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Won Sundance


Eric Steelberg ASC

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Congratulations, Eric!

 

Don't forget to do some actual SKIING while you're there:

 

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-ski-533607-alta_...ea_ski_resort-i

 

They're getting dumped on, by the looks of it...

I was there for the beginning of Sundance. Two feet of fresh powder almost every day, and no one on the lifts! I was loving it!

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Congratulations, Eric! I'm sorry I missed you.

 

Besides the obvious, what were some of your highlights? Mine was meeting Alexander Payne. He couldn't be a nicer fellow. Haskell Wexler was friendly, but I could tell pretty quickly he didn't want to be bothered. I just said "hello" and that I was a big fan, but just left it at that. I didn't get to see as many films as I would have liked to. I was too busy trying to hit as many parties as possible, but I had a great time and was a little sad when it was all over.

 

Again, congratulations. That's very exiting.

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Even with the success of this movie I still prefer film. Still shoot all my comemrcials on film.

 

Eric,

 

Could you elaborate a little more on your preferance for film? Is it just light sensitivity? I'd like to hear from a guy with success on both HD and Film.

 

I'm new to this board, (first post) but I've been reading for pointers the past year. But I had to post after I noticed that my old acting buddy, Jesse Garcia, was featured in a Sundance winner. They really do need an envious icon!

 

Congratulations to all,

 

Dick Mays

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I like working with HD. I like shooting HD, maybe more than shooting film actually. I love seeing "instant" dailies so to speak and going home at the end of the day not thinking about how dailies will look and if they will be timed right (I'm not worried about the film shot turning out so much, more that the dailies are accurate.)

 

But end results are what matter the most usually, unless there is some creative advantage to shooting in HD for that particular project (like the need to run multiple cameras and record hours of footage), and 35mm film always ends up looking better. No matter how good a job you do with HD it comes out to be a notch below 35mm in overall picture quality, except perhaps graininess. At least with current 8-bit HD camcorder formats.

 

Now when you're talking about Super-16 vs. HD, I'm not one of those people who would always pick Super-16 given a choice. Personally, on the big theatrical screen, I've seen more soft wide shots in Super-16 than I have in HD-to-35mm, and I've seen more inconsistencies in grain with Super-16 blow-ups. So for me, it's a 50/50 choice between the two and I'd pick whichever would benefit the production more in terms of the look and style of shooting. A gritty street movie would probably benefit more from S16 than HD. So would a period movie probably. But I might prefer doing a comedy in HD or a sci-fi picture.

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Congrats, Eric. Let's hope it helps bring a nice big push to the career as well.

 

Iagree with David for the most part, although I think I like Super-16 a bit more than HD. My main reason is the way film emulsion rolls off the highs & lows in exposure and the color depth. But certainly HD has its place. Hogh key comedies and SciFi are perfect examples.

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I'll basically reiterate what David said. I like the process of lighting and shooting HD a little more because of the instant feedback, though I don't shoot to get a "final" image on set. I flatten the image out to get a low con image so I have more control in post. That being said, I usually don't do anything more in post than a simple gamma adjustment. It's nice to see the image form on a screen in front of you. The problem of reduced latitude is a pain but if you work within the limitations of the format, you can get exceptional results. I also like not having to worry about whether or not the colorist is going to be faitful to my intentions in regards to film dailies.

 

All of that being said, I much prefer the results I get from film. I think there is something more organic about an image being formed chemically rather than electronically. I also like the texutre grain provides when it's not noticed but rather felt on an subconcious level. There's something about how film renders color subtleties that is incredibly unique and beautiful. That's one of the reasons we filmed out Quinceañera to 35. Digital projection from current HD formats feels so lifeless to me...it feels too sharp.

 

Arguments can be made for HD that its technically better. Some argue that HD has more resolution than film in a practical sense because you're always first generation whereas film prints have gone through IP and IN intermediates resulting in a significant generational loss of sharpness.

 

Film vs Digital can and will be debated forever and arguments by people with far more technical knowledge than me will make valid points. Cinematography isn't alawsy about technical perfection. It's about emotion and translation. Film does a better job of helping me achieve that.

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I flatten the image out to get a low con image so I have more control in post.

 

I'm just a lowly amateur shooting with a HDV camera, but I've already learned this the hard way.

I'm a little slow that way, I usually learn something by doing it wrong the first time.

But it is sure nice to hear the experts give their opinion.

 

Eric, you have given ten thousand aspiring filmmakers hope, by stealing the show at Sundance.

Our wives, will never forgive you, as we open the checkbook to by better toys!

 

Thanks!

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  • 4 weeks later...

In case anyone is interested, there will be a panel discussion for the film at the HD Expo on March 9th. Myself along with the directors and editor will be there. We will also be showing clips from the film.

 

You can find more info at www.hdexpo.net

 

Even if you don't attend the panel, the Expo can be very informative. I went last year right before we shot the film and made some good contacts.

 

Hope to see some of you there!

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