Roberto Hernandez Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 I am a big fan of the show Smallville because of the cinematogrphy. The show is very well lit (excluding the 1st season) it seems the 2 rotating DP's have great fun lighting the show. I was wondering if the show is shot on 16 or 35mm. And if anyone has the DVD for the second season there is an episode called "suspect" where it looks like the flashback scenes have been shot on a different film stock or maybe it's the bleach bypass. Anyway, really good adaption to the Superman legend and well made. Roberto Hernandez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted November 12, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 12, 2004 I tune in occasionally, because the show does look pretty and stylish without going overboard (given the subject matter). That and the Mark Snow score, which makes me feel like I'm watching The X-Files again. ;) It looks like 35mm to me, but I haven't really scrutinized it. Most of the 16mm shows have a visibly softer quality, although still quite good. (Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, The OC, and I think North Shore ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Most Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 It looks like 35mm to me, but I haven't really scrutinized it. Most of the 16mm shows have a visibly softer quality, although still quite good. (Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, The OC, and I think North Shore ). "Smallville" is on 35mm. Other 16mm shows you didn't mention are One Tree Hill, Malcolm In The Middle, Veronica Mars, the current episodes of The West Wing (word is they're going back to 35mm), and Monk. Some MOW's are also 16mm, the Growing Pains reunion movie is an example of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmc4me Posted November 13, 2004 Share Posted November 13, 2004 I read somewhere that smallville was shot on 16mm. I'm not sure if that was just the pilot or what but I know they did use 16mm some time on it. Also if you look at the 1st season dvd the shows have a lot of grain. Thanks Anthony Collins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted November 13, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 13, 2004 Other 16mm shows you didn't mention are One Tree Hill, Malcolm In The Middle, Veronica Mars, <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yeah, I ran across Veronica Mars the other night and spotted it as 16 right away. But I didn't pick up on One Tree Hill -- nice stuff! Billy Dickson does a nice job on that one, as he did on Ally McBeal . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Most Posted November 14, 2004 Share Posted November 14, 2004 But I didn't pick up on One Tree Hill -- nice stuff! Billy Dickson does a nice job on that one, as he did on Ally McBeal . <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'll pass that on. Billy is one of my best friends - we worked together on Ally, all 5 seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Lamar King IMPOSTOR Posted November 15, 2004 Share Posted November 15, 2004 Smallville is shot on 35mm. IMO, This current season looks a lot better than the previous seasons. I don't know if they made some type of change or what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Hernandez Posted November 15, 2004 Author Share Posted November 15, 2004 Yeah this season looks great! I was wondering if anyone knows how to create the illusion of Superspeed? I've even seen a new car commercial that uses the same effect as on Smallville. I have After Effects at school but I haven't been able to get that effect, so maybe some of it is done in camera. Anyhelp would be great. Thanks. Roberto Hernandez Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted November 17, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 17, 2004 I'll pass that on. Billy is one of my best friends - we worked together on Ally, all 5 seasons. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks! You might pass on that I picked up a couple really good lighting lessons by watching Ally. One was how to preserve some naturalism and modeling in the context of an otherwise high-key comedy. He kept some contrast on the faces but filled them up by working the key a little more frontal, instead of just raising the fill level. He also kind of "over" motivated the ambience/bounce on faces when the camera looked toward a window. It wasn't exactly realistic, but worked beautifully and seamlessly with the window light when the camera looked the other way. The other thing was the way he created depth and separation by ALWAYS including a highlight in the BG. Usually it was a practical or window, but when no practical or window was available it would become a slash of sunlight or something. Very consistent, and even in the courtroom CU's the actors would never stray from a BG highlight for more than a few moments. Of course the filmstock and filtration sure were pretty! I beleive it was Fuji; any idea on lens diffuson? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Most Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 The other thing was the way he created depth and separation by ALWAYS including a highlight in the BG. Usually it was a practical or window, but when no practical or window was available it would become a slash of sunlight or something. Very consistent, and even in the courtroom CU's the actors would never stray from a BG highlight for more than a few moments. Of course the filmstock and filtration sure were pretty! I beleive it was Fuji; any idea on lens diffuson? Actually, I learned a lot from him as well, and continue to. That was a good observation about the backgrounds - one of his pet peeves is "plain," flat backgrounds, and he works very hard to make sure that you never see one. The Unisex set was a good example - the set was basically flat grey walls, but Billy had some cookalourisis hung so that there was always a pattern on them. Never mind that the pattern had no motivating source, it worked amazingly well. Another example was the Dedo lights in the bar - also not part of the original design. One of the best lessons I've learned from him is the additional value of foreground elements in almost any shot. If you watch any Ally episode, or One Tree Hill for that matter, you'll see foreground in almost every shot that isn't a closeup. The camera will be shooting through a bookshelf, over greens, over a vase, though a handrail - almost always through something. Even the closeups are usually "dirty." This really helps to fill out a frame, and it's a lesson I always carry with me now. The stock was primarily Fuji 500 through the run of the show, although we were known to use the Daylight 250 on some day exteriors. As I recall, Billy tried the newer, slightly finer grained 400 around Season 4, but went back to the 500 fairly quickly - it just had better contrast in his opinion. The choice of Fuji was basically a deal Kelley Productions had, but I think it worked well for the show and Billy was pretty happy with it - and they took very good care of us. As for filtration, a lot of the show was shot clean, but as I recall there was some use of diffusion, although not necessarily a set formula - it depended upon how everyone looked day to day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted November 17, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 17, 2004 Actually, I learned a lot from him as well, and continue to. That was a good observation about the backgrounds - one of his pet peeves is "plain," flat backgrounds, and he works very hard to make sure that you never see one. The Unisex set was a good example - the set was basically flat grey walls, but Billy had some cookalourisis hung so that there was always a pattern on them. Never mind that the pattern had no motivating source, it worked amazingly well. Another example was the Dedo lights in the bar - also not part of the original design. