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Manu Delpech

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  1. Manu Delpech
    Well, the producer has 30 years + experience and worked on some big projects (that I'm not gonna name obviously), but I don't know, I know it doesn't feel right. I know for one thing that I'm going for a natural look and I need a DP obviously who understands my sensibilities and I just know that this isn't the type of movie that's going to need that much infrastructure, it's a character-driven short movie, around 20 min, thing is, I got a lot of locations for a short movie, but the only bit of action is just a fight in a school cafeteria, the rest is quite atmospheric, on sticks or dolly, tracking shots with a bit of handheld for like 10 % of the movie. There are 2 main actors, one kid, the rest are extras. For the costs, it goes fast here, basically food & housing for the crew, some crew members will be paid (not all of them otherwise the budget would just explode), renting the equipment (around 14000 $ worth according to my estimation, and basically what he thinks as well), the post production part, then there are permits, insurance it seems. I kind of want to lower the costs as much as possible because I just know it's doable, and having 25 people on set (what he said) just seems way too much to me, but then again, things may be different financially here and I may be out of my depth.
  2. Manu Delpech
    Overall, I think it's all too expensive, and there are crew members who won't be paid considering it's an association. He's been a producer for many many years but I'm convinced there is a way to cut costs, somehow.
  3. Manu Delpech
    Hey Zack, Thx for the proposal, but I got out of a meeting with the producer and it seems 35 mm 2 perf might not happen after all. He told me he was okay with it, but then at the end, he tells me basically that there's not enough time (not sure why) as we need to be fully ready by september for shooting in november, but also mainly that it will cost more (obviously), not necessarily equipment wise, but crew wise, that for example, we'll need 3 trucks instead of 1 truck to transport the equipment, that there will be 3 ADs (really?), more people working on lights. Basically, more everything. He told me to still think about it, he's not flat out against it, but wary. I justified my choice, but he's going to reread the script and tell me "this can be shot on digital, or film". Also told me to list the pros & cons basically. I'm kind of annoyed right now, because it's really important to me, but then again, the thinking here is that it's my first pro short movie, I'm shooting in English (in France), have very USy locations in mind (so I'm gonna have to get creative), so 35 mm on top of that is another added difficulty. Anyway, he has in mind a 55 K budget right now, it kind of pains me how expensive it's gonna be considering that this is a 20 min short movie and Jeff Nichols did Shotgun Stories in anamorphic 35 on a 50 K budget. Yeah, seems like it's an entirely different ballgame in my country, sigh.........
  4. Manu Delpech
    Maybe, no idea, I'm new at this for now, and it's not like there's gonna be a video village or anything on a low budget level like I'm about to do. Good advice though ;)
  5. Manu Delpech
    I can never imagine directing a movie & never holding the camera at any moment. I'm about to shoot my first "pro" short movie, and I'm both excited & kind of wary about working with a DP. I'm a really visual dude & pretty much think visual first & then the story comes to me after seeing images in my head. I'm just hoping to find someone I can really trust & who'll get me 100 percent, I have a ton of visual references set up that really show what I'm after, but I know that I'll have a couple of tracking shots and I want to get in there and be in control of the movement. I admire the directors (like Cameron for example) who can do it all, and not lose focus.
  6. Manu Delpech
    It really says nothing but what you yourself are reading into it.
  7. Manu Delpech
    Yeah, I don't see the problem with the grading in MOS, it's a style, it's got many breathtaking moments (Clark floating in the ocean with the whales, the whole sequence from Clark's rescue of the bus to Pa Kent showing young Clark the ship he arrived in, in the barnyard, etc, etc). The texture is beautiful.
  8. Manu Delpech
    Thx for the insight Adrian !
