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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

The Great Gatsby Trailer

I watched the trailer on the IMDB b/c the Apple site wanted to change my QT installation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o&feature=youtu.be

I hate to be a dissenting voice, but I don't care for the look. And I liked potentially similar films like Romeo + Juliette, Moulin Rouge, Marie Antoinette and Public Enemies.

It just felt a little too modern and CGI'd. But to each their own.
 
Am I the only guy who does not like the look of this film? I think the whole thing looks very very plasticky. The image is way too clean IMO and I'll be straight up honest, I think the CG looks like crap. King Kong had better looking CG New York cityscapes and that film was made back in 2005. And just so you know that I'm not an Epic hater, I disliked the sterile look of Gangster Squad which was shot on Alexa. Way way way too much CG. Some diffusion filters and some film grain in post and they would have been set. Then again all of Baz's films have looked totally fake to my eye even when he was shooting on film (except for Romeo and Juliet).

I have yet to see any period piece films shot digitally that look really stunning. I love the Epic just as much as you all but I will be honest, I think they should have shot this on film. The 4K 3D CG does not really fit with the story in my view. It looks stunning for Prometheus but odd for Gatsby and I can't quite put my finger on why.

(sorry Peter, just saw your post, glad I'm not the only one, reactions on other sites has been mixed so we are not the only ones that are not digging the ultra crisp cg look)
 
Wondering if those exterior shots with all the street lights was shot in HDR? Looked so filmlike/not overexposed in the lights, I would have to guess it was.
 
It's difficult to judge how good the visual fx are from a compressed QuickTime file. Avatar's trailer had the same complaints about everything looking like a video game.

Although I do agree that it looks too clean. Movies in gerneral are starting to suffer from this too clean look. It's like how all futuristic sci fi movies used to be all white and super clean, then Star Wars came along and had this dirty used up look. But it's a Baz film and all of his stuff is super stylized. That's his intent.
 
Andrew Rieger said:
I have yet to see any period piece films shot digitally that look really stunning. I love the Epic just as much as you all but I will be honest, I think they should have shot this on film. The 4K 3D CG does not really fit with the story in my view. It looks stunning for Prometheus but odd for Gatsby and I can't quite put my finger on why.
Click to expand...

I can recall Jon Favreau saying the same thing about not wanting to use digital for Cowboys & Aliens, on his belief that digital (any camera) would be too "clean" for a period Western.

Me personally, I think experiments could be made to just add a little film grain to every shot through grain management, provided the production had enough time. The texture of the production is yet another creative choice; maybe Luhrman likes the "clean" look, and that's his choice.
 
Brad Webb said:
It's difficult to judge how good the visual fx are from a compressed QuickTime file. Avatar's trailer had the same complaints about everything looking like a video game. ....
Click to expand...

Brad, I am completely open to the idea that this will look fantastic on the big screen.
 
Also, the release date for the movie isn't until December 25th. Some, if not all of the VFX shots in this trailer are probably not finals. They're in good enough for trailer, but there could be several layers of detail rendering that needs to be done. Many times a VFX shot will be in a rough cut of a trailer that has only had very basic work done to it, and isn't scheduled to be finished for months. Then once the trailer is close to being picture locked for finish that VFX shot gets moved to the front of the line and rushed to be done in time for the trailer.
 
James Mccloud said:
Its really bad music choice in the trailer in my little opinion. Jay-Z / Kenye?!
Click to expand...

agreed, but thats just Luhrmanns style, I almost threw up when I heard the cover version of Nirvanas "Smells Like Teenspirit" in moulin rouge....one does NOT cover nirvana....ever.... no matter what !
 
Even the poster looks terrible on my computer, the color of the skin is yucky. The movie looked pretty videoish too... bad skin tones with a nasty yellowish stain apparent in many scenes. Hopefully this is just a problem with the trailer and web based compression.

7254617932_76747aa003_c.jpg
 
Andrae Palmer said:
Even the poster looks terrible on my computer, the color of the skin is yucky. The movie looked pretty videoish too... bad skin tones with a nasty yellowish stain apparent in many scenes. Hopefully this is just a problem with the trailer and web based compression.

7254617932_76747aa003_c.jpg
Click to expand...

And you blame the camera for the bad make.... ?
 
Ay ay ay... We are becoming a community of critics and analyzers instead of Filmmakers.

I can't wait to see how my first film will be taken at part in this Forum which I call home... ;)

Good thing is that I do it for me, and if some one else likes it the better, if not, no much matters to me other then having been able to fulfill my dream and having told my stories in the artistic freedom that I would have granted my self, thanks to a life time of sacrifice and perseverance... ;)
 
Mark Toia said:
And you blame the camera for the bad make.... ?
Click to expand...

Well... if every camera reacts the same way to makeup, then it's silly to blame the camera. And yes - ultimately it's makeup's responsibility, sure.

But this is my subjective perspective:
1. RED does not see certain makeup / skin tones / lighting conditions in a similar way to the way I perceive them.
2. Other imaging devices / processing chains - eg motion picture film - does see skin tones in a way that seems much closer to what I see.
3. If we're trying to make a true digital film replacement, it had damn well near be able to distinguish colors as well or better than film. It's not just about the K.

