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Film-Out Processing


Guest Karli Windischmann

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Guest Karli Windischmann

I'm set to shoot a short film set in 1973 on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and my goal was to make it look as close to period as possible. I figured since shooting on film wasn't in the budget, I would see about using the film-out process. I've done some research and could only find FotoKem and ColorLab that do that sort of processing. ColorLab seems most promising at the moment, but is slightly pricy. Are there any other companies out there that do film-out that I've overlooked?

 

Also, I do realize the film stock they would use wouldn't help very much at all to make the short look like it was shot in the 70s. What I was hoping for is, I'd love to send in my own film stock for it to be printed onto so it will achieve the right look. I just don't know if that's a possibility because I don't know much about the process. If anyone has advice on what I'm trying to achieve it would be much appreciated.

I thought about shooting on 70s lenses, but film-out seemed like it would make the most difference without just slapping a filter on.

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Most places record digital files to 35mm intermediate dupe stock, which is very fine-grained -- if you want to give your digital image some film texture, you'd want to find a place that can use camera negative stock in their film recorder. Some people have even push-processed the negative to add even more grain and contrast.

 

Of course, the problem with using the film-out process to create your look is that you then have to scan it back to digital in order to distribute it digitally.

 

These days, most people would use digital tools to add film grain and other "retro" textures rather than the expensive route of transferring to film and scanning it back to digital.

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I've been researching the same thing simply because I like to have an analog version of my finished product. But the prices are much higher than what they were five years ago. You also have to ask yourself if a print would see enough play - either at theaters or the festival circuit - to justify the expense.

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We recorded digital files to camera negative stock for several productions, all high-end commercials (think SuperBowl) or parts of a coming US feature film; in all cases it worked very well to achieve the film look from Alexa files. However the operation is not 'cheap'.

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You cannot emulate the look of 1973 with today’s emulsions and digital technics. You don’t name a certain film or family of films of the period. If you said E-3 or E-4 processes, Ektachrome or Eastmancolor contemporary, we could try to help. I’m in colours now.

 

You would be astonished, to put it mildly, about how films looked back then. Gevachrome, Orwochrome, and other makes, especially some high-speed stocks, were so much grainier than you would probably want.

 

Lenses of later years were not around then, the influence of television should be discussed, in short, it is easier said than done. I have no intention of wanting to be bold. It’s simply that you should know that some care should be exerted in phrasing. When somebody says: I am going to shoot like they shot in 1929, everybody knows she or he won’t be able to do that. The films of then aren’t made today. It’s a fact. Panchromatic sensitisation was available since 1925 from EKC but lenses were all non-coated. Projection in the cinemas looked different, too. Quite different.

 

I think you can come closest to the first half of the 1970s by having your data sputtered on Kodak Color Internegative film x273. Some wrong-doing with processing might give you what you’re after.

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Guest Karli Windischmann

Simon,

I realize that achieving the exact visual look of a film of that era, such as American Graffiti is not something that is able to be done. Times have changed, processes, film stock, cameras, lenses. I'm not inquiring on how they did it, but more on if it is achievable through other means nowadays. I was looking at film-out as an option, hoping to get opinions on whether or not that would give me a similar feel or if there was another option out there that would be better to use. I value your advice, thank you

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Today, most movies shooting digitally for a 70's "feeling" would use older lenses, along with 70's production technique, and then add grain in post to the image. Take a look at Ron Howard's "Rush" for example... though I always notice that it's mainly actors with sideburns and turtlenecks and bell-bottoms that instantly say it's the 70's!

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Guest Karli Windischmann

haha thank you so much David! I'll take a look at it and do some more research. You've been very helpful!

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