Cinefade Shipping Updated VariND System
Camadeus will offer hands-on demos of the system at the Cine Gear Expo in Los Angeles.
Cinefade is now shipping its new and improved Cmotion Cinefade VariND system to camera-rental houses and filmmakers worldwide.
Cinefade allows cinematographers to vary depth-of-field in one shot to gradually transition between a deep and a shallow depth-of-field at constant exposure.
A Cmotion CPro lens-control system slaves the motorized variable-ND filter to an iris motor and automatically keeps exposure constant while the iris opens and closes. Cinefade is compatible with any film or digital camera and cine lens.
Cinefade won a Cinec Award for camera technology last year, and the system has been used by cinematographers such as Paul Cameron, ASC, who used it to accentuate a moment of extreme drama in the recent feature The Commuter. Cameron explains, “I wanted a severe depth-of-field shift to accentuate Liam Neeson’s experience, something to isolate him from his surrounding world as his character is being fired from his job. Cinefade was exactly what we were looking for.”
The system no longer requires a specialist technician to operate. The VariND is quick and easy to mount, and the Cmotion CPro lens-control system supports plug-and-play simplicity via LBUS cables. The iris motor doubles as the wireless receiver.
The Cmotion Cinefade VariND consists of a Motorized Polarizer and a Static Polarizer that connect together and are placed inside a matte box. The circular polarizers were developed in partnership with Arri, and, using the concept of cross-polarization, they attenuate 5+ stops of light (ND0.4 - ND1.9).
The VariND has multiple practical applications and can be controlled separately, giving the user precise and dynamic exposure control whenever the camera is inaccessible — for example, on a Steadicam capturing an interior-to-exterior transition shot.
The Motorized Polarizer can also be used by itself in RotaPola mode to remotely adjust the polarization angle, which is especially useful on automotive shoots to control and/or animate reflections.
The user can directly control RotaPola and VariND modes on the filter itself via two buttons and an OLED screen.
“This is a new storytelling tool, and there are few preconceptions of how to use the effect,” says Cinefade inventor Oliver Janesh Christiansen. “We’re excited to see how filmmakers will use Cinefade to continue to push the boundaries of cinematic language.”
Camadeus will offer hands-on demos of the Cinefade at the Cine Gear Expo next month.
