Kodak Unveils New Motion Picture Film

[Tim Tyler]

Eastman Kodak Company today unveiled

KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219/7219, the first product in a new

generation of color motion picture films.

 

Demonstrating the company?s dedication to film technology and ongoing

innovation, the film represents a new emulsion platform incorporating

technical breakthroughs that deliver greater efficiencies and expand creative

options for filmmakers.

 

KODAK VISION3 film offers increased exposure latitude and color detail with

noticeably reduced grain, especially in the brightest highlights and darkest

shadows, which makes this film optimal in extreme lighting situations.

 

The new film?s proprietary advanced Dye Layering Technology (DLT) renders

finer grain images in underexposed areas and produces cleaner film-to-digital

transfers for postproduction. The new emulsion also processes light more

efficiently and records greater detail in the highlights for use in digital

post.

 

Designed to retain the imaging characteristics of the KODAK VISION2 500T

Color Negative Film 5218/7218 in the normal exposures, the new VISION3 stock

seamlessly intercuts with the KODAK VISION2 film family and is now available

in 35 mm and Super 16 mm formats.

 

Cinematographers around the world have tested the new emulsion in

challenging environments. They report that it provides more creative

flexibility and efficiencies during both production and postproduction,

including digital intermediate (DI) timing.

 

?The new emulsion has a much wider range of latitude in the overexposed

areas,? says Daryn Okada, president of the American Society of

Cinematographers (ASC). ?I found at least two more stops of range in the

highlights, which enabled me to record more details. I got a rich range of

colors and skin tones without saturation contamination. Also, there was an

almost magical reduction in grain without affecting colors.?

 

After timing the images in a DI suite, Okada observes, ?This new film is

very DI-friendly. I could isolate backgrounds and make them darker without

introducing electronic noise. I chose to overexpose large parts of the frame

in some shots, and it was transparent. That gave me a lot of freedom to fine-

tune looks. I think VISION3 widens the gap between film and digital imaging.?

 

Mike Sowa, senior DI colorist at LaserPacific in Los Angeles, collaborated

with Okada on timing the test. He notes, ?The new stock had much more

latitude in low-key shots. There were also more details in the brightest

highlights, colors looked richer, and I didn?t see any build-up of grain when

the film was pushed a stop or two. We had less need for using Power Windows to

dig details out of highlights. That gave us more flexibility while timing the

DI. We were able to accomplish more in less time than ever before.?

 

Chief Technical Officer Gary Einhaus of Kodak?s Entertainment Imaging

Division explains some of the product?s advancements. ?The technological

improvements incorporated in KODAK VISION3 film reduce grain without

compromising sensitivity to light, yielding better overall signal-to-noise

response and extended highlight latitude,? he says. ?Superior detail in

overexposure, combined with decreased grain in underexposure, increases image

integrity and flexibility in postproduction. It offers cinematographers more

latitude to extend exposures into the shadows without fear of excessive grain

and into the highlights without loss of image discrimination. The extended

dynamic range of the KODAK VISION3 film creates a powerful companion to the

tools in DI. Together they further enhance the creative process with the

ability to more easily reach into the highlights and shadows without

introducing unwanted image artifacts."

 

?Kodak has unparalleled expertise in both film and digital imaging, and we

are firmly dedicated to ongoing innovations in film and hybrid imaging

products,? says Mary Jane Hellyar, president of Entertainment Imaging and

executive vice president of Kodak. ?Our customers are telling us what they

need to navigate today?s workflows. We have responded with the new KODAK

VISION3 platform, adding more workflow efficiencies to all the existing

advantages of film ? image quality, resolution, dynamic range, flexibility and

archivability. Based upon our customers' expectations for the very highest

quality images and for flexibility and ease of use, Kodak motion picture film

continues to deliver the best images possible for a new generation.?