| |
(pag 36)
The film tells the story of Carlos' conflict with the
world motivated by his father’s death. He responds
in a very particular way to his family’s demands
of responsibility. The story takes place in a working
class neighbourhood in Malaga.
Choice of screen aspect ratio
Several reasons made us choose Sony’s high definition
(HD) screen aspect ratio to shoot the film. Firstly,
the need of a format which offered sufficient picture
quality, that is, definition, contrast, depth, colour
reproduction etc, to project in film theatres. We also
needed the chance to fully manipulate colour and contrast
in two different directions; desaturating colour to
obtain a soft, “realistic” image, with soft
blacks and light tones; the second thing we wanted was
to compose the night sequences with a comic-book look,
with vivid colours and framing, (using yellow, greenish,
pink, magenta, orange and red dominances) and more intense
blacks. Finally, due to the importance of the performances
in the film we needed the actors and the directors to
feel free to do as many takes as necessary. We shot
about 164,000 ft of footage, with a shooting ratio of
10:1.
The tests were done with the Sony HDW-F900 camera with
Canon EJ series prime lenses adapted for HD (10,15,24,35mm)
and the Canon HDTV HJ 15x8 Zoom. We used a wave monitor
and a vectoscope, as well as the Sony HD BVM-D9H5E monitor.
The first test was meant to determine the camera’s
sensitivity and latitude. On a 18% grey card homogeneously
lit at 3200º K, we measured the average voltage over-
and underexposing at each F-stop with each lens. All
this information was shot on Arrilaser, at gamma1 over
Kodak intermediate, printing Kodak over Kodak Vision
We measured the intermediate’s density every two
stops, and the positive’s with 31, 32, 19 lights.
We obtained the relation between the intermediate’s
and the positive’s density; the adequate intermediate
density was found to be 0.94R 1.48G and 1.60B, corresponding
to a voltage of 0.55 and a sensibility of 320 ASA at
24fps and 1/48 shutter speed. We also saw the different
lenses’ response to colour and luminosity. The
EJ series maintained a great consistency, there was
only a slight loss of luminosity ( less than 1/3 of
the diaphragm ) on 35mm. We also photographed colour
and definition cards (Esser Test Charts and Macbeth),
noticing a slight increase in contrast.
(Pag 37)
With the 10mm, the determined greyscale, the latitude
between 5 and 6 points of aperture, we observed with
the colour cards and costume and make-up tests, that
the camera intensely saturated the reds, oranges and
yellows, and that the lower frequencies (blues/purples)
lost subtle shades. We photographed the colour card
with the camera’s different standards and we decided
to use the Smpte-wide colour rule since it was smoother
and made the reds less intense.
We observed that the neutrals in front of the camera
produced better colour reproduction than those of the
camera. That’s why we used the same set of camera
filters than are used in cinema; the set of filters
included fill degraders and other colour degraders,
as well as the Promist White, the soft fx and the Ultrapola.
With the make-up tests we ascertained the different
actors’ skin tone reproduction, as well as the
detail and texture on the pores. We photographed the
actors’ faces with a 3200ºK light and the colour
tones we would use in the night shots.
24mm Lens. T: 2.8
Canon HDTV Zoom HJ 15x8. T: 2.2 - User Matrix
Test
projections
We projected the different tests. We saw the high sharpness
of the image and the possibilities of manipulation given
by the HD format. We also observed the movements of
objects within the shots, with more or less slow pans
and hand-held camera movements ( most of the night sequences
were shot that way). We saw slight differences with
35mm film: the movement on HD was more abrupt, less
smooth from frame to frame without ever being bothersome
for audiences.
The
shoot
Once shooting the hardest task was to keep the image
within the contrast range that the camera could reproduce,
given the reduced latitude and quick loss of detail
in the highlights. In exteriors we normally exposed
for the highlights, lighting the shadows with cinepar
and reflective screens. In interiors we have shot windows
with Neutral, RoscoEscrim, etc., and manipulated the
camera’s Knee, white clip and slope, as well as
the gamma to obtain the maximum detail in the whites.
