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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 :)

Big Sur

i really like the dark diffusion, david - i remember your style frames from a year or so back... that will work well with the content. i could see how in a single shot that might be strange, but it'll be a good consistent look. excited to see this! great work, david. any word on that 4k finish? we could kickstart it?
 
Jeff Whitehurst asked me to show a before and after example of the black fog effect -- I can't really do that without Light Iron grabbing frames for me, and Ian is busy doing the color-correction. What I can show you is my own attempt working from a TIFF frame that was grabbed on that shooting day. Unfortunately, the desaturated look was baked into the TIFF because that's the way our dailies were set up to look, so all I could do was try and add some color saturation to the frame to simulate what a normal look would be. However, being such an overcast afternoon, there wasn't much color in the shot in the first place. Then I also created my own version of the black fog effect by doing a Gaussian Blur overlay in Photoshop Elements, not exactly how Ian Vertovec is doing the effect. I asked Ian to not lose too much sharpness in the application of the black fog effect so he is working more with luminance keys to lay in the effect to just the shadows.

Original frame:
bigsur_example2.jpg


My version of the effect (exaggerated to show up better on a small laptop screen):
bigsur_example3.jpg


The final effect is a lot more subtle and designed for the big screen.
 
Thanks David, I think your creative vision for "black halation" described so well throughout this thread has been carried through beautifully in the finished product, and I applaud your efforts in bringing this work to the screen. Even just the comparison you made here using your basic technique really shows how well it contributes to the feel and mood you were after in the project. Personally I very much liked the look in the scenes with fog and dramatic light rays, etc. Looking forward to seeing the entire film soon, I know itʻs going to look great, and best wishes for your distribution! Thanks again for all you have shared with us here :-)
 
I absolutely love the look and feel of this film. You've captured the vintage feel of the 50's without the kitsch and clichés. Having you take us through this project step by step, while explaining your thought processes along the way has been a true pleasure and an education! We've been given a glimpse behind the curtain to see the working style of a master. Thanks so much for sharing this process with us, David...and best of luck with the release.
 
David Mullen ASC said:
Unfortunately a 4K finish is out of the budget...
Click to expand...

David may I ask, what is the bottle neck for you to get a 4k finnish in this case, is there a lot of vfx shots and such?

Because I think the budget difference for a 4k finnish vs a 2k finnish is not so big for conforming, grading and graphics and such it's only the VFX heavy shots that need much bigger numbers.

So then I was thinking you should, if possible conform the film at 4k and do the VFX shots only in 2-2,7k, upress the VFX shots and then insert them back into the 4k edit.

Just my thoughts of it all, it would be so great to see this film full-blown.
 
Björn Benckert said:
David may I ask, what is the bottle neck for you to get a 4k finnish in this case, is there a lot of vfx shots and such?

Because I think the budget difference for a 4k finnish vs a 2k finnish is not so big for conforming, grading and graphics and such it's only the VFX heavy shots that need much bigger numbers.

So then I was thinking you should, if possible conform the film at 4k and do the VFX shots only in 2-2,7k, upress the VFX shots and then insert them back into the 4k edit.

Just my thoughts of it all, it would be so great to see this film full-blown.
Click to expand...


1. David is not the producer. He didn't create the post budget, but he is obligated to honor it as far as his time is concerned.

2. The budgetary differences between a 4K and a 2K finish depend on a lot of things. Some of these things are stock shot content, visual effects content, delivery formats and requirements, and the charges and methods of the particular post facility that is chosen to do the work. Not every facility uses the same approaches, or the same equipment, or has the same overhead. The specifics of the post pipeline are not controlled by the director of photography. Options are usually presented by post facilities in the form of bids that satisfy different budgetary levels and the approach finally chosen is that of the producers.

I don't know how it works in your part of the world, but in mine directors of photography do not make post decisions. Producers do. DP's can make suggestions, and they can and often do make themselves available to participate in the creative parts of the post process, but the budget and the decisions as to how (and usually where) to post the show are in the hands of others.
 
It's very simple: 4K is more expensive than 2K. It doesn't matter how much more expensive because the budget of this show is so low that any difference makes a difference. If the difference was only $1000 that's probably a $1000 that would go into the sound mix instead, etc. If I thought the production had some hidden cash somewhere, I'd make a bigger stink about finishing in 4K... but they don't.

This is always going to be a problem because 4K is more data than 2K, takes more processing time, more storage, etc. so post houses charge more for it, and therefore producers will opt for the cheaper 2K route if they have a choice. So the only way 4K is really going to become the standard for mastering is if the producers don't have a choice because it's required by the market... which will happen, no doubt, but not as of January 2013.
 
