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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 :)

Analog Star Wars - The next Star Wars will be shot on Kodak 5219

Would've been cool if it was 70mm or native IMAX feature, but I understand it may not be practical for conventional Hollywood films (with some exceptions, to certain degree, like TDKR). AFAIK no one complained about 70mm being too sharp on a bigger screen. Even if 4K+ digital image is equally sharp and somehow that's a bad thing, suddenly.

And pretty please, God, no converted 3D this time.
 
Neil Dearman said:
I think it should be used cause it would push what JJ wants to do more than any other camera out there.
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I think you are definitely right from a technical perspective (camera size, record time, dynamic range, etc.). But I can't really imagine any of those things seriously hindering the project with this team and at this budget level. We'll see how it goes!
 
Julio Quintana said:
Whoops! I didn't mean for Neil's personal publicity or validation. I was asking if he wanted Dragon for this movie so the sensor could be publicly validated on the biggest movie of the year. Or if he somehow thought film was a creatively bad choice for the project.

It sounds like you would also like to see Star Wars shot on Dragon as a way to test the sensor, which I understand as an Epic owner. But as an audience member and aspiring filmmaker, I would really prefer that Abrams shoot on whatever format he thinks is best for his story. Just like I would prefer him to cast whatever actors he thinks are best for the characters.

No personal attack intended. Just wondering where Neil's disappointment was coming from since film didn't seem to hold Abrams back on his past projects, and it certainly didn't hurt the original Star Wars trilogy back in '77.
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Ah totally. I understand what you were saying as well haha, the problem with the internet is you cant read someone past the text.

I agree with ya on all points.
 
Just yesterday I attended the ASC Breakfast with featured speaker Dan Mindel, ASC. They record these talks, so if you want a deeper understanding of his thought process I encourage you to visit the ASC website. FWIW, I got the distinct impression that he finds the color palette and imaging dynamics of 5219 highly desirable for achieving his, and the director's creative intent. In particular he noted that film origination allows him to mix colors in the frame with greater fidelity than any digital system he has tried. He also brought up "happy accidents" where breaking the rules resulted in compelling results due to the way in which the film stock responded.

IAC, digital capture and the Dragon sensor are likely to be used on lots of tentpole features if that's your issue. I have to say I would enjoy seeing what Dan and his team would do with the Dragon sensor, their craft level is obviously extremely high. That said, I believe he is making an informed choice, 5219 is a terrific stock and I'll bet the results will be very nice.

BTW, he did discuss IMAX, both the traditional film based version and the new digital format IMAX is moving to - but that feels like it should be a thread all its own.

Cheers - #19
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
I hope they have an ample supply of 5219 already lined up and allocated for these next 3 SW movies... Just sayin'
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Jeff, you're so on target. I think 35mm is amazing. The modern stocks are just unbelievable. That being said, manufacturing and processing of 35mm film negative is in heavy decline. It's simply becoming harder and harder to shoot on film from a logistical perspective. In another 24 months it may be all over.

:cry:
 
Although this would never happen and would be a PITA for the camera team, it would be interesting for the industry as a whole to see 5219 and Dragon filming simultaneously just as a benchmark for where things are at in this endless comparison between film and digital.

But I'd rather they just focus on script and performance and make enjoyable movies. That will be far more important than camera format.
 
Maybe they can go full retro and do all the VFX on an Amiga computer and optical printers. Get the old mo-co rigs running again and hire a new hipster generation of model makers for the ships.
Ahh , the old days!

Phil Holland said:
The medium is the choice of the creative team, so I'm totally fine with whatever they do.

However, I do believe specifically with the Star Wars franchise that there's certain technological relevance in pushing the envelope. I'm sure the team behind the project knows this. We'll have to see in what ways they can deliver the mail.
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Les Dittert said:
Maybe they can go full retro and do all the VFX on an Amiga computer and optical printers. Get the old mo-co rigs running again and hire a new hipster generation of model makers for the ships.
Ahh , the old days!
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I always wanted to see models shot on RED. It would be fun to get together all the old Sci-Fi models like Galactica, TNG Enterprise, and others and shoot some passes at 5K.
 
