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DSLR Film Look - How To

LewisMcGregor

LewisMcGregor

Hey folks,

This past summer I embarked on a crowdfunding campaign where I ended up raising $19,200.

Throughout the campaign we often got asked what did we shoot the footage with. Upon answering with a 5D we would get bombarded with questions about settings and lenses and everything else. So I've made this little tutorial that talks about the basics of getting the "film look"

This is what our footage looked like.

8342333536_7b82cf983b_c.jpg



Here is the tutorial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnL4Z0ebcBc

I must say, I'm not a professional, everything I've learned has been through making mistakes and researching ways to correct those mistakes. So if you hear me making some incorrect terminology, you know why. haha :)

Lewis
 
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In my opinion, if you shoot a movie flat in camera, then do no color grading, it looks the most like film. Color grading is what gives that digital look, because you are color grading using computer technology. Movies that came out before the late 90s, look the most like film since they do not have computer grading. So perhaps avoiding grading, or give it a color grade that will look like how film was developed before computer grading came along. Will give you the best film look, unless of course I am wrong.
 
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harmonica44 said:
In my opinion, if you shoot a movie flat in camera, then do no color grading, it looks the most like film. Color grading is what gives that digital look, because you are color grading using computer technology. Movies that came out before the late 90s, look the most like film since they do not have computer grading. So perhaps avoiding grading, or give it a color grade that will look like how film was developed before computer grading came along. Will give you the best film look, unless of course I am wrong.
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I dunno, harmonica44. I shoot my stuff flat (GH2), and then when I compare it to "film look" major films, the first thing that jumps out is the lack of color saturation. Technicolor, for example, looks *really* saturated. I'm no pro editor or expert at color grading, but flat in my camera seems almost lifeless before doing anything to it in Final Cut.

My two cents.
 
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I guess so. Some older movies like Unforgiven or Groundhog Day, just don't look near as saturated compared to movies of today. Even desaturated movies of today, don't have the same de-saturation as back then. They also have much lower contrast compared to today.
 
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LewisMcGregor said:
Wheatgrinder, I can see where you're coming from and I know you said you're not being sarcastic. But I was initially offended at this statement.

If I wanted to market my project, I would be marketing my project. A lot of time goes into making and planning these tutorials. I'm doing them because of what someone else stated in this thread. "I wish this type of tutorial was around when I was learning". When I was coming to grips with the DSLR for filming purposes the people I learned from was filmmakers like Philip Bloom and Vincent Laforet. While they have amazing tips they always demonstrated with really expensive pieces of equipment (rigging, lights, lenses). There was no-one really around the give good tutorials with basic equipment. I've just bought a RED and thought it would be a nice gesture to give away whatever knowledge I've learned slumming away with the basics. (I apologize if this came off as nasty, haha)
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Dont be offended. Marketing is not a dirty word, its not an insult. Just because your efforts are philanthropic doesn't reduce the marketing value of those actions. If more people marketed them selves with charitable actions, what a better world we would have!
 
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LewisMcGregor said:
Here's the link I talked about in the video about the 180 degree shutter - http://tylerginter.com/post/11480534977/180-degree-shutter-learn-it-live-it-love-it

If you want to film in 50fps, by all means you can do so.

But if you're looking to try and imitate the look seen in the films you might want to change your fps to 24. More or less since 1927 the standard frame rate for motion pictures has been 24fps. Audiences associate cinema with 24fps. Just look at the backlash The Hobbit has received for switching up to 48fps. Some critics have said it looked like a BBC soap opera.

So if you're after the film look. Stay with 24fps.
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It might have traditionally been the film frame rate but I think things will change very soon and we'll see a heap of different frame rates. I loved the 48fps and I'm actually curious to see an even faster frame rate. Especially with 3D I think it's nicer in 48fps.

I've heard there was a similar 'backlash' with colour when it first appeared.

Great tutorials by the way :)
 
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wheatgrinder said:
Dont be offended. Marketing is not a dirty word, its not an insult. Just because your efforts are philanthropic doesn't reduce the marketing value of those actions. If more people marketed them selves with charitable actions, what a better world we would have!
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Sorry Wheatgrinder, with all the negativity and trolling that goes on, especially on YouTube, I just initially thought it was a slight attack. I'll blame the coffee I had that morning for putting me in that mindset. haha

MileCreations said:
It might have traditionally been the film frame rate but I think things will change very soon and we'll see a heap of different frame rates. I loved the 48fps and I'm actually curious to see an even faster frame rate. Especially with 3D I think it's nicer in 48fps.

I've heard there was a similar 'backlash' with colour when it first appeared.

Great tutorials by the way :)
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Cheers,
 
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MileCreations said:
It might have traditionally been the film frame rate but I think things will change very soon and we'll see a heap of different frame rates. I loved the 48fps and I'm actually curious to see an even faster frame rate. Especially with 3D I think it's nicer in 48fps.

I've heard there was a similar 'backlash' with colour when it first appeared.
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It's interesting to think that for years and years we've been trying to make digital look like film. Now, we finally get to a point where it's really quite close and we start to look back at the 'digital' look that we all hated so much only a few years ago and start to wonder if, in fact, it does look better...
 
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An actual post production tutorial! An oversight of a basic colour grading process and a look at a method to keep skin tones correct while grading.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znDPLI_Ia7c
 
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