| Working with a Film-Processing Lab By Aaron Rushin As a filmmaker one of the things you have to deal with, but you don't learn in school is dealing with the lab. The film-processing lab, for those who are wondering, is where you send your undeveloped motion picture film to get developed and (most likely) transferred to video or printed to positive stock for editing. Nowadays most people, including myself (and the University of New Orleans where I went to school) use non-linear digital editing systems. Actually cutting the film on flatbed editor has become a thing of the past and quite frankly I know very little about. So we’ll skip it. Let’s say you’ve finished your eighth re-write and you’re ready to start pre-production on your movie. OK, NOW is the time when you’re going to make key decisions about film processing. First let’s say you’ve decided you want to shoot on 16mm film. You just love the film look that you can’t reproduce digitally. You can’t. You think you can, but you can’t. Enough said. So now you’ve got to decide on what film stock to use. On my thesis film I wanted the look of Spike Lee’s movie, “Clockers”. They used a rare reversal film and used a new technique called “cross-processing”. Which is processing (developing) reversal (positive) film like you would negative film. It gives the film a strikingly original look. BUT! But, that film was shot on 35mm with a lot of dough. 16mm reversal film does not have edge coding. Your film stock has to have edge coding if you ever want to go back to film to make a film print. You can make film print from high-quality video, but the quality isn’t the same and you have audio synch issues since the frame rates don’t match. (29.97fps NTSC or 25fps PAL vs. 24fps film). Kodak 16mm negative film has edge coding. So that’s one thing you should know. But let’s say you decide that you probably won’t need a film print. Your final product will be on video. Then there’s the look of the various stocks, different ASA’s, and different processing techniques. We’re not going to get into all that, but all this should be decided in close consultation with the director of photography. Don’t have a DP yet? Stop and get one. Don’t shoot on film if you’re going to treat the DP like the caterer. That being said, don’t let the DP take over your film. This isn’t a Hollywood movie. You’re spending your own money on this filmed short and you’re probably not paying the DP, so you can’t expect her to have the passion for the project that you have. You should take ultimate responsibility for the look of the film yourself. Don’t be a W. Bush. Be a stand-up guy, be curious, and take responsibility for all aspects of your film. (Your AD’s screwing up, don’t plead ignorance and blame them, figure out how to fix it. And don’t be afraid to fire someone if they’re not cutting it. …See George Tenet, CIA director.) Anyway, once you’ve decided on your film stock and type of processing (standard, pushing, cross-processing, skip-bleach, etc…) Now you need to find a lab that is in your price range, that is student/indie friendly, and can do what you require. In my experience MPL (Nashville, Memphis) is the cheapest. But call around and talk to the folks. Make sure you’re comfortable with them. Some of the big labs like DuArt in NY are big and impersonal. So you find a lab you like. Call them and tell them that you’re shooting blankety-blank feet of film and ask them to send you some empty bags and cans. They’ll send ‘em to you free and believe me, you’ll need them, plus they’ll get to know you and that’s a good thing. Usually. And your camera people will thank you. Ask to speak to the colorist you will be working with. Explain to him the type of look you’re looking for, make sure you’re on the same page. In some instances you can even suggest certain films that are similar to the look you’re shooting for. Then, you shoot your film. Of course everything goes a planned and you finish ahead of schedule. “Yay!” – me. So now you’ve got, let’s say, ten rolls of footage. Call the lab; let them know that you are sending them your film and when to expect it. Schedule your transfer time. Yes, even if the lab is far away, go to the transfer, preferably with your DP. Yeah, it costs money, but your film is already costing you at least four grand so don’t pay that much for a film that doesn’t look the way you want. Go. They can do wonderful things in the lab in seconds that fix a lot of mistakes that would never look as good if you tried to do it on your own. Plus, it’s fun to take a road trip. You’ve shot a film. You’ve been through hell. Take a little vacation. You deserve it. There is a whole other issue of synching up audio during the transfer, but as a student/indie filmmaker, to me it's a waste of time and money. Synching audio to your picture is easy and it helps get your proficiency up with the computer-editing program. Lastly, don’t be intimidated in the transfer room. Get what you want. The colorist may be in hurry or anxious to get out there. Remember, you’re not a glamour project. You’re at the bottom of the totem pole. That said you’re paying them. You’re the boss, so don’t be afraid to say that something isn’t good enough or not exactly what you were talking about. Now go edit. That’s it for now. Now don’t call me for lab prices. You got fingers; you figure it out. Later, AR Email:Aaron@timecodenola.com |
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