Anamorphic Lens Look – Cheap Solution with CineMorph

A lot of filmmakers these days try to get the epic film look of the old Cinemascope days. Those are the films that were shot with anamorphic lenses – lenses which allowed to get an extra wide aspect ratio on the standard 35mm motion picture film stock.

As a byproduct, the anamorphic lenses also created artifacts, due to the extra pieces of glass they contained – artifacts like vertically-stretched highlights/bokeh and horizontal streaks with extra flare reflections.

Now, many years and films later, these “artifacts” are actually something that people have gotten accustomed to and associate with the classic “film look”.

To create such a look, you can use real anamorphic lenses, except that they are very expensive and hard to find. Another way is to use computer effects. The most practical method, though, is to use special lens filters.

Here is a video about anamorphic lenses in general and, more specifically, about a really neat CineMorph filter from Vid-Atlantic that I used to get this classic film effect.

You can also get the CineMorph filters on eBay

3 thoughts on “Anamorphic Lens Look – Cheap Solution with CineMorph”

  1. another great tutorial Tom. We have taken alot of your advice we are currently shooting a pilot using Panasonic GH4’s your cinema setups were vewry helpful we have a dream sequence coming up and I think we will be trying the anamorphic effect going to try first with a filter if it works out we will invest in a lens. By the way yuour short Killing Love was excellent I really like that you made sure to get the shades on the car windows for the baby into the shot it was a great set up.

    Regards
    Richard Kilduff
    Writer/ Director
    10th Ave Prods.

Leave a Reply