newbie questions.

Nikki Malkavian Z-boy

Nikki Malkavian Z-boy

hello people!

i'm sorry if i sound silly, i'm just trying to learn. :blush:

-how can i achieve that smooth, dark yellowish, "photoshopped" kinda quality that "300" and "sin city" have? the guys in the other section suggested a lens (35mm f1.8) for my Nikon 3300D. is the lens the only solution or you can "mess with it" with some software?

-is there any chance for a mortal like me to use any digital special fx software that's used from professionals for big budget movies?

in a few words, what can i do to make my stuff be pro but without paying studios and such? i'm willing to learn everything by the way. :D

thank you mates. :cool:
 
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I'd say the specific lens has little to do with it, it's almost entirely created in post. I haven't specifically attempted this look, but I'd start with a noise reduction filter like Neat Video, using fairly aggressive settings - this will blend out a lot of fine detail and give everything a smooth, plasticky look. You'll probably want to add some fine film grain back in afterwards to give the image some texture. From there it's primarily just color grading - it's going to depend on the specific look you're going for. Of course, both films are primarily shot on greenscreen, so the backgrounds/environments are completely constructed in post and are somewhat stylized, so to truly replicate the look you'd need to do the same.
 
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ItDonnedOnMe said:
Of course, both films are primarily shot on greenscreen, so the backgrounds/environments are completely constructed in post and are somewhat stylized, so to truly replicate the look you'd need to do the same.
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ok i will do the same. but how? xD i'm a total noob. also, Neat Video is a plugin, what about the actual software? epic proportions software, just give me names, i'll handle the rest! :D

thanks! :cool:
 
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You might wanna look at Premiere Pro for the editing (which can color grade a little bit itself) and After Effects for your vfx. There are a ton of tutorials that you can search for online to learn the software as well.
 
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Hi Nikki,

It depends. While I have to admit I'm not overly intimate with 300 and Sin City (though a google search brought up what I believe you're after) most of that looks like a combination of color grading and compositing.

It'll depend on how complex your project will be as to whether you need the compositing or not. If not, my suggestion would be to do it in a color grading application like Davinci Resolve. The color grading side of it won't be too hard, though quite time consuming, once you learn.

For 300 it looks like a mostly desaturated, picture with the highlights skewed heavily towards yellow with the mid tones also pushed towards the yellow. Sin City is different where red lipstick is maintained, the skin tones are desaturated slightly and the rest is desaturated to zero. While there seem to be exceptions where some are all in B&W. You'll need to pay special attention to the contrasts in both. One thing about color grading, there are so many different ways to achieve a similar result. Experimentation and preparation are key.

If you want a better idea, I'd consult a colorist and a compositor for their professional opinion.
 
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being an amateur, i don't know most of the filmmaking terms that you people use, so please bear with me. :blush:

i'm willing to learn everything though. i'm gonna youtube all the tutorials but i will still need some help (it would be awesome if we could discuss real-time, for better communication). :D

Sweetie, you mentioned something about consulting a colorist or a compositor. in which section of the forum am i gonna find them?


thank you all once again! :)
 
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Sweetie, you mentioned something about consulting a colorist or a compositor. in which section of the forum am i gonna find them?
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I doubt those who can do this are going to teach you for free. I've yet to find a forum where you can learn the color grading side... Well... Assuming you're not willing to pay for access, if you are, try Mixinglight.com. Personally I'd suggest doing a few courses on color grading and reading some of the higher recommended books on the subject. Be warned, the decent courses can cost a couple of hundred bucks.

The thing about color grading is you learn the basics, experiment, try, gain experience and do more training... repeat. You get better with experience.

As for compositors, that's out of my area of knowledge. You'll need to ask a compositor.
 
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