Bolex Matte box

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THE BOLEX MATT !:: BOX is an indispensable tool for the advanced
moviemaker.
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The Bolex Matte box
an ideal and versatile a ccessory to the Bolex H8
and Hi6 Reflex Carner ' s.
The Bolex Matte box 01 ens ap undreamed of poss ibilities of expressing
yourself on the screen.
The Bolex Matte box permits tricks and effects up to now limited to
professional film maket's:
Entering a room throu~h a keyhole
Viewing a scene through binoculars
Seeing images through masks
Freezing images
Wipes
Split frame scenes
Making the same pel's ln appear repeatedly in the same scene
On location titling
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The Matte box seI.'vesfi, furthermore as a portable titleI', an extended
lens hood, a filterholdel~ , a support for special accessories.
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The following pages d, scribe some of the practical applications of the
Bolex Matte box whic comes with a complete set of masks and .accessories.
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Of course, these examJles are by no means exhaustive. The Bolex Matte
box leaves free rein to Iyour ingenuity, talent and creative imagination.
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FITTING THE M '\' TTE BOX ON T O YOUR CAMERA
IS EASY
The Bol ex Matte box fit; on to a carefully designed base. This base znust , of
course, be attach e d t o YO.J.r caznera. To attach the base, follow the instructions
given in figure opp osite:
Tighten screw (a) firmly with th, special key supplied with the Matte box,
Turn screw (b), wh ich rests on Ue housing, in either direction until the sides of the base run parallel to
the side of the film camera.
Sc rew (c) locks screw (b) in pia('~ .
To improve the stab il ity of the bas "Iset fiange (d) aga inst the camera by mea ns of the adjoi nin g small sc rew.
A nd now w e are r e ady for the lens h ood
The sliding rail stop (kept in pla' e by two screws) will occupy different positions, depend ing on which
camera is used: H16RX (No.1); rl8RX (No.2). See ill ustration .
Insert the lens hood support inn the sliding rail at the front of the base, then tighten and lock the
knurled screw.
And now we are ready fo: the lens hood
The sliding rai l stop (kept in pl ace by two screws) will occupy different positions, depending on which
camera is used: H8RX (No.1); H16RX (No.2). See illustration.
Insert the lens hood support into the slid ing ra il at the front of the base , th en tighten and lock t he kn urled
screw.
No.1
No.2
Centering the lens hood
When t he lens hood is co rrecth mount ed , t he f ront and rea r f ram'es should be app roximately ce nt red in
relat io n to the ta king lens . To pf' fect th e cente rin g, pro ceed as fo ll ows :
- horizonta ll y, by adj usting the setting of the base by mea ns of the screw (b) and the fiange (d)
- vertica ll y, by adjusting the position of the base plate (g) . To do th is you must:
- remove the lens hood
- loosen t he carrier screws (v)
- raise the plate (g) the necessary distance (indication marks are picked out on each side of the plate to
facilitate regulating height) .
After locking t he two screws (v), fix the lens hood on the sliding rail ancj check the centering again .
These centering operations are made once and for good.
One thing you should not forget:
In order to enable the taki ng lens to pe netrate into the interior of t he Matte box it w ill be somet imes necessary
to remove too long lenses from the tu rret.
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With which you can use a wide range of lenses for both the H8RX or H16RX
cazneras (starting frozn 5 .5 znm. to 100 zn~ ). "
When using wide angle l~ nses, it is recoznznended to extend the bellows to only
2/3 of their full length.
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If you are working with a telephoto lens, you can iznprove the efficiency of the
Matte box by attaching a znask to the frazne in front of the hood (fig . below) .
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THE MATTE BOX CAN BE USED FOR A LARGE
VARIETY OF TRICKS
Each of the two znobile fra znes, one in front of and the other behind the bellows,
is equipped with a set of sliding rails; the front frazne sliding rails can be reznoved to
allow for the "use of differe nt znasks to achieve a variety of effects.
Front frazne - the sliding rai ls can accomRear frazne - equipped wit h two fixed sliding
mod ate one or two masks which have a thickness
rai ls with two stops. Examples on pages 2 and,8
of 3/64/1 or a glass plate which has a thickness
show different app lications for the rear frame.
of up to 1/8/1 . Furthermore several masks can be
mounted on the front frame at the same time.
The frames, too, move along two sliding rails, one of which is graduated in mm and inches.
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IDEA ... A SCENIC VIEW
THROUGH BINOCULARS
JUST A
AS SEE
The proble is to fit an image which may be scenery, a person , an
animal, as , p , into a set outline which is s:rn.aller than the image
itself.
What do you ne d? A simple opaque mask and transparent acetate.
