film test

[Ram Shani]

hi

 

Im about to shot a short film 16mm me and the director want to have a griny look

 

so we want to tast push on the 500T /1stop / 2stops

 

my problems

 

1 - we dont have a lab in israel so we do it in London i know that thay use 30 30 30 as one light print

 

2 i have 200 feet of film to test

 

what is the best test for me to do?

 

shuold i ask them to time the print?

 

my plan is to shot a person with gray card white and black reference and color

chart (100feet for push1 100feet for push 2) and change the exposer 1/2 a stop

up to 2 stops over and to stops under.

should i ask the lab for one light print or a timed print?

should i rate the neg like it should(1000ASA 2000ASA)

or over-exposed it 1/3 of a stop for beter blacks(800ASA 1600ASA)

should i ask them to print for the L.A.D?

help?????

 

ram

[John Pytlak RIP]

You should shoot an exposure series for each of the process conditions you are considering (normal, push-1, push-2). For increased graininess, you probably are going to end up underexposing to get the "look" you want. You definitely want to make your judgement based on TIMED prints, not 1-light.

 

Have the lab tell you the printer lights used, relative to their normal (or LAD) balance.

 

Use a test scene with a wide tonal range.

 

Best guess is you will find the look you want exposing the 500T film at EI2000 (2-stops under) and going with a push-1.

 

BTW, I developed the Laboratory Aim Density (LAD) system:

 

http://www.film-tech.com/trailers/filmtechpytlak.html

[Filip Plesha]

I didn't know it was you who developed the LAD system..

I am impressed.

 

I guess it is a greater honor to speak to you than i thought..

[Max Jacoby]

You should shoot an exposure series for each of the process conditions you are considering (normal, push-1, push-2).  For increased graininess, you probably are going to end up underexposing to get the "look" you want.  You definitely want to make your judgement based on TIMED prints, not 1-light.

I suppose you mean have the greyscale at the beginning of EACH exposure series timed and have these printing lights applied to the whole exposure series? At least this is how I do it when I test a filmstock for over/underexposure.

[John Pytlak RIP]

Each stop of camera exposure should require about 6 to 7 printer lights change in printer balance if each condition is color timed. To judge "look", you definitely want scene-to-scene timing, not one light.

[Max Jacoby]

Each stop of camera exposure should require about 6 to 7 printer lights change in printer balance if each condition is color timed. To judge "look", you definitely want scene-to-scene timing, not one light.

I see what you mean.

 

I was thinking of over/underexposure tests, where I expose the greyscale to key and then go from 5 stops under to something like 7 stops over in half stop increments. If then I have a one light print done from the greyscale, I can see what the different exposures look like.

[Tony Brown]

The problem with graded prints is your variables are taken away. A one light is in my opinion a better guide of what YOU are doing and not what the colourist is doing or thinks you are trying to do.

 

Unfortunately most lab one lights are terrible. :rolleyes:

 

If I shoot tests I get the same guy at the same post house to do the transfer, never the lab.