What is the difference in workprints?

[Chris Keth]

I am preparing a project to be sent to Cinelab on Monday. Looking at their price list, they have processing (color neg) with a "workprint" that is $.20/foot, a "one-light" print that is $.30/foot, and a "timed" print that is $.35/foot. What is the difference?

 

If it has any bearing (which I suspect it does) the project is just one scene shot entirely in similar lighting conditions, no great variation from one shot to another.

[Mike Panczenko]

The differece between one-light and timed footage is that, in the printer, the color of the lights they project to print the film can be changed from scene to scene in the timed print- for example, if you have a blue morning and a warm afternoon shot, they will change the colors in the printer to optimize the look of each scene. In one light footage, they will just keep the same color light in the printer throughout the whole reel. They normally choose the light that, on average, treats the entire roll best for one-light. This is called a best-light.

Since it's just in the same place with similar lighting, I'd get the one-light. Good luck!

[David Mullen ASC]

Well, when you say you're sending a project to the lab, what does that mean? An edited negative to be answer printed, negative to be printed for cutting on film, etc.? If this is your final print of a project, it should be timed. If this is just for film dailies, it could be one light or workprint (I'm not sure what the difference is because most workprint is one light, but I suspect that at this particular lab, they will time a whole roll based on a gray scale at the head to whatever set of lights are needed to make that gray scale look correct and use those numbers for the whole roll -- i.e. a one-light print -- but for a "workprint" they don't even look at the negative and just print it at a standard set of numbers, let's say 25-25-25, and will ignore any gray scales.)

 

"Timed" print means that every shot is color-timed to look their best. "Best light" at some labs is in-between a timed print and a one-light print, meaning that in a roll, they will make a few adjustments to make the roll look relatively correct if needed (for example, if you have two different scenes on a roll and they need their own sets of printer lights.) So for a timed print, the read-out of printer lights used may be different for every shot, whereas with a best-light you mean see three or more sets of printing lights used for the roll, whereas with a one-light the roll was printed at one set of numbers based on looking at the first thing on the roll (hopefully a gray scale).

[Chris Keth]

Well, when you say you're sending a project to the lab, what does that mean? An edited negative to be answer printed, negative to be printed for cutting on film, etc.? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

MM, yeah. I shouldn've specified. I'm sending camera nags to be processed and a print made to edit from. For the purpose of this class, we're editing whatever print we have made and projecting that. Then we can cut the negative if we want on our own time.

 

It definately sounds like the one-light is best for what I need. It is for a project that will be presented, but the lighting doesn't change drastically from shot to shot, so the lights for one would be the lights for another shot, unless I or my crew screwed up.

Edited January 16, 2005 by Mr. Bunnies

[Sam Wells]

I would call the lab, see if you can negotiate a student rate, and use that to get a best light.

 

-Sam

[Chris Keth]

I would call the lab, see if you can negotiate a student rate, and use that to get a best light.

 

-Sam

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

We send it through an organization on campus that gets us a discount. It amounts to free fast shipping, pretty much. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

[Sam Wells]

Direct communication with the lab is always a good thing. If it's a good lab, they want your "product" to look good.

 

-Sam

[John Pytlak RIP]

Direct communication with the lab is always a good thing. If it's a good lab, they want your "product" to look good.

 

-Sam

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree:

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/...=0.1.4.13&lc=en

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/...=0.1.4.15&lc=en

 

http://www.acvl.org/manual.htm

 

http://www.acvl.org/members.htm

[Dominic Case]

http://www.acvl.org/manual.htm

John supplied this link to the ACVL lab manual.

 

I just wanted to point out that since the discussion about the ACVL manual on this forum last week, the on-line version at the above url is now back on-line and working.

 

Printed copies of the manual are available from Hollywood Film Company