filters.

Lowell Peterson ASC
Los Angeles DP

Lowell Peterson wrote :

>My favourite is the Tiffen Monochrome DFN, which comes in one >strength.

Thanks for the recommendation, Lowell. That is exactly the description I needed as I'm not looking to create the traditional, Cameron, deep blue look.

Do you have any suggestions as to the color temp of sources and practicals when using this filter when some of the yellow is being removed in transfer? Thanks.

Best Regards.

Jim Sofranko
NY/DP

With the Tiffen Monochrome, I keep anything supposed to be moonlight at daylight color temperature. Practicals or lit windows I make super warm, i.e. tungsten lights with full CTO on them.

Tungsten film, no 85 filter, underexpose 1-and-a-half or 2 stops. So to make a lit window over key you might need one or two 20K's inside the building. (Beware of burning the curtains or 1000H.)

Lowell Peterson ASC
Los Angeles DP