The World's End super 16mm

[Phillip Mosness]

I rented The World's End on Blu ray, having already seen it in the theater. One reason for seeing it again was to get a better look at the opening which was shot in super 16, cropped to 2.35.

It looks quite good. I'm sure the format was chosen because the opening is a story told in flashback.

The thing is, they used flash frames and uneven exposure to further contrast the footage from the rest of the anamorphic 35mm film.

What it tells me is that the super 16 is actually too good looking on it's own, so it required further embellishment to offset the look.

I suspect if the opening were left on it's own it would actually have cut well enough that it wouldn't have provided much contrast overall.

[David Mullen ASC]

Go see "Captain Phillips" -- Super-16 and 35mm are intercut. It's the most obvious the first time because the Super-16 is used for the Somali pirates and the 35mm for Captain Phillips at home (all cropped to 2.40), but once the pirates get on the ship, it's harder to tell when they are using the Super-16 versus the 35mm (the interior of the lifeboat is Super-16 for example.) Mainly it's harder to tell because most of the scenes are dark interiors on the ship in close-up, whereas the first Super-16 shot is on a beach in daytime in wide shots.

[Adrian Sierkowski]

I don't think the use of flash frames had as muhc to do with the S16mm being so good; but rather more of an artistic choice to harken to a "flash back" by making the film look "older," or at least what we associate with older movies.

That all said, as mentioned, the new S16mm stocks are amazing. I was blown away when 7219 came out all those moons ago.

[Phillip Mosness]

Now I have to see Captain Phillips in the theater. I'm alwaiys interested in this format in theatrical release partially because it's what I currently shoot in. Also to see how people perceive it when we talk after.

I suspect people may get a "documentary" feel out of that footage but may not know exactly why. Little more grain, yes, but the increased depth of field has a lot to do with it.