Shooting recommendations for transfer to 35mm film at DVinfo.net

Phil Bloom · January 10th, 2008, 06:39 AM

I am probably going to be shooting a feature length doco soon that is intended for theatrical exhibition.

Some will be shot clean, some of it using the Letus Extreme.

What settings do people recommend? Any advice? Obviously 24p, but 1080p too I assume? No issues with 4:2:0 only grading will be done on it, no effects.

Thanks

Steven Dempsey · January 10th, 2008, 10:38 AM

Phil,

I can only speak for my experience with the Canon XHA1 but you can probably translate some of this advice to your camera.

I would definitely shoot using a preset that is pretty flat. You will need as many options in post as you can and using any preset that is pushing the limits of color or the opposite will give you less choices.

I have shot with the default Canon factory preset on my XHA1 and was able to extract a beautiful, vivid picture from it using various color correction methods.

Regarding mixing the Letus and native lens, I have done that with no issue. Again, the flatter you shoot, the easier it is to match the slight differences in the color.

I would keep the sharpness at about 0 for the Letus shots and take it down to about -3 or -4 when using the native lens. This will get rid of the ultra sharp edge look of native lens HD and more closely approximate the inherent organic softness of the Letus picture. Experiment, of course.

I have had the most success using the Letus for medium and closeup shots and then defaulting to the native lens for wide shots....there is much less to compare from the audience's standpoint when they are looking at distinctly different FOVs.

Anyway, that's my take on it all. Good luck.

Seth Bloombaum · January 10th, 2008, 11:49 AM

I'd not hesitate to ask questions over at dvfilm.com. They are a very respected video-to-film house, specializing in the indie market. Perhaps there is someone you work with in the U.K. who would take some tests out to 35?

January 10th, 2008, 06:39 AM	#1
Phil Bloom Trustee Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London UK Posts: 1,939	Shooting recommendations for transfer to 35mm film I am probably going to be shooting a feature length doco soon that is intended for theatrical exhibition. Some will be shot clean, some of it using the Letus Extreme. What settings do people recommend? Any advice? Obviously 24p, but 1080p too I assume? No issues with 4:2:0 only grading will be done on it, no effects. Thanks __________________ Philip Bloom Cinematographer, Director, Filmmaker www.philipbloom.net

January 10th, 2008, 10:38 AM	#2
Steven Dempsey Disjecta Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, Washington Posts: 937	Phil, I can only speak for my experience with the Canon XHA1 but you can probably translate some of this advice to your camera. I would definitely shoot using a preset that is pretty flat. You will need as many options in post as you can and using any preset that is pushing the limits of color or the opposite will give you less choices. I have shot with the default Canon factory preset on my XHA1 and was able to extract a beautiful, vivid picture from it using various color correction methods. Regarding mixing the Letus and native lens, I have done that with no issue. Again, the flatter you shoot, the easier it is to match the slight differences in the color. I would keep the sharpness at about 0 for the Letus shots and take it down to about -3 or -4 when using the native lens. This will get rid of the ultra sharp edge look of native lens HD and more closely approximate the inherent organic softness of the Letus picture. Experiment, of course. I have had the most success using the Letus for medium and closeup shots and then defaulting to the native lens for wide shots....there is much less to compare from the audience's standpoint when they are looking at distinctly different FOVs. Anyway, that's my take on it all. Good luck. __________________ Try my Digital Therapy: http://www.pinelakefilms.com/digital_therapy.html Films on ExposureRoom: http://exposureroom.com/members/disjecta.aspx/videos/

January 10th, 2008, 11:49 AM	#3
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	I'd not hesitate to ask questions over at dvfilm.com. They are a very respected video-to-film house, specializing in the indie market. Perhaps there is someone you work with in the U.K. who would take some tests out to 35?