how a footage shot by a beta can look like a film through color correction?

[Chris Smith]

The answer is to look like film you shoot film. But with some techniques you can achieve some more film like qualities out of video. Your biggest problem is the fact that video is basically 60 new images a second (fields) and there is a harshness about seeing this motion. You don’t have to do 24 fps, 30 is fine, but 30 true frames (progressive) and not 60 fields per second will look more film like. Just like a 24p HD cam doesn’t look like film, but a film camera running at 30fps still looks like film.

The deal is that if you use color correction, if you are aggressive enough with it, it won’t make it look more film like, it will just make what you are seeing vague enough that it makes it harder to pinpoint it’s source. Plus when ppl watch TV most extreme color correction is done in film transfer so the culture is subconsciously programmed that if they see something with heavy color manipulation they are used to seeing it shot on film. Where “most” of the time when an audience sees video it’s the same image that came out of the camera. Mostly becasue film workflow and video workflow are very different in most cases.

Plus your DOF will be extremely different 35mm. HD will be about on par with 16mm though. So it’s many factors other than color.

The best solution is to use “Magic Bullet Suite” which will take interlaced video and interpolate the fields to simulate a progressive fame, plus it gives you some color correction tools. However Color Finesse is the most articulate tool for AE color correction.

my .02.

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com

[Mike Smith]

Good advice.

You can make your stuff look *much* better by carefully “grading” or “timing” of colour correcting each shot, to give a consistent overall look and to bring each image to that look.

Though, of course, there are a mass of different “film looks” – and none of them will rescue poor footage, poor cinematography and lighting, poor performances, poor design, poor editing … !!!

Happy festive season.

[Derrick]

Hi all,

Does anyone know of any books teaching about color timing, or grading?

not just standard color correction, but actual grading?

Thanks,
Derrick

[Chris Smith]

I used to look for a book, but never found one. In the Telecin

[Canwal Brar]

there is a book called

digital compositing in depth

and

after effects and photoshop for film and DV

canwal brar

[Steve Roberts]

Consider Color Correction for Digital Video by Hullfish & Fowler.

Steve

[Ron Lindeboom]

Good recommendation, Steve. Both Steve Hullfish and Jaime Fowler are very talented men with a lot of experience and standing in this industry. Good guys, too.

Best regards,

Ron Lindeboom
creativecow.net

[Chris Poisson]

Chris,

The Nattress Gfilm filters are way cheaper, way faster and in my opinion, better than MB. My .02.

Have a wonderful day.

[Chris Smith]

Cool. Good to know. I’ve never heard of them. But I’ve never used MB either 🙂

Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com