Widely used for the design of resonant electronic devices, Mason's scalar rule is adapted here to the study of resonant subwavelength optical structures. It turns out to be an efficient formalism, especially when dealing with multiple wave interference mechanisms. Indeed it allows to comprehend the underlying physical mechanisms of the structure in a straightforward way and fast analytical formulae can be retrieved. As an illustration, we apply it to the study of dual metallic gratings, which appear to be promissing optical filters as their spectral shape can be tailored according to needs.