Alexandros Pissourios

Hi guys! Firstly, Thank you Stephen for having a look :) I'm now in the process of grading another film a friend shot. And then two more.... This next one is 40 mins so It's quite long and I made the mistake of telling her to get LOG scans from the lab. I think the 'best light' option is the best way forward...no? I find that Cinelab does a grand job with their in house grades... I know it's supposed to be more versatile to get LOG scans but i'm NOT a grader so I am again finding it a bit tricky. Better than last time though. Are there any online helpful tips for 16mm grading? I can't seem to find anything------ only how to emulate the film look on digital. My main concern is that I want the images to have LIGHT and BRIGHTNESS! Contrast and Depth without crashing blacks or blowing up whites. But, when I do try that, then the grain becomes so alive and I can see it moving everywhere... is that how it should look? Or do I need to apply a noise reduction (and if so, which one?) I'm attaching two screenshots..... i'm trying to make a basic grade but i still feel that it's yellowish and has that LOG scan feel to it... what do you think? OH GOD any tips? many many thanks! A

Hi guys, Glad I found this now, Sorry i didn't look before i shot a project in 50fps to edit in 25fps with the Mini Alexa. I'm getting this mild short shutter speed look and the director is not liking it I've tried a few things Adjusting clip speed (using optical interpolation when it's not too heavy movement) I've made a 50fps sequence and this works the best but the post house won't work with this I've also re-interpreted the footage but without a lot of progress either. Maybe slightly better though. Do you have any other ideas? THANK YOU A

Thank you to everyone! i think I should start grading some 2K scans.. it does take an aggressive punch to get it to a good point. And I hear you re: grain. It’s in the film DNA. I didn’t know the labs reduce grain.... is this an “industry” standard? Funny... for this occasion it would have been impossible to learn to grade log, as it’s an almost 5 minute music video that needs to finish in a couple of weeks. So, for this one I used the HD prores uncompressed (best light) files. Graded in davinci mostly but also some in premier with lumetri. i liked what the lab did with them, but then I moved on from there to create a world that makes sense with my aesthetic intentions. It still needs some work on the night shots but the whole film should be regarded within the excitement of using 16mm (with its light spills, bad focus, x-ray damage!) an image that breathes 🙂 Latent image, what a pleasure!!

I mean, ive made an initial grade using the HD transcodes in premiere using lumetri scopes and adjustments and got here But now I want to give it a bit more punch and clean the whites and blacks. I’m noticing that in some cases I can’t do it better than the initial attempt. the skies are better off without me touching them (ie the yellows and blues and pinks are better off with the initial lab grade) oh well... ill post the final/progress when I get there thanks for all the help!

I haven't got much self-confidence in grading yet and I really need to turn this around quickly, so I'm going to work on the HD uncompressed transcodes as they carry over the lab's best grade on them so it's pretty easy to work with. The 2K scans are just log scans and too grainy for me right now. The noise is pretty prominent in the 2k and its' not that it looks bad when graded, it's just too difficult to work with and get to a point I'm happy with. I might be able to upload some tests at some point soon! thank you!

Hi! I've shot 16mm films for a music video (250D and 500T) and I am now getting ready to grade. But I have a question... The 2K Uncompressed LOG scans look SO MUCH GRAINER when graded than the Uncompressed HD Prores files. It seems that the HD is a bit smoother and even bypasses the minor X-Ray Damage these rolls went through via traveling in Hold luggage. My question is whether I should go with what 'looks' better or try and work with 2K instead of HD no matter what because it's essentially better. This film is for online viewing and not TV or cinema... Here is an ungraded 2k clip and the HD (which i think has some work done by cinelab - best grade or technical grade - not sure) I'm finding the hd so much easier to work with... is it because i'm an amateur? lol I can upload graded stills if that helps make the point. ? Thank you! A

Thank you Stephen! Learning through costly mistakes here. Another thought is https://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml I did travel with unprocessed (and) processed film in my checked bag twice before developing. Do you think that might be another reason too? I'm not trying to make excuses, it's just that I have so much more unprocessed film and I don't want to be wasting my money if I shoot more on it. I'm just a bit phased out how some films turned out just fine when my practice has been exactly the same shooting at least 50 rolls. Ideas?

Ouch ouch ouch so you think this is the reason. So stupid!!! How come this is just happened in the last batches and not from back when I first started using 16mm ( pure luck?) And lastly is there a way to save this footage? in grading? if so, how? oh thanks !

Hello there! I have been shooting 250D and 500T for a couple of projects and have been experiencing this disappointing mistake all around in my rushes. base fogging/fluctuation. OUCH. I have to admit I am NOT loading and unloading in a mini-tent nor in total darkness, but I do it indoors in low light. I store the films in their boxes afterward (but not in the fridge) and they are sent to development after a week or two. I know these sound like red flags but I've shot around 20 other films under the same conditions beforehand and they came out fine (minus the red light spills on the right-hand side of the image). I know, I'm learning by making mistakes. I'm curious why these last few rolls came back with the same issue. I have a H16 EL camera Could it be that my magazine is not closed properly (or has loosened up tiny bit and lets in light?) The lens mount also seems to be a bit loose now in relation to before (that's something that I noticed in the last couple of shoots) Could it be just bad loading/unloading Here are two examples of what I'm referring to: Many thanks!!! A