16mm cheap processing and scanning workflow

G

gammalpuma

Member
I recently got done shooting my first film on 16mm. I'm currently looking for a good deal for the processing and scanning (in Sweden). So I'm looking at my options and have to hear what you guys think.

We have enough money to get a bestlight scanning to DVcam (11 rolls * 120 meters). Most of the festivals for shorts in Sweden actually uses DVcam as a format, but it seems dumb to aim for a so low quality format for our master.


So here's my question:
Is it possible to do a bestlight scanning to a harddrive (SD and a color depth of 4:4:4) and do an online-editing at home? What programs and hardware would I need? That way I could cut the movie, send DVcam-tapes to festivals and then transfer it to a preferred format if we get a good screening at a big festival.
 
For a frame accurate, good color in home transfer you would need:

a TRUE 24fps (NOT 24p, which is really 23.976) camera that records each frame at the same shutter rate that it was shot at. you would also need and uncompressed output into your computer.

I am sure that there are such things as I mentioned above, but heres what I would do:

DVX100 with Andromida (that may be hard to find these days) and FCP or Avid.

Something else you could do to get a much higher res output is rig up your digital camera to take a picture of each frame of the print, then assemble them in your NLE. Granted, that would take days, and possibly weeks.

Or, you could always buy a Divinci2k scanner and use that.
 
Oh, I think you missunderstod me. I can see why when I read my text again. I'm acctually going to do the transfer at a lab. My question is:

If I get the material at a harddrive from the lab (in Standard Definition with color depth 4:4:4), can I edit this material at home and what hardware and software would I need to do that?
 
Here's how we do it. Get your film processed and cleaned, and then have a one light transfer done of all your footage, with a DVCAM tape output in standard color depth, not 4:4:4. And at the bottom of the transfer, make sure they do a window burn of the film numbers.

Use a decent Mac computer, a desktop, and Final Cut Pro, or Final Cut Studio. Use Cinema Tools to convert the footage from PAL to 25 fps progressive. Edit your whole film. Then when you have the whole film edited, have a best light transfer done of just the footage you used in the final film (you can find what footage you used by looking at the window burn of your final footage.)

Create a screening copy of your film for film festival submissions by putting a letterbox on the footage, which will cover the window burn. Submit your film to festivals, and if you get accepted, take your pristine best light footage and edit it to match your original edit, on a format that the film festival wants for a presentation copy.

Make sense?

-Tim
 
gammalpuma said:
Oh, I think you missunderstod me. I can see why when I read my text again. I'm acctually going to do the transfer at a lab. My question is:

If I get the material at a harddrive from the lab (in Standard Definition with color depth 4:4:4), can I edit this material at home and what hardware and software would I need to do that?
Click to expand...

I belive most professional NLEs support 4:4:4. I am pretty sure premiere does, I think Avid does and I would be VERY surprised if FCP didnt.
 
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