Does anybody have RED footage from before and after a "Film Out" ?

[Andrew Porter]

First of all, please forgive me if this is the wrong spot! :scared:

I love RED. I'm currently saving up for a scarlet and am about half way there. I have seen a lot of RED footage (one, epic etc.) in short films, commercials, feature films etc. But... I have noticed a difference between what I see in 'theatrical release' RED productions and everything else that I come across on TV / web or what have you, realized with the same equipment. Looking past the obvious: lighting, grading, skill of the cinematographer etc.; there is absolutely a distinct added aesthetic which cannot be accounted for in the workflow of a production. I'd like to say my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I wanted to know if this might be a result of the final product being transferred to film for theatrical distribution? Does a film out add or modify in some way to the look of the footage? Thanks for any clarification!

 

[Marc Wielage]

Does a film out add or modify in some way to the look of the footage?

Not to be sarcastic, but... yes.

My advice would be to find a post house that can do film-outs, and have them do a test with your material. Ideally, the best way to go is a "butterfly" test where you can look side-by-side or flip back and forth and compare the film image to the digital image, and see for yourself how the images differ.

If the LUTs are good, the changes are surprisingly minor. Digital and film clip differently in the highlight, and I think black detail looks a little different, but they can be surprisingly close. I don't think it's possible to get them 100% identical, but you can get really, really close, assuming a good lab and a proper LAD AIMS print. It's close enough that, even if you know the material backwards and forwards, 10 minutes in, you start forgetting you're looking at a film-out and you start looking at performance issues.

 

[Andrew Porter]

Great, thanks. Would be fun to see the difference; I'll have to keep my eye out for any such comparison as I think this is something I would consider after having a film completed.

 

[Michael McLaughlin]

Remember film grain has, to my opinion, a bigger psychological effect than we at first perceive.

I remember seeing a film out for the first time of footage my company had shot on Sony F900/3, and
couldn't get over how the subtle addition of film grain changed the viewing experience in many simple
but profound ways. Of course could be just me, but I found it very enlightning.

And yes do the butterfly, easiest way to see/feel the small differences that add up.