Film look on a GL2...

[Lyndon Horsfall]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my settings are frame movie mode, an f-stop as low as possible and shutter speed of 1/30, using no db gain. Is this all I can do in camera? The rest would be done in post?

What can I do in Final Cut Pro to further accentuate this look?

Thanks! :)

[Cole McDonald]

what particular film stock are you trying to emulate. The film look is a myth (or a misnomer at the least)...I'll explain (again). 90% of the "Film Look" happens outside the camera with acting, set design, costuming, lighting, camera motion, blocking, editing...all stuff that has nothing to do with the camera. the 10% that does is learned by learning how to use any camera and shooting lots of tests.

[Lyndon Horsfall]

I'm going for sort of a gritty 70's look, something like Taxi Driver. I'm trying to lose as much of video's natural sharpness as possible and make my shadows blacker. I almost want to see a "film grain."

I forgot to add that I've also turned the sharpness all the way down.

[Cole McDonald]

in camera, turn the sharpness all the way down (I do this all the time anyway), search the forums for DoF or depth of field ...this has been discussed a gazillion times...

Here's my tirade (server is currently being worked on, check back on it tomorrow - 4/11/07):

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Turnkey/1.html

[Lyndon Horsfall]

Thanks for your help, Cole.

You say on your page that your favourite way is to get a 35mm adapter. Any suggestions for that? Places to get them, how to make them, etc?

[Djee Smit]

Take a look at the 'alternative images' forum 4 threads above the filmlook thread. Most of the adapters out there are discussed

[Cole McDonald]

no worries. I'm actually still trying to get mine to mount effectively, I've build a rod system to hold the thing, and built a 35mm lens adaptor for my xl1s (JBWelded the body cap with the back cut out and a back lens cap with the back cut out from a nikon lens (eye balled the back focus as once the jbweld sets, there's no going back). Works pretty well, I put a 100mm lens on that (50mm lens and 2x telephoto adaptor)and I can focus on the 35mm adaptor's focussing screen (frosted cd - http://www.mediachance.com/dvdlab/dof/index.htm) 4 feet away. The minimum focal distance of the XL1s is quite long for this application, grr.

As with everything else I make, it's constructed of things I had laying around with as little purchasing as possible. The lenses are from local camera stores used piles and I bought "broken" lenses...the auto focus didn't work, but as it's not hooked up to the electronics of the camera, I didn't care and just use it as a manual lens.

I've figured out the mounting system for my tripod (it's got a locking plate that attaches to the camera, I screwed it to a piece of wood and u-bolted that to the rails I built.

These pictures are kind of old, I've since rearranged the unit to be thinner and have painted it black to look cooler. I still have to put the sunshade on and some sort of tube from the camera to the adaptor.

http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm01.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm02.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm03.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm04.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm05.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm06.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm07.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm08.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm09.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm10.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm11.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm12.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm13.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm14.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm15.jpg
http://www.yafiunderground.com/Images/35mm/35mm16.jpg

[Frank Ladner]

Lyndon: As you mentioned, frame movie mode helps give a more "cinematic" look. These aren't pure progressive frames, but instead the camera does some type of field blending on the green channels to get a pseudo-progressive full frame as opposed to separate fields. This is still better (in terms of time and arguably in terms of quality) than capturing interlaced and blending in post.

You can also shoot closer to the telephoto end (zoom in on your subject), to get a nicer dof look (blur out the background/foreground).

Try using custom presets. I turn the sharpness down and I also adjust the color back toward green as the GL2 seems to exaggerate reds.

That's about it as far as in-camera settings. To take it further, do some color correction and/or convert to 24p (I use Twixtor in After Effects.).

[Bryce Olejniczak]

Also, for low light conditions, using that spotlight setting will make the picture look more filmic.

[Michael Pulcinella]

To get an extra grainy look indoors I turn my ND filter on on my Canon GL2 in a moderate light situation and then adjust the exposure and shuitter speed manually till I like the way it looks. It can get very grainy! Turn down the sharpness and it looks like film to me!!

[DJ Kinney]

Go to youtube and search for "djkinney" which is me. You should get all of my videos. The one called "Bridge City" (I guess you can search for that) was all shot with a GL2. Incorrectly identified on the site as an XL2, but whatever.

You will see a really nice film look. I used the standard setup that you mention with the EXCEPTION of a 1/60. Don't use a 1/30. You need to deinterlace and pulldown in post, and a 1/30 makes that impossible.

I also used a Magic Bullet "unbloom" filter, which is an amazing, warm, soft filter, but multiplies your render time by 20 to 40 times.

DJ