Nick Eriksson
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Posts posted by Nick Eriksson
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Dear all,
Many members of these forums may remember an ambitious project entitled 'Ellston Bay', which launched a Kickstarter campaign a couple of months ago.
Following further support from Kodak Motion Picture Film, and the casting of John Rhys-Davies, we have re-launched our campaign for a final time.
With almost three days left, I am reaching out to ask for your support in helping bring this ambitious project to life. We have raised 90% of our total fundraising goal, but just require that little bit extra to help us across the finish line.This is a very special project, and one of the first short films in years to be originated entirely on the 8-perf 35mm VistaVision format.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969323425/ellston-bay-the-film-final-campaignThank you very much for your time,
Best regards,
Nicholas Eriksson
Director / Cinematographer - 'Ellston Bay'
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That's great news ! Have just re-pledged. We don't know what kind of look you are aiming for, but Vistavision should certainly capture every minute detail of that coastline. :rolleyes:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969323425/ellston-bay-the-film?ref=user_menu
Hope you don't mind me showing this link too
Hi Doug,
Thank you so much for re-pledging, it is greatly appreciated.
This weekend is a critically important stage of the Kickstarter campaign, so many thanks for sharing that link! Please share more!
For any of you guys out there interested in seeing VistaVision brought back to the silver screen, please consider pledging to our Kickstarter campaign - no amount is too small, even a couple of dollars can make all the difference!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969323425/ellston-bay-the-film
Thank you once again for your support guys!
Nick
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It would be nice to have some of the money spent in those first 3 days of abortive Cinerama shooting ! Maybe to fund a few independent productions like Ellston Bay.
And talking of money, I just did a quick calculation... if every ciny.com member gave 2 dollars this ambitious project of Nick's could be realized.
More large format film projects I say :) Get folks away from their TVs
Dear Doug,
Thank you for your interest in the project, and for supporting!
I have some wonderful news to reveal to you all - today we announced our casting of John Rhys-Davies in the project.
Please find further details below:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969323425/ellston-bay-the-film?ref=user_menu
We have a long way to go, but we need as much assistance to make this project a reality, and to bring VistaVision back to the big screen!
Please pledge and support, every little helps!
Warm wishes,
Nick
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There were quite a number of Technirama films made in about a 10 year period:
Thank you very much for that list David, I was unaware that Technirama was so popular.
I will chase some of these down on BD, I bet that many would look fantastic these days.
Nick
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Cool thanks for sharing the video.
Yea, I love VistaVision, especially the Technirama anamorphic version. You can obtain an amazing field of view with such a large frame size.
I've always wanted to figure out a way to make VistaVision workable as a sync sound camera, because I think if it was, it would be more used. As you well know, the blimps used for the older VistaVision cameras were huge. Today with such a small camera, you'd think it would be pretty easy to isolate SOME of the noise through internal padding. It really depends on how much room there is internally.
Where did you guys wind up getting the camera from?
Hi Tyler,
Technirama looks like an incedible format, have really wanted to watch the Spartacus Blu-Ray for quite some time, as I understood it is one of few films shot in the format.
Blimping is probably possible to an extent, but I don't think there is any avoiding the fact that it will then become a very bulky piece of kit.
The advantage of the Beaumonte VistaVision camera is that it is extremely lightweight and easy to move. It was in fact designed for Steadicam use.
I have been working closely with the guys over at Camera Revolution in Shepperton Studios, UK for the past couple of years. They rent the Beaumonte bodies.
All the best,
Nick
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Threw some money your way. Hope it works out!
Hey Kenny,
Thank you so much for your support!
I hope to tell a tight psychological-thriller, whilst celebrating the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and of course resurrect an incredible motion picture format that is simply not utilised enough in modern filmmaking.
I will be sure to keep you guys updated to our progress, we still have a little while to go yet.
All the very best,
Nick
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Good ideas and I think it will work fine. How loud is the camera? Like 60db? I haven't heard one running before.
Hey Tyler,
We recently ran a steady-test with the Beaumonte VistaVision camera, and as you can see, it is pretty loud!
https://www.facebook.com/ellstonbay/videos/1211945905517149/
I do not have a DB reading unfortunately. However, it is tolerable and workable outside in large open spaces.
A small room with hard walls accentuates the sound levels of the camera. This is nothing compared to IMAX of course!
Thank you for your support Tyler, it is a great privilege to be able to bring this incredible format back to the silver screen.
Best,
Nick
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Cool project! What are you planning to do about the sound issues (camera loudness) inherent with shooting on VistaVision without a huge blimp?
Hi Tyler,
Thank you for your interest,
Sound is indeed an unavoidable issue when shooting with the Beaumonte VistaVision cameras.
'Ellston Bay' features very little in the way of dialogue, and certainly relies on a great deal of ambient / wildtrack recording for 90% of its running time. I knew that Ellston Bay would be well-suited to shooting with MOS cameras long before committing to the format, and it wasn't an afterthought!
