Blog 1: Camera Prep

I am currently in pre production on a German feature film that will begin shooting early January 2012. We are/have been testing various options, cameras, lenses and workflows that I intend to maintain a regular blog on the progress, decisions and results of these tests.

I will also be uploading various clips from the results of the tests. 

Adrian Cranage

www.cranage-dop.com

So, to begin

My initial briefing (beginning November 2011). The movie was to be an action/thriller to be shot digitally, with a hand held, realistic feel. A large majority of the film is to take place at night, both exterior and interior. 

I just finished testing the following:

Alexa Plus ASA test

Hawk Anamorphic 1.3

Spherical (Cooke S4, Master Primes, Leica C series)

But we will start slow and I will begin with a couple of images from the 'ASA test'

1. Alexa ASA test.

I went out with the Alexa and shot several tests to establish how far I could push the Alexa shooting at night.

The images were all shot on ProRes 4444, white balance was set at 3200°K, 24fps, 172.8 shutter and graded on Resolve using the ARRI laser standard LUT. No grading was performed. The images were then projected on a 10 meter screen using the Lustre system.

I tried to keep my key light at a constant stop.

As was to be expected, the results showed extremely clean images at ASA 800. The images at 1600 started to show visible signs of noise and it was deemed too much for the look of the film that we are striving for. Therefore I performed a second test, simply driving around the streets of Berlin, lighting my focus puller at various stops under my lens stop (2.5 on a 50mm S4 Cooke). I felt that the best results were ASA1280 with the light panel reading 4 stops under my lens stop. (0.5 1/2).

Click all images to get bigger versions.

The following image is the same frame but from the Log C material

The following image was shot at ASA800, WB 3400, 24fps, 172.8 shutter. Cooke S4 100mm at T2.5. It has the ARRI laser LUT applied. The background highlights are available light from the main train station in Berlin, taken at around 9pm

The following is the LogC frame from the same image as above.

The same as above, but obviously the focus is on the background

Enough for now, more tests coming (testing various colours of blood under daylight and tungsten conditions)