HOW-TO, Techniques, & Best Practices Channel
An Adventure in High Definition Filmmaking
By Jon Firestone
posted Oct 19, 2008, 11:40
HD format, HD workflow, HD as a format for the big screen, color correction, high definition filmmaking.
Working with the HD Format
Jon Firestone is the director of "The Short Way In, (www.theshortwayin.com) " a television series about independent film and getting into the industry. He cofounded Thomas-Firestone Productions, and developed and taught the 3D graphics program at the Colorado Film School. Jon works as a freelance cinematographer and director in Denver, Colorado.
While working on a recent film being shot in super 16 using an
Arri SR3 from Panavision, a friend of mine commented on how
much more professional most film shoots are compared to HD
shoots. I looked around, and aside from the format itself, many
other things were different. The number of camera crew was larger
and more experienced than most HD shoots I had worked on
recently. We had a DP, a camera operator, an AC and a 2nd AC for
one. The camera was also completely decked out with matte box,
follow focus, gear head tripod, video assist and prime lenses, as
well as a good zoom lens. We also had a nice decked out grip
truck, a great gaffer, and a generator truck. In addition, we had a
very involved script supervisor and a rigorous slating and logging
procedure, which of course is crucial for syncing the sound in post.
Format aside, the entire approach was different. Now this isn�t
always true, but in many cases the same mentality that chooses to
shoot in HD also chooses to compromise on other things that
contribute to production value, from experience, and size of crew
to skimping on gear.
Heath Firestone is on Camera and Jon Firestone is looking at the monitor.
Complicating things further, I�ve been in several situations where
a second camera was added at the last minute, without the thought
of beefing up the crew and gear sufficiently to really support it,
with the mentality that �Tape is Cheap�. It�s not that there is
anything wrong with multi-camera shoots. In fact, there are many
advantages of shooting with multiple cameras, including improved
continuity, and providing greater coverage, but there are some
pitfalls as well. Lighting can take considerably longer when trying
to hide the lights from both cameras and still provide good lighting
from both angles. Also, the cameras can get in each other�s way,
and usually I�d rather have one good shot than two compromised
shots. Adding a second camera will not necessarily speed things
up because the crew is often split up and the setups become more
complicated.
On the set of "The Shadow Walkers," Jon Firestone (Camera) and Zach Ankenman (Sound),
courtesy of Mostly Films.
It�s been a few years since I began working with HD, but I
continue to work on both film and digital projects. HD has
evolved considerably, and there are a few things that I�ve learned
along the way. I am excited about the evolution of the formats
and the growing availability of the technology. With this though, I
should mention that not all HD is created equal, and while the
newer low cost HD solutions are great, they lag behind the
professional formats in several ways. But while they lag behind
somewhat in quality, they excel in workflow.
HD as a Format for the Big Screen
Professional HD brought us several steps closer to that elusive
film look. George Lucas and others showed us that the format can
be a viable format for the big screen. But the cost of the specially
rigged Panavision cameras they used is still very high, and didn�t
exactly kick HD down into the price range of the masses. Nor did
it knock film from its lofty position as king of the format hill. What
it did do was help change the approach of video camera
companies to begin offering features that create more cinematic
images. While there have been significant improvements over
traditional video, HD still lags behind 35mm film in resolution and
dynamic range. But digital acquisition is improving in quality and
price at an incredible rate, and it�s only a matter of time before the
quality of digital acquisition will no longer be a major issue.
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Pictured above left: HVX200 at 50mm with no lens adapter.
Pictured above right: HVX200 with P+S Technik Mini35 adapter and a Zeiss Super Speed 50mm Prime Lens.
There are several characteristics generally associated with the
cinematic look of film.
- Frame Rate
- Resolution
- Gamma Settings
- Dynamic Range
- Lenses
- Lighting
In order to match the cadence of film many HD cameras can
shoot natively at 24 frames per second. Shooting with a 48 frame
per second shutter is supposed to
give a similar look to a 180
degree shutter on a film camera.
Film sensitivity rolls off at either
end of the spectrum, whereas
video tends to clip. In order to
emulate this many cameras have
gamma settings which try to
emulate the gamma curves of
film, making the image behave
more like it would with film. The
resolution of HD is closer to that
of film, however, HD can
sometimes look almost too
detailed for some, so turning
down the sharpness somewhat is
commonly done to give a more
organic look.
