Ballad of Jack and Rose

[Alain LeTourneau]

I was impressed with how well the s16 stocks hold up on medium shots and close-ups, but it seems to lose detail on really wide shots and landscapes.

 

I know that Motorcycle Dairies shot s16 for scenes with actors, but 35mm for all landscapes and wide shots. The cut together well and the sharpness held throughout the entire film.

 

Did anyone else notice the lack of image sharpness in some of the shots in Ballad?

 

 

Alain

[Mark Allen]

Did anyone else notice the lack of image sharpness in some of the shots in Ballad?

Alain

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Odd - I thought I'd posted to a discussion on this before but I couldn't find it in a search.

 

But, yes, absolutely exactly what you're saying. Seemed like large spaces with sort of mono chromatics (skies, semi blurry fields) - the grain did not look so nice there. (Fascinating that Motorcycle diaries used both formats anticipating this, I didn't know that.)

 

And, yes, also out of focus more often than expected. I remember David Mullen suggested that perhaps smaller errors become larger errors in S16 regarding this observation.

 

I think they were also probably trying to keep some depth of field and ended up hand holding with a bit of shallow focus and this was part of the result as well?

 

Faces looked okay - but still - the grain is present - certainly it was in the theater.

[Max Jacoby]

The recent AC article did not really encourage me to give this film a shot. Ellen Kuras talks about using the sharpening tool in the DI to 'compensate' for a lens where the focus was off and faces looked soft...

 

The fact that Technicolor did the DI is another turnoff, their work is always so obviously DIed, with the worst skintones around.

[Mark Allen]

I do not think this movie is photographically notable. It doesn't have any distinct style per se. Semi-cinemaverite - free form. Casual. The lighting is mostly soft and faces are covered well. Some unfortunately out of focus moments.

 

The film itself is exactly what you think it would be from the trailer - if you think you'll like it fromt he trailer, you will, if you think you'll just tolerate or hate - you will.

 

Myself I found it interesting enough, but not a "rush out to see this." However, I will say this - of all the movies I've seen in the last six month (and I've seen a lot) - this is one that I've definitely thought of some nuances of and remembered some moments and thought about the people. Nothng profound though.

[Alain LeTourneau]

Myself I found it interesting enough, but not a "rush out to see this."  However, I will say this - of all the movies I've seen in the last six month (and I've seen a lot) - this is one that I've definitely thought of some nuances of and remembered some moments and thought about the people.  Nothng profound though.

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I'd agree with these comments. I think I went to the film as much for the fact that Kuras shot it and I knew it was shot in s16. But it had moments. Like Rosenbaum said, the film "doesn't succeed in everything it sets out to do. But as a statement about the death rattle of 60s counterculture it's thoughtful and affecting". And Daniel Day Lewis does a fine job.

 

After seeing this film I'm less enamored by the potential of the DI process. Things seemed to look rather odd, colors, etc. I don't know.

 

 

Alain

[Sol Train Saihati]

Motorcycle diaries was partially shot on S16? I had no idea and I saw it at the UGC big screen, just shows how well it can hold up eh? Interesting that it was also a mix of 35 and 16, it cut together so well, great execution of an idea that could have gone so wrong. Does anyone know anymore about the processes they used on the S16?

[Tenolian Bell]

After seeing this film I'm less enamored by the potential of the DI process. Things seemed to look rather odd, colors, etc. I don't know.

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You also have to factor in the print struck from the DI was from HDCAM. That adds in its own flavors and looks.

 

And overall DI is still a work in progress.

 

The other part too is people seem to like to shoot Super 16 with the same Canon zoom lens. I think they look fine on television, but are not quite sharp enough for the big screen.

 

Many 35mm shoots are with S4's, Ultra Primes or Primo Zooms. And they are shooting 16 with this Canon.

 

Preferably I would stick with primes. S4's or Ultra Primes.

Edited May 24, 2005 by tenobell

[David Mullen ASC]

The Super-16 portions of "Motorcycle Diaries" were blown-up optically, not digitally, because the DP felt that a D.I. would reduce the differences in texture between the 35mm and Super-16 footage -- he didn't want the Super-16 footage to blend in too seamlessly. This is unlike "City of God" where they shot 35mm for wide shots and Super-16 for coverage, but blended them to match in the HD D.I. process they used.