Post producrion chain of events

[Marty Hamrick]

Last time I did something for any kind of film print,it was back when film dailies and the posting was either cut film on Steenbeck,match neg,intermediate to release print.Now I skipped all of those trial answer print,A and B wind neg optical track madness,but you get the idea.I have worked on a few projects that were film to telecine to Avid with film matchback to film again,but I was a shooter only and wasn't really a part of the post production so I'm kinda fuzzy on what they do these days.

What's changed these days?I understand folks shoot without any film dailies these days and they're using DI's.I'm just wondering how the chain now goes from film neg to release print.Update me please.

Marty

[David Mullen ASC]

DI's are still not that common. Usually you transfer the film negative to video, often betacam, and a flex file is provided with the dailies. The transfer, if NTSC, is done at 23.976 fps recorded to 59.94i with a 3:2 pulldown beginning on the "A" frame, meaning that the pulldown sequence begins at a film frame that is made up of two video fields of the same video frame. I'm not sure if the first "A" frame also corresponds to a frame with a keycode number.

 

Anyway, your flex file and your window burns allow you to correlate time code on the tape to the film's keycode information so you can generate an EDL for the negative cutter with matching keycode information.

 

Just like the old days, the negative cutter conforms the negative, the negative is answer printed using a contact printer. Meanwhile, the sound mix produces a "printmaster" from which an optical negative is made. Usually your second answer print and further answer prints will have the soundtrack on it (a "composite" print) while the first answer print is silent.

 

If you shot in a format (like S16 or S35) that requires an optical printer conversion to get to a 35mm projection format, it is a little more complicated.

 

After the answer print is approved (the last one being a print you can show people now), any further prints will be ordered made off of the original negative (in a limited number) as well as a protection copy, i.e. the interpositive. That interpositive can also be used for the final transfer to video. You can make an internegative off of the interpositive and then strike a large number of prints off of the internegative if needed.

 

The color interpositive looks like a positive version of your original negative except that it contains all of your printer light corrections.

[Marty Hamrick]

Thanks David,I remember the IP's and IN's from the old days of working in a lab.There are no CRI's anymore from what I understand.How exactly are DI's done?Digutally scanned from neg?I hear alot of pro and con.

Marty

[David Mullen ASC]

Yes, DI's involve scanning the negative, usually uncut and then conforming digitally to the EDL, sort of like on online session. Scanning is either done on a souped-up telecine like the Spirit or a film scanner.

 

There are various issues with DI's that have been much debated. I tend to like them myself if done well -- but the biggest problem for me personally has been the cost, so I've never gotten to try doing one. It's one reason why I prefer anamorphic over Super-35 -- I like the simplicity of cutting the negative and striking a print, and doing all duplication steps in a contact-printer.

 

If I shot in Super-35, I'd probably want to use a DI for the conversion to anamorphic, and would probably try and shoot 3-perf to cover some of the costs. Hopefully I could make all printing negatives off of the digital master rather than use an IP/IN step.