Favorite Base Settings for Film Look

tkoind

tkoind

Active member
We'll make our first film very shortly and are experimenting with different settings to find the look and feel that we want for the film. We'll be shooting in 24p and want a filmlike look with good color and clarity. Our scenes range from early morning and dusk exterior shots, late night dim interior shots etc...

Please share with us some of your favorite camera settings and tips for getting good color, good clarity and an overall filmlike image. Since we are still hunting for our look and feel, we would love to hear about and experiment with a good range of suggested settings.

Thank you!!
 
I usually set my master ped slightly lower, but not too low, and I turn the detail up just a tad to get a sharper image, my color setiings however have to do with what the lighting is like, and are often times different in each situation. I usually use the cine-like settings on the gamma......hope that helps!
 
I use the cine-like setting as well. I put my chroma level at +3 to +5 and drop my master ped to about -6 and use the enriched matrix seting.
 
I shoot it plain and get the look I want in post. I do often set my master ped down to -5 though.

Chroma +0
Detail -5
master ped -5

I can always add sharpening but once it's there it's not going away.
 
These settings are as individual as the cinematographers that use them - "look" is subjective, so people set it up to look like what they like.

My fav settings are:
Detail -4 or -3 (I like a softer image)
Chroma 0 (usually) although I have one scene file with chroma at -4 or -5 for a totally desaturated look.
Phase 0
Color Temp 0
Master ped -6 or -7
Gamma Cine-Like V
Matrix Norm
V detail Thin
24p (of course - what's the point otherwise)
Setup 0

You have to experiment with it or you will never find 'your' look, you will just be using someone elses.
 
My main purpose now is to have some ideas of what the camera is capable of. Since I'm quite new to 24p and this level of control, I'm still not 100% sure what it should look like as a baseline.

Maybe the best analogy is when I learned to record music years ago I had to first learn some of the traditional settings for pan placements, eq, gain, which mic to use to get the best response and what medium to record on. For me the camera is now presenting the same challenges. As with music I hope that experimenting with the preferences of more experienced talent will help me understand the relationships of each variable better, and with a little luck, start to find where I can tweak them to fit my own aesthetic.
 
Yep :) Experimentation is key!

Also, get your hands on Barry's book and DVD. It has some very nice visual comparisons.
 
I agree with what everyone's said here -- the settings are as unique as the various film stocks themselves. For what you requested (filmlike look, good color, detail) I'd say chroma +3 to +5, master ped at around -5 or -6, cine gamma, cine matrix. But if you want a saturated reversal-film type look, you'd go for chroma +7, master ped -10, and underexpose by a stop or two. As Shaw said, I put a series of different looks on the DVD that you can use (or use as a starting point).
 
i use
detail -2
color temp -2
color grade +3
master ped -5
cinelike_V
matrix norm

that gives me a nice saturated image which can be adjusted in post. if going too low in master ped i fear losing some detail in the darkspots. also it is easier to desaturate in post than get color back afterwards......you know what i mean. if you are not absolutely sure about the look yet i recommend getting a clean, bright, saturated look at first and do the rest in post.

barry has a cool reversal look on his CD and if that´s what you want then go ahead with his settings.
 
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