FOCUSING ON HD, DIGITAL CINEMA AND FILMLOOK

Is film dead? Will digital cinema overthrow celluloid for dominance in the movie houses? As most film and video producers by now have come to realize, digital cinema is rapidly becoming an accepted way to present their dramatic feature, documentary or short film. Sundance, No Dance as well as other festivals, are routinely accepting and displaying features and documentaries shot on DV and HD. Major film studios are currently or seriously considering distributing their films electronically nationwide from HD masters. Major features are being shot with 24P equipment for later distribution on film and HD...making it possible to create, edit and screen feature films that have the appearance, color and texture of motion picture film without ever having exposed a single frame of film. This is not to say that film projectors will disappear overnight from the movie houses and that HD will completely replace film negative. However, digital cinema is clearly a stunning advancement in video technology that will only get better. So, what are the potential issues that an aspiring digital cinema producer should be aware of before producing their next feature in digital?

Digital Cinema is a broad category with different formats, resolutions and capabilities that all share one commonality - video. DV differs from HD and 24P because of its NTSC resolution, and not all HD is 24P. But in the end, HD, DV, 24P and digital cinema are all video. Video can have potential drawbacks and issues that must be addressed during production and post production. If you are shooting NTSC video for FILMLOOK, the same rules of proper exposure, good lighting and careful white balance are necessary for successful manipulation of the DV, HD or 24P image later in post. As it is with film, camera tests should be conducted to determine proper camera setup and exposure levels, primary or zoom lens selections, filter tests, lighting tests and perhaps wardrobe and makeup.

Once in the post environment, these digital images can be edited, manipulated and adjusted infinitely, much to the delight of any director and to the distress of every line producer. For example, with da vinci's 2K color enhancement, scenes can be taken through a slight adjustment in color balance all the way to defocus, gradient filtration and other effects. FILMLOOK can help DV originated material achieve the color and motion characteristics of film and the 24P system.

If shooting 24P, we have the capability of providing other film characteristics that may be missing from a shoot. Before deciding on a format, whether it is 24P or otherwise, please consult with us to ensure you have a good experience with the new technology. It all can be overwhelming with the many choices available to us.

We also plan to be setup to work on 24P HD in the next three months or so. We will update you once we are closer to offering this new service.

Burbank, CA... Sony Corporation has taken a license from FILMLOOK Inc. and PRZYBORSKI Productions relating to the 24P functionality of SONY's progressive frame cameras.

A previous license agreement between FILMLOOK Inc. and Przyborski Productions licenses FILMLOOK to offer a number of camera technology patents along with its own patents.

Robert Faber and his company, FILMLOOK Inc., have been providing a service to the industry since 1989 with its post production process making video look like it was shot on film and has maintained its leadership throughout the years.

SPECIAL FORCES BREAK OUT IN FILMLOOK

SUFFOLK, VA-New Dominion Pictures, producers of the popular series "Untold Stories of the Navy Seals" on The Learning Channel, is gearing up for another TLC series "Special Forces," another docudrama action series that features intense military re-creations and interviews shot entirely in video and processed in FILMLOOK.

The series documents the intense drama and military strategy behind some of the world's most famous crises. Interviews with the actual hostages and military personnel involved give the recreations added resonance and drama, all of which were processed and color corrected by FILMLOOK and its da vinci 2K system. "Special Forces" can be found on TLC; check local listings.

ANOTHER "SEASON" IN FILMLOOK

LOS ANGELES-Mark Angotti Productions and ESPN Original Entertainment has produced a two part episode of "The Season: Arizona Football" which follows the tumultuous first season of UA Wildcat Football under new coach John Mackovic.

The special, which aired on ESPN, featured interviews and footage shot in video, and behind-the-scenes elements that were shot in video and enhanced in FILMLOOK's da vinci 2K and processed in FILMLOOK's film simulation bay. This is the fifth "The Season" episode processed by FILMLOOK, which also processed "Season Behind Bars," "Tiger Woods" and "Cal Ripken" earlier.

LEWINSKI SPEAKS OUT IN FILMLOOK

NEW YORK-HBO Studio Productions and World of Wonder have produced the controversial documentary "Monica in Black and White," an audience interview program with Monica Lewinski and stock video elements that were shot entirely in video and brought to FILMLOOK Inc. for da vinci 2K enhancement and final FILMLOOK processing.

The March 3rd HBO special features candid questions and answers between audience members and Lewinski shot in stark black and white punctuated with color news archive footage.

BEING WITH FILMLOOK

HOLLYWOOD-VH1 is producing the series "Being:" an original program with literally a unique point of view. The show profiles a different musician each week such as Shakira, Jewel and Nelly Furtado, whose point of view is seen through a video camera attached to a pair of glasses. "Being:" gives viewers a slightly voyeuristic look at their favorite artists in this series. All the video footage except for the point of view of the artist is processed in FILMLOOK and given color correction before airing on VH1 on Mondays at 9 p.m.; check local listings for additional air dates and times.

THAT'S SO FILMLOOK

BURBANK-Walt Disney Television has produced the comedy "That's So Raven," a multicamera series starring Raven Simone shot in video and processed in FILMLOOK.

Raven is a high school girl who has the ability, for better or worse, to see into the future. This is the third series processed with Emmy award winning director of photography Alan Walker, who has worked with FILMLOOK on the long-running NBC series "The John Larroquette Show" and the Showtime series "Rude Awakening."

"WORLD'S SEXIEST" LOOK BETTER WITH FILMLOOK

NEW YORK-ESPN Original Entertainment has produced a primetime special, "The World's Sexiest Athletes," featuring profiles of some of the most successful and intriguing personalities in sports.

"This show will explore, not just the physical appeal, but the intangibles of charisma, style and personality of today's most popular and successful athletes,'' according to ESPN senior vice president and general manager of programming Mark Shapiro.

The host wraparounds featuring Molly Simms and the video shot profiles of such athletes as Derek Jeter and Anna Kournikova, were processed in FILMLOOK the week prior to air and returned to ESPN overnight for last minute editing for the special which aired in January.

FILMLOOK AT THE FESTIVALS

FILMLOOK was used to process some recent independent film projects that have gone on to win awards at nationwide film festivals. We congratulate Amy Kaufman and her documentary "derrida," winner of the Golden Gate Grand Prize at the San Francisco international film festival. Also, Steve Cullen's dark comedy "Lucky" received Best Director honors at the No Dance film festival. Finally, we extend congratulations to Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim for their documentary "Startup.com," which was given Best Documentary Feature honors by the International Documentary Association and the Online Film Critics Society. We salute these independent filmmakers, their storytelling spirit, and their prestigious awards.

 

O-TOWN ON THE TOWN WITH FILMLOOK

GERMANY-The pop MTV series "Making the Band" produced a special FILMLOOKed "movie" episode that recalls the Beatle's movie "A Hard Day's Night." The episode centers upon the "kidnapping" of a band member and follows his exploits in Germany. "Making the Band" has previously used FILMLOOK for processing season 2 when the series was originally aired on ABC.

© 2002 FILMLOOK Inc. All rights reserved. FILMLOOK is a registered trademark of FILMLOOK Inc.

DIRECTORY

HOME