Iraq in Fragments

[steve hyde]

..try here.

 

http://www.arabfilm.com/item/417/

[Jason Reimer]

I just picked this up finally from Suncoast Video for $20 after shipping/tax. It was every bit as good as what people have been saying!

 

Some questions for Basil Shadid:

 

Do you happen to know what sort of camera settings James Longley was using? I know there were some daytime scenes with what was probably pretty harsh light where he was using a faster shutter speed, but I'm curious about things like auto vs manual iris and focus, and the rest of the menu settings (F6, or some modified version of it? Also, were the slow motion shots done by just slowing down 24p footage in post, or were they 30p or 60i slowed down? Thanks in advance for any info you do have.

[steve hyde]

IIF is coming out on DVD as a double-DVD set with some pretty spectacular special features and the short film Sari's Mother (the 4th chapter of the film) that was also shot and edited by James. It ships in early July.

 

I was the Post-Coordinator on the film. Are there other questions people had?

 

 

Hi Basil,

 

I imagine many people here would be fascinated to know the post-path you guys traveled on this great looking film. How did you guys make it look and feel so cinematic? Clearly the camera work is key: lots of face close ups and good coverage - master, reverse and main shots (on single camera) and then the editing and sound mix are superb. The grading is also really well done for the DVD. I like the higher contrast look. What kind of wizardry did you guys cook up down at Modern Digital?

 

Steve

[Sakari Suuronen]

I was really impressed by this also. Seemed to me that Longley used a lot of faster shutter speeds in the film. Maybe he has to do it because of the latitude of the camera? Would be interesting to know. I always thought that you can't get good results in uprezzing SD to HD. Boy was I wrong.

[Phil Rhodes]

Hi,

 

I have the HD trailer of this as a test subject on a projection system I'm consulting on - wow.

 

Of course it doesn't look good good, but it looks outstandingly good for what it is.

 

Phil

[Jason Reimer]

Hi,

 

I have the HD trailer of this as a test subject on a projection system I'm consulting on - wow.

 

Of course it doesn't look good good, but it looks outstandingly good for what it is.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil,

As you said, considering it was shot on a DVX, it looks great. I think if you ever get to see the whole thing, you'll be impressed. Not just with the look of it and the camerawork, but with the storytelling as a whole. There are places where it's clear that it's digital video, but he makes the most of it in most situations.

 

As for your question Sakari, my guess is that he chose the faster shutter speeds partly for aesthetic reasons, but also because it's easier to switch the shutter speeds around than it is to mess with using additional ND filters. The camera has a few grades of ND inside, but on some of those shots where it's clearly the middle of the day with no cloud cover, those aren't enough and he would either have to use more ND filtration of cut the light down with the shutter speed. Plus, it gives it a gritty feel, which obviously suits the story. For those lucky enough to see the film print of Iraq in Fragments, I'm sure those were some of the shots that translated so well to the film blow-up.

 

Jason