Shooting Color negative for Black & White

[nitejrny282]

Last year I shot a couple thousand feet of 16mm VISION 2 color negative as well as some Black & White PLUS-X 7231. And what amazed me was the beautiful look I got when I pulled the color out of the color negative footage using Final Cut Pro. Compared to the richest shots I got from the black and white negative, it couldn't compare with the range I got with the vision 2.

 

I read that the Coen Brothers discovered this when they were forced to shoot their black and white masterpiece THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE in color negative for foreign distribution.

 

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

 

It makes economic sense for Kodak to put research and development in bettering their color negative, since Black and White is such a small market.

 

Unless price is an issue, why not just shoot using the Vision 2?

 

What are the benefits of shooting 16mm black and white negative?

[Richardson Leao]

Last year I shot a couple thousand feet of 16mm VISION 2 color negative as well as some Black & White PLUS-X 7231. And what amazed me was the beautiful look I got when I pulled the color out of the color negative footage using Final Cut Pro. Compared to the richest shots I got from the black and white negative, it couldn't compare with the range I got with the vision 2.

 

I read that the Coen Brothers discovered this when they were forced to shoot their black and white masterpiece THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE in color negative for foreign distribution.

 

Has anyone else found this to be the case?

 

It makes economic sense for Kodak to put research and development in bettering their color negative, since Black and White is such a small market.

 

Unless price is an issue, why not just shoot using the Vision 2?

 

What are the benefits of shooting 16mm black and white negative?

 

for the small fish, BW negs are good as than can easily be processed @ home.

[Bryan Darling]

For one you'll find black and white to be more versatile and varying in possible development processes. Additionally, the stock is half the price. There's a lot you can do with filtration for contrast and rendering various colors differently. I myself shoot mostly black and white, it's a medium I love so I'm biased. I also enjoy grain as a texture so it's nothing I've ever worried about. There is also a big difference when going from 16mm to 35mm in b&w. Just look at the films coming out of the 60's that were shot using the current b&w film stocks available, especially those by Haskell Wexler. I like how it allows for everything from a very finished clean look to a grungy "real" look, say Cassavetes.

[James Erd]

I love B&W for it's simplicity and economy. I can adjust anything including the chemistry without being charged extra by the lab [ I am the lab ]. I also compound my own chemistry which saves even more money. With color stock everything gets more complicated and more expensive.

Edited December 1, 2006 by James Erd