  9. Manu Delpech
    Kinda bringing this thread back from the dead, but in my eyes, there's just no comparison. I love digital, it can look insanely good & gorgeous (Hugo, Drive, The Social Network, Life Of Pi, The Hobbit movies, etc, etc) but I love film more (at least 35 mm), no matter what plugin you use, it will never look like film although Filmconvert does a nice job, there's just this beautiful texture, emulsion, the colors imo are clearly better, it feels like magic. I look at movies lately like Mud, Man Of Steel, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Out Of The Furnace, etc, could you capture them as beautifully on digital? No way in hell. Digital imo (once again) has no soul, film can be felt if that makes sense, it comes alive, I was just watching a trailer of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (in Pro Res quality) and it's just so beautiful, TASM on the Epic looked fantastic, sharp as hell, perfect definition, but here, the colors pop, the imperfections in the image are charming, the grain, real grain. Another great one on film: Moneyball, shot by Wally Pfister, a masterclass, that scene from the opening with Brad Pitt sitting on the bleachers in the stadium, in the shadows, with those inky blacks, that light texture, just oh my god.
  10. Manu Delpech
    Sorry for bringing back this thread, but how could Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind be shot entirely on Fuji Reala 500D?? I mean, it's got day exterior, interiors, what's the deal here?
  11. Manu Delpech
    Snap ! Just contacted one of the biggest post production facilities of the country to get an idea on the prices, and the whole thing (which would be from scanning, processing to color correction in state of the art theater room all the way up to DCP) is about 15 K, which I find absolutely huge, maybe they could work on the prices a little bit if I asked, who knows. The scanning & processing of the film in 2K along with slight color correction (of the dailies) plus saving on HDD is about 2000 dollars, which seems like a fair price, I used as a reference 2000 feet of film, which is about 45 min running time considering the actual short will be about 20 min, so that gives me a bit of leeway, I can still buy more film if needed. Another 1000 dollars for conforming. Now, where this is getting really expensive, is the color correcting they're offering: 6500 dollars for 16 hours of work (which seems like too many hours for me). What I don't get (but I'm waiting for a call to know that) is that they have two services: 2K color correction and another one, but called HD color correction for master, so I don't know if this is a choice or if the two go together. I think that for the color correcting part, I'll get a good colorist rather than do it in the facility, plus that 15 K for the whole process doesn't include actually editing the movie or doing the sound design & mixing. What do you guys about handling the budget? 50 percent goes to principal photography, the other 50 % go to post production?
  12. Manu Delpech
    Yeah, figures, but it seems you can still get Fuji film pretty easily and pretty cheap. I'm waiting to hear from Kodak, it's probably going to be more expensive than Fuji but I'm hoping they can do some good deals.
  13. Manu Delpech
    Yeah, Shotonwhat is a great source as well to know which film stocks, which cameras, etc movies were shot on. I contacted Kodak and am waiting for a response, I think the visual style of the movie will make me lean towards Kodak more with richer blacks, maybe more neutral colors (Fuji apparently has a different rendition to colors). I think though that it's kind of telling that practically all movies shot on 35 mm these days are shot on Kodak, I've checked and only a select few are shot on Fuji film.
  14. Manu Delpech
    @Chris: I found the Penelope at 4000 bucks for 10 days, complete package with standard accessories, color video assist, 4 400 feet mags. Plus Aaton is french, that sounds like a pretty decent deal to me. By the way, I just watched Into The Wild again to get an idea at what Fuji film looks like in action, looks good obviously, although with the color correction and everything, I'd need comparisons btw Kodak Vision 3 & Fuji Eterna to see the higher contrast & more vivid colors from Fuji (supposedly), On The Road (Eric Gautier once again like ITW) was shot on Fuji as well. It seems all big productions and indie movies are shot on Kodak though. I read about the differences btw Vision 3 & Fuji Eterna, or Vivid, and it sounds interesting, Fuji film is so cheap, but I gotta look at what Kodak can be bought for.
  15. Manu Delpech
    Thx, for those who know those movies, it's going to be in the vibe of The Spectacular Now, Perks Of Being A Wallflower, that kind of thing, so inspired by indie movies lately (also Mud, Place Beyond The Pines, etc), sort of a coming of age story with teens.
  16. Manu Delpech
    Thx for the references, but getting a DP other than French would be complicated, the film will be shot in English, but most of the crew will be French, that might be complicated for the DP to communicate with other members other than myself and the actors.
