Cinematography - 8 - 1: Films and processing

Video responds better in low light, while film works better in and more forgiving while overexposed.

Contrast can be controlled at various levels

At camera level

Choice of film stock

Lighting style

Production design

Filters on camera

Digital camera setting (not raw)

Pan flasher

At lab level by:

Pre or post flashing

Push / pull processing

Special lab process

Digital manipulation

Tiffin makes Dfx filters to show how the film will look after it is processed

Basically there is no color film; it just has 3 layers of dye- couplers

So there is:

Oxidation – reduction

Color couple

Color dye

Metallic silver

Bleaching

Fixing

Bleach bypass looks like it has pastel colors, and rich blacks this is when the positive has been bleach bypassed.

If Bleachbyass is done on the negative stage, the film has bright shiny whites, almost glowing kinds, and some colors are very saturated, like red.

E.g.: amorous peros the movie.

Cross processing gives more color shift , n higher contrast.

Timing: is process of evaluating the negative scene by scene, and making the color and density adjustment in order to strike a good print.

It established printer time based on RGB values; on a 50-point scale, where 8 points equal one stop of light.

If perfect it should read: 30 - 30 - 30

Printing up (brightens) is a low number so needs to be printed up

Printing down (dark) is a higher number

Higher the number: its overexposed

Lower the number it is underexposed.

Colors and density must always balance between the 3 numbers L 30 – 30 – 30

In medicine color brightness and contrast can be manipulated more accurately

Usually a feature needs approx. 12000 feet of stock

Sleepy hollow had bleach bypass at positive stage

Amores peros had bleach bypass at negative stage

Black hawk down

Amelia

and house of flying daggers had major Di to saturate colors