Post needed for filter test

[Shawn Nelson]

This Friday, fellow Redowner & NW DP Ryan Walters along with AC Jerry Turner and myself are doing a diffusion filter shootout using my RPPs. This isn't a complete test of ALL filters, rather a selection we've amassed between us. We'll be shooting a few setups using every filter on the same RPP as well as shooting it clean. For kicks we'll also be putting a Cooke s2 and an old Angeneiux on there clean to see how that compares.

There seems to be this ongoing debate on diffusion filters (Classic Soft, Fog, BPM, etc) on whether to shoot it on camera or do it in post. Since we'll have clean plates and shots with the filters on, here's the question, is there anyone on the community who'd like to be a digital collaborator by applying these filters digitally in post (to the clean plate) for comparison to the shots that actually have them? We'd need someone with either the Tiffen DFX2 for AE or FCP package or something even more high end.

Unpaid of course, this is for learning between Redusers and hoping to have a digital component to complete the exercise.

The filters we have so far
-Complete Schneider Classic Soft (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2)
-Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/4, 1
-Harrison Regular Fog 1/4, 1/2
-Schneider White Frost 2
-1/2 Coral (yes I know this isnt a diffusion filter)

and then possibly some front net stockings.

There isn't a fixed deadline for this. We'll be shooting on Friday, then maybe posting sometime in the week after. The digital portion could be posted whenever a volunteer has the time. I have an FTP server I could host the raw R3Ds on.

 

[D Fuller]

What a great idea. thank you for doing this.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

If you do the test, note the processing time to add diffusion to moving footage of a certain length (as opposed to a single frame), so you can calculate the overall time it would take to add diffusion to an entire two-hour feature, let's say, or if you wanted to add it to dailies, which may be 40 to 60 hours of footage for a feature.

 

[Joel Kaye]

If you do the test, note the processing time to add diffusion to moving footage of a certain length (as opposed to a single frame), so you can calculate the overall time it would take to add diffusion to an entire two-hour feature, let's say, or if you wanted to add it to dailies, which may be 40 to 60 hours of footage for a feature.

Good point.

I think posting some TIFFS and having people try to match the optical filters by using their own post techniques might be educational for everyone.

 

[Ryan E. Walters]

Thanks for starting this thread Shawn. I'm looking forward to the test on friday.

I'm really interested to see what can be done in post. My personal bias is that post filtering does not look as good and Mr. Mullen brings up a good point about the processing time.