How do you pro eed? Place the transparent acetate into the front frame
sliding rail, ' cus the subject, trace the outlines with a pencil, transfer
the outline 0 to the piece of cardboard and cut it out.
To obtain a relatively sharp outline of the mask, use a lens with a
great depth of field ~ standard or wide-angle lens).
VIEWING A ROOM THROUGH A KE
or through a very small opening ...
(This impression is easy to create because of the very
movement of t h e lens hood bellows).
What do yo u need ? A simple opaque mask and transpareIJ
acetate .
How do yo u proceed? The ~paque m~skjs mounted in fron t ' of o r behind
the bellows. We recomm end t he latter position if the 0 tlines of the
cut-out are to disa,ppear at the end of the take ;' Mou!fr the acetate
on the rear frame. : ,Fra~ e the scene. Draw the outlines ~ f the opening
required on the ace.t ate" Transfer these outlines ontjl the opaque
mask. Cut out the opening'. Insert the cut mask into th. rear frame .
Start shooting with the rear frame pushed forwar d , hen m ove it
slowly back towards the lens . The mask opening widen J' the out lines
blur, then fade away while the take continues.
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SCENES
The split frame trick which always leaves a strong impression on
the aUdienel is easily done with a Bolex Matte box.
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W hat do yo u need? An opaque mask, an opaque counter-mask, a tranS."'parent aceta te sheet.
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How do yo u proceed? Each section (usually 1/2) of the frame is exposed
separat ely. "\1'.1 the first take a mask covev.s- one part of the picture.
After rewin ning the film with closed shutter, the person to be doubled
will occupy the space previously covered by the ,mask, while the
scene expos7,d during the first talj:e is n ow masked. Th~ 'dimensions
o f the mask a nd the counter-mask m 'u st be clearly pre-establishetl
an d matche .~' on the acetate.
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The procedure is the same for triple, quadruple, etc., e xposure with
1/3 or 1/4, etc., of the image being exposed at each take .
It is essential to use the sarne lens for the successive t a kes.
A CHILD AT THE BOTTOM OF A BOTTLE
A child seated at a table looks at his "double" appearin g in a bottle
standing on the table.
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W hat do you nee d ? An opaque Illask, a counter-mask mour.'i.ed on glass,
a transparent acetate sheet.
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How do you proce ed? This is also a double exposure. First frame and
focus the child at a d i stance sufficient to enclose his sil!l:i.ouette withil'l
the outlines of a bottle cut out of a mask andp!t'eviollsly t raced on
the transparent acetate sheet.
After !t'ewinding, the child is fihned at the table and framed in such
a way that the counter-mask mounted on glass COll'nes supe!t'posing
on a real bottle standing on the table. Many other simila r e£fects are
possible.
WIPES
In additio n to the transition effect made possible by the variable
shutter of the H8 Reflex and H16 Reflex (fade ins, fade outs, dissolves), the Bolex Matte box also offers the possibility of well-known
transitions s u ch as wipes and opening or closing circles.
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What do you n e ~ d? A standard mask 4" X 51/z".
How do you pr~~e.ed ? At the e~~ of th~ sequ~n~e move the ma~k slowI"y
and evenly ,1-long the slldlng raIl untll It completely cover.s ~he
scene. Move the mask fro.m the covered position until the ,fhlld i:;
completely ncovered.
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EFFECT OF OPENING OR CLOSING CIRCLE
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An image is opened £roIIil. or closed towards the center. In other
words the :field widens or shrinks progressively in relation to the
center of the image. It is frecg;uenUy used as a trans~;;:on between
scenes with centered object.
What do YGU need? 2 cut-out masks.
How do you proceed? At the end of tlle scene, move the two masks towards
each other until the subject is completely blacked out. A t the beginning of a scene, move the two masks away froJ!Xl each other.
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A FIGURE EMERGING OUT OF THE MIST
This effect will introduce into ymir fUrn an element of .;nystery.
What do you need? A glass plate covered with vaseline or similar greasy
substance.
How do you proceed? Fit the glass plate in the front frame Shoot while
slowly moving the front part of the lens hood to the rear. At the
end of the take, the subject filiUled through the grease covered plate
appears clearly in a llalo.
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LIGHTING UP THE DARK WITH A LAMP
In this way you can produce a fascinating dramatic effect.
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What do you nel'ld? An €lpaque 0r translucent lD.ask higgel' than the
front frarne Y" < ~ provided with a cireu.lal' opening.
