Light Widow FRS-Light Introduced – Filter Reading Matte Box

Accessory News

by Francesco AndreolaNovember 24^th, 2022

Light Widow has recently introduced their FRS-Light Filter Reading Matte Box system. This accessory automatically detects the type and position of the inserted filters, and showcases such information on a dedicated display on the side of the matte box.

The main idea behind Light Widow’s FRS-Light Filter Reading Matte Box is to speed up the job of camera operators and assistants. This is done by getting rid of the old-fashioned velcro filter tags that usually go on the side of matte boxes by replacing them with a more modern display.

Back in March, Light Widow published an extensive overview of a demo unit (video below). More recently, the company posted a teaser video on their Instagram feed suggesting that they are almost ready to make their product available to the public. So let’s take a closer look!

Light Widow FRS-Light Filter Reading Matte Box: features

At first glance, the Light Widow FRS-Light might appear as yet another lightweight matte box, featuring an aluminum/carbon fiber construction, three 4×5.65″ filter slots, a removable top flag, multiple back clamp diameter options, and support for 15mm and 19mm rods.

However, the magic happens on the side of the matte box frame, where an integrated e-paper display system informs camera operators and ACs about what’s going on inside the accessory. Indeed, as soon as a filter is inserted in the matte box, its nature and position are automatically detected and displayed on the screen. This can also represent custom information such as camera ID and frame rate.

Automatic detection is made possible by the application of a RFID sticker tag on the edge of each filter. The FRS-Light Basic Kit comes with a set of 25 RFID tags, and what’s even better is that each tag is programmable via a smartphone app to display custom information. 

But that’s not all. Indeed, filter information can be stored on a removable SD card along with timecode, so that this data can make its way to post-production facilities. Furthermore, the company declared that they’re working hard so that filter information can also be saved directly in the video files generated by the camera.

Price and availability

According to the company’s recent statements on their social media platforms, the first round of orders for their FRS-Light filter-reading matte box will open in December. The Basic Kit (matte box, back plate, top flag, 25 RFID tags, and hard case) should retail for about $2,750.

For more information, please visit Light Widow’s website here.

Do you normally use velcro filter tags on the side of your matte box? What do you think about the FRS-Light Filter Reading Matte Box from Light Widow? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!