Neil Dearman said:
Yeah stinks wish it would be shot on the Dragon :(
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I was there in the clubhouse when Dan Mindel (ASC BSC) made that announcement, and he got nearly a standing ovation from the news that the next Star Wars film would be shot on film -- specifically, Kodak 5219. When asked if there was a digital camera he preferred, he said <paraphrasing>, "if it's a budget issue, I'd try to convince them to shoot on 16mm." When he was pressed further, he said he'd rather shoot on Alexa, period. (No explanation beyond that.)

Mindel is a very bright guy, very thoughtful, and (as his demo showed) has vastly different styles depending on the specific film. Super 8 looks one way, Domino looks very different, Star Trek looks another way, and I don't doubt that Star Wars VII​ will go in different directions.
 
Marc Wielage said:
Mindel is a very bright guy, very thoughtful, and (as his demo showed) has vastly different styles depending on the specific film. Super 8 looks one way, Domino looks very different, Star Trek looks another way, and I don't doubt that Star Wars VII​ will go in different directions.
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Agreed.

FYI, not to quibble, but I believe JJ Abram's childhood friend Larry Fong shot Super 8.
 
I think it's great news, personally. I'm not sure that I'd make the choice to shoot 65mm, but then again I have not shot any motion stock wider than 8mm. I really wouldn't have a clue until I try everything from 16mm to 65mm. I do think that it would be fun anyway, just for the technical challenge. Those cameras are not small.

If digital is the only future, then George Lucas was in error in adopting digital too early. Not that Episodes II and III were any good, anyway (I find that I am, like most, a fan of the original trilogy, not of Star Wars in general). Episode I was... meh.
 
how on earth can it be a bad thing, if Dan Mindel or anyone else wants to shoot 35mm anamorphic??? Comments like those presented here will only further drive away the interesting posters... specifically the ones with the ".ASC" after their names.
 
Oh, no. If it were 65mm, yes. But 35mm falls flat on 4K projectors compared to full res 4K cameras. The sharpness is not there.
 
When I went out to buy my first Cinema Camera, a "Film Camera" was absolutely NEVER in my mind...

The Dalsa Origin, Arri D20, Viper, Sony CineAlta (I believe was the F35), were all in my list, and I joined various forums till getting to DVXuser and coming across the RED One announcements form Jim, and that was it, my search had ended right there and then!!


Mine was not a budget issue, but a workflow issue that made me refuse Film as an option, PERIOD!


In still photography, form the moment I tried Digital I sold and dumped permanently all use of Film cameras, an dNEVER looked back.


Now... I do always respect a Director's choice (when it is actually his choice) on shooting any Media He/She deems right and best for the project at hand, but I would never use Film again in any project, for too many reasons to list, yet I will get my entire opinion on a blog one of this days.

I am without doubt an advocate of 4k, because I hate low res files were make many favorites impossible to watch on a modern screen, but for those that do shoot Film, and or have the possibility to shoot any other digital media and make it so that the Motion Picture or Doc, is properly finished so that it can be enjoyed properly, then I have no problem to what their choices are, but as we wet HD, all SD Imagery loos like crap, at list we know that at 4k it will be much harder to make that look like crap, unless in a 100 years from now we go to 40k screens... Then 4k might look to them as SD looks to us now... ;)


Having said the above, I consider very useless any argument about Film vs. Digital, really, what a waste of time, Film is all but gone any ways, and what ever little remains of it, will be finished soon, and unless a NEW manufacturer pops up[ saying that for the sake of Nostalgia and those wiling to go thru the soon to become bigger and bigger issues in shooting Film, then there will be no more Film period!!

Till then, no one really knows when that exact year will be, let any one make their decision and enjoy their end product, even so I know when a bunch of 4K+ Digital cameras will be out to chose form, all discussions will be about this vs. that 4k acquisition, for me is all about freedom of choice, that goes far behind the resolution it self,but also goes with the camera, the specs, the possibilities of how you can rig it, and what accessories you can use with it, and so on and son... And that is why I chose what to me is the absolute Best camera ever made, the RED EPIC DRAGON... Let any one choose their favorite Camera\Media and let's move on... Even so of course chance given, I would try and convince any one I can to do otherwise by trying and shoot the Red Epic Dragon... ;)
 
The guy is shooting an episode VII ..... SEVEN! Somehow it seems appropriate to use film. Episode 7, no originality or creativity here.
 
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