So the little time I had to snag a camera operator to ask them on set today about the Hollywood Black Magic filters, he said it's the preferred filter because it gives the best diffusion while still not blowing out the highlights and also not creating any noticeable halo effects on bright lights, this is why they use them. Sold me! Now I just have to save my pennies, I'm still looking for a cheap 4x5 field camera with lots of movements, so the filter will have to wait, I guess I sort of answered my own question. But I did learn a bunch of fun techniques to try in a pinch. Thanks guys!
I'm leaving this thread open for now if anyone with more info or anyone who's actually used them wishes to comment.
He said the preferred version was the 1/2 and sometimes the 1 stop filters, not so much the other ones. Which makes sense.