Tell me about filters please

Rakka · Nov 2, 2005

have you seen matrix? do you remember the subway scene where neo fights smith? or perhaps a more recent movie, the unleashed? both of them have this green tint to them. I would like to achieve such an effect for my assignment. Any help on how to do it, is it a filter that does, if so what type, brand should I get for a 35mm camera.
thank you

Big Mike · Nov 2, 2005

Welcome to the forum.

In movies, a lot of that is done in post processing and may have nothing to do with a filter on the camera. I think the tint you are referring to is (or is replicating) the look and feel of fluorescent lights...like you would find in a subway.

Actually, if you use regular color film with only fluorescent lighting, you will get a tint because the film is designed for a different temperature of light (sunlight or flash). However, the lab that develops your film & makes the prints may try to adjust the prints so that the it's not tinted.

There are many, many types and colors of filters out there. If you want a green tint, just buy a green filter, it can be just that easy.

Rakka · Nov 2, 2005

thank you for the reply, also i should have said i have to use slide film :\ teachers requirement so if i used fluorescent lights would that still work ?

Big Mike · Nov 2, 2005

Actually, I think slide film would be ideal for this type of thing because what you shoot is what you get...no interference from the lab.

And yes, slide film is color balanced for different lighting. Regular film for sunlight or flash...and tungsten balanced for tungsten bulbs (to get proper color representation under tungsten lights).

I'm not sure which would be best for your purposes but I'm sure you could find out easy enough...or just experiment.

Of course, if a final print is your objective...I'd shoot digital (or scan the film) and apply the color tint with software...but it sounds like this assignment is so that you learn how to do it in the camera. Good luck and don't forget to show us the results.

DocFrankenstein · Nov 2, 2005

Big Mike - please don't confuse the guy with inaccurate info. Matrix would never be shot under fluorescent lights.

Do you mean like this?
http://h2racer.com/matrix/pics/8x12a.jpg
http://www.progblog.de/uploads/filme/unleashed.jpg

In a lot of the scenes in the subway fight, neither neo nor smith are actually in the shot. The're inserted later with green screen, and often lit up separately from the background.

This is the reason why they bring 5 truckloads of lighting equipment to the set. They can get it exactly the way they want it.

You don't have this option. So use strong lighting from the side and from the back. This would give your subject mystery.

Sin City was shot primarily with side lighting and backlighting.
[ame]http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005JNTX.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg[/ame]
In here, they took every portrait separately and then photoshopped it together.

Bruce Willis is lit from the sides and from behind.
The stripper chick is from behind from the left and from the side on the right. The light is also diffused, to make her more feminine.
Also strong hairlight, which gives a halo around her... giving the surreal look.

Does this help?

Meysha · Nov 2, 2005

Most photography courses I've seen/heard about run a section about colour temperature and they specifically use slide film for this because the effects 'show up more'. Students are usually asked to take photos showing the effects of colour temperature, done by taking photos in different lighting conditions. Ie: candlelight, full shade, sunset, fluorescent lighting, tungsten lighting.

So I don't think the lighting ideas doc is talking about are the right thing. (and there's no need to be so confrontational about it mate)

Rakka specifically mentioned that he wanted the 'green tint' from the matrix, not the other effects.
If you use daylight slide film (which most consumer stuff is) then you'll get a green tint to your photos if you take them in fluorscent lighting.

If you know anything about digital photography, then you'll know that you can correct this in digital by using the white balance.
This may give you more of an idea on colour temperature and white balance.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/whitebalance.htm

DocFrankenstein · Nov 2, 2005

I have both matrix and unleashed... there's no green cast in the subway scene and very few in the unleashed.

It's not the green cast - it's the way they light up the scene...

Maybe I misread the question though.

Meysha · Nov 2, 2005

Is this the subway scene you're talking about. (if you look closely throughout all the matrix movies you'll see that they're all tinted green whenever someone goes into the matrix... but this thread isn't about analysing movies)

Use fluoro lighting and you'll be fine.

Rakka · Nov 2, 2005

wow thank you bery much for the plethora of information and ideas. Lighting the subject ideas that Doc mentioned will come usefull for my subject, as for the greenish color, yes im trying to have everything in the frame turn out loolikng slithgly greenish, just like in the subway photo that Meysha posted. I have read about filters and dont really know what type to use for my camera or if it would be usefull in this situation. As for the fluorescent light, i have looked at some today, and they are all slightly different, some the tube is white, others slightly pinkish while others are bluish and of course wattage differs from each. So, is there any preference as to which i should buy? there are also fluorescent light bulbs not the tubes, do those yield the same effect? Will different wattage give different green color saturation? Any help in this area would be much appreciated.
thank you