"avant garde" film look?

[timdrage]

you should definitely check out her films, "Meshes of the Afternoon" is

That is a superb film,... really ahead of it's time, quite Lynchian even... I was lucky enough to see it on film at a screening a friend organised...

[ccortez]

ok,

i'm shooting a music video on 16mm next week and it's supposed to look like an "avant garde" silent film, of a slightly later date, i.e. no funny motion or uneven exposure, but solid, steady and well lit black and white. i'm thinking classic three point lighting using fresnels, an old zoom lens for a little flare and softness, and a red filter for white faces, and the director hired me on that. any other ideas?

sure sounds like an opportunity for your keystone/reflex zoom combo, at least for some b camera work. you should certainly get the old zoom flare and softness... ;)

[Nigel]

I got may hands on some Neopan once for some tests. I really wish that Fuji would sell it here. Although the last two times I have shot 16mm B&W have been problematic for a few reasons. At least Ilford is out of the MP film game.

Have you thought about doing very little filtering on the lens and only adjust in Transfer?? You can do a ton with contrast/grey scale in the booth and it will allow you to backout of the look before it is to late.

Good Luck

[T-Scan]

How about Fomapan?

[mattias]

Have you thought about doing very little filtering on the lens and only adjust in Transfer??

yes. after some discussion with the director i'll probably shoot it with a high quality lens and add the flaring and softness in post, but i'll also experiment with a red filter for some shots. that's a really hard look to achieve in post in my experience, unles you shoot color and can add color filtering to adjust the greyscale. i suggested that too, but the director felt that it would give us opportunities that we don't want on our low budget.

How about Fomapan?

that would be cool to try, but our local lab doesn't process it and it's beyond my control anyway.

thanks again for all your help.

/matt

[Meltwater Hawk]

you should definitely check out her films, "Meshes of the Afternoon" is probably one of the most touching experimental films i've ever seen... and "At Land" is very nice too... in fact you should just watch the whole bunch of them, she only made about six.

Doh you beat me to the punch. I read this thread at work and couldn't think of the film and by the time I got home you had posted the title. Yeah this is probably the look I would consider avante garde. Perhaps even Polanski's "2 Men and A Wardrobe". I agree Christoph, "Meshes..." is so light and airy in consumption to watch. It just floats along on screen. Truly an amazing piece of American filmmaking that many don't see. I really enjoyed her cutting style of cutting most of it on movement as well. The fact that the beginning is so closed up, in other words no establishing shots, no wide shots, just close ups or cropped shots of the figure and then gradually opens to wides is trully unheard of at the time as well. Her subsequent lifestyle and films are really something to behold if you get a chance. She ended up becoming well into voodoo. Some of the voodoo films...wow.

[moviemat]

I did a music video, It was up here in a past post but if you go to maximopark.com and follow the links to find the video to 'The Coast is Always Changing' you'll find it there.

Tongue in cheek I consider myself avant garde. I get the look by underexposing - there never seems to be enough light where I want to shoot - and overdeveloping hot and long - because I'm usually so paraniod about getting any image at all that I overdo it.
Home processing in your dusty artist's garret also helps

Oh and it was double-x fim shot in a bolex and a filmo (I dunno what lenses they were.

Mat

[mattias]

i remember that. it looks really cool. not quite what i have in mind but it gave me some ideas as to lighting. thanks.

/matt