Silver retain on S 16 negative

[AmatEscalante]

If I am going to use silver retention on my negative. Should I just expose normal if I shoot super 16 for eventual blow-up to 35mm? This would compensate the over exposure needed for blow-up and the under exposure needed for silver retain correct?

 

Any recommended filters for shooting for silver retain in exteriors?

 

I plan on using the new Vision2 7212

[David Mullen ASC]

Well, one reason you normally overexpose a little is to reduce graininess but since graininess is a factor in skip-bleach processing, it's not really as relevant.

 

You should still underexpose a little if skip-bleach processing the neg or else your printing lights hit 50 in some colors. I'd underexpose by 2/3 of a stop at least.

[AmatEscalante]

OK. Thanks.

Another question. Are there different percentages of silver retention that one can ask for at the lab?

For example to remove only 50% of the silver.

[David Mullen ASC]

A very few labs have a way of doing a partial skip bleach to a negative but for most it's all or nothing.

 

If you were going to do it to the print, there are places that offer variable silver retention processing like ENR (Technicolor), ACE (Deluxe), or at FotoKem. But these are only built into the print processing line, not the negative processing line. They require extra tanks and are more complicated than skipping the bleach step since they involve b&w redevelopment.

[Fulgencio Martinez]

is there any example of using silver retention on s16 for a feature?

Did you test the vision2 film?

[David Mullen ASC]

There have been examples of S16 features that have used silver retention processes on the 35mm release prints. "Leaving Las Vegas" used a mild ENR process to the release prints, for example. I believe "Tigerland" might have too. Can't think of any theatrical features that used a skip-bleach processed S16 negative but I'm sure there must be some.

[Dominic Case]

"Overexposing for blow-up" is really to avoid getting thin shadows which show the grain more. Skip-bleach will absolutely NOT give you thin shadows, so don't even think of over-exposing. In fact it will give you a much denser negative, and it's usual to underexpose about a stop, just to be sure of a printable negative. You don't say if you are looking for a "burnt out" or a "blocked in" look: both are acheivable with ski-bleach, but you need to underexpose more if you want a really dark blocked-in shadow effect. Either way of course the colours are desaturated.

 

If you blow-up from the negative to a 35 mm IP, the contrast will be increased even more as a result of the silver in the negative. This is less of a factor in the (cheaper but usually lower quality) method of contact 16 IP followed by blow-up dupe neg. If you are going by a digigal intermediate, you might be able to get the look you want in the digital grade - and I'd need to be convinced of the ability of the DI to carry the skip-bleach look accurately.

 

In asking for a partial skip bleach, perhaps you are looking for a milder effect. This may be obtained if you expose and process your negative normally but ask for skip bleach on the IP or the DN. Ask the lab if it has any experience of that first though - it's a tricky beast.

[Morgan Peline]

Hi

 

I'm shooting a short on S16 destined for 35mm blow-up - I'm not sure what stocks I will use yet. How many stops should I over-expose by for the eventual 35mm blow-up?

 

Thanks

Morgan

[David Mullen ASC]

You're talking about normal processing, right? Not cross-processing the neg?

 

If you are, I recommend a 2/3 of a stop overexposure. Anymore than that is not really practical and if it were, you could just switch to the next slower speed stock to reduce graininess. And while you could only overexpose by 1/3 of a stop, that's within enough of a margin of exposure error that you may not end up with a denser negative.