Proper Term?
by BonesOne4
on
Oct 23, 2007 at 7:36:58 pm
Hey all, I wasnt sure which forum I should post this query in so Ill try here first. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. I have a Sony HDR FX1 and want to get that "Saving Private Ryan" film look where everything appears very crystal clear anf sharp. What is the proper term for this look and can I achieve this with the camera I own. Thanks everyone
Bones
PS- By the way I gave creative cow a special thanks in the end credits of my latest movie. www.Youtube.com/bonesone4
It's call Mr. Berringer. Thanks everyone
The "Saving Private Ryan" look is a combination of several different things, some both practical on location, and some done in post.
That look was done using several techniques:
Firstly, many of the shots were done with a high-speed (narrower than normal) shutter. If one considers a "normal" film camera shutter to be 180 degrees (although many aren't), then that coincides to an exposure of 1/48th of a second for each frame. That is why most video cameras in 24p mode default to 1/48th as the shutter speed. Now, in some films the director and/or DP want a crisper, chopper look ("Gladiator" is another that comes to mind), so the DP shoots with a much faster exposure rate, maybe a 100th of a second, or even higher (exposure rate should NOT be confused with frame rate, the film was still 24fps). The faster exposures freeze the action, so each individual frame is sharp, without the motion blur that you would normally see. It can be a very VERY odd look, but sometimes is appropriate.
When shooting with your video camera, try some scenes with higher frame rates, and you will see the difference.
As to the rest of the "look" of Saving Private Ryan... that was done in the lab and in post. Some of it was probably done as the negative was processed, using what is called a "Skip Bleach Process" or "Bleach Bypass Process"... which gives it that very unique look. Then the colorist (or color timer) desaturated the negative somewhat, and skewed the chroma a bit toward the sepia side.
You can acheive this part of the look during the post production process with your video... playing with color/contrast/saturation filters. There are third-party plugins which will also do this... I had one in a package once where the preset was rudely (but amusingly) named "Saving Ryan's Privates."
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