Lighting HD is in some ways easier than film and in others more
difficult. With HD you generally know what you are getting. I
tend to rely on scopes and zebras, as well as a calibrated monitor
when it comes to HD instead of a light meter. HD does not have
as much dynamic range as most film stocks, so keeping lighting
within the range of the HD camera is key. Primarily this means
trying to avoid very high contrast situations. I like to use Ultra
Contrast filters to help reduce contrast in uncontrolled daytime
exteriors.
Setting up the Red Rock Micro M2 adapter for the test with a Nikon 50mm still photography lens.
One of the most distinct looks of 35mm film comes from the
lenses that are used, and the shallow depth of field that is inherent
with 35mm. The size of the image plane on 35mm is many times
larger than that of a 2/3 inch CCD, and the difference is even
greater between 35mm and the 1/3 inch chips on most of the
newer inexpensive HD cameras. This larger image plane generally
means that it will have a shallow depth of field. While this makes
focusing more difficult, it gives a nice separation of the subject
from the background. Fortunately, there are several lens adapters
that connect 35mm lenses to HD cameras.
On a project I am currently in production on, I got a chance to
test two of the more popular 35mm adapters on the market on a
Panasonic HVX200. The first was the relatively inexpensive Red
Rock Micro M2, and the other was the P+S Technik Mini35
adapter. The process of adapting a 35mm lens to these cameras is
not as simple as adding a step-up
ring. In order for the lens to
behave as it would and have the
same focal lengths as it would
with film, the adapters have to
translate the 35mm image plane
down to a 1/3� image plane.
However this process allows any
imperfections in the ground glass
to become very visible, so to
make these imperfections less
noticeable they spin the ground
glass. This process slightly softens
the image, but in a fairly aesthetic
way. You also lose about a stop
or so of light going through these
adapters.
The primary difference between these two adapters is that the
M2 flips the image upside down, in the process. The image quality
is similar and both work well, but the inverted image of the M2
causes some workflow issues. This generally includes using
monitors with image flipping capability, and doing a flip in post. In
the case of the project I am working on, we chose to rent the
Mini35 adapters because the workflow improvement of not having
to deal with a flipped image justified the extra expense. However,
JVC introduced two new HDV cameras at NAB which have built-in
image flipping capability to compensate for the use of this sort of
lens adapter. So maybe the other camera companies will take note
and add this functionality to their camera lines, which would make
the M2 more convenient.
The M2 costs between $1295 and $1750 depending on the setup and can be configured using still photography lenses or PL mount
cinematography lenses. The Mini35 is primarily a rental unit, and
costs around $10,000 to buy. It also only accepts PL mount lenses.
Both units work well, and the selective depth of field definitely
adds to the cinematic look.
Color Correction
Possibly one of the most important steps in achieving the desired
look of a film is in the post production process. It helps that most
cameras are including cinema style gamma settings now, and there
are also great post production tools that help get the desired look.
You can do a lot just with the color correction tools available in
your editing software. You can do even more with software
specifically designed for color correction; I personally really like
Magic Bullet for emulating different film looks and processes. It�s
not only the capability of the tools, but the ability of the user, so it
is a good idea to use someone with the right equipment and
experience if possible, especially when doing a film out. A good
color corrector will know tricks that will help for example when
increasing the contrast creates banding, they will have techniques
to hide the banding. Also, having the right monitors, with proper
calibration, and even the proper lighting in the room can make a
difference. I prefer to color correct on a nice, calibrated CRT
monitor, especially when working on nighttime shots. LCDs have
trouble getting really dark blacks, and while they are improving in
this way, CRTs still have a distinct advantage here.
One of the reasons that film often seems more professional is
that in many ways it is. Throughout the entire process, film is
generally handled by professionals with years of experience, where
HD is a fast growing ever changing field, where having the same
amount of experience is unlikely. There is also an established
workflow with film, and the workflow with HD is constantly
evolving. But HD is here to stay, and will get better with time. It
has some distinct advantages over film, which have drawn the
interest of directors like Robert Altman, James Cameron, Robert
Rodriguez and George Lucas. Whether because of potential cost
advantages or advantageous workflows, HD has something to offer
over film. Film though is certainly not dead, and will likely have a
long life. It offers a great image quality, a huge market of trained
professionals, and has a proven workflow as well as established
distribution and storage options. In my experience, when working
with HD if you want it to look more cinematic, then treat it with
the same respect you would film.
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