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The Eddy - Netflix May 8 (also shot on 16mm film)


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20 minutes ago, Manu Delpech said:

Only the first two directed by Chazelle are shot on super 16, lol. 

Its very weird they didn't go for a consistent format, only 2 eps seems very much like a directors indulgence in that situation. Normally on a series you want it to feel consistent, so if the whole thing can't be shot on 16, it seems pointless shooting 2 eps in the format. 

But it will be interesting to see how close they are able to match the RED footage to the super 16 on other episodes.

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Just now, Phil Connolly said:

Its very weird they didn't go for a consistent format, only 2 eps seems very much like a directors indulgence in that situation. Normally on a series you want it to feel consistent, so if the whole thing can't be shot on 16, it seems pointless shooting 2 eps in the format. 

But it will be interesting to see how close they are able to match the RED footage to the super 16 on other episodes.

Perhaps the first two episodes on 16mm are set 'back in time' who knows....interesting to see.....here's the trailer

 

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Indeed it looks interesting. Maybe they will be able to match the footage well enough. Or as you say there is a structural reason for the change in look in terms of timescales

But just begs the question if 16mm its so important for Damien Chazelle , why not for the other directors? Risks making their episodes even more like "the B team"

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I agree Phil....the article says Netflix would not let the other directors use 16mm....strange.....

Of note is that it the screenplay was by BAFTA winning Jack Thorne who did the fantastic 'This is England'

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I find it hysterical that Netflix LITERALLY told the other directors "you're not Chazelle, therefore you don't get to shoot on film". I don't think they've done any work matching the digital with the 16mm. I remember watching the trailer (on YouTube mind you, so horrible compression) but was surprised at first because I thought it was shot on film, but turns out the trailer mostly has footage from other episodes, so mostly digital there.

By the way, Netflix is fine with film now it seems since The Irishman, another one of their upcoming Netflix films is shot on film as well. 

Just shows you how much pull Damien has. Also, HBO does it in a similar way. The Newsroom's pilot (shot by Barry Ackroyd) was beautiful 16mm and they had to shoot the rest on the Alexa, so boring. HBO would allow Marty and Rodrigo Prieto to shoot the Vinyl pilot on 16mm but wanted the other episodes to be digital, which led to them going with the F55.

Edited by Manu Delpech
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Exactly.....it's like the visual difference between Better Call Saul in seasons 1 to 4 and Breaking Bad....No visual congruity.....the former looks terrible in the highlights and thin....they used Reds and Panasonics.....totally uninspiring look to my tastes....no match for the fantastic look of Breaking Bad with their Arricams and Arriflex 35mm using Vision2 stocks......

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I don't mind visual congruity shifts if the show gets better over time. e.g Merlin moving from 16mm to a couple seasons in 35mm and Doctor Who - Digi-Beta to Alexa Anamorphic over time.

That said I also liked how David Simon stuck to his guns and kept the Wire 4:3 (35mm to NTSC) even though they could have taken the jump to 16:9 HD post for later seasons. He wanted it to look consistent.  The HD remasters look wrong to my eyes - mainly because the 4:3 composition is ruined by opening the frame out - but it also looks too clean, I miss the NTSC grunge (prefer the DVD's).

I don't mind Better Call Saul's photography - but I do think the need to shoot on a RED for 4K is a shame. Maybe it would have looked a bit nicer on the Alexa 

 

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I'm surprised they went with 16mm at all on the Eddy, the Netflix codec is a bit hit and miss when it comes to preserving grain.

Maybe 2 perf 1.85:1 would have captured a lot of the look but with slightly tighter grain to make a nice 4K stream.

I can't imagine a Helium cropped to 4K is the best digital option either 

 

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On 5/1/2020 at 9:38 AM, Stephen Perera said:

Exactly.....it's like the visual difference between Better Call Saul in seasons 1 to 4 and Breaking Bad....No visual congruity.....the former looks terrible in the highlights and thin....they used Reds and Panasonics.....totally uninspiring look to my tastes....no match for the fantastic look of Breaking Bad with their Arricams and Arriflex 35mm using Vision2 stocks......

