James Compton

Glenn, Can we watch these interviews online?

The INTERSTELLAR film screenings are already having a positive effect on theatergoers. Last night, I watched 'THE HUNGER GAMES - MOCKINGJAY PART 1' at the same theater where I watched the 35mm film print. The theater manager (a former 15/70 IMAX projectionist) told me that are keeping the 35mm projector for several reasons. One, he was approached by a large number of patrons that requested they keep the 35mm projector around. Two, they were given solid confirmations from the studios that 'STAR WARS EPISODE VII' and Tarantino's 'HATEFUL EIGHT' would be screening there in 35mm. Last year, I read an interview with Steven Spielberg where he predicted the near future of cinema. He said there would be boutique theaters and screenings on film. Multiplex mainstays and art house theaters. Finally, the big ticket cinematic experience where you get all the bells and whistles. INTERSTELLAR's recent box office success is definitely helping to steer things in that direction.

Well, well... How's about them apples.... I like the sound of that. Welcome back, David Lynch.

NIAGARA Custom Lab http://niagaracustomlab.com/ They are a Canadian lab that can process Super 8 color negative VISION3 film.

Looks good. What part of Spain is that?

35mm rocked the house. 70mm stunned them into silence. IMAX melted their faces!!! Top shelf filmmaking. Christopher Nolan has yet to disappoint me. 35mm: I saw the 35mm print on Wednesday. I was one of the first people in the theater, so it was easy to get optimal seating. I began to think nobody really knew about the film print screenings, but slowly the theater filled to capacity. One difference that I noted from this ‘event’, compared to a typical movie opening – the theater was FULL OF CRYING PEOPLE. There was a large group of obnoxious, potato head frat boys sitting in the row infront of me. They too were sobbing! There is something about watching a film print that makes the story more accessible. Judging by the emotional response, it confirms the German studies of audience reaction and engagement regarding film over digital projection. The audience at the 35mm show applauded the film afterwards. I thought that was classy. SIGHT- The earthbound imagery was flavored with grain, and it worked very well to convey the grimy last days of humankind on the planet Earth. One thing that really stood out was the high contrast ratios used in the exterior/farm scenes on Earth. The lack of fill light or timing choices gave the image an almost EKTACHROME 100D reversal film look. I liked that a lot, it was a brave choice. You see it the most when Cooper and his kids capture the surveillance drone and are controlling it with a laptop computer. The other scene is when the farm combine were affects by an anomaly. He is standing next to the combine after repairing it, there is no fill added-or at least it appears that way. The arrival in space and the journey that follows are clear and pristine. The larger formats shine in the alien atmospheres. SOUND – The only time I had an issue with the sound was the mix of the center channel. The there was one scene were the music was loader than the dialog. There is a technique used in the pop music realm to prevent issues like that. You mix for the lowest common denominator (ie; boombox) and any device above that will sound balanced. 70mm and IMAX : SIGHT- The 70mm presentation had a very enjoyable vibe. The 35mm anamorphic scenes had A naturally pronounced grain because of the optical blowup. In the first 5 mintues into the film Cooper is having a nightmare/flashback and is awakened by his daughter. He wakes up and the room is dark. The shadows are stretched and hazy/milk. It was not noticeable in the 35mm presentations, but very much so in 70mm and IMAX. I really Wondered why Hoyte did not overexpose trhe negative knowing that there would be a direct optical blowup to 70mm. The IMAX presentation of the 65mm and 15perf 65mm Photographed scenes were FACE-MELTING !!! The subtle textures and rich colors, were absolute eye candy. SOUND – The sound design on this movie was superb. Perhaps the 70mm and IMAX sound systems were set up better at those theaters, but the music overpowering the dialog In that one scene was no longer an issue.

Regarding the image, you overexposed the image and that's good. That woman has very pale skin, you should dial down the highlights. The latitude is there, go back and work the image some more and it can look even better. I think you should replace some of the out of focus closeups of the guitar sound hole/hand strumming with flash frames to use as a cut point. Overall, I like it.

Cool. Thanks.

Check out DOMINO(2005), directed by Tony Scott and shot by Dan Mindel, ASC. That movie is a good example of 100D EKTACHROME being pushed to its limits. They used it for 85% of the production. The rest is 5245 50D, 5212 100T and 5218 500T for a couple night scenes.

Ok, thanks! One last question. Regarding the purple backlighting used in the rainy alley scene of FIFTH STREET, was than a 10K or 18K?

Well done, Stephen. I've been tracking your work since FIFTH STREET(2008). I was re-reading the ASC article on COWARD, last night. Are the production stills used in the cameraimage blog from the 2K scans of the negative?

Thanks for sharing that. It's good to hear a clear perspective from someone that is closely connected to motion picture film manufacturing.

