Vid-Atlantic Matte Box CineMorph Anamorphic Looks Filter Set (Set of 4, 4x5.65")

This Vid-Atlantic CineMorph Kit is compatible with filter holders or matte boxes that can accommodate 4mm-thick, 4 x 5.65" rectangular filters in the landscape orientation. It contains four acrylic filter slot inserts that can be used to create or partially create the effect of a scene or image that has been recorded with an anamorphic lens and then displayed using a complementary reverse-projection lens.

If an image or footage is captured with an anamorphic lens for the primary purpose of obtaining a greater aspect ratio than what is possible when only using spherical lenses on a 35mm format, the direct result will appear compressed and distorted. Projecting this compressed and distorted footage or imagery through a reverse-anamorphic projection lens allows elements within the scene to be viewed in their correct proportions. A complementary effect of this process after it is completed is the creation of blue-colored, horizontally symmetrical highlights from prominent point light sources that can extend through the scene, as well as elongated, elliptical highlights from out-of-focus point light sources such as those that appear in the background.

Together, three of this kit's inserts feature small, medium, and large-sized elliptical apertures. When paired with a lens that has a front diameter that exceeds, but approximates the longest axis of its elliptical aperture, each of those inserts can give a corresponding, elongated shape to out-of-focus highlights that are reminiscent of many wide-aspect-ratio movies recorded on film. These three inserts also accommodate the addition of separately available, user-installed filaments such as fishing wire or nylon sewing thread. Two notches, each located at opposite edges, allow a filament to be mounted and wrapped precisely over the longest axis of an elliptical aperture. When used perpendicular to a prominent point light source such as the sun, a light bulb, or a candle, an insert with its aperture intersected by a filament can also provide the symmetric, visually dramatic streaks that extend from a light source, and are widely considered to be the effect most associated with traditional anamorphic lenses.

Similar to the three inserts that each allow a separately available filament to intersect its elliptical aperture, this kit also includes an additional 4 x 5.65" insert with eight pairs of filament notches along the edges of its unobstructed, see-through frame. Up to five filaments can be arranged vertically for symmetric, horizontal streaks while up to three horizontal filaments produce symmetric, vertical streaks. Filaments can be strategically positioned according to specific light sources within a scene, and can be combined to simultaneously apply horizontal as well as vertical streaking patterns. In addition to allowing the use of multiple, vertical or horizontal filaments, this insert maintains the shape of circular, out-of-focus highlights within a scene.

To minimize vignetting or maximize symmetric streaks when using this kit's inserts, a recommended photography lens provides a single focal length that is 50mm or greater for 35mm film, full-frame digital, or APS-C digital cameras, and can be set to an f-stop ranging from f/0.95 to f/2.8. For cinematography lenses, a focal length that is 50mm or greater is also recommended along with a t-stop of 2.8 or wider. Clear filaments combined with any of this kit's inserts render the streaks they create with no color, allowing existing colors or lack of colors displayed by prominent point light sources to be maintained. By adding permanent or removable color such as from a dry-erase marker to a filament, custom streak colors can be obtained, including blue-hued streaks that emulate the character of traditional anamorphic optics.

These filter holder slot inserts are most effective for images or footage where the light sources used to generate streaks or out-of-focus highlights feature a significant degree of contrast from the rest of the scene.