Saturday, January 20, 2007

Conversations with Chance Volume II

Drew: "Sharp" isn't really something I necessarily want in an image. That part of DV compression which is soft and dreamy I kinda like.

Chance: And maybe that's not the right word. "Flat?" "Too Clean?" There's something about video, even good video, that always bugs me, and it's hard to put my finger on what exactly that is.

Drew: Yeah, video has that video look. It's not just gamma, or the highlights (because honestly color reversal stock has similar problems), the framerate, or the latitude. That being said, one can make film look like crap (see: most indy films). But if you have even a somewhat well-lit scene, there's just a little o' that extra magic you can get out of film which is nice.

Chance: Exactly. It just seems like less work for a good image in the long run. Plus, there's so much latitude in the negative. It's amazing how much detail you can pull out of the shadows or the highlights if the need arises.

Drew: And I'm also a fan of infinite depth-of-field, the advantage there goes to DV/HD.

Chance: I tend to like less DOF. That way, it's harder to see the flaws in the background sets/props/etc. I'm half kidding. Plus, like it or not, less DOF is fashionable these days.

Drew: But the way highlights squish on film is nicer (although Panasonic has done a whole lot to make their highlights better.)

Chance: That's for sure. I really hate shooting video outside on a sunny day. Yuck.

Drew: As long as you're shooting naked people there are fewer complaints about the image.

Chance: No doubt. I'm going to call that "Andrew's rule!"


Drew: "Off with the clothes!" I say! "No gratuitious costuming!"

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