I think it looks beautiful. Really want to see it.
 
M Most said:
1. David is not the producer. He didn't create the post budget, but he is obligated to honor it as far as his time is concerned.

2. The budgetary differences between a 4K and a 2K finish depend on a lot of things. Some of these things are stock shot content, visual effects content, delivery formats and requirements, and the charges and methods of the particular post facility that is chosen to do the work. Not every facility uses the same approaches, or the same equipment, or has the same overhead. The specifics of the post pipeline are not controlled by the director of photography. Options are usually presented by post facilities in the form of bids that satisfy different budgetary levels and the approach finally chosen is that of the producers.

I don't know how it works in your part of the world, but in mine directors of photography do not make post decisions. Producers do. DP's can make suggestions, and they can and often do make themselves available to participate in the creative parts of the post process, but the budget and the decisions as to how (and usually where) to post the show are in the hands of others.
Click to expand...

I think it works quite the same all over. But if I was Davids producer I would have done what ever I could to get a 4k finnish. :thumbup1:
 
Björn Benckert said:
I think it works quite the same all over. But if I was Davids producer I would have done what ever I could to get a 4k finnish. :thumbup1:
Click to expand...

I think a lot of us here would, but it's not as important to everyone. And when budgets are small...
 
Björn Benckert said:
I think it works quite the same all over. But if I was Davids producer I would have done what ever I could to get a 4k finnish. :thumbup1:
Click to expand...

As David describes the film's financial situation, I expect the producer is making a pretty good decision by finishing in 2K. I work in a world where there is never enough money to do everything I'd like, and you always have to choose between doing some things better and doing others not at all. The decision always comes down to balancing what is going to make the whole project better.

I'm sure the producer is pulling all the favors he can and negotiating for everything he or she can get, but 4K finish is, I expect, competing with a more expansive score, better sound design, a 5.1 or 7.1 mix, and of course the publicity required to get the film seen. If I were the producer, a 4K finish would be in the "If everything else is paid for and I still have enough money to get the film out" category. It would be nice, but it's just not that important.

EDIT: and David, many, many thanks for sharing this with us. It has been a real gift.
 
David Mullen ASC said:
Jeff Whitehurst asked me to show a before and after example of the black fog effect -- I can't really do that without Light Iron grabbing frames for me, and Ian is busy doing the color-correction. What I can show you is my own attempt working from a TIFF frame that was grabbed on that shooting day. Unfortunately, the desaturated look was baked into the TIFF because that's the way our dailies were set up to look, so all I could do was try and add some color saturation to the frame to simulate what a normal look would be. However, being such an overcast afternoon, there wasn't much color in the shot in the first place. Then I also created my own version of the black fog effect by doing a Gaussian Blur overlay in Photoshop Elements, not exactly how Ian Vertovec is doing the effect. I asked Ian to not lose too much sharpness in the application of the black fog effect so he is working more with luminance keys to lay in the effect to just the shadows.

Original frame:
bigsur_example2.jpg


My version of the effect (exaggerated to show up better on a small laptop screen):
bigsur_example3.jpg


The final effect is a lot more subtle and designed for the big screen.
Click to expand...


I haven't seen this look/effect in a while... love it! I used to put black netting in front of the lens back when I shot 8X10 film.... diffuses the blacks/darks and leaves the highlights clean. was a great way to soften wrinkles in a port or create a smooth effect with nudes. love the look!

I'm really looking forward to seeing this film!!!!! Thanks David!!!!
 
First reviews coming in!!

Polish takes a layered approach to adapting Kerouac’s novel, giving Barr extensive passages from the book to recite in voiceover. The first 10 minutes of the film are entirely without dialogue, as Polish attempts to establish the sense of reverie that Kerouac feels at Ferlinghetti’s cabin, with Barr reading from the author’s prose. These interludes continue throughout the film, providing a stream of consciousness framework that emotionally contextualizes the fairly thin plot developments. It’s an effective technique, particularly when paired with lyrical visual passages depicting the sometimes savage allure of the region. So much of the novel consists of this type of internal monologue, however, that plot developments become almost secondary, contributing to noticeable pacing issues, particularly in the second act.
Visually the film is a pleasure to watch, with Polish and cinematographer M. David Mullen contrasting the rich blues and greens of the Big Sur exteriors with the burnished glow of the sunlit or firelit cabin interiors, or layering an almost sepia-toned patina onto the San Francisco segments. In particular, the outdoor scenes set in the redwoods or on windy beaches necessitate making rather demanding camera setups and movements look natural and spontaneous.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/big-sur-sundance-review-415013
Click to expand...
 
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