DVX blowup to film

I

infocus

New member
Hello everyone, pretty excited about this place and this is my first post.

First, i shot a 60 minute documentary on street racing with the AG-DVX100 that i would like to blow up to film to show at some film only festivals.

Now, I have sponsorship from some parts and car companies, and they need to know how much this is gonna cost. I called 40,000. Is that realistic? I have absolutely zero experience with the process.

Second, how long does it take? I send them a dvd master or a mini DV tape right?, then how long does it take them to put it on film.

I know I should phone the processing houses but i would like to go in with some user knowledge before hand.

Also, i am banking on it being easier (cheaper) for them to take 24pa material to film?
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

hey do you have any clips online? i like wathing those stupid looking cars fly down the street killing people. ( no offense I hope, as you probally love those guys ) But i am interested in seeing how the dvx did with low lighting and fast motion like that.
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

Check out:
http://www.24p.com/video2film.htm

Most facilties will take a couple of weeks depending on the type of color correction and processing needed in order to get a high quality blow-up. Also some facilities will recreate the titles at a film resolutions since titles and text look the worse when blown up. Also keep in mind that many video to film transfers do not include the costs for audio optical etc. so be sure to ask for a complete breakdown of services. $40,000 is a good guess for higher quality transfer and services.

Michael
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

I cannot remember the rates off hand but its expensive. Something like $500-1,000 a minute to have your video transferred to film. It could be more or less depending on the film stock that you choose.
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

actually prices have dropped to $200-500 a minute in larger markets, but I would be weary of a $200 process. It's not like taking your roll of film to walmart to get developed, its is an art all to itself.
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

From another forum...
just FYI

"if your project is going to end up transferred to film, it costs less (for the overall project) to shoot on film in the first place.

People have an inflated idea of what film costs to shoot. Sure, using fresh new stock and an expensive lab and transferring on a Spirit or Millennium, you can spend a lot of money. But you can also shoot 35mm film for a total cost of about $20/minute (recans/short end stock, 10c/ft processing and 1-light transfer). Figuring a 90-minute feature, at a 6:1 ratio, you'll be shooting (90 * 6 = 540) 540 minutes of film, at $20/minute = about $11,000. Throw on a few thousand for negative cut/conform and a few thousand more for optical sound and an answer print, and a few thousand more for renting a BL3 camera, and you're going to be around $25,000.

Transferring a 90-minute DV feature to 35mm film will cost at least $27,000.

Shooting on video defers all the big expenses until the end, whereas shooting on 35mm means you incur all the expenses up front. But the total expenses aren't necessarily all that different. "
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

I think people still need to seperate Film from DV. Two seperate things. Thank you for the cost breakdown though OP.

What is the Lordz of Brooklyn? A film company?
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

The Lords of Brooklyn is a band/old graffiti crew (www.lordsofbrooklyn.com). I used to be partners with them when they had Tunnelvizion media now known as Tunnelvizion records and I have an Unrealtournament2003 clan (http://www.brainphreeze.com/forums/) with the same name. I have moved on to other things like getting a 9-5 job to pay bills and fund the fun stuff but still keep in touch with them and we are actually in the process of setting up for a short called "Gimme a slice" which is about an old band (LOB) that has stopped making music and opened a pizza joint (not a true story) in Bayridge.
OPp...LOB
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

your right about total cost being similar between film and video for a cut and dry film.. but realistically what most indipendent filmmakers are concernd with is the total cost to the filmmaker! not just the overall cost..if i can save a ton of money and time shooting digital and defer all of the big expenses and time to the distributor than thats a big plus! video is just way less time consuming to shoot with, and offers way more options when in feild. and when shooting video we dont have to worry about our shooting ratio or how much tape we eat up cause its so cheap.. you can just leave it rolling. and then theres the time loading film cans all the time vs just popping in a tape every couple hours or so. and when it comes to post production..there are major cost savings there too.. if you shoot on film and then have to digitize for any post effects or cg or anything else you then have to re transfer that back to film..so your near doubling or more your cost per amount of finished product when all that is said and done. and just figuring out all of the camera tracking and all that costs people $ and time..vs some digitals are now even adding camera tracking info into the data stream. anyhow my point is that if a filmmaker can make a great digital film for as low as a couple hundred in tapes and pizza for the crew and the production/distribution co picks up all the bigger tranfer and release costs --vs -- filmmaker spends tens of thousands for filmstock and editing and then the distributer picks it up... the "cost" to the actual filmmaker is very different. (not that they would care if tey spent 30,000 more if there movie gets released and they are making millions anyway :) )
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

digital is way cheaper and less time consuming than film anyday..even after a transfer when your dealing with any sort of special effects in a big budget feature.. just ask george lucas..or robert rodriguez ...even just the money it takes to pay people to pull the thing from film to digital and process it in whatever way and spit it back to film costs more than doing one simple transfer after producing it all digital. digital is not as beautiful imho ..but i believe it will be very shortly.. you just have to look at all the factors involved in making a film..not just a simple transfer cost vs filmstock cost.
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

I am shooting for blow up for first time, I will be shooting with the ana adapter and in 24p advanced mode, should I modify the factory settings of this mode for best results? is it better to use the set up (black level) in 0% or in 7.5%, the V detail freq thin or thick, and is it better to under expose or overexpose, my subject is wildlife and I will be shooting in the forest with natural ligthing, using only mirrors and flexifills.
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

I will be shooting DV for blow to 35 for first time, I will use the ana adapter and the 24 p advanced mode, should I modify the factory settings for best results? the set up black level should be in 0% or 7.5%, the V detail freq. thin or thick, is it better to under expose or overexpose, my subject is wildlife and I will be shooting in the forest with natural ligth, using only mirrors and flexifills.

ferdy
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

use 0 setup, you can add 7.5 later but not vice versa. thin, and dont overexpose too much as you will loose the detail in the blowouts (its video)
 
Re: DVX blowup to film

Ferdy,
check out www.dvfilm.com. They are based in Austin, Texas and are considered (by many I have spoken with), to be the premiere house for dv to 35mm film transfer. on the website they have suggested settings for the DVX 100 and also a rate calculator to figure out your expected costs on transfer from dv to film.
Tim.
 
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