Oh god Better Call Saul, Gilligan literally said that he saw NO difference between 35mm and the Red Dragon. BCS pales in comparison to Breaking Bad, so clean it almost looks cheap at times. 

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On 5/1/2020 at 11:43 AM, Phil Connolly said:

I'm surprised they went with 16mm at all on the Eddy, the Netflix codec is a bit hit and miss when it comes to preserving grain.

Maybe 2 perf 1.85:1 would have captured a lot of the look but with slightly tighter grain to make a nice 4K stream.

I can't imagine a Helium cropped to 4K is the best digital option either 

 

Cropping the 2 perf neg to 1:85 would have been a massive waste. Honestly, Netflix handles grain remarkably well imo. I'm projecting on a 90 inch screen, via ethernet and Netflix looks fantastic, far from a good Blu Ray of course but on films like The Irishman, regular 16, 35mm shot films and shows, the grain is really well resolved.

@Jon O'Brien I think Marty and Rodrigo insisting on shooting The Irishman on 35mm film (as much of it as they could considering the deaging) did it. They had the clout to do it, Rodrigo said there was a bit of pushback at first but that really they were fine with it. They do require 4K scans though. Then Spike Jonze shot his Aziz Ansari Netflix special on 16mm. Tigertail partly shot on 16mm. Antonio Campos' The Devil All The Time (coming this year) is 35mm. 

Edited by Manu Delpech
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39 minutes ago, Manu Delpech said:

Oh god Better Call Saul, Gilligan literally said that he saw NO difference between 35mm and the Red Dragon. BCS pales in comparison to Breaking Bad, so clean it almost looks cheap at times. 

I agree entirely.....it.looks terrible at times.....spot on....looks.....cheap.....totally agree.....no comparison whatsoever.....case in point....compare what Saul Goodman looks like in Better Call Saul and how he looks on film.on Breaking Bad......

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7 hours ago, Jon O'Brien said:

How does 35mm look on Netflix compared with 16mm? Any preference for either look?

watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy for glorious 35mm with beautiful grain......or watch Black Swan for glorious 16mm grain......for me the look of 16mm is what i prefer

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Will do Stephen ?

I think for Netflix I might go for 16mm too, for the grain, like you. For big screen, 40 ft screen, either looks pretty darn uber cool to my eyes. Sooooooooooo much better than digital, you digital lovers, you.

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The Hurt Locker was the first ,and I believe, still the only film to win Best Film Oscar ,shot on super 16mm..Aaton.. By Barry Ackroyd BSC.. although nominated, the camera gong went to Avatar .. and not even the FX guy .. go figure ..  I resigned from the academy the next day .. and crashed my Bentley into their building in disgust .. 

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17 hours ago, Jon O'Brien said:

How does 35mm look on Netflix compared with 16mm? Any preference for either look?

Both look great, 16mm is obviously a tad trickier but I've always been surprised how well the grain is retained when super compression usually wipes it away. Preference on Netflix itself I guess is what you mean or overall?

I love 16mm  but 2 perf wipes the floor with it with only a small price increase. There's such a world of difference between 16mm and 35mm I find. 

Edited by Manu Delpech
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7 hours ago, Manu Delpech said:

...There's such a world of difference between 16mm and 35mm I find. 

That's pretty cool. Got two 2 perf cameras, recently-serviced. They're both MOS so don't think they're going to be used for a Netflix type show any time soon, but I really like owning them. I smile whenever I see them, sitting there.

I gather Panavision can supply 2 perf cameras?

Edited by Jon O'Brien
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Just watched the first two episodes and they were superb.....am loving it.....the look is fantastic....and shot with a similar camera to mine.... the Aaton XTR Prod....I have the XTR XC.....then started watching the third episode.....wow what a visual difference......they are on acid if they think the RED matches 16mm film....ridiculous.....really? They could not afford 16mm film? Would only allow Damian Chazelle to shoot it? Em.....just keep the same cinematographer and camera operator, the same focus puller etc etc.....this is ridiculous.....What am I missing.........regardless of the decision...the first two episodes were superb.....as a jazz lover....even better.....so refreshing after having sat through the......overrated....Better Call Saul....

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