'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty' - this is how to do a 'period' piece.....

[Stephen Perera]

So why are we not talking about this highly entertaining fun and fantastic period piece I don't know....but we are now....or are we:

https://www.kodak.com/en/motion/blog-post/winning-time

A complete achievement in the achievement of the 'look' of an era in my opinion....interesting quotes from the article on the Kodak site....

After several months of testing production formats and finishing techniques, the ingredients for the visual recipe emerged – a mixed-format arsenal of 35mm, 16mm and Super8mm cameras, adapted to shoot in Max8mm format, for the narrative live-action sequences, plus a bevy of vintage Ikegami three-tube color TV cameras, as used in the 1980s, for basketball games and press conferences.

The workhorse filmstock was KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219 in 35mm and 7219 in 16mm/Super8mm formats, for its warm and vibrant color and ability to enable the DPs to shoot at a deep stop - from a T8 to a T16 outside - and for interior and night sequences.

KODAK VISION3 50D 500T Color Negative Film in 5203 35mm and 7203 16mm/Super8mm formats was used for exterior/daylight scenes, chosen for its color, contrast and more shallow depth-of-field properties.

KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207/7207 formats were employed on shady or overcast exterior day shots. EASTMAN DOUBLE-X Negative Film 5222 35mm B&W, plus KODAK TRI-X Reversal Film 7266 in 16mm panchromatic B&W were harnessed to emulate newsreel footage.

"During production, and to take steps toward period KODACHROME and EKTACHROME print looks, all of the film was underexposed between 1/4 to one full stop, depending on the scene. The footage was then push-processed at the lab to encourage subtle image detail in the toe, increased contrast, grain, and color saturation, and a slightly foggy image overall that looked like yesteryear. In post-production enhanced film gate weave, 16mm highlight halation, image softening and custom print LUTS were all added to complete the effect."

"We specifically asked the lab technicians at Fotokem to not dust bust the negatives and informed our QC team in post-production that, apart from appearing on faces, any scratches, sparkles and hairs in the gate were perfectly acceptable."

"Even though we were using modern technologies, such as remote stabilized heads and Steadicam, we kept bumps, extreme servo zooms and other imperfect camera moves, and didn't worry about crossing-the-line or matching eyelines, to give it a more handmade, caught-in-the-moment feeling."

“For authenticity, we used built-in period lighting built into our sets – fluorescents, sodium vapor, metal halide and mercury vapor – with a lot of old-style hard light on top of that, akin to what you might see in movies like Pulp Fiction (1994, dir. Quentin Tarantino, DP Andrzej Sekuła)," he notes.

[Stephen Perera]

 

[Stephen Perera]

some stills

 

[Stephen Perera]

....this to me looks real, like it was shot back then.....I remember the 80s very very well........notwithstanding the 'cliche's of showing the Super8 negative and a few other things to inform the less.....observant....amongst us haha....chapeau to all....love it....

[James Compton]

Right there with you, Stephen. I am really digging this show. The camera work is truly dynamic. The "on court" camera angles are shot by an operator on roller blades, he is also using a hi-hat on a low spinning turret for quick pans and 360 shots. 

   The set design takes me back to my early childhood. The team office looks like the building my dad worked in. The production designer deserves an Emmy award for such fine detail. Small things like the home stereos and the wood paneling in some of the homes. Good stuff. 

   The way Kodak VISION3 is pushed for increased contrast adds emotional intensity. It's different from the clean 35mm early telecine that I remember from early 80's NBC/ABC/CBS TV shows, but it works so well in transporting the viewer back to the early 1980's. I am definitely adding this show to my Blu-Ray collection.

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by James Compton

[Stephen Perera]

Exactly...if you're old enough then it goes to another level doesn't it James!!! The clothes the haircuts the furniture the smoking everywhere thing, the pre Aids pandemic 'attitude'......a masterpiece period piece. The operator on roller blades hahah wtf

Edited August 30, 2023 by Stephen Perera

[Tyler Purcell]

I really like the first season. I'll work on watching season two soon! 

[Jon O'Brien]

I heard they used something like 1,200 Super 8 cartridges, and filmed with Pro8mm refurbished Beaulieu 4800s.

[Jon O'Brien]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:01 AM, Jon O'Brien said:

I heard they used something like 1,200 Super 8 cartridges, and filmed with Pro8mm refurbished Beaulieu 4800s.

Beaulieu 4008 I mean. From Pro8mm.