  17. Manu Delpech
    Thx for all the great advice there: I indeed read about the Penelope video assist being really good, and it's flicker free too ! I just got off the phone with my producer and his answer at first was "No way, forget about 35 mm", then I talked about all the research I did, Fuji film stock being super cheap, 35 mm 2 perf: 50 % less cost in film stock & transfer compared to 4 perf, transfer from film to digital files Pro Res very cheap, camera equipment a bit higher than digital for sure, but still affordable. He was actually considering it at the end :D Now, I gotta keep researching it, Find a great DP I can entrust with 35 mm, then the rest of the crew (producer kept telling me that we'd need more people on set, I wonder how they do it on movies with skeleton crews, seems to work perfectly (ie Mud for example) @Stephen: Can't fly anyone here I'm afraid, we'd need to pay for the hotel (although we will with the DP anyway), pay for food, producer tells me there should be 20 to 30 people on set (what the hell), most of the team will be working pro bono (aside from DP, post production people, etc), that's part of what they do (association that helps young filmmakers and gives them the infrastructure), then the lighting package, etc, etc. I can't see myself flying anyone here, unless he's willing to be paid btw 5000 & 6000 dollars for a week's shooting (at the very least), but I'm hoping we can get a good DP for less.
  18. Manu Delpech
    I'm living in France & shooting in France :D (but the movie is in English) So yeah ^^ I'm kind of trying to see on the AFC if I can find some good DP's, I sent two big DPs an email, fully knowing how preposterous it is of me to even ask those guys considering their body of work to go shoot a small, low budget short film, but I'm being bold :D
  19. Manu Delpech
    Thx a lot for the good, fast response ! I was just watching the BTS on Revolutionary Road, and Mendes was watching the footage being shot live on a monitor, quality seemed quite bad obviously, but at least it gives you some feedback, I was just scared that it's so shitty that if it comes out shitty, you wouldn't notice it ^^ I'm only going to shoot 35 mm 2 perf if I can get a really good, experienced DP, one that I can trust especially since I'm very visual and I have every shot planned & conceived in my head. I'll have a budget of 30000-35000 $ for a 20 min short film, I was first planning to shoot it digital (Alexa) because to be honest, although I always wanted to shoot 35 mm (there's just nothing like it really, no matter what filters or grain plugins you use), the fact of not having a direct, HD monitoring of what's being shot, and seeing it right in front of you, having to wait for the film to be transferred to really see what you've got, it kind of freaked me out. But I'm seeing that film might not be that much more expensive especially with Kodak, or Panavision or else willing to make deals, and I'm counting on that. Plus, all my visual references are 35 mm film really, so it just makes sense, Now, I have to convince the producer (who's probably going to laugh at my "demand" & freak out at the same time) that it's the right thing to do. It's really cool to find so many resources & info on this forum, helps a lot !
  20. Manu Delpech
    Hey everyone, I'm looking into the whole shooting on 35 mm 2 perf thing right now for my first "professional" short movie, and what scared me mostly about 35 mm was not being able to really see what's being shot other than on a shitty quality video tap or assist, but I read here the other day someone talking about using an HD monitor and feed it the composite signal from the camera and having a much better quality, is this really possible? I read otherwise about the HD IVS by Arri but it seems ridiculously pricey, otherwise, it seems like the Penelope has actually a pretty decent, much better video feed, what do you guys think? Love this forum by the way, so many resources !
  21. Manu Delpech
    Thx for the answers, the guys over at reduser mentioned a crane car maybe, but that's gotta be pretty expensive.
  22. Manu Delpech
    I just watched the movie again, with commentary by Derek Cianfrance this time, and although he mentioned those overhead shots (when Luke is riding his bike, or Jason is), he didn't mention what they used to do those. I'd like to know if anyone here knows how they did those aerial, overhead shots, it can't be a crane considering it's not completely smooth, and shakes a bit. PLEASE HELP ME ! :D
  23. Manu Delpech
    Hey everyone, I'm a huge fan of Masa Takayanagi and find it frustrating to find barely anything on him on the Internet, one small interview and that's it, no video interview, nothing, which I find baffling considering how incredible his work is. Anyway, I'm posting here, hoping that someone else enjoys his work, and we can talk a little bit about his style, his approach to lighting (which seems mostly natural lighting, with use of practicals when needed, and sometimes harsher lighting like Warrior or Out Of The Furnace). What do you think?
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