In Camera Bleach By-pass?

BigT[NZ] · September 9, 2004

Hi guys, (im not too sure if this is in the correct forum)

Im a film student in New Zealand and i am D.P.ing another students short film.

Its a zombie horror and it will all be shot at night on Kodak 500T, there is some outside scenes, but most of it is indoors with low lighting.

He has said that he wants the colours to look washed out and weak. He wants it to be contrasty as well. (I suggested a bleach by pass but ha said he doesnt have enough money).

Could you guys give me any tips or ideas on what i should be doing do get this effect? Would it be easier and just as effective to do it in post? As far as i know the film is getting proffessionally telecine'd so they could do it in the lab. But because this is a learning experience i would like to have a crack at doing something like this in camera.

Oh also, could anyone give me some info on the stock? (Kodak Vision 500T) like the latitude etc? sorry for the ignorant questions but im learning.

Any help or tips would be great.

Thanks

Tim

David Mullen ASC · September 9, 2004

It's a pretty simple post effect to simulate: lower the chroma levels overall, crush the blacks, make the highlights hotter. I'd shoot a test and sit in with the colorist as it gets transferred to tape, create the look you want, and then ask the colorist to match that for all the video dailies. Or if this is a short film, supervise the telecine transfer of all the footage.

For my video dailies on "Northfork" (where I used a skip-bleach for the final prints) I had a sign that I shot at the head of all my rolls:

NOTE TO COLORIST:

CREATE SKIP-BLEACH PRINT LOOK

(1) LOWER CHROMA (COLOR)

(2) INCREASE CONTRAST

(3) CRUSH THE BLACKS

It was partially successful...

DavidSloan · September 16, 2004

That's very interesting, David. I will be directing my thesis film this winter, and I am seeking that look, myself. Of course I cannot afford it. Have you ever seen Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice? It was shot by Sven Nykvist and there are portions in the film that are extremely desaturated! It looks absolutely stunning. I would really like to know what was done on that film. If you've seen it please let me know.

Thanks! B)

David Mullen ASC · September 16, 2004

That look was created in an optical printer. You take the color negative and strike both a color IP and a b&w positive; then you combine the color and b&w positive image onto a new color internegative in two passes. The percentage of the total exposure that comes from the b&w or the color positive will determine the amount of desaturation. For example, if the new negative had 90% of the exposure from the b&w image and 10% from the color, then the image will be very desaturated.

DavidSloan · September 17, 2004

Thank you, David.

I was wondering, could you explain to me what you mean by: "crushing the blacks?"

Also, I know that you wrote a very detailed article on Northfork, for AC. Do you by any chance have a link for it?

Thanks again.

DavidSloan · September 20, 2004

Hi David; where can I find your interview, on this site?

Also, will a white promist aid in the desaturation process?

Thanks :)

David Mullen ASC · September 20, 2004

http://www.cinematography.com/articles/northfork/

Yes, "fog" or "mist" type diffusion or contrast-lowering filters will soften colors just like flashing softens colors, by washing them out with white light. Diffusion filters will also soften detail (obviously) and cause halation (bright areas to glow). This halation also lowers contrast by causing the bright areas to bleed into the shadows, milking them out. Flashing, on the other hand, does not affect sharpness or cause halation; it just milks up the shadows. However, lowered contrast does give them impression of softening the image.

DavidSloan · September 21, 2004

David: your interview was very helpful. Those stills are breath taking. I have to watch Northfork, again. I originally saw it in the theaters because I'm a fan of the work of the Polish brothers. But now that I know you shot it, I'll have to take another look (and bombard you with questions :D ).

Thanks!

Jon Rosenbloom · September 21, 2004

Hey David,

As long as we're mentioning Tarkovsky, I wonder if you have any similar info on "Nostalghia," which IMHO is right up there in the "Barry Lyndon" level of most beautifully photographed films ever. (I tried this topic last year, but no one was interested.) I've seen a Russian "making of" doc, but the film-maker aped Tarkovsky's own style, so it wasn't too helpful on the question of craft.

Also, the optical process you described for "Sacrifice" seems like it would have been pretty tough to pull off - to exactly match an entire movie's worth of frames from one pass to the next.

Thanks for the excellent info.

DavidSloan · September 21, 2004

Hey J-Ro...Nostalghia is definitely one of the best looking films, man. Glad to see some peeps dig the Russian stuff, here. Are you into Sokurov, at all?