I know you're going to say "It's RAW - just correct it" - but the point is that the spectral filtering takes place BEFORE the light gets recorded as RAW, so the information has already been lost of muddled. Imagine if instead of a Bayer sensor of pure saturated R,G,B you have a filter that's Pink, Green, Pale Blue. It's really hard to extract the pure color out of that because of all of the crosstalk. And then the sensor is also sensitive to IR etc that we can't even see.

This is why I always ask for improved color rendition in Dragon. I ask for this from the perspective of a RED supporter.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
Ay ay ay... We are becoming a community of critics and analyzers instead of Filmmakers.

I can't wait to see how my first film will be taken at part in this Forum which I call home... ;)

Good thing is that I do it for me, and if some one else likes it the better, if not, no much matters to me other then having been able to fulfill my dream and having told my stories in the artistic freedom that I would have granted my self, thanks to a life time of sacrifice and perseverance... ;)
Click to expand...

Critics and analyzers
I agree Ketch
Better to be filmmakers with respect for the work put in
or at least off to do our own work ; )
 
Michael Moreno said:
Critics and analyzers
I agree Ketch
Better to be filmmakers with respect for the work put in
or at least off to do our own work ; )
Click to expand...

Um, we do immensely respect the work put in.

I love Baz Luhrmann films. In the specific field of cinematic color... films like Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge were hugely inspiring and influential.

I also think that Brook is a total RED genius. I couldn't imagine that anyone could get more out of the camera than him and his team.

This looks like beautiful work and I can't wait to see it (yes - in 3D). At the same time, though... if we see issues in the footage that look like issues we've had ourselves with the same equipment (and suspected they were equipment-related, but weren't sure because we doubted our own skill)... it reconfirms that there are areas that I would personally like RED to focus on if even the best guys in the world seem to be having the same issues.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
Bruce Allen said:
Well... if every camera reacts the same way to makeup, then it's silly to blame the camera. And yes - ultimately it's makeup's responsibility, sure.

But this is my subjective perspective:
1. RED does not see certain makeup / skin tones / lighting conditions in a similar way to the way I perceive them.
2. Other imaging devices / processing chains - eg motion picture film - does see skin tones in a way that seems much closer to what I see.
3. If we're trying to make a true digital film replacement, it had damn well near be able to distinguish colors as well or better than film. It's not just about the K.

I know you're going to say "It's RAW - just correct it" - but the point is that the spectral filtering takes place BEFORE the light gets recorded as RAW, so the information has already been lost of muddled. Imagine if instead of a Bayer sensor of pure saturated R,G,B you have a filter that's Pink, Green, Pale Blue. It's really hard to extract the pure color out of that because of all of the crosstalk. And then the sensor is also sensitive to IR etc that we can't even see.

This is why I always ask for improved color rendition in Dragon. I ask for this from the perspective of a RED supporter.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
Click to expand...


Okay normally I don't like to participate to this kind of discussions, as they seem to always steer away from the matter at hand while also always getting so much mixed responses that some time is useless even replying what really is only the true fact.


But any ways,

Since you do bring up good points, let me add that He whom chooses a certain camera to work with, must first know the camera, then go to work with it, as indeed every camera has a different way of rendering and colors, for this The Hobbit MU crew has done their studies closely followed by Peter and his DP to insure that the MU, even so at times ridiculous to the eye, ended up perfect once filmed on EPIC, if you don't have a Professional MU crew which also understand and follows the output with the Director and DP to ensure desired look is achieved then is all worthless.

Of course I like to believe that in movies like The Great Gatsby this was the case, and knowing that they did indeed had a great Professional crew, this needs to be simply what the final look decision was for the Director's taste,like it or now.

Was the Trailer graded as the final movie is?

Either way, I love it, and trust me when I say I have seen lots of different Skin tones and the choices are truly endless.
 
One thing we have to bare in mind is that this film was shot specifically to work in 3D. If you look at "Hugo"'s 2D trailer you will probably have the same feeling. The DOF and motion characteristics are unique because f the challenge of shooting 3D. I believe most of the "video" complaints are because of this and will definitely fade away when watching the 3D experience. I think that we are coming into a point where showing a shot in 3D for 3D exhibition film in 2D equals bad publicity. Its also happening to Jackson's Hobbit, for example (albeit for the FPS debacle, but I think the "video" debate also comes from watching the 2D renditions of the film).

Lets wait and see, folks. I have exactly the same feeling as when I saw the Hugo trailer. This is going to be one heck of a 3D Movie experience- because its integral to the storytelling technique.
 
Mark Toia said:
And you blame the camera for the bad make.... ?
Click to expand...

great-gatsby-movie-poster.jpg


The poster above must have been derived from bad makeup too. Hence why they had to blur the entire image.

Obviously I own three RED cameras and sold another... so I'm heavily invested in RED... I haven't seen anything this bad in any of my shoots. My opinion still remains the same... this looks terrible. Perhaps it will look better in 3D.... I hope so. I saw "Haywire" at the movies and it was the worse looking movie I had to endure... lets hope this is not another one.
 
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