It is essenf' : l~ to FeID.OVe aU the front fralD.e sliding rails. Whiile
shooting, lD.ove the lD.ask by hand while it is pressed agaiI!lst the
front frarn.e. This lD.OVeilllent rn.ust be clearly tilD.ed if you wish to
single out )'i; ubject in the bealD.. With the help of an assistant yQU
can vary thf:' ;'l'ize of bealD. by lD.0ving the fFalD.e along its axis .
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ON THE SPOT TITLING
It is now easier to title films on the spot by directly superilD.posing
the text on to the actual lD.oving backgrm.md either in black or with
translucent letters.
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Remember : For black letters you need a clear backgro'li{b~ sAt present
white letters on a dark background al'e more popular, but professionals of,t en u.se black letters to achieve a lD.ore striking effect.
What do you need? A glass plate or a sheet of 'transparent acetate.
How do you prGceed? You start by drawing or gluing th~. letters onto
the glass or acetate [['>'late. The background may be a real scene, a
picture, a lD.ap, etc.
Focus the title
It is essential to use a standard or wide-angle lens which perlD.its
close up focusing. The reflex systelD. of the carn.era gi:ves the possibility to deterlD.ine accurately the sharpness ef the title and of the
backgrou.nd.
Do not forget that the focusing ring, the calD.era running speeds and
the variable shutter of the cam.era will help considerably in obtaining
optilD.ulD. results.
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FANCY EFFECTS
Instead of fixed titles you can have lD.oving titles 0ver a real ibackgI1ound!
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Wh,j do Y'" J d' Atr=sp=.nt ac.tate shoot =o=t.d onto thelar. .
sliding rail.:: ? f the front fram.e.
How do you .: 'cee d? With Indian ink and opaque retouching colour
you draw tue design and the titles on the acetate band which you
Ililove in froJ t of the lens while film.ing the background (a tim.e-table
on the illuJ t r ation). Give it a try iu~d you will be am.azed by the results.
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OTHER FANCY
, EFFECTS
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"Open" titling on the real scene.
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What do you need? 2 transparent acetate curtains swinging o n adhesive
tape " hinges " .
It is advisable to have a pointer handy to facilitate handling. You
will also need one assistant.
How do you proceed? Focus on the title leaving the backgroun d blurred.
Film. the title with closed curtains for as long as n::>"essary. Your
assistant will then slowly open the 2 curtains on ~ t he blurred
background while progressively adjusting the focusin g br t he background. The sequence continues on this background w h i ch m.ay be
anim.ated or still. By th~ sam.e process you can m.ake your t i tles swing
to the left or to the right or m.oving up or down with a transparent,
colored or opaque curtain.
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LIGHT LETTERS
ON A DARK ANIMATED BACKGROUND
As you see it in professional m.ovies!
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What do yo u nee d ? A fairly stout opaque mask with the letters cut out,
a sheet of transparent acetate .
How do you proceed? By means of double exposure.
First take: Film the title mounted on the front frame. The lighting may be
reduced to In", ke the title stand out clearly from the opaque mask. After
closing the ·J}.riable shutter, rewind the exposed portion of the film.
Second exposure: Deliberately undere'x pose the chosen background
which should be, preferably, animated. A sheet of transparent acetate
with the outltnes of the letters in Indian ink will enable you to position the title o n the background. This sheet of transparent acetate
must be rerr1:-lved before shooting views inserted into titles.
VIEWS INSERTED INTO TITLES
On a smaller screen within the mask you can show view~nustrating
the title.
What do you need? A mask and a counter-mask.
How do you proceed? You first film a long scene through the rectangular
cut-out of the mask. After rewinding the exposed porti0Jl.0f the film,
you shoot the counter-mask on which you have drawn the title. When
the film is projected, title and scene will pass simultaneously.
Following the same principle you can choose a real scene on a T.V.
set. Similarly you can inscribe your titles on a panel within real sets
to be filmed.
STILLS TRANSPARENCIES
For illustration let us take a stained-glass window. It is not always
easy to film in a church - even with the aperture wide open - and
get perfect colors.
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However, you can easjly, ;,,' "Brt a still view in your filIlil by shooting a transparency
threugh your Bolex lVIatte box, thus benefiting of 0ptixnum. exposure and focusing
conditions. The slide is J,nounted on strong black cardboard and. placed in the
fremt frame. The bellowv :~ at the rear will protect the lens fvoxn any stray light.
A diffusing white surfac ~ such as an opal glass placed at saHle distance frolB Ute
Matte box, will help to ~.! .f,ain an even ilighting of the slide.
FREEZING AN
What fun to suddenly freeze a xnoving figure for a few seconds. It is a trick that
always is a hit in a xnovie'-showing. Obviously this trick can only be xnade at the '
cutting stage.
