Acheive 'VHS' Look at DVinfo.net

Luca Furgiuele · August 11th, 2009, 03:56 PM

Heyhey,

I don't suppose any of you fine folk have seen the Saturday Night Live sketch for 'Body Fuzion'?
Here's a link to it:
Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Body Fuzion

Anyway, how does one achieve the same tape degradation, interlace and even the warping of VHS tape without shooting it on VHS tapes? How did SNL do it?

Thanks!

Adam Gold · August 11th, 2009, 04:14 PM

Wow, that's pretty funny. Most of it is easy but how they did the tracking errors and analog tape "crease" is open to debate. Most of that look I suppose you could get by downscaling to 4:3, 320 x 240 or so and then playing with the color.

I bet at least a few people make plug-ins you could use, depending on your editor.

David Kovalev · August 11th, 2009, 05:29 PM

Wow... I've heard of 35mm look, film look, Super8 look... but never have I heard of the "VHS look"! Never did I think I would see the day that people would try to achieve this look!

I agree with adam, make it 4:3 and mess with colors. Maybe reduce the saturation a bit, add grain and soften the whole video (seems like making the shadows darker would help)

Thats funny, good luck!

Adam Gold · August 11th, 2009, 08:41 PM

I'm wondering if you couldn't achieve this by simply dubbing to an old VHS machine via composite, and then messing with the "tracking" knob if your VHS deck has one.

Jack Zhang · August 11th, 2009, 11:13 PM

Don't forget Daiquiri Girl, also a SNL VHS look sketch.

Ervin Farkas · August 12th, 2009, 05:41 AM

Josh Bass · August 12th, 2009, 05:46 AM

Yo. . .feel me on this:

I did a short where I where I wanted my XL1s footage to look like VHS. AFter giving up on filters and everything else, I was turned onto a trick from someone here: basically you take your source and dub it to VHS, and then digitize the VHS, and then dub that BACK to VHS. The more times you do this, the more degradation you will get. ONe generation might not cut it. . .two will start to look pretty crappy.

And that's definitely a simulation one way or another. That episode's only a few years old.

Chris McMahon · August 12th, 2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

Impossible. SNL's sketches were funny in the '80s.

Josh Bass · August 12th, 2009, 12:03 PM

Don't be a hater. JUst like in every decade since it started, it is sometimes very good, sometimes very bad, and more likely mostly bad with two good sketches. Samberg's stuff is usually the bright spot on most shows.

Adam Gold · August 12th, 2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ervin Farkas

Unlikely, as Drew Barrymore would have been about 10 or 11.

The sketch features current SNL cast members.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh Bass

Samberg's stuff is usually the bright spot on most shows.

Wow, just goes to show what I assume is a generational difference; I think Samberg is the least funny human being since Adam Sandler, completely incapable of anything even remotely humorous. Even Carvey was funnier, and that's not saying much.

Jeez, when did I turn into my Dad?

Battle Vaughan · August 12th, 2009, 02:15 PM

I don't suppose the obvious, that they just used an old VHS camcorder from ebay or the goodwill and just shot it? :) /Battle Vaughan

Adam Gold · August 12th, 2009, 02:43 PM

Or that, yeah. Wouldn't that be funny, if we were all scratching our heads over this and that's all they did?

Sometimes you just don't see the gorilla in the room...

Brian Boyko · August 12th, 2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Gold

Wow, that's pretty funny. Most of it is easy but how they did the tracking errors and analog tape "crease" is open to debate. Most of that look I suppose you could get by downscaling to 4:3, 320 x 240 or so and then playing with the color.

I bet at least a few people make plug-ins you could use, depending on your editor.

Maybe you could just, you know record to VHS then recapture...

August 11th, 2009, 03:56 PM	#1
Luca Furgiuele Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Canada Posts: 26	Acheive 'VHS' Look Heyhey, I don't suppose any of you fine folk have seen the Saturday Night Live sketch for 'Body Fuzion'? Here's a link to it: Hulu - Saturday Night Live: Body Fuzion Anyway, how does one achieve the same tape degradation, interlace and even the warping of VHS tape without shooting it on VHS tapes? How did SNL do it? Thanks!

August 11th, 2009, 05:29 PM	#3
David Kovalev Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North Port, FL Posts: 96	Wow... I've heard of 35mm look, film look, Super8 look... but never have I heard of the "VHS look"! Never did I think I would see the day that people would try to achieve this look! I agree with adam, make it 4:3 and mess with colors. Maybe reduce the saturation a bit, add grain and soften the whole video (seems like making the shadows darker would help) Thats funny, good luck! __________________ When your feeling down... grab a video camera! www.TouchDream.com

August 12th, 2009, 05:41 AM	#6
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	The end of the tape says Copyright 1986... that might be a real VHS tape then, and no simulation. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

August 12th, 2009, 05:46 AM	#7
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Yo. . .feel me on this: I did a short where I where I wanted my XL1s footage to look like VHS. AFter giving up on filters and everything else, I was turned onto a trick from someone here: basically you take your source and dub it to VHS, and then digitize the VHS, and then dub that BACK to VHS. The more times you do this, the more degradation you will get. ONe generation might not cut it. . .two will start to look pretty crappy. And that's definitely a simulation one way or another. That episode's only a few years old. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

August 12th, 2009, 12:03 PM	#9
Josh Bass Slash Rules! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 5,472	Don't be a hater. JUst like in every decade since it started, it is sometimes very good, sometimes very bad, and more likely mostly bad with two good sketches. Samberg's stuff is usually the bright spot on most shows. __________________ The Bass' camerawork The Bass on IMDB

August 11th, 2009, 04:14 PM	#2
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Wow, that's pretty funny. Most of it is easy but how they did the tracking errors and analog tape "crease" is open to debate. Most of that look I suppose you could get by downscaling to 4:3, 320 x 240 or so and then playing with the color. I bet at least a few people make plug-ins you could use, depending on your editor.

August 11th, 2009, 08:41 PM	#4
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	I'm wondering if you couldn't achieve this by simply dubbing to an old VHS machine via composite, and then messing with the "tracking" knob if your VHS deck has one.

August 11th, 2009, 11:13 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Don't forget Daiquiri Girl, also a SNL VHS look sketch.

August 12th, 2009, 02:15 PM	#11
Battle Vaughan Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Miami, FL USA Posts: 1,505	I don't suppose the obvious, that they just used an old VHS camcorder from ebay or the goodwill and just shot it? :) /Battle Vaughan

August 12th, 2009, 02:43 PM	#12
Adam Gold Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 3,467	Or that, yeah. Wouldn't that be funny, if we were all scratching our heads over this and that's all they did? Sometimes you just don't see the gorilla in the room...