We did consider blimping the camera early on, but it is quite loud, and after consulting with our Sound Recordist, we have decided to record as we go. By this I mean to say that we will essentially be performing our ADR session on-set, and breaking down the individual sounds we require. We will run a number of 'clean' takes in addition to the selective recordings we require (with no camera running) so that we have a wealth of high-quality options available to us.
This will mean a slightly slower production pace, but sound is critically important, and so it is of great importance that we capture the highest quality recordings for use later in post-production.
I am happy to report that we have a number of highly experienced professionals in both Sound Recording and Sound Design attached to the project, so we will not be cutting any corners!
All the very best,
Nick
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Dear all,
My name is Nicholas Eriksson and I am currently in the process of raising Kickstarter funds for a highly ambitious short film project entitled 'Ellston Bay'.
Our plans include originating on the rarely-used 8-perf 35mm VistaVision format, and we hold a long-term desire (depending on our fundraising) to strike a 15/70 IMAX print for final exhibition.
Would you be so kind to take a look at the links below for further details regarding the project? Any support is greatly appreciated.https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1969323425/ellston-bay
For further details about myself and my work, please see my personal website link below.
Thank you for your time,
Best wishes,Nick Eriksson
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A greyscale shot under what you would consider to be a neutral color temp as your white base is mainly a communication tool to colorists or print timers as to what their basic frame of reference should be when they see the following scene in comparison to the neutral greyscale. It's useful when you won't be there to supervise the timing.
If you are going to be there, then it's less necessary, though personally I always like to see a colorist sort of calibrate his basic colors to a neutral greyscale so when the first image comes up after that, I can see how closely I nailed the look. So part of the reason I do it is just educational on my part, I first want to see something that I know exactly how it was exposed, etc. that is fairly bulletproof, not prone to misinterpretation.
But it's not necessary to have a greyscale if you are there to tell the timer what your intentions were. But what's going to happen, without a greyscale, is that the timer will first neutralize the image -- basically correct-out the blue -- and then add the blue cast back that you want, whereas if he timed for a greyscale shot with an 85 filter using tungsten stock outdoors in daylight, then the first shot doesn't have the 85 filter, you'd see the resulting blue image and start adjusting from that point.
When doing print dailies, a greyscale was also useful because you could see the timing lights for the greyscale and get a sense of how your negative was printing in general.
A lab just processes the negative, the whole roll, the fact that a greyscale is the first shot on a roll does not affect processing nor price. They just need to know whether to process normal, push, or pull.
As for the color correction session / transfer, you're being charged for doing a supervised session, so that sort of overpowers anything else. But even for an unsupervised dailies transfer, there is no charge for having a greyscale at the head of the roll that they time first, again, it's just to help you more than anything else.
Now if you were going to make a print, then there is a difference in price between a one-light, best light, and a timed print -- but if the timing is based on the greyscale at the head of the roll because you said "print to greyscale" the charge is still for the cheaper one-light print because that's your one light, they don't change it after the first shot is timed, the whole roll is printed at that one light. So a greyscale just helps make sure your one light is closer to being what you wanted.
When a colorist gets to the first image on a roll, they will usually look for something black and something white in the shot to adjust the overall levels, get the blacks and whites to be neutral, etc. So all of that is easier and faster if your first image is a greyscale. They correct it pretty fast though because they want to get on to the footage, but some still find it helpful.
I also find that when there's something wrong with the footage -- odd color shift, grain, whatever -- it helps to have a neutral greyscale to look at and see if the odd effects are visible there too. It's just one more point of reference to track down a problem.
Dear David,
Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply, this is all very enlightening.
I believe I will use the 85 filter to shoot a greyscale at the beginning of the roll.
I am a little wary of the colourist taking out the the intended uncorrected tungsten cast, and then dialling blue back in, as I always like the timing to move subtly away from the negative, and not undergo any drastic changes. I believe I am also right in thinking that uncorrected tungsten shot under daylight is a very specific type of blue, and not 'generic' (if there is any such thing as generic blue!).
Thank you very much for your response,
Just to let you know that this project is being shot on Super 16mm.
Best wishes,
Nick Eriksson
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Hi All,
I am looking for a second opinion on an upcoming short film that I am shooting.
In order to give the film a cool, blue cast right off the bat, I have chosen to shoot uncorrected Fujifilm Eterna 250T in daylight.
Having already undertaken a couple of tests already, I am satisfied with the effect this provides. We will of course undertake additional tweaking in the timing session with the Colour Timer on the project.
I am a little unsure as to whether it is a good idea to instruct my camera assistants to shoot a grayscale? I will be attending the flat grade transfer to HDCAM at the lab, and will be further finessing the timing in a separate session with our dedicated Colour Timer at a later date.
Therefore, is there anything to gain by shooting a grayscale, given that I do not wish the lab to make any changes to our image at the time of transfer?
Any feedback on this matter is greatly appreciated.
Many thanks in advance,
Nick Eriksson
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Not sure what kind of feedback you are looking for, but here goes:
The lighting is fantastically natural.
The "Newspaper" scene looked like a bit TOO much light was coming from that candle, but still looked good!
