a film reference for a video filmlook process? at DVinfo.net

Michael Morlan · May 17th, 2003, 11:03 PM

Hi all,

I've seen a lot of filmlook discussions and procedures on the net. However, I've not seen a single example in which the source image was shot on both video and film. There has been no film frame reference of the exact same scene to serve as a visual target for the video filmlook process.

Which begs the question: which filmstock? While there are a lot of basic tricks like;

o good lighting production values;
o avoiding over/under exposure;
o adjusting luminance to a more film-like curve, and;
o adjusting colorimetry,

I've not seen any attempt to match a particular motion picture film stock. (There *is* a plugin for AE that has lots of presets for various real-world stocks.)

Film cinematographers spend a lot of time getting to know the capabilities and limitations of various filmstocks so they can make creative choices to support differing projects. I wondered if anyone has spent as much time with their video cameras and post systems when attempting a filmlook process.

Does anyone have such an example to offer up? I know *I* don't.

Thanks,

Michael

Joseph George · May 19th, 2003, 01:45 PM

Cinematographers always shoot for the optimal look, on each project, within the limits of their technology and within the limits of their budget. I think that video peole should shoot for the optimal look for their particular project within the limit of their technology, not just trying to go for the film look.

E.g. cinematographers always wanted higher projection speed than 24 fps. Video people already have it. You can do basically everything with video that you can do with film, except you'll be more limited with the available range of shooting speeds, with generally wider depth of field (which is an advantage on some shots), narrower latitude, lower resolution, handling of highlights, etc.

The video technology is naturally lacking in the image quality of film, but it is constantly improving; we are at the dawn of HDTV era. I think that the main concern video people should have is to make sure that their material is not dated. That means shooting in HD if possible, of the highest possible resolution that the budget allows, rather than just trying to match the film look. Or at least use cameras with the largest possible CCD for shallower DOF and shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio.

Derrick Begin · May 19th, 2003, 01:59 PM

Michael,

There was an article testing the new Panasonic Camera and there were pictures of the video and 35mm film. I'm trying to find it.

Which filmstock? Depends on your exposure needs.

Cheers!

Derrick

May 17th, 2003, 11:03 PM	#1
Michael Morlan Regular Crew Join Date: May 2003 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 79	a film reference for a video filmlook process? Hi all, I've seen a lot of filmlook discussions and procedures on the net. However, I've not seen a single example in which the source image was shot on both video and film. There has been no film frame reference of the exact same scene to serve as a visual target for the video filmlook process. Which begs the question: which filmstock? While there are a lot of basic tricks like; o good lighting production values; o avoiding over/under exposure; o adjusting luminance to a more film-like curve, and; o adjusting colorimetry, I've not seen any attempt to match a particular motion picture film stock. (There is a plugin for AE that has lots of presets for various real-world stocks.) Film cinematographers spend a lot of time getting to know the capabilities and limitations of various filmstocks so they can make creative choices to support differing projects. I wondered if anyone has spent as much time with their video cameras and post systems when attempting a filmlook process. Does anyone have such an example to offer up? I know I don't. Thanks, Michael

May 19th, 2003, 01:45 PM	#2
Joseph George Permanently Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 265	Cinematographers always shoot for the optimal look, on each project, within the limits of their technology and within the limits of their budget. I think that video peole should shoot for the optimal look for their particular project within the limit of their technology, not just trying to go for the film look. E.g. cinematographers always wanted higher projection speed than 24 fps. Video people already have it. You can do basically everything with video that you can do with film, except you'll be more limited with the available range of shooting speeds, with generally wider depth of field (which is an advantage on some shots), narrower latitude, lower resolution, handling of highlights, etc. The video technology is naturally lacking in the image quality of film, but it is constantly improving; we are at the dawn of HDTV era. I think that the main concern video people should have is to make sure that their material is not dated. That means shooting in HD if possible, of the highest possible resolution that the budget allows, rather than just trying to match the film look. Or at least use cameras with the largest possible CCD for shallower DOF and shoot in 16:9 aspect ratio.

May 19th, 2003, 01:59 PM	#3
Derrick Begin Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: New York Posts: 329	Michael, There was an article testing the new Panasonic Camera and there were pictures of the video and 35mm film. I'm trying to find it. Which filmstock? Depends on your exposure needs. Cheers! Derrick