Unlike still photography, moving images can be difficult to edit en masse. The sheer volume of images that create a few seconds of movie footage is astounding, with at least 24 individual frames per image. As such, it's much easier to use a filter like the Arri Varicon to apply effects to your image than it is to do so in post-production. Arri's Varicon filter is a colored filter that applies anywhere from a slight color cast --- designed to correct lighting color problems --- to deep colors that thoroughly dye the images. Though designed for movie cameras, Varicon filters can also be used with still cameras to produce the same effect on each frame you shoot.
Instructions
1. Mount the lens that you will be shooting with onto your still camera, following the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Mount the matte box onto the camera, following the included instructions. While some matte boxes screw on to the front of the lens at the lens filter mount, others attach via a collar that can be loosened and tightened with an attached thumbscrew. Whatever method your matte box uses, take care not to damage the lens when mounting it.
3. Insert the Arri Varicon filter into the matte box by snapping it into place, if your matte box allows inserting a filter or sliding it through the side of the matte box at the filter guides. Again, matte boxes use different methods, so take care when mounting and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
4. Adjust the camera's exposure settings to match the camera's through-the-lens metering system. The Varicon filter reduces the light entering the camera by a variable amount, depending on the density of the filter used. You will find you need to overexpose to compensate, which the through-the-lens metering system automatically takes into account. If you are using an external light meter, overexpose by the amount of stops recommended on the data sheet for your particular Varicon filter, as all use different exposure adjustments.
5. Press the shutter to take a picture as you normally would. The image will now be colored by the Varicon filter, giving the desired effect.
Tags: Varicon filter, Arri Varicon, Arri Varicon filter, camera following, manufacturer instructions, matte boxes
