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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 :)

Better Call Saul - amazing low key Dragon images

Don't forget that you can't really presume any shot you see in a tv drama or a feature was necessarily captured in what one might consider "low light". Night interiors are often lit quite brightly. "Darkness" is a feeling created with contrast ratio and color grading; there's no reason to actually underexpose your sensor when you can light properly (unless, of course, you actually prefer the artifacts of underexposure).
 
Keith Putnam said:
Don't forget that you can't really presume any shot you see in a tv drama or a feature was necessarily captured in what one might consider "low light". Night interiors are often lit quite brightly. "Darkness" is a feeling created with contrast ratio and color grading; there's no reason to actually underexpose your sensor when you can light properly (unless, of course, you actually prefer the artifacts of underexposure).
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Your right Keith - but did you see the scenes in the house "without electricity" just lighted by camping lights? This looks pretty like available lightning.
 
Apart from using a low light OLPF they could have used heavy noise reduction. From my tests with Neat video I can pretty much create a totally clean ISO2000 image without loosing fine details.

But this show must have been shot on Dragon, otherwise the colorist is a master at getting away from some of the weird color tones of the MX.
 
Evin Grant said:
BCS is shot on Dragon, I built some of the smaller camera rigs for this show and have worked with Arthur for many years.
I'm very proud to call him my mentor, one of the best and nicest DPs in the industry.
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Nice, do you know which OLPF that was used? I find it curious that people complain about noise when as soon as you see a finished production you never see any of it :smiley:
 
Evin Grant said:
BCS is shot on Dragon, I built some of the smaller camera rigs for this show and have worked with Arthur for many years.
I'm very proud to call him my mentor, one of the best and nicest DPs in the industry.
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Thanks Evin!!

Another reason I love RED and its ecosystem ;)
 
Evin Grant said:
BCS is shot on Dragon, I built some of the smaller camera rigs for this show and have worked with Arthur for many years.
I'm very proud to call him my mentor, one of the best and nicest DPs in the industry.
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He wears great "old man" Hats. I saw him on the bts. Adorable. Exactly how I wanna look when I grow up.
 
And darkness can be achieved very easily.

A test with 1 light and 1 practical, Redone MX, graded on Redcine.



Best.
 
Dragons, Skin Tone Highlight Filters..... the interchangeable wasn't installed in the cameras yet, and all cameras had been upgraded from the original olpf to the Skin Tone before shooting.

No Monochrome cameras were used.
 
Andre W. said:
Dragons, Skin Tone Highlight Filters..... the interchangeable wasn't installed in the cameras yet, and all cameras had been upgraded from the original olpf to the Skin Tone before shooting.

No Monochrome cameras were used.
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So were those night shots done with practicals? How much noise reduction was used in post?
 
As far as post processes, I wasn't a part of that so I really can't comment on that.
 
BETTER CALL SAUL

BETTER CALL SAUL

I shot Saul on Red Dragon, not MX, with the skin tone OLPF which was the only one available at the time. Often rated it at 1200. The red noise bar was often full, but we needed very little if any noise reduction in post. Not sure what all the noise hysteria has been about. Call it grain instead of noise.
Oh, and the Black and White footage was recorded in color, in case the producers wanted to change their mind later. I was amazed how good it looked.
 
Arthur, I usually don't look up DOPs but when I saw Better Call Saul. I was very pleased to learn of your career in Venezuela until 1983. Amazing body of work and exquisite lightning

Saludos desde Caracas!
 
Arthur Albert said:
Often rated it at 1200. The red noise bar was often full, but we needed very little if any noise reduction in post. Not sure what all the noise hysteria has been about. Call it grain instead of noise.
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Amen.
Amen.
Amen.

Amazing looking show. Nice to see you posting here Arthur. Yes, way too much "hysteria" generated mostly by folks who don't understand how to exposure RAW (or film).
 
"Adorable". How condescending. Ageism is just as reprehensible as sexism and racism. Fortunately for me, it affects people at the end of their career instead of the beginning. I've been lucky, but have good and very talented friends whose phones stopped ringing the minute they got grey.
 
Saludos a ti, Enrique. Sigo en contacto con mis amigos y compañeros de trabajo en Venezuela.
 
Arthur Albert said:
I've been lucky, but have good and very talented friends whose phones stopped ringing the minute they got grey.
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We'd have a lot better looking films and TV if your older friend's phones were still ringing. I do know a lot of young and talented up-and-coming folks - but - it's becoming more rare every day. The newer generation is coming into film with the "what you see if what you get" - live on the monitor mentality - and they have a shocking lack of the fundamentals - and most have never seen a Vermeer or even know he was.
 
Some of the "lamplight" scenes were lit mainly by lamps stuffed with LED's., with some tungsten back edges.Did not use a noise reduction pass in post.
 
Arthur Albert said:
Some of the "lamplight" scenes were lit mainly by lamps stuffed with LED's., with some tungsten back edges.Did not use a noise reduction pass in post.
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Arthur thanks so much for taking the time to answer questions. So kind of you!!!
 
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