[Tig] how to prepare HD for transfer to film

[Bojan Mastilovic]

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Thanks to oktobor for supporting the TIG
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Hello all,
I hope that someone from this list can help me with this question.
We have done a test screening for a feature which is about to be shoot on HD
(sony F900 cinealta) and transferred to film.
We have had captured material through SDI in 10 bit HDCAM uncompressed and
made some grading on a material.
DOP wanted to have blacks about 3 percent above the zero line, so we made it
that way. We made minor adjustments in a picture since he did not allow us
to do more, as he was pleased with the way he shoot the picture. The picture
looked really good, the contrast, the whites, blacks and the colors were
just right and pleasing to see on a monitor (calibrated JVC dt17...HD
monitor).
We sent it to other facility which does the film printing (they have the
lasergraphic producer + film printer). The person from the lab called me and
said that picture looked a little bright and is it on purpose. I thought
that he is speaking about the blacks above the zero line so I said tht it is
intended to be that way. Through their printed negative the test went to
processing to the lab, to be developed and positive was to be made.
The DOP have ordered to the film printing facility and the film lab not to
make any adjustments to film itself,  just to print it and develop it as it
is.
Today we had a screening, and what a disappointment it was!
The colors were dull, the contrast was low, it was a pale copy of what we
had seen in monitor in our studio.
It happened to our test shoot and also to the same material precessed by our
competition in the same reel.
What went wrong here?
The person from the film printing facility said that they have to add some
color and contrast to the movie that comes from the HD tape because it is
just the way it is ,since film is different medium than video and you have
to compensate to that by adding some color and contrast in print. Since we
specifically told the person in charge of printing not to make any
adjustments, and it is normal result what we got.

Our competitor showed another  material  shot on HDCAM f750 printed on film
through ARRIlaser and it looked great. He specifically said, that they also
made no adjustments not in grading or in film print.
How is this possible?
I am wondering who's not telling the truth  here,  person from the  film
printing facility who says  that you have to compensate in film print for
transferring the video to film.
Or is the competitor lying that their second shot is printed straight from
the camera without any adjustments whatsoever (he showed us the hdcam tape
and it was no different than material on fist test - regarding the colors
and contrast) ?
Thanks in advance for helping me setting my mind clear.



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Bojan Mastilovic
Producer
Restart Production
www.restart.si
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