Check out REEL GOOD http://www.reelgoodfilm.com/ . They are a legit company. They store the film in a climate controlled warehouse and check it for base fog.

if 2 or 3 more movies open the summer blockbuster scene with IMAX and 70mm prints, then it might just become a trend. Agreed. INTERSTELLAR will probably be the only 15/70 movie for the next 6 months. Going forward to time span of December 2015 - March 2016, there are 3 celluloid film-centric Hollywood level films that could fight for a 15/70 IMAX release (Batman vs Superman, Star Wars Episode VII and The Hateful Eight).

Check here for locations to view INTERSTELLAR film prints : https://interstellar.withgoogle.com/ways-to-see

Check out these two 500 series mic preamps. LaChapell Audio 583S mk2 http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/583Smk2 SMPro Audio Tubebox http://www.samash.com/sm-pro-audio-tubebox-500-series-compatible-preamp-module-stc501xxx?cm_mmc=GoogleShopping-_-Recording-_-Channeladvisor-_-SM+Pro+Audio+TubeBox+500+Series+Compatible+Preamp+Module&utm_source=GSH&utm_medium=CSE&utm_campaign=Channeladvisor&CAWELAID=1908411940&CAGPSPN=pla&catargetid=500002510000023598&cadevice=c&gclid=CJGc5fzMicECFQET7AodK24AuA Work with boom mics more and alot less wireless lavaliers. You can hear the 'room' in those old movies. Naturally, some ADR will be necessary - that is where the ribbon mics come in :D . It's alot like old school music. Older movies are like well-recorded rock songs captured in an old wooden one-room church. New movie audio is like a downloaded mp3 of a bad bathroom recording. You will need to mix the audio differently than you would normally. Listen to the way older movies sound. Films made from about 1981- to the present have a 'hyped' sound. They started using aural exciters and reverb for sound effects. Go in the other direction. Get a good mix of dialog, room tone and foley. Do not polish the life out of it.

Get a small, portable mid level quality, tube preamp that is designed for studio use and modify(if necessary) for field and on-set use. Have a look at the 500 series lunchbox preamps and EQ's .

Satsuki, The Moviecam Super America, the Compact, Compact MKII - and the SL all have compatible groundglasses. The ARRICAM ground glasses are not backwards compatible with the SL. Regarding accesories, the MOVIECAM SL can use the following control boxes: SUPER SPEED CONTROL SYNCRO BOX REMOTE CONTROL BOX Moviecam Aatoncoder (timecode MTC) Aatoncoder MK-4 (timecode ATC) -BUT- those control boxes must be the newer type with the LCD read out.

Down to the south of your area is : www.no-w-here.org.uk I'm sure there are people there shooting Super 8mm and 16mm, that want to step up to 35mm film.

Ribbon microphones and analog tape help to make that sound. Record the edited dialog and sound fx onto 1/4" REEL TO REEL analog tape. That will add tape compression and warmth. There are some plugins that get close, but it's like shooing on FILM - there nothin' like the real thang.

DOMESTIC: Enter The Dragon HEAT - 1995 Killing Them Softly John Carpenter: Escape From New York The Thing - 1982 Big Trouble In Little China They Live - 1988 Tony Scott : The Hunger True Romance Enemy Of The State Spy Game JJ Abrams : Mission Impossible 3 Star Trek Christopher Nolan: Batman Begins Inception Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back FOREIGN: Ninja Bugeicho Momochi Sandayu -1980 Iga Ninpocho - 1982 Graveyard Of Honor - 1975 Brotherhood of the Wolf -2001

We all make that mistake. A thread like this would be considered General Discussion.

No, Sadiq. You are looking for the easy way out. It doesn't work like that. It takes more effort that just using a plug-in to get a specific look. Conduct an EBAY search for Vintage NIKON Lens. See here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Nikkor-H-Auto-1-2-f-50mm-Lens-Manual-/121442864739?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c468f0e63 You have to go out there and do it. Shoot tests. more tests, until you reach an image that satisfies your eyes. A cinematographer learns throught alot of trial and error in the beginning of the journey toward great imagery. Learning to ' see light ' is something that takes time. Me, Freya and Alfeo gave you lots of useful input. now you have to do the work.

Music Videos and TV commercials are the earliest adopters of new tech. Check this out: http://www.finalcolor.com/history4colorists.htm 1992 -DaVinci introduced Power Windows for Telecine use. That year we began seeing the use of Power Windows in music videos. @ Sadiq -After Effects can help you achieve a part of the overall look that we are discussing - at home with your computer. If your NIKON DSLR has an F mount (it probably does), then you can use older NIKON glass lenses or get a CANON FD to NIKON F adapter to use Canon lenses on your NIKON camera. Get a TIIFEN Pro Mist 1 Filter, as well. Check EBAY for those @ Freya, Alfeo - Thanks for the input. I really enjoy discussing this stuff ( even though we are in the wrong sub forum :rolleyes: ).