Help choosing a film stock

[Matthew Novak]

I am shooting a student thesis film this summer and I am looking for a stock or filtration that will give me a flat, de-saturated look. I am shooting super 16 and want to shoot a slower stock, nothing above 250. The film is a mocumentery and Spinal Tap is a huge influence on the look for this project. Its mostly day exterior, so I want to shoot on a daylight balanced stock. I was thinking about shooting Fuji?s Reala 500D and pulling it one or two stops. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions would be a tremendous help.

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[Chris Keth]

Sounds an awful lot liek you might want to do some tests with flashing something like 7217.

[David Mullen ASC]

If it's Super-16, how will you be posting it? Finishing it? Because unless you are planning on an optical printer blow-up to 35mm, then you can desaturate any stock digitally in post.

 

And even with an optical printer blow-up, you can desaturate the final dupe neg by combining a color and a b&w positive over each other.

 

I think in Super-16, you'll find Reala 500D pulled two stops is going to look a little soft for a blow-up.

[Matthew Novak]

If it's Super-16, how will you be posting it? Finishing it? Because unless you are planning on an optical printer blow-up to 35mm, then you can desaturate any stock digitally in post.

 

And even with an optical printer blow-up, you can desaturate the final dupe neg by combining a color and a b&w positive over each other.

 

I think in Super-16, you'll find Reala 500D pulled two stops is going to look a little soft for a blow-up.

 

We are going to be doing a supervised transfer. Does anyone have a preference with kodak vs fuji in 250D? Or Kodak 7201 50d pushed a stop?

[David Mullen ASC]

Unless you have a real need to, I wouldn't mess with push or pull-processing.

 

Kodak Vision-2 and Fuji Eterna 250D stocks are both good; the Fuji stock is a bit finer-grained, lower in contrast, more pastel and softer, the Kodak is a bit sharper and snappier in comparison.

[Patrick McGowan]

I shot some Fuji 250D and 64D recently and I am pretty sure I did not underexpose anything, but it just seems quite a bit grainier to me than Kodak. This is certainly not a bad thing, I like grain, but it was definitely there.

 

The grain and pastel colors of Fuji really suit the Super-16 "look." If you don't have a student discount for Kodak, then Fuji will save you a ton of money.

[David Mullen ASC]

Maybe you were shooting F-250D, not Eterna 250D. The Eterna line-up is slightly finer-grained than the Kodak line-up in the same speed category -- I've seen that in my own work and in a test the Allen Daviau shot comparing '18 to Eterna 500T.

 

But being lower in contrast than Kodak, you may see the grain structure more clearly if the lighting gets too flat -- it's not that the grain is physically larger per se, just more visible, because grain is always more visible in midtones, and a lower-contrast stock naturally produces more midtones.

 

But Eterna stops at 250T and 250D, and now Vivid 160T. So F-64D, which is an older emulsion, would be grainier than Kodak Vision-2 50D, which is a new generation of film.

 

Now I generally rate both Kodak and Fuji two-thirds of a stop slower, so grain isn't too much of an issue if you are shooting in 35mm. Most people who get grainy results from Fuji are underexposing it. It loves being overexposed.

[Chris Burke]

I am shooting a student thesis film this summer and I am looking for a stock or filtration that will give me a flat, de-saturated look. I am shooting super 16 and want to shoot a slower stock, nothing above 250. The film is a mocumentery and Spinal Tap is a huge influence on the look for this project. Its mostly day exterior, so I want to shoot on a daylight balanced stock. I was thinking about shooting Fuji?s Reala 500D and pulling it one or two stops. Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions would be a tremendous help.

 

Thanks

 

Matt

 

 

I highly recommend the Eterna 250T or D. Very fine grain, very wide latitude and rather low in saturation. You can get any look you want during your tk. Fuji will give you a much better price than Kodak, heck, Kodak would even return my phone calls, so I used Fuji and like it very much. For raw stock, processing and video dailies, go with www.cinelab.com. I looked far and wide over our great country and a little bit beyond, no one had a better price. Use your supervised transfer time for the final grade. this link will show you the 250T. http://homepage.mac.com/zaefod/iMovieTheater58.html

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

[Patrick McGowan]

But Eterna stops at 250T and 250D, and now Vivid 160T. So F-64D, which is an older emulsion, would be grainier than Kodak Vision-2 50D, which is a new generation of film.

 

You are right, it was the F-64D, which was a bit grainier than I expected. Still, Fuji is beautiful and at this stage of the game, anything I shoot that is well exposed without any hair in the gate I am reasonably proud of. ;)

 

Another thing to add to this topic: ALPHA CINE LAB! This place is great and and underrated. I think I am done with DuArt now that I have seen what this place can do.