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"Band of brothers"


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I've been hired to shoot a commercial that would look like "band of brothers". The director asked me to find a similar look to "saving private ryan" and "band of brothers"

 

I have learnt that the DP's used mostly fast stock film like 5579 and ENR process to boost the contrasts. But when it comes to shutter speed i can't believe they only set it at 45°. Did they use odd frame rates like 18 fps to make it look so jerky ?

 

Can anyone help me and tell me what technics did the dps use ? Thank you in advance and sorry for my simple english, i really need to work it out.

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Some links:

 

http://www.cameraguild.com/awards/kaminski.html

 

http://www.theasc.com/magazine/dec98/Blood/pg1.htm

 

http://www.csc.ca/news/default.asp?aID=749

 

http://www.girlsaresmarter.com/laura/paper...rivateRyan.html

 

http://www.film-o-holic.com/widerscreen/20...oking_glass.htm

 

Techniques:

 

Reduced shutter angle decreases exposure time and makes image "strobe" more.

 

Mistimed camera shutter introduces streaking.

 

Lenses without anti-reflection coatings increases flare and lens flares.

 

Silver retention processes can be used to desaturate the image.

 

Handheld camera for "battlefield" cinematography.

 

"Battlefield" cinematography used older (grainy) stocks, was often processed in poor processing conditions (streakiness, non-uniformity).

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45 degrees on the shutter looks pretty jerky with fast motion combined with handheld at 24 fps. It isn't necessary to go down to 18 fps. Another thing that looks great with the short shutter speed is flying debris from explosions.

 

"Saving Private Ryan" used EXR 200T outdoors with partial correction (81EF instead of an 85B), push-processed, and used a 100 IR level of ENR processing on the prints. "Band of Brothers" created this look digitally in post color-correction after scanning the negative to 2K.

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Hi,

 

Also, "Band of Brothers" did not look as nice as Saving Private Ryan. Specifically, it looked exactly like it was trying to emulate Saving Private Ryan digitally, and lacked the raw grittiness of the original even viewed in standard def. I think probably the colourist on "Band of Brothers" wasn't perhaps willing to go quite as far as the ENR forced them to go on "Saving Private Ryan."

 

I would also point out that "..Ryan" had many of the imaging characteristics of video, with heavily bleached hilights.

 

Phil

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Great look, I love that look. Would love to do it some day. According to August '98 AC, Janusz Kaminski desaturated the colors using a special Technicolor ENR process at 70% to gain back contrast because he also used a pana flasher at 15% to pre-flash the film desaturating the color directly to the negative. He shot on EXR 5293 pushed it to 400, even to 800 with a 1/2 coral instead of an 85 filter deliberately going a bit blue and had makeup mix up a special color for the blood.

 

ENR is a special process that uses extra B&W developing bath to retain extra silver on the print. It also adds gray or black to the dyes further desaturating the image.

 

http://www.technicolor.com/TCP_Home_Page/0...tml?L1=&L2=&L3=

 

Just realized I duplicated some previous info, sorry.

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ENR does not "also" add grey or black to the dyes (that implies something extra beyond leaving the silver in) -- it leaves silver that is normally removed in processing... and silver is black, so where there is color, there is also black silver, reducing the saturation, increasing the contrast, and deepening the blacks in the print. But you also get the extra graininess from the silver grains.

 

The difference between ENR and a skip-bleach process is that ENR involves a b&w developer step so that some silver can be retained while the rest can still be removed, as opposed to the all-or-nothing affect of a skip bleach versus a bleach step.

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More on silver retention processes:

 

http://www.theasc.com/magazine/nov98/soupdujour/pg1.htm

 

http://www.cameraguild.com/index.html?maga...htm~top.main_hp

 

http://cameraguild.com/technology/testing_limits.htm

 

http://www.technicolor.com/images/TCP/cont...ess_Details.pdf

 

http://www.bydeluxe.com/services/filmlabs/#Special_Processes

 

One word of caution: leaving silver in the print will also cause the print to absorb more radiant energy during projection. So "focus flutter" or damage from excessive radiant energy during projection might occur in some marginal theatres that have lamphouse heat issues:

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newslett...ak/fall97.shtml

 

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/newslett.../winter97.shtml

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Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith

Fighting scenes are usually made in high shutter speeds. In the making of gladiator in the last fight scene, they pushed it right up. The beginning scene in ?Saving Private

Ryan? in particular, as they are running up the beach, the high shutter speed gave a feel of realism, as though the shot were interlaced as opposed to a progressive scan. Like a news broadcast, as if a cameraman was there, filming the action. It makes the viewer feel as though it is happening, and that?s what happened.

 

Obviously using a high shutter speed isn't necessary, but it gives a good effect.

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Thank you everyone i think we'll be using some pushed fast stock film to get a little grain, a high shutter speed (not above 45°) and maybe a mistimed shutter.

A skip bleach process is scheduled as ENR is just not available in France.

 

I'll keep you informed and hopefully i'll be able to post some images of the project

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