We have to point out the amount of detail the camera
picks up in the low lights; reaching up to 4 F-stops
under the median grey, without losing definition or
colour deviations. We have seen that the camera’s
sensibility is not the
(Pag 38)
same in very luminous or high contrast situations than
in Low Key and darkness, where the camera shows up to
twice as much sensibility than in the former.
15mm lens. T: 5.6 / -3Db
Filters: 81EF+N1.2
15mm lens. T: 5.6 / -3Db
Filters: 81EF+N1.2 + Ultrapola
15mm lens. T: 2.4
Filters: 81EF+N6+N1.2 + Ultrapola
15mm Lens. T: 3.2
Filters: 81EF
24mm lens. T: 1.7
15mm lens. T: 2.2
We saw this in our wave monitor, which was an essential
tool during the whole shoot. In some sequences we used
the User Matrix to accentuate colour dominances, and
in others we used it to get rid of them, like in the
supermarket to get rid of the green dominances of the
fluorescent shock lights.
15mm lens. T: 2.5
Filters: 81EF
To favour the film’s narrative we chose to work
with low diaphragms, and thus obtain the shallowest
depth of field possible. Given that the CCD’s
diagonal is 11mm (2,5 times smaller than the 35mm) the
depth of field is 2,5 times greater, which makes it
hard to use focus as a narrative device and create images
with depth and volume. Throughout the film and depending
on the narrative development we changed the lenses’
focal length, starting with 35 and 34mm, to end up with
10mm. Our apertures were around 2 F-stops except in
some exterior sequences where we worked at 5.6. Given
the cameras characteristics we use soft light as main
source in most sequences: fluorescents, reflected light,
through diffuser filters
(Pag 39)
(216, grid cloth, tough spun, etc.) and sometimes camera
filters such as the Promist.
24mm Lens. T: 2
Filters: 85N3+1/4 White Promist
In the exterior/nights we used street lamplights as
our foundation, filtering some and turning some off,
and also imitating their light with our equipment (
normally Calcolor filters by Rosco )
The lighting process was done just like when shooting
on film, maintaining the image’s contrast ratio
throughout with the help of the lightmetre, the wave
monitor and the HD monitor. The camera has been used
in many kinds of situations and circumstances: sunny
days, rainy days, windy conditions, at night, on a car’s
bonnet and hand-held without any trouble.
We have to point out some deficiencies in the camera
which emerge from its compression of the signal. Despite
being relatively new, it still impoverishes the image
captured by the CCD. Moreover, the view-finder proved
inappropriate when focusing sharply, or when working
at night. It becomes hard to distinguish certain shades
of black. From a mechanical point of view, the view-finder
was fragile. Another aspect worth mentioning is the
amount of noise produced by the camera which the sound
team complained about, having to cover the camera with
a barney.
Colour grading
The colour grading process will be done with Jaleo to
correct colour, contrast and brightness. It will basically
consist of desaturating part of the film, to smoothen
the contrast and accentuate colour dominances in the
night sequences, with deep and dense blacks.
Original frame
15mm Lens. T: 2.4
Colour graded frame
Original frame
35mm Lens. T: 2
In the colour grading the colour dominances of the night
sequences were accentuated towards dense and deep blacks
We also had some digital effects, some of which were
shot with a chroma background ( we didn’t have
any problems reproducing the green chroma ) and 3D drawings
to mix with live action.
We want to point out the amount the elements involved
in the creation of a digital image ( more than on 35mm)
which makes tests before the shoot essential. Its also
important to know the steps which lead up to the finished
projection: cameras, lenses, lighting, colour grading
equipment, lab, prints, etc. Only a close attention
to these processes by the cinematographer can assure
the quality of the final image, as well as the respect
towards all the phases of the film’s production.
|
