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Gritty, grainy, Iñárritu-style on the RED One?

Uberman

Uberman

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Hey guys,

I'm shooting a short film in a third-world country and I'm going for the gritty, grainy, Ektachrome, washed-out look to give it that sense of realism. (Check out "Powder Keg" shot by the uncanny Bob Richardson.)

I'll be using the RED One with the RED PRO 18-85mm lens.

My question: how can I achieve this look "in camera"? What filters, camera settings, shooting conditions would you suggest? Any helpful post-production tips?

Thanks in advance.
 
Dont know about in camera but you should definitely check out graham nattrass's film effects which are pretty spectacular. I used them recently to match some footage to super eight and am pretty pleased with the results. Also, wont it be best to get a pristine image initially? It gives you more latitude to experiment in post.
 
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Oh sweet, I have his plug-in but I've never used it. I think I may go test it a bit...
 
where do you get his plug in?
 
thanks!

btw, I am a big an of magic bullet look suite and of course FCP and COLOR for color correction / looks.

Jeff
 
Underexpose 2-3 stops and then take away the chroma noise but leave the luma noise with Neat Video, which takes away much of the digital blotchiness and gives a more film like image. Worthwhile doing some testing with.
 
R.ChilD said:
where would you be shooting
Click to expand...

I'm shooting in Lokoja, Nigeria. In a remote village near the river.

sander kamp said:
Underexpose 2-3 stops and then take away the chroma noise but leave the luma noise with Neat Video, which takes away much of the digital blotchiness and gives a more film like image. Worthwhile doing some testing with.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, Sander!
 
Honestly, I think the best way to go is to shoot a clean, well exposed image. Do the gritty look in post. You have all the tools to do so with just a simple FCS. Adjust your look until you are happy with what you have, then you can add grain or noise to your footage before render. This will cause longer render times but at least you will always have a good starting point if you decide that look isn't what you desire anymore or just to give yourself the most amount of options later.
 
Yup, grit goes best as a post process. I'd not want to deliberately under-expose in camera for that kind of effect. (on any camera, not just RED).

Graeme
 
Why not? If you know you are going to want gritty footage anyway then having two stops extra could be a huge benefit. I doubt that in Nigeria you can just order a couple of HMI's.
 
The best way to get a gritty style is not always in post. I'm not sure if the Wrestler would have been any better if they recreated the 16mm look in post.

I think it's great to do these types of digital effects for parody or to mimic a style. But if the point is to create a guerilla doc why not be authentic? Any flaws or errors that happen naturally will only add to the film, and save you the step of creating artificial versions of the effects later.

I agree with the guy who suggested super 8 as an option. It's incredibly easy lightweight and beautiful, and I guarantee you would never create the "flaws" in post from scratch, since they are natural and unpredictable. Personally I would have a better more intimate experience doing it authentic rather than with state of the art equipment. Unless I'm doing a grindhouse flick...
 
I can understand the argument for both options (in-camera vs. in post). The thing is, I am in Nigeria and I don't have access to a Super 8 camera and some Ektachrome film. But I do have access to this RED One sitting in my room...
 
Jaime Vallés said:
Are you planning to shoot the whole film handheld with the 18-85 RED zoom lens? It's quite heavy.
Click to expand...

No, not the whole film. Just the parts where camera movement is needed. I do like the challenge though. Going handheld with that lens is great exercise. :)
 
Dude, I am a handheld junkie, I lost 13 pounds in three weeks on my last movie (wrapping this weekend after some pickups).... and I think you are my hero!

;-)

Jeff
 
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