Zapruder Film Look

[Mark Harris]

Not sure if this is the place to put it, but I am working in Vegas and CC-ing as much as I can in Vegas, so asking here:

I would like to emulate the look and feel of an old super-8 camera, or a camera like the one used in the Zapruder film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G_Zxup7esU

Except I would like to go further with it and make it seem damaged and not play exactly right, as if the film had been stored in a drawer and deteriorated over the years.

I know I can probably figure this out with trial and error, and there are some obvious things like contrast. But just wondering if someone has a plugin, or a tutorial to get me on the right track to making footage look like an old cheap film cam. Jumpy, scratched, etc.

I've seen the "film looks" plugins in vegas, but I want more than just hairs and dust, etc. I want to make the footage jump and skip, alter the frame-rate, I guess. I would prefer to have something that did this randomly, rather than me doing it all manually.

Thanks!

 

[Mark Harris]

Well, i started dicking around with it and applied about 4 things to come up with this:

http://www.desperatecomfort.com/working/suicide_note/suicide_note_scene_4.wmv

Let me know if anyone has any thoughts on that.

WARNING: It is interlaced and yes, I know that.

 

[spunkme99]

HEY THAT'S INTERLACED!

J/K, i would make different sized segments of the video, all of a sudden the speed changes in one (or just make the whole thing a little faster), it's gets a little darker, lighter, zoom in using pan crop so it's doesn't look so clean, add a flash frame in the beginning of a semi transparent solid color (probably orange or blue) and lastly I'd screw around with track motion to give the footage some little jumps out of frame

 

[Mark Harris]

cool, thanks.

 

[Chenopup]

google the "Vegas Quake" plug-in - last I checked it wasn't updated yet for Vegas 8 but does a whiz bang job at shaking things around - I use it for text all the time -

I'd mask your frame much like the Zapruder film - use pan / crop to shrink it down and then Vegas quake to bounce it around - try using the Curves effect and pump up a bit of saturation as well - you're already on the right track though.

-cheno

 

[joelaready]

Why not interlaced?

Why not interlaced?

Just curious,
why do you object to interlaced video? Is that a bad thing?
Joel

 

[spunkme99]

that vegas quake looks pretty cool, i didn't know about it

 

[Mark Harris]

Just curious,
why do you object to interlaced video? Is that a bad thing?
Joel

ha ha, no, just joking. I've heard people around here complain about interlace before. this was shot progressive in 24P and Raylight cannot remove that pulldown. AE can, and before it is done, I will run it through AE, but for the purposes of this thread I just wanted some feedback on the colors and look.

 

[David Jimerson]

Just curious,
why do you object to interlaced video? Is that a bad thing?
Joel

Progressive is always better. Higher resolution, no interlace artifacts.

But if you want the motion of 60 fps and don't have a 60p camera, then interlaced is all you can do.

 

[DBoz699]

If you can get access to old film thats scanned in on a blank background.

Like having the old scratchy film on a white background with nothing else being shown..composite the footage over your shot footage.

also..another thing that you could do...if you have access to AE 7.0 or later....convert your footage to 32 Bits per channel..then blur it out a little bit. I noticed in that video everything looked soft..and the saturation was boosted like crazy.

 

[Mark Harris]

Good call on the blur, that's helping a lot. Will put another clip up in a bit.

Why with the 32 bits?

 

[DBoz699]

Why 32? cuz it gives you the most dynamic range possible with the image. You can do ALOT with your HD footage if its in 32bpc

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html?id=49

http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials.html?id=33

and 32bpc is the perfect amount to color correct the footage. Very dynamic.

When you add the lens blur in AE...it gives you the Bokeh you get with film lenses on your highlights if you properly prepare your footage to work with 32bpc. Its neat stuff.

 

[Mark Harris]

right, I know what 32 bit is, just wondering if you had a specific idea about it in this context.

Isn't vegas 8 32 bit as well?

 

[DBoz699]

Yeah it is..but I've never used Vegas 8, so I wouldnt be able to tell you any specifics. But I would still think you can do more in AE regards to color correction and screwing around with the image.

 

[Mark Harris]

Yeah, I am not ready to shell out for an AE upgrade. I use it all the time, and even for CC, but...

I may get Vegas 8 though cause that is a pretty cheap upgrade.

Anyway, some of that 32 bit manipulation might come in handier in some other scenes I have, but this one is getting there. I want this to be a less than perfect image, kind of unreliable, much the way the character's memory of the event is. So I like it blowing out and mucking up. It fits what the scene is about.

Here's one last test.

http://www.desperatecomfort.com/working/suicide_note/suicide_note_scene_6.wmv