Will von Tagen Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Does anyone know what stock was used in the movie Superbad? And what was done to it? The color saturation is amazing. I have a feeling that the same stock and method was used in Adventureland (same director) because to colors were great in that too. I want a similar look for my next production and I'd like to be able to tell my DP better what I want on a technical level. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Zimmerman Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 This is where the Technical Specs listing for each film on imdb.com comes in handy: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829482/technical :ph34r: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will von Tagen Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Thanks. Wow, I did not know it was shot digitally. Usually I can tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K Borowski Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The ugly yellow din dint' tip you off? This is probably one of if not THE worst digital movies I have ever seen. Only things shot on film were the slo-mo shots, I think of the spinning liquor bottle on the bus. This was Genesis, wasn't it? Sure looked like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Wilson Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The ugly yellow din dint' tip you off? This is probably one of if not THE worst digital movies I have ever seen. Only things shot on film were the slo-mo shots, I think of the spinning liquor bottle on the bus. This was Genesis, wasn't it? Sure looked like it. The only times I have ever seen a digital feature not look digital was, surprisingly enough, "My Bloody Valentine in 3-D." Even Fincher's two Filmstream features still had tells--no matter how good the digital cam, it still acts like a video camera in low light. Not having seen "Knowing" or "Angels and Demons" (both of which are RED One pics), I don't know how well they match up to film, but I suspect that as good as they may be, even they have their tells. One thing I've noticed about Genesis-shot productions is that they have more of a video look than other cameras. There were parts of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" that looked like they were shot 30p. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member David Mullen ASC Posted April 27, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 27, 2009 I've been shooting on the Genesis lately and I don't think it looks more video-ish than other digital cameras. Just depends on how it is shot and posted. The thing about the Genesis is that you've seen now so many more productions shot on it than any other digital camera, so you've seen quite a range of looks and approaches and quality levels (and you've seen a lot of low-light scene shot with longer shutter times, which always adds to that video look). The only aspect of the Genesis that I feel makes it a bit more "video-ish" is its sharpness; I think it could have used a heavier optical low pass filter because I feel that it is somewhat edgy and twittery around fine details. I like the "smoother" quality of the RED (which contributes to its film-like look) but honestly, I feel that the dynamic range of the Genesis is a stop better and the color range is also better. It's also faster by nearly a stop and it handles tungsten light with less noise. But there is a "personality" to the RED and Arri D21, maybe due to the CMOS sensor, I don't know, but it has a rounder smoother quality that can be more pleasing and film-like... but the lower sensitivity, dynamic range, and color depth is an area that needs improving. So all of these cameras have their pluses and minuses, but I think the reason the Genesis gets a bad rap is simply the sheer volume of major productions that have used it compared to the competition, so you've seen it put through the works, plus you've seen many different looks applied to it. There is also a chance that if the Genesis was not designed for HDCAM-SR recording, perhaps more quality could be squeezed out of that sensor. Right now, I feel like it's trying to cram more detail into a 1080P recording that the HD can handle smoothly. But that's a completely unscientific observation. I don't think there is any difference in the 24P "look" of these cameras if they are using the same shutter speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Bowerbank Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 The ugly yellow din dint' tip you off? I wouldn't classify that as a characteristic of the Genesis. You can easily give film that yellow tinge if you want. I didn't think it was shot especially poor in anyway, just perhaps overprocessed in the DI, a tad. But it certainly had the muted skintones, lack of detail and softness that we come to expect in many digitally shot films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Brad Grimmett Posted April 27, 2009 Premium Member Share Posted April 27, 2009 Not having seen "Knowing" or "Angels and Demons" (both of which are RED One pics), I don't know how well they match up to film, but I suspect that as good as they may be, even they have their tells. Angels and Demons wasn't shot on a Red. I think I remember hearing that they did some tests or something on it, but most, if not all, of the film was shot on 35mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Brahem Ziryab Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Angels and Demons wasn't shot on a Red. I think I remember hearing that they did some tests or something on it, but most, if not all, of the film was shot on 35mm. It's true. As far as my information goes, "Angels and Demons" was shot on 35mm and digitalized completely with DI. Although they did use the RED ONE camera when shooting on green screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K Borowski Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I wouldn't classify that as a characteristic of the Genesis. You can easily give film that yellow tinge if you want. I didn't think it was shot especially poor in anyway, just perhaps overprocessed in the DI, a tad. But it certainly had the muted skintones, lack of detail and softness that we come to expect in many digitally shot films. I respectfully disagree. You can time the yellow out, but it seems almost as if it is in the green channel (yellow is most over-done in green highlights), so if you time it out, you'd pick up a magenta or blue bias in non-green highlights. WEIRD. Maybe this is actually infrared noise in the green channel? Likewise, Genesis footage I've seen, even on TV, always have a kind of burnt copper look to caucasian fleshtones that I find very unflattering. It's very similar to the bright pink look you see with DSLR photos. What's worse, seems like every face has the exact same shade of ugly burnt copper. Yeah, when flesh tones are the name of the game in cinematography (unless you're shooting a documentary on wild wolves), you would think that proper flesh rendition would be the FIRST thing they'd want to get right. I agree with you though, Jonathan, that this isn't solely a problem with the Genesis. It's problematic with all digital imaging systems I've seen. I would say that, from what I have seen, though, it is consistently the most problematic with odd flesh tones and yellow casts though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Mosiman Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 It's true. As far as my information goes, "Angels and Demons" was shot on 35mm and digitalized completely with DI. Although they did use the RED ONE camera when shooting on green screen. You are correct Ziryab. Just to back you up... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808151/technical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Collier Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Does anyone know what stock was used in the movie Superbad? Kodak 5201111000110101000110110011110001111110001010110101011110001................... ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Wilson Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 The only times I have ever seen a digital feature not look digital was, surprisingly enough, "My Bloody Valentine in 3-D." Even Fincher's two Filmstream features still had tells--no matter how good the digital cam, it still acts like a video camera in low light. Not having seen "Knowing" or "Angels and Demons" (both of which are RED One pics), I don't know how well they match up to film, but I suspect that as good as they may be, even they have their tells. One thing I've noticed about Genesis-shot productions is that they have more of a video look than other cameras. There were parts of "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" that looked like they were shot 30p. I noticed the same thing in "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," which was also directed by Dennis Dugan. The video look in low light seems to be common to cameras based off of Sony electronics like the Genesis was. I went to see "Tron: Legacy," and some of the night scenes looked a little gainy and smeared. The Fusion Camera system supposedly uses two modified F950's. I haven't seen "Grown-Ups" yet, so I couldn't tell you if the Genesis displays those traits in that movie, but I suspect it does. Dugan swears by the camera, from what I understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Tuohy Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Kodak 5201111000110101000110110011110001111110001010110101011110001................... ...... :lol: :lol: :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brereton Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Not having seen "Knowing" or "Angels and Demons" (both of which are RED One pics), I don't know how well they match up to film, but I suspect that as good as they may be, even they have their tells. 'Knowing' was a horrible plasticky mess visually, and the script was just as bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now