push-prossesing, help please

[Assaf Hayut]

Hi all,

I've just started a short film on b&w dbl-x and did a very unfortunate mistake by underexposing by a stop.

I was shooting a simple out door scene on a cloudy day, the bg was mid range brightness (a council estate building with white doors) and the foreground was a light skinned man wearing a dark shirt standing and singing to the camera, which was fixed. We had another couple of takes after but, as sometimes happens, the magic was gone.

 

my question is probably simple to some of you: should I push process or correct it on digital editing suit?

I was trying to follow some conversations on this website and there seem to be some disagreements about the function of push processing (and after a heated debate the language exceeded my ability to follow; DI, sensitometric strips, silver halide and other such peculiar words).

I would appreciate if anyone can give me some guidelines/suggestions in simple terms.

Many thanks,

Assaf

[DR singh]

I have pushed processed quite often and always been very satisfied with the results.You can very easily push it,though in DI suite it very easy to correct a stop. But i ve always felt that you lose out on blacks .Though you can correct that by crushing black but i am little against it. If i were in your place i would push it.

 

Hope things work out for you

[Assaf Hayut]

though in DI suite it very easy to correct a stop.

 

 

thanks for the reply.

I'm just making sure here: I know DI stands for digital import, you do mean computer software right?

at any case i think i'll take up on your advise and will push process.

Thanks again

[DR singh]

thanks for the reply.

I'm just making sure here: I know DI stands for digital import, you do mean computer software right?

at any case i think i'll take up on your advise and will push process.

Thanks again

 

 

I meant Digital Intermediate

[Michael Kubaszak]

thanks for the reply.

I'm just making sure here: I know DI stands for digital import, you do mean computer software right?

at any case i think i'll take up on your advise and will push process.

Thanks again

 

 

 

DI means digital intermediate.

[Assaf Hayut]

DI means digital intermediate.

 

I see!

Many thanks

[Charles MacDonald]

 

my question is probably simple to some of you: should I push process or correct it on digital editing suit?

I was trying to follow some conversations on this website and there seem to be some disagreements about the function of push processing (and after a heated debate the language exceeded my ability to follow; DI, sensitometric strips, silver halide and other such peculiar words).

 

Understanding the Sensitmetric underpinning of exposure is really a major skill in movie making (even with digital capture) .

 

Pushing will increase contrast and negative density. Shadows will not be as completely captured with a stop underexposure and a push, compared to how they would be if correctly exposed. If you are moving the images to the realm of computers you may be able to get by without a push, particularly as you described your scene as low contrast, which implies that there is not too much in the way of dark shadows to capture.

 

It is always good to do tests to get a "feel" for what the range you can capture is, and to try to learn enough about film curves to picture where you exposure will end up on the film. Spend some time trying to make sense of what ANSEL ADAMS has written on the subject ofr example.

[Assaf Hayut]

Understanding the Sensitmetric underpinning of exposure is really a major skill in movie making (even with digital capture) .

 

Pushing will increase contrast and negative density. Shadows will not be as completely captured with a stop underexposure and a push, compared to how they would be if correctly exposed. If you are moving the images to the realm of computers you may be able to get by without a push, particularly as you described your scene as low contrast, which implies that there is not too much in the way of dark shadows to capture.

 

It is always good to do tests to get a "feel" for what the range you can capture is, and to try to learn enough about film curves to picture where you exposure will end up on the film. Spend some time trying to make sense of what ANSEL ADAMS has written on the subject ofr example.

 

Many thanks Charles,

Had a look at Ansel Adams and it does seem facinating.

I tend run towards the 'fun part', the making, neglecting the learning process which is a mistake.