Fig. 4 (Click to enlarge)

Fig. 5 (Click to enlarge)

• Color Conversion Filters - The most commonly used is #85 (amber - Figure 4) to reduce cool blue tones of outdoor scenes and video lights and warm up skin tones for a healthier look. #80 (blue) raises color temperature to make incandescent lighting appear to be daylight. 80 and 85 are examples of Wratten filter numbers, a system created by British inventor Frederick Wratten, who sold his company to Kodak, which now licenses Wratten-numbered filters to Tiffen.
• Diffusion, Soft F/X and Pro-Mist (image-softening filters - Figure 5) - use combinations of etched-glass surfaces and a fine mesh to create softening, reduced contrast and a smooth look on textured surfaces. They reduce facial blemishes and wrinkles (to make people look good), while creating a natural film look. Depending on lighting, Pro-Mist goes a step further and adds a pearlescent glow to highlights

Those who work in high definition are turning to diffusion filters. "With HDTV, you see every flaw, every wrinkle," says Tiffen spokesperson, Jill Conrad. "By using Digital Diffusion FX filters, you are able soften these flaws while not having a filtered look."

Fig. 6 (Click to enlarge)

Fig. 7 (Click to enlarge)

Fig. 8 (Click to enlarge)

• Star Effect Filters (Figure 6) - use thin lines etched on the filter surface to create streaks of light emanating from light sources. The size and intensity of the star effect is dependent on the light source and the spacing of the lines. Narrower spacing produces brighter stars.
• Infrared (Figure 7) - used traditionally with black-and-white infrared film, these filters can be used for color videography to penetrate aerial haze and display varying temperatures.
• Graduated Filters (Figure 8) - split lengthwise into two halves - one part clear, the other with a filter -- with a smooth transition between the two elements. A typical use is to add neutral density to the upper half of a landscape (thereby darkening a washed-out sky), while keeping the ground properly exposed.

Chris Rowe, the owner of VideoBrite in Santa Rosa, California, uses an ND grad to subdue a portion of an image, thereby bringing attention to the area where he wants the viewer to look. "Filters are one way to set yourself apart from the average competition," Rowe says.

Fig. 9 (Click to enlarge)

Videographers frequently use graduated filters in day-for-night shots. Northern California filmmaker Stewart Kiehl, owner of Vineyard Video, shot a day-for-night scene for the film Halmani at high noon in the desert (Figure 9). To darken the scene, he stopped down three f-stops. To darken the sky, he used an ND grad along with a polarizing filter. He added a soft blue filter to further enhance the moonlit look.

Fig. 10 (Click to enlarge)

Kiehl and others who use filters frequently rely on a matte box mounted on the front of the camera lens or to rails attached to the base of the camera (Figure 10). Matte boxes allow shooters to easily add one or more filters, as well as to precisely adjust their positioning or rotation to ensure they are using filters like color-grads or polarizers to best effect. Matte boxes typically cost at least $500. If you work with multiple cameras, you can save some money by putting rails on all of them and swapping the matte box from camera to camera.

Matte box filters generally are rectangular and at least four inches on a side. If you want to avoid the extra cost of a matte box and its larger filters, you can buy round filters that screw onto the front of your camcorder lens that come in a variety of sizes. To check which size will work for your camera lens, look on the inside edge of the lens. There usually is the symbol "Ø" followed by the size in mm (e.g., 52mm). There's also a lesser price screw-on lens mount, similar to the one on this story's cover shot, which has four slots for filter lenses. It attaches to the same camera threads as a traditional screw-on filter.

Filters can give videographers a competitive edge. Yes, they are an extra expense and take time to set up, but the rewards can be happier clients, more intense images and that wonderful feeling that your work stands out from the crowd.