Mank

[David Sekanina]

on film grain synthesis probably coming to streaming services soon:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-sEI4U9xM&feature

Edited February 17, 2021 by David Sekanina

[Stephen Perera]

On 12/5/2020 at 3:17 AM, Lucas Fletcher said:

Landed today on Netflix. Who has seen it and what did you make of its look?

I finally got round to make an effort to watch it through after a couple of false starts. Really enjoyed the acting by Gary Oldman, Charles Dance etc...Orson Welles sure looked like him I think. So I give it a 7/10 as a film to enjoy.

as for the look......very digital BW with very strange what seemed to me like a layer of what Photoshop calls Gaussian Blur on the edges of the actors and an infrared film ish look in the exteriors lightening skin tones in key areas and then lightening foliage.....I didn't like the amateurish film defects filter applied in parts etc when showing the footage of the elections interviews.....the appearance of the film punch hole in parts was also amusing.....also didn't like the RGB black and white look in parts......I saw a lack of grain applied so could be the Netflix Europe's version I saw who knows if that's even a thing......in some wide shots when the cars we shot driving away in the distance I could appreciate nice grain.......the lighting etc I can't fault and it's certainly not my place too but merely as a cinephile I comment.....some cool interior sun through shutters shots in the studio heads offices I enjoyed......the whole thing should have been shot in Double X quite simply not pretend BW but hey.....who cares....nobody.....some people ar Arri and some are Red and that's the reality

Edited February 21, 2021 by Stephen Perera

[Stephen Perera]

On 12/8/2020 at 8:58 AM, Tyler Purcell said:

Black and white negative has a character all of its own. Not a difficult look to re-create digitally. However, you have to shoot in a more classical style, especially with lighting. With stark contrast that goes down to actual black, none of this modern HDR nonsense, with raised black levels.

I would argue nobody has made digital BW look like e.g. Double X in movies that will fool people who know......but the general audiences who don't care.....certainly.....add some grain and a few scratches and there you go......Which is not to say serious attempts are not being made to emulate as best as possible by people who love film but are not allowed to shoot it.....