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mike, thanks so much for the quick feedback. Yes, I noticed the "unmotivated" cucaloris effect in the Unisex, but given the fantasy element of the show and the weird concept of the "unisex," it somehow worked. It looks like he may have used Dedos for the bar tables, an effect I've borrowed myself. I'm talking about a Dedo aimed straight down to create a small pool around a practical on the table. That gag always helps supplement the soft glow from a small table-lamp source. White table cloths and cocktail napkins to reflect light always help! Be sure to pass on the appreciation of the members here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen winter Posted November 23, 2004 Share Posted November 23, 2004 Hi Roberto, sorry to join in on this so late, I was just browsing and noticed your comment about Smallville. Thanks for you kind words about the look of the show. My name is Glen Winter and I am one of the alternating DPs on the show. I also shot the episode,"Suspect", that you asked about. Our show is shot on 35mm, primarily 79, and the flashbacks were shot on 16mm revesal, pushed one stop, with a Pro mist 2 filter and a 90 degree shutter. Hope this helps ! Any other questions please feel free to ask! I'll keep my eyes peeled, as I am new to this forum! Glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Larson Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 What do they put behind the lens to get this speckled bokeh? It keeps the background from being plain sort of like cookalourisis would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted November 25, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 25, 2004 That could be the pattern of black dots used in filters like Black ProMist or Black Diffusion-FX. Or it could be the actual mist particles in a regular ProMist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Keith Mottram Posted November 25, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 25, 2004 i'm also a fan of the show, what length of lens would be used for a shot like the one in scott larson's post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted November 25, 2004 Premium Member Share Posted November 25, 2004 Well, since he zoomed into it, it's hard to tell. Most low-light interiors wouldn't use a super long prime lens (i.e. over 200-250mm), so I'm guessing anything from 100mm to 180mm if it's a prime lens. TV shows use zooms a lot, so it could be at the long end of a zoom. The long end of a 4:1 Primo is 75mm and for a 11:1 Primo, 275mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Larson Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 Here's the entire frame I cropped from (reduced from 1920x1080): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glen winter Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 We use Schnieder Classic Soft Halfs on the show for close ups, and this is what gives the dimpled effect in the highlights. They are nice because the diffusion is very subtle, but take the edge off the sharp Primo lenses, as we often go in for screamer close ups. Glen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Hernandez Posted December 1, 2004 Author Share Posted December 1, 2004 Hello Glen, welcome to the Cinematography Forum! Wow! I never expected to get a message from you, thanks. I wrote you a PM because my message was rather long with LOTS of questions. It's great that you found this site, it is a very usefull forum and it has helped me a lot. Thanks again and many more questions to come. -Roberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Larson Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Thanks to Glen Winter, I've been trying to use a Schneider Classic Soft 1/2 to get the lovely Smallville dimpled effect with some candid and posed still photography. You know what? It's difficult! Naturally I have to shoot nearly wide open and align my subject in front of lights that are far in the distance. Then I have to spot meter directly off of the lights in the background otherwise their dimples will either be too dim to be noticible or completely blown out. Then I add enough fill flash so my subject i.e. what I'm actually taking a picture of will be properly exposed. I think I'll have the whole technique down in a couple of weeks. Even when the background lights are somewhat blown out, it still gives them a misty effect that just looks great, and the subtle diffusion I see on the show is exactly the result I'm getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Hernandez Posted February 11, 2005 Author Share Posted February 11, 2005 Hi I am also trying to get some experience with the Schneider Classic Soft 1/2 since hearing about it from Glen. I am a student at a film school and I am trying to get my hands on some but I have yet to find any at school. It looks great on the show and it adds a nice subtle effect. Hopefully I can experiment on getting that look soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Larson Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I bought mine through Express Video Supply. They're not outrageously expensive. Here's a simple example (85mm f1.8). I would almost believe they arranged the lighting in the Talon sets just to get this effect. I mean they have Christmas lights everywhere in the background of that set this season and the background of every closeup is full of this effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Hernandez Posted June 8, 2005 Author Share Posted June 8, 2005 Smallville - Blank I just watched the episode "Blank". It was a great episode and the lighting just gets better. What stood out for me in this episode was the atmosphere in the sets. My favorite was the golden shafts of light in the Kent kitchen. And the scene following with Lana and Jason in their room above the Talon also seemed to have light coming in through the windows and a light mist of atmosphere. It really seperated the actors from the set and gave depth to the scene. It reminded me of some of my favorite DPs like Conrad Hall and Janusz Kaminski. I love that my favorite show looks better than all the other shows on TV! I would like to know how to get the golden shafts of light in the Kent kitchen and if you (Glen) use CTO or Straw. Also I would like to know what type of smoke or atmosphere is used to get the shafts of light. And if I could achieve the same look using a mini-fog machine. Please, keep up the awesome work, I can't wait till next week. Many Questions to come, I'm sure. Sincerely, Roberto Hernandez celis3@juno.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberto Hernandez Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 Hey Glen, I have been trying to get in touch with you but your PM box is full. Please email me or send me a personal message when you can. Thanks. Roberto Hernandez celis3@juno.com sk8grom@msn.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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