hd for printing to 35 mm

[Matias Alvarado]

hi there,im aindie filmaker from chile. im working on the preproduccion of a feature film.
for issues of budget we decided to go HD and then print in 35mm film. i cant aford cameras like sony f900 or varicam or red one, so im stuck in the following reflexion. do it with sony pmw ex3 in 720 24p or go for cannon 5d mk2(dslr) in 30p 1080 an then pull down 3:2.
i need somee info if someone has used the canon for printing to film, how those it handle on set and how is the workflow form the sd cards to edition.
also if some one has blow up the ex3 to film.
any info or sugestions will be very helpfull

[David W. Jones]

Let me ask you this, why would you need to do a film out?
It is a hugh expense that is almost not done anymore.

[Brian Drysdale]

Originally Posted by David W. Jones

Let me ask you this, why would you need to do a film out?
It is a hugh expense that is almost not done anymore.

I wouldn't say that, but perhaps it's something that best left to the distributor who's buying the film for theatrical distribution because of the cost. If you're hoping for a theatrical distribution it would be worthwhile having the best set up for this, but you should check with the lab doing the work and plan your workflow for the best results.

One advantage of a 35mm film print is you don't have the variability of digital projection and how the projectionists have set these up the projector. Although, if you're just doing the festivals perhaps going digital and delivering on the best quality format most commonly favoured by festivals would be the way to go.

If you're doing only one or two 35mm prints perhaps the Cinevator may be the most cost effective method.

http://cocean.creato.at/cms/148_50_9_49_1_de.pdf

[Sandeep Sajeev]

Hi there,

This months American Cinematographer has a write-up about a short film that was
shot on the Canon, as well as a write up on a couple of network shows that use
the EX3 as a b-camera.

Well worth checking out.

I would think that it would probably be easier to manage your post workflow with
the EX3 for a film out, but again it's something that you will need to check with
Canon and your post facility.

Sandeep

[Peter Amies]

Hi Matias,

I work at Cinevation, the compnay who make the digital film-printer Brian mentions above. One of the big uses of the Cinevator for many of our customers has been recording of HD originated content, direct to 35mm print, and they're seeing a lot of EX3 material come through for recording. From all the material I've seen, if you treat the images carefully in post, the EX3 can look fantastic on film.

I haven't seen any 5d content yet, but I'll ask around, and see if any of my customers have any experience. I did come across this post on Gizmodo yesterday, which may be of interest...

Shooting a Feature FIlm With the Canon 5D Mark II: Challenges and Ingenious Workarounds

If you're interested in recording your finished project direct to print, we have 2 facilities in LA using the Cinevator (Tunnel Post in Santa Monica, and Technicolor) which would be the closest option for you. Feel free to contact me off-list for contact details.

Peter :-)

[Mike Barber]

Originally Posted by Matias Alvarado

i cant aford cameras like sony f900 or varicam or red one, so im stuck in the following reflexion. do it with sony pmw ex3 in 720 24p or go for cannon 5d mk2(dslr) in 30p 1080 an then pull down 3:2.

If you are planning on going out to film, then shoot with the EX (1 or 3) at 1080p24 with a shutter speed of 1/48. It is ideal to stay at the native frame rate as your intended output, as well as keeping a frame size as close to the output size as possible. 1080p HD is very close to 2k, thus an ideal framesize for indy filmmakers planning/hoping/dreaming for a film output.