[Frameworks] Digital Master to 16mm/35mm --› Scan back to Digital

[Rob Gawthrop]

Hi Janis

My experience is of film to film-camera and film to digital-video-camera though I’d expect video to film would have similar requirements. For both, front projection works best. Projector and camera as far from screen as possible to produce a projected image of between 12 and 15 inches wide. The camera behind projector as far as possible with lens as appropriate.  This reduces parallax and hardly any ‘hot-spot’/.  Best to use a paper screen with no texture. With a film camera and using tungsten balanced film use an 81A filter (otherwise the colour will tend towards cyan), best use a camera with a mirrored shutter and variable speed. This is so you can adjust the flicker rate by eye otherwise film slightly slower than projection if possible. With a video camera set white balance manually and by eye. Adjust shutter speed until flicker is acceptable.

I hope that’s helpful

Best Wishes

Rob

> On 4 Feb 2023, at 15:55, janis at janislionel.com wrote:
> 
> Hello 
> 
> I have an experimental music video project which only operates with analogue/optical effects. It was all filmed with digital cameras high iso - so its veeeeery grainy (purposely so, see sample still). Now I would like to perform a final step over: Print it on 16mm (or 35mm film) and then scan it back in 2k or 4k
> 
> There are three ways I imagine this can happen, tho have no previous experience: 
> - 16mm print out and scan back to digital: quite expensive to do, even for 4min. 
> - 35mm print out and scan back to digital: probably cheaper - though maybe the resolution is too good / the grain no present enough. Then again: Maybe this is just the necessary amount of information/sharpness needed to render the digital grain/artefacts clearly
> - Use a Bolex or Krasnogorsk and film the digital master from a screen or projector, develop the film and scan back to digital (?): does this give you adequate quality? I'm especially interested in this technique since its the cheapest but also because i imagine the 'sloppiness' of the bolex/krasnogorsk adds a movement/breathing that could be quite interesting for e.g. the shots that were filmed on a gimbal. 
> 
> Questions: 
> 
> - has any of you experience with filming from a screen / projector? If yes, I'd appreciate some tips regarding technique. 
> - I guess in all the cases above it would make sense to have a digital master that is rather a little more overexposed than underexposed? 
> - ho do overexposures end up on the film negative/scan back? does it get more organic or does it stay rather digital in its aesthetic? 
> 
> I hope I could express myself understandably. 
> 
> Best
> Janis 
> 
> <Screenshot 2023-02-04 at 16.53.21.jpeg>
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