How to get different looks photochemically?

[Thomas Worth]

I've been searching through old posts trying to get a feel for how people have gone about achieving different looks. Rating film at a lower ASA seems popular for overexposure, which I suppose translates to truer blacks when the exposure is compensated for in printing. However, there are instances where the negative is underexposed and push processed, or exposed normally and push processed. I've also seen overexposed and PULL processed. Whew.

 

I personally like a higher contrast look. Not necessarily as contrasty as a "bleach bypass" look, but I do prefer very dark blacks and bright highlights. If anyone could share their experiences, it would be most helpful!

[David Mullen ASC]

Printing onto Vision Premier helps. You could also shoot negative with a normal exposure and push-process for more density and then print down.

 

If for telecine only, you can add more contrast to a negative digitally, but another method is to shoot Ektachrome 100D processed normally.

[Rolfe Klement]

There is also controlled ENR, ACE and CCE process

 

check out http://www.cinematography.com/forum2004/in...?showtopic=4431

 

but they all cost lots of money :)

 

I also ran a test where I shot overexposed then did bleach bypass - and once the whites blow using Bleach bypass - they still stay blown out - I only did it on still but it looked cool

 

thanks

 

R

Edited January 18, 2005 by Rolfe Klement

[Landon D. Parks]

If your using D.I process, you can run the film through devinci 2k color corrector. The operater can usually give you any looks you want for the scene. Its also really easy to mix different looks in the same scene, ect.

 

I have no knowlege of adding color effects in the optical world.

 

I can say this much however, In my honest opinion its best to shoot the original film clean.... this way if you ever deside in post that the look you thought you wanted did'nt work, then you can always change the look in post. But if you shoot the film over exposed, it will stay over exposed! If you shoot it normally, you can over expose it in post, which will produce more or less the came quality as if you did it to the negative. Only you have saved the negative from all kinds of torture.

Edited January 18, 2005 by Landon D. Parks

[David Mullen ASC]

The type of overexposure of the negative done to get snappier colors and contrast in a print is something like 2/3's of a stop typically, nothing that is not unrecoverable or excessive -- if anything, it's generally a good idea anyway to overexpose negative slightly. It's less than an 8 point adjustment in printing usually. We're not talking about two or three stops over.

[Thomas Worth]

I also ran a test where I shot overexposed then did bleach bypass - and once the whites blow using Bleach bypass - they still stay blown out - I only did it on still but it looked cool

I have done this as well with motion picture film in an SLR. However, I had to underexpose by about a stop and then print about 6 points over to get it to look right. Also, the film was hand processed C-41 instead of ECN-2. I had to do it this way because I can't find anyone to set up their machine for bleach bypass cheaply and ECN-2 developer is only available in large quantities.

 

By the way, if anyone could sell me / tell me how and where to get ECN-2 developer in L.A. in gallon size quantities, that would be great! :)

Edited January 20, 2005 by Thomas Worth