I like the camera movemnts, which felt very natural. Even though I HATE shakey cam, I thought
it added stress to the conversation on the phone. Very ell done.
Some of it however looked a little under exposed, but that may be the digital compression or color grade.
I felt a little jarred by the sudden change to florescence lights. Color wise I didn't work for me, and the
skin tones were a little washed out.
The theatre sequence was fantastic, and very natural feeling.
The texture on the bear fur was great! I would love to see a digital shot of that to see if it could
cope with the chiffon/translucent orange and green dresses and the great silky texture of the black bear.
My complements to you, Nick, it was very good work!
I'm going to watch the rest of your films as soon as I get back from rehearsal!
Dear John,
Thank you very much for your feedback. Your response is greatly valued, and it is interesting to read your notes on the project.
The aesthetic that I brought to the film was to have Remi's home as a place of warmth and comfort (very warm colours + skin tones). This would be in stark contrast to the bleak London winter landscape (a cold uncorrected tungsten blue). I then decided that when we were in any location requiring illumination with artificial lights, I would go with a sickly fluorescent green. This approach was designed to help illustrate Remi's uncomfortable position, as he attempts to navigate the new foreign landscape and battle with homesickness.
With regard to the candle + his makeshift home, I was actually a little worried I wasn't getting enough light, so I think maybe I played it a little too safe and consequently had a bit too much. This didn't jump out at me in the grade, but in retrospect, maybe we should have spent a little more time on that scene. Another element regarding his makeshift home that I played too safe was the warmth of the light. I would have liked the interior of his home to be even warmer than it looks in the final film.
I completely agree with you regarding handheld camera movement, I am not a fan myself. I think in many cases the handheld approach is a very lazy way of composing an image and blocking action. However, despite this, some handheld was present in Remi, and I think myself and the Director did decide on a healthy balance of setups in the end.
I am glad you like the handheld shots. However, I am unhappy with the dance scene, because I frequently lose the composition and should have stayed on the bear throughout the performance. This is not entirely my fault! Due to a problem with the SR3, the heated eyepiece function wasn't working, and so after 20 seconds, I couldn't see anything!!! I would have loved to have shot another performance, but unfortunately we just didn't have enough stock left!
You are right, some of this is underexposed, although I also made the creative choice to keep some scenes darker than normal. Fortunately, we were able to bring this back up in the grade, but I didn't want to make it too bright, as this would detract from the original approach. I have to say that it looks great on a CRT monitor in a pitch black room. I can understand it being a little too dark on a laptop lcd screen, and the compression won't help matters much either :)
Still, I am happy with the final film. We were working with very limited resources on this project, shooting on a 1:1 ratio! Pretty much everything in the film is one-take, apart from some short details / inserts, which we had a couple of quick takes.
Thank you again for taking a look,
Hope to hear from you again at some point in the future.
Best wishes,
Nick Eriksson
Director of Photography
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Hi All,
I am looking for some feedback on a recent short film I shot entitled 'Remi'. This film was made for a very low budget. Despite this, we managed to shoot on Super 16mm with a small lighting package, and I am interested in finding out what people think!
The film can be viewed here: http://www.nickeriksson.com/remi
Thank you for your valuable feedback / advice!
Best,
Nick Eriksson
Director of Photography
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Hi Everyone,
I am looking for feedback on a recent music promo that I shot on the Canon 7D.
Please take a look at the video here: Saint Saviour - 'This Ain't No Hymn'
I would have loved to have shot this video on Super 16mm, especially Fujifilm's Vivid 160, which has very punchy, vibrant colours and deep blacks. I would be interested to know how it would be possible to achieve a similar look on Super 16mm in terms of light metering.
As film has a much wider latitude than video, I always wonder how much more powerful a backlight would need to be to ensure that it comes out overexposed and doesn't retain too much detail. How about the deep blue / red gels? Is any compensation necessary in terms of exposure?
Thank you very much for your time and input.
Best,
Nick Eriksson
Director of photography
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Hey Nick,
yes the 235 is definitely MOS.
Also, if your shoot is in HK I am not sure if you can do 3perf or 2perf at all since at the time we shot our short film there was no 3-perf and 4-perf at all available in HK.
Good luck and let us know what you find out!!!
Thanks Han,
That's interesting info. That would pretty much mean that Johnnie To is the sole owner of a 2-perf system in HK. I have sent you a pm Han, I would be very interested in seeing your final short film when complete. Do you mind telling me what camera you used for the shoot?
Best,
Nick
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Hi all,
I have a great opportunity in the next couple of months to shoot a short film on the Arri 235. This will be my first time shooting on 35mm and I am wondering, is this camera configured to shoot 4-perf as standard? i.e. rental houses will not adjust to 3-perf / 2-perf unless specifically instructed?
I am surprised as to how cheap the 235 is to rent, especially considering its many modern features, is this solely down to it being a non-sync sound camera?
Any feedback is much appreciated.
Nick Eriksson
'Ellston Bay' - 35mm VistaVision - Kickstarter Campaign
in General Discussion
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Thank you very much for your support guys! Not long to go now!