cmotion Cinefade
Vary depth of field in film
Depth of field in motion picture is a powerful cinematic storytelling tool. In the past, cinematographers have always been limited to choosing either a shallow or deep depth of field that stays consistent throughout the shot.
A variable depth of field has vast creative applications. Instead of simply communicating the emotional state of a character, the effect of a changing depth of field may be used to express a shift in the subject’s emotional state.
The cmotion Cinefade system varies depth of field in a single motion picture shot at constant exposure, enabling the gradual transition between a sharp and a blurry background. This is accomplished by using the cmotion Cinefade motorized variable ND filter, which is paired to an iris motor on the lens. This enables a change in iris of up to 5 stops, while keeping the exposure on the camera`s sensor constant.
The Cinefade filter is compatible with most ARRI matte boxes (LMB5/15/25, 4x5) and is fully integrated into the cmotion cPRO system via the LBUS protocol. It is also compatible with all film and digital cameras and works with most cine lenses. Its small and light weight design combined with its plug and play simplicity allows a unique cinematic effect in a very efficient way.
The transition from a sharp background to a blurry background forces the viewer to shift his focus to the subject. cmotion Cinefade could be used in narrative film and TV to immerse the viewer into the protagonist‘s world, or in a commercial to make the client‘s product stand out from the rest.
This in-camera effect gives cinematographers control over the sharpness of the background. The gradual transition between a sharp and a blurry background in a single shot encapsulates their novel cinematic expression.
The cmotion Cinefade - Cinec Award Winner 2018.
THE IRIS IS OPERATED TO VARY DEPTH OF FIELD.
A VARIABLE ND FILTER KEEPS EXPOSURE CONSTANT.
Benefits
Why cmotion Cinefade?
There are various ways of compensating for the change in exposure caused by a varying aperture size. Shutter speed and ISO sensitivity could be slaved to the iris but these methods cause distracting motion blur and sensor noise and can not be employed over a wide variety of different camera systems.
cmotion Cinefade uses a variable ND filter that sits inside a matte box in front of the camera lens and is slaved to the iris. This solution is compatible with any digital and film camera system and cinema lens.
COMPATIBLE WITH ALL CAMERAS AND CINEMA LENSES.
Cinefade uses a light filter to compensate for the change in exposure rather than shutter speed or ISO compensation. The camera accessory is compatible with all film and digital cameras that use a cinema lens with manual aperture control.
ANY CINEFADE RANGE UP TO 5 T-STOPS.
Cinefade is not limited by the camera's shutter or ISO capabilities. It is possible to achieve a Cinefade of up to 5 T-stops within the lens limits without any loss in quality or undesirable artifacts, such as unnatural motion blur or sensor noise.
FAST AND EASY SET-UP.
The custom cmotion software and custom filter tray work together to allow fast and easy calibration of lens and filter tray at the push of a button, as well as full control over the Cinefade via a slider on the hand unit.
NO LOSS IN OPTICAL PICTURE QUALITY.
Cinefade uses high-tech polarizing filters to attenuate the light with no loss in optical picture quality up to 5+ stops of extinction. There are no undesirable artifacts, such as unnatural motion blur or sensor noise to worry about.
