Filter choice for older female

[Arnold Finkelstein]

We are starting a doc that will have older female celebrities - 60's to 70's.  At least one of them enjoys legend status, is 77 years old, and will be justifiably protective of her image.

We will likely shoot on the C300M3 with Tokina Vista primes.  We will light them appropriately, but what filters should we consider?  I was thinking 1/4 or 1/2 Black Pro Mist.

[David Mullen ASC]

Just depends on the effect you want. "Mist" filters are designed to create halation around lights but they also soften detail, partly because the mist particles are diffracting light rays, blurring fine detail, which is what a regular diffusion filter like a net is designed to do, but also because there is some contrast loss, and contrast affects sharpness.  Another popular mist filter is Tiffen GlimmerGlass.

There are filters designed to create less misty halation and just more softening, so less of that glowing, hazy effect.  Some of the best are Tiffen Diffusion/FX and Schneider Radiant Softs (those are subtle so you have to use the heavier strengths.)

Something like a Schneider Classic Soft mainly softens.. but there is a sort of blurred halation around lights due to the size of the "lenslets" in the glass.  More subtle is the HD Classic Soft which uses smaller lenslets. And then there is the Schneider Hollywood Black Magic, which combined a 1/8 Black Frost, for a base amount of misty halation, with degrees of HD Classic Soft for softening.  And there are black nets of various types.  

I would take a look at the Tiffen Digital Diffusion/FX #1, or the Black Diffusion/FX #1 for starters.

Really the more important thing is lighting (and dialing down any artificial sharpening levels in the camera.) Light the subject to reduce wrinkles and baggy skin (i.e. frontal and soft), keep the electronic sharpness level down in the camera, use a light filter... and then do any additional softening in post if needed.

[Doyle Smith]

It's pretty old school, but I would try a Mitchell B or C from Panchro. I remember using them on some classic actors and liking the smoothness without softening the eyes too much. Black nets might be good too. If you're intercutting between actors in head shots, don't go too extreme with any one subject. You don't know where the intercuts might end up in post. I'd keep it fairly consistent only going up or down a grade or so once you've decided on a look.

Lighting and makeup are also important in this regard. Look at Hurrell's work and see how a higher off center key casts a shadow on the neck, disguising the inevitable double chin we get at my age.

I'm not up on the latest video resolution and contrast range, but I think David's suggestion about watching the detail level is a good one too.