Film Latitude

[KKB22]

I'm a student at filmschool, and am wondering what brightness range one can capture on most of today's negative stocks. I've heard 7, 8, even 11 or 14 stops. What is the reality? And if printing a positive for a theatrical exhibition, what is the brightness range that is actually discernable? The book "Practical Cinematography" by John Wheeler says 7 stops but I couldn't find why elsewhere in the book. I know that television (Standard Definition) has a brightness range of five stops. So why the 7 stops for the preceding?

[Stephen Williams]

I'm a student at filmschool, and am wondering what brightness range one can capture on most of today's negative stocks. I've heard 7, 8, even 11 or 14 stops. What is the reality? And if printing a positive for a theatrical exhibition, what is the brightness range that is actually discernable? The book "Practical Cinematography" by John Wheeler says 7 stops but I couldn't find why elsewhere in the book. I know that television (Standard Definition) has a brightness range of five stops. So why the 7 stops for the preceding?

 

 

Hi,

 

Modern negatives have a contrast range of over 11 stops. As Paul Wheeler states the print stock range is nearer 7 stops. The reason for this is that a negative is very low in contrast. Print stocks too vary in contrast and have different looks. When you make a print you decide which 7 stops you want to print.

 

When using a telecine it is possible, especially when using power window's masks to get most of the negative range onto a television screen.

 

Stephen

[Andy Sparaco SOC]

Go to the Kodak web site which focuses on Cinematography. There are sample scenes and well done sensitometry charts which tell you specifically what to expect from each emulsion.

[KKB22]

THANKS!! :lol:

Edited October 9, 2005 by KKB22

[John Pytlak RIP]

The AVERAGE scene brightness range is 160:1 (2.2 Log Exposure units), or a little over 7 stops. Modern color negative films have a "straight line" sensitometric curve well over this range, and are able to capture information over an even wider range.

 

Kodak published each film's characteristic curve in the technical data for each product.

 

Here's a link to a good tutorial:

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/support/h1/structure.shtml