Hero

Elhanan Matos · August 28, 2004

I just saw "Hero" and it was gorgeous. While watching the movie me and my friend just couldn't believe that this movie was done chemically. I guess that in an old issue of American Cinematographer they stated that supposedely no D.I. process was involved.

Max Jacoby · August 28, 2004

They only used a DI for parts of the 'green' sequences of the film.

I saw this film over a year ago in the cinema, but I seem to remember that the scene with the green curtains was definitely DI.

Mike Panczenko · August 28, 2004

I am really looking forward to seeing this- it looks really great. In AC, it says, as Audiris says, that the green sequences were DI. The lake battle, falling under the title of green sequence, was DI, as well. Abou 20 minutes were DI.

DanStewart · August 28, 2004

I'm amazed! I thought it was all DI. How did they do the leaves??

Elhanan Matos · August 28, 2004

I'm assuming that scene is a DI. How else were they able to change the color of the leaves from orange to red chemically or optically without affecting the blue in the sky?

DanStewart · August 29, 2004

That's what I thought. When they say only the green sequences were DI, I guess they are not counting FX shots, of which there were a huge number. Just the rotoscoping for the wire work must have been a quarter of the running time.

If anyone has more info on the post route I'd like to know. As the film started I was convinced I was watching a 2k DI - something seemed ever so slightly off - a little softness or something I couldn't put my finger on. Of course I adjusted and by the end wasn't sure I hadn't imagained it.

John Pytlak RIP · August 29, 2004

"True Colors" article about "Hero" in September 2003 American Cinematographer:

http://www.theasc.com/magazine/sept03/cover/sidebar.html

Dominic Case · August 30, 2004

I saw this film over a year ago in the cinema, but I seem to remember that the scene with the green curtains was definitely DI.

The green curtains were indeed DI - done at Atlab, Sydney Australia. Chris Doyle chose different negative emulsions and filtration to push the reds and blues in the "red" and "blue" sections of the film, but relied on lighting and set design to help him out with the green. It became apparent that it wouldn't be enough, so we stepped in with digital grading. For the curtains (which were green on the set but for some reason just didn't reproduce so green) we had to rotoscope each frame in order to apply the colour correction to the curtains only.

The colour grader (Olivier Fontenay) actually travelled to the set (in a remote part of China) to see the colours and work with the cinematographer. You can't beat being there!

As someone else mentioned, it's all in AC for September 2003.

Bill Totolo · August 30, 2004

So the scene in which the leaves change color was done in the printing/timing process?

Great Article by the way. I like Chris Doyle's comments.

Beautiful film.

Jon Allen · August 31, 2004

<- big Jet Li fan

(ordered the dvd from china as soon as it came out... summer 03 I think)

Paul Marschall · September 8, 2004

For the curtains (which were green on the set but for some reason just didn't reproduce so green) we had to rotoscope each frame in order to apply the colour correction to the curtains only.

Rotoscoping each frame sounds a bit excessive. If they were already green, and the only green in the frame, wouldn't a secondary color correction have been enough?