Bleach Bypass: PP or Post
 

just wondering if anyone has achieved a bleach bypass look with their EX footage either done in camera or in post. if you have examples, that would be great and also list what your settings might have been, ie: P.P..

Thanks.

considering that the "bleach bypass effect" is a simulation of a process that is achieved in the development of the film (in other words, in post) I would gather that it is not easy (if possible) to achieve something very similar in camera.

Like most color effects, your better off doing this in post. Reduce saturation overall and with less blue/cyan, increase contrast with a gamma curve with a flat toe and head, add some grain perhaps. Best done by creating a CC filter, which you add to each clip, then tune it individually to match if needed.
Watch 1984 and Se7en.

thanks david. i know of the look, i'm just wondering if people have tried to pull it off with the EX cameras. my original post stated: in camera or post. now, i'm really only concerned about doing it in camera since i'm not an editor or colorist/timer.

This is much better and safer done in post. There are plug-ins for the effect (e.g. Magic Bullet).

that's what i'm afraid of. i must learn how to edit.

thanks.

You say that like it is a bad thing, I assure you it is not.

It's gotta be edited sometime. The only question is whether you learn how to apply the look in post, or your editor does!

As a general rule though, post is best. You can try a hundred different looks without screwing up the source video. Do it in camera, and then hate the way it turned out? You may have irreversably altered the video beyond the point where you can change it back to what you want.

Here's some test footage I shot when I first got our camera and 35mm adaptor. It's raw footage (unedited) but I applied the Look's Bleach Bypass to it without any additional tweeking. (you'll need Quicktime to view it)

http://www.ssscc.org/ftp/jiffy-lube-canal.mov

Editing is a basic skill essential for anyone using a film or video camera, even if the actual editing process is always done by a specialist. Perhaps you actually mean the nityy-gritty of operating an NLE? The basics are easily learned.

"Color" contains a Bleach bypass effect/filter.

kj

yeah, i know. i'm sure Magic Bullets does too. that's why i posted this topic.

1) is it better to try in camera or wait until post?

2) if you gonna do it in post then what would be your PP settings be while acquiring the footage. any exposure compensations?

Shoot as well exposed an image as possible. Try to give your editor/post person as much latitude as possible in the image. Try to almost shoot a flat image.

Daniel Weber

thanks Daniel. i'll give it a try.