Does anyone have any great links to in-depth and extensive resources that write about the printing process and color timing of film?

[silvan schnelli]

I have been reading the ASC article on exposing for film (https://theasc.com/blog/shot-craft/shot-craft-the-art-of-exposing-film) and am very interested in the steps involved in the color timing and printing process of film, as well how they may vary when using the Hazeltine and doing it through a DI. However, I can not seem to find any extensive sources that go really in depth on these topics. My best bet right now has been Wikipedia. I sadly have not had the chance yet to film anything on photographic film and experience the process after acquisition, so I would like to read about it.

I would also really appreciate it, if perhaps some of you could share your knowledge on how correcting for an overexposed scene acquired on photographic film differs when corrected with the Hazeltine and the DI. In addition to that, I would also be curious to how it differs from correcting an overexposed scene acquired from a digital sensor.

[Robert Houllahan]

Most of the film color timers learned by trial and error, Brad who was at Cinelab was an incredible color timer and did not like the hazeltine as he found it to be slow and cumbersome he timed on the bench with color cards and experience and made incredible timed prints.

Unfortunately he passed away a few years ago so much of the knowledge he had was lost except for the tools which are still at the lab.

For Di workflows on film you might reach out to Steve Shaw at Light Illusion as he has an extensive toolset for calibrating a Kodak digital LAD with a densitometer through the negative and print stages at a lab and building a matching 3D viewing LUT so the look of the print can be closely matched in the DI theater. 

For more controlled general printing you can use a Kodak LAD and measure the patches with the densitometer for ECN2 consistency and then print that LAD onto print stock and then measure the LAD patches on the print to get to a base printer light setup on the printer and process at the lab.

From there color timing is primary print lights +RGB = darker in all colors -RGB = Lighter in all colors +G = more magenta -G =less magenta etc.

[silvan schnelli]

@Robert HoullahanInteresting information. I’ll have to check it out. thank you

[John Rizzo]

Films shot in Negative would have to be timed on a Hazeltine to get to the first answer print, once the first answer print was done lab timer would use CC filters on a lite box,then enter the new RGB values (either write them down or enter them into a computer) so a new timing tape would be made to feed the printing machine for the corrected print.

For Film shot in Reversal Film the lab timers most lab timers viewed the cut reversal on a lite box and time by eye to make the changes.