Shooting for Cinema

[Joshua Hoareau]

Just curious as to the best shooting format for cinema release? I know most cinema's still use 2k projectors, but with 4k now being installed, is it best to shoot at 5k and downres to 4k?

 

[Bob Gundu]

5k makes great looking 4k. But if you only have the scarlet, shooting 4k will have to do.

 

[Joshua Hoareau]

Nah I'll be shooting on an EPIC I know it's up to choice, but shooting anamorphic for cinema release...yay or nay?

 

[Phil Holland]

Yay. Different beast. Anamorphic benefits from the "Y" resolution when it's squashed or stretched depending on how you look at it. 5K ANA, 5K, 4K, and well processed 3K look pretty snazzy projected at 4K.

I shot something involving an exit shot of a buggy kicking up dirt under a full moon and I damn near cried when it was projected in 4K.

 

[Joshua Hoareau]

Cool. Because I'm shooting a feature film for cinema release, and just trying to decide whether to go 4k ana or 5k ana.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Always use the maximum resolution and linear/vertical framing allowed with any inner frame guides needed to insure you have proper coverage of your scenes and subjects, but always, and I stress always use maximum resolution available, then Render to needed rez for any output as desired.

Only one con will be the need of more SSD Media turn over and much larger storage, and slower frame rates available with higher compression, Pros on the other end will be many!

 

[Victor Lazaro]

Two things here:
- as said always use the highest definition. You will use the whole surface of the super 35 sensor instead of a cropped area. Also shooting over sampled (5k) will reduce the size or the noise and when down rezed you will have a clearer image. You can also benefit of the extra image for a punch in in post or image stabilization.
- anamorphic is grat looking but your sensor being already 16/9 your image will be super stretched with the 2x anamorphic lens. Plus good Ana lens are super pricey even to rent and cheap one are a nightmare more often than not. If you never used anamorphic before, do try it on your feature. Test it out on a smaller project first.
V.

 

[Patrick Tresch]

Cool. Because I'm shooting a feature film for cinema release, and just trying to decide whether to go 4k ana or 5k ana.

The biggest decision is wether you'll finish it in 2k (2048x856) or 4k (4096x1712)?
For me 2048x856 pixel high is not enough for a larger screen than 1.85.
Have you a lot of FX in your movie?


Pat

 

[David Mullen ASC]

If you use 2X anamorphic lenses and record 5K ANA, the recorded sensor area is actually 3296 x 2700 pixels, 3.3K, not 5K. If you shoot with normal spherical lenses and compose for cropping to 2.39, you'd be using something like 5120 x 2142 pixels for the image.

Unless your sensor is 4x3, you don't use anamorphic lenses for increased resolution for a 2.39 image, you use them for their unique optical aberrations, distortions, flares, etc.

 

[Steve Marshall]

If you want to shoot ana on Epic, the Hawks with a 1.3x stretch look really, really nice and use way more of of the sensor than 2x Ana's. You can get blue streak filters if you want them in. Hawk makes a specific one I think.

 

[Joshua Hoareau]

My film will have some VFX but not much. I'll be finishing it in 4k.