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First select the ixnage to be frozen. The fraxne xnust be very sharp. With the help
of xnacro-cinexnatog rap
extension tubes reshoot it by fitting it into a xnask
which is xnounted in f:r;r j.~ of the Matte box. When this filxn is developed cut it
into the original filxn at the exact point where you want the frozen scene to coxne
in. Two splices will do the trick. Great care xnust be taken when refilxning the
"frozen" scene. Focusing and lighting xnust be rigorously controlled.
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THE BOLEX MATTE BOX SERVES
AS A SUPPORT FOR VARIOUS DEVICES
The rear fraxne is a unj.versal filter carrier, designed in particular for square
standard 3/1 X 3/1 ;filters~~ a thickness of 1/S/l or less, as well as the Arriflex
filters (3/1 x 2 3/S/l). No oJ;~."htator required. Adjustable polarizing filter canalso t
be fitted. A totally closing iris, an autoxnatic fader and a nuxnber of other accessories can also be adapted to the rear fraxne by using the threaded holes designed
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for thls purpose.
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AND WHAT IS MORE
The Bolex Matte box will be appreciated by the scientist as a sxnall portable table
for xnacrocinexnatography.
Focusing is simplified: Sixnpi.j' adjusffo:the rear fraxne for optixnuxn sharpness. It is easy
to filxn either horizontally or vertically. In the horizontal position the object to
be filxned xnust be pinned or cexnented to a strong cardboard which in turn is
xnounted on the rear fra:m.e sli9-ing rails.
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SOME TH I NGS T O ;KE EP IN MIND BEFORE TITLING
WITH THE BO LE X
ATTE BOX
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1. Th e be ll ows ca n be extended fro rr:J fto 7".
2. A ny fl at and prefe rably black card,Olt,: (i pap er can be used for th e opaque masks. However, we would
advise th e use of the black "Pressyirrpaper masks, thickness 1/32" (supplied with the Matte box). They have
the advantage of being perfectly smootr l and t herefore sliding easily along the rails. For color film it is often
better to replace the black masks by '(sem i.transparent, colored masks, These may be made out of any
seml·transparent colored material whi ch If not rigid should be pasted onto a sh eet of transparent acetate
or a glass plate.
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DiInensions of masks and glai Ii
On the front frame:
On the rear frame:
card boa d or ac etat e
4" x 5 1 /2"
glass plalt e
315 /16" x 5 1 /16"
glass plAte, ca rdboard or acetate 2 3/8" x ;3"
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ACCESSORIES SUPPLIED WITH THE MATTE
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For the front frame:
9 transparent she ets of acetate.
1 glass plate.
10 black "Presspan" cardboard masks with sampl es cul·out.
2 lo ng sliding rails.
For the rear frame:
1 glass plat'e,
10 blac k " Press pan" ca rdbo ard masks wi t h samp les cul·oul.
1 special key,
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PAILLARD S.A.
Sainte-Croix (Switzerland)
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Printed in Switzeri'aQ d
FITTING THE MATTE BOX TO CAMERAS
WITH INTEGRAL FLAT BASE
The introduction of the integral flat base (fig. 1) on H16 Reflex cameras (from
No. 202,5') 1) and H8 Reflex cameras (from No. 198,591) changes the method
of Matte Box mounting and the separate camera base is no longer necessary.
The MattE) Box is attached to these cameras by means of a slide block (figs.
2 and 3).
Before th e lens hood can be mounted, the following operations must be carried
out.
Adjustment of the slide block
The stop screw (a) and the eccentric (b) must be in the positions shown in fig. 2
(for H16 Reflex) and fig. 3 (for H8 Reflex).
To reposition the eccentric, loosen the screw (c) - see fig. 5 - about fou r turns,
push -the ,)ccentr ic out of its seating, turn it through 1800 and then t ig hten
screw (c).
Fitting the slide block to the cam.era
First remove the strip of leather (e) from the front of the base. The front plate
(d) can now be removed by unscrewing the two fixing screws (f) (see fig. 4).
Now replace the front plate with the sl ide block, u sing the screws (h) (see fig. 5).
Centeri.ng the lens hood
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The holes (g) in the slide block are elongated to allow for horizontal centering
of the lens hood.
Before completely t ig htening the fixing screws (h) inse rt the lens hood support
plate into t he slide block and check the horizontal centering of the lens hood
with respect to the tak ing lens. If necessary, correct the centering by moving
the slide block in either direction. Now remove the lens hood and tighten the
fixing screws (h).
Vertical centerin:g of the lens hood is carried out as indicated on page 1 of the
instruction manual.
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The slide block can be left permanently attached to the camera.
Suppl ....ME 525/36 Anglais
Printed in Switzerland