Color Correction Comparison

So, I was thinking more about my last post and how color correction changes the intent and meaning of a scene. And I thought a visual example might help here. Below I've posted a side-by-side comparison between the original footage and the color corrected version (keep in mind that these are taken from a low-res copy of the film, as the editor has been sending them to me; since he's based in L.A. and I'm in Texas, he's been sending me files via sendspace.com). Anyway, see the image below:



So, you'll notice that the footage on the left is significantly more colorful than the one on the left. Now, I will say that we're in the process of 'dialing back' the effect you see on the right, which is sort of a bleach-bypass look (not familiar with that term? Read about it here - though keep in mind that the link refers to the traditional way of doing it, on film). I think we just went a little too far with it.

Anyway, it was always my intention that this segment of the film would have this look, in part to keep it separate from other parts of the film, and in part because of the bleak nature of the character's outlook. What's interesting to me is how hard it is for me to let go of the original footage. It's too pretty for the character and the story -- but because it's so pretty, so pristine, it's kind of hard to let go of it. The color corrected version is more raw and, well, "ugly" isn't the right word, but it ain't pretty.

However, "not pretty" is right for the film. Sometimes you have to go through "pretty" to get there.

Color Correcting ENDINGS

The editor, Simon Tondeur, is color correcting Endings at the moment, so I've been reviewing the film from that perspective this weekend. It's quite strange, in a way, because I'm so used to seeing the film the way it was shot (in terms of color). Color correcting via non-linear editing systems like Final Cut Pro is pretty powerful stuff -- if you have a clean image, you can pretty much do anything you want with it (there are some limitations, at least at my budget level).

So I'm trying to re-orient myself to see the film through new eyes, to determine if the color corrected version, with various filters applied and with contrast increased in a lot of scenes, will serve its purpose.

Just another step in the process...

When will Hansen lock picture on Endings? When?!

I imagine you're probably getting tired of boring postproduction updates on Endings. There hasn't been too much to update about lately. We got the picture cut to a point that I was pretty happy with it, then I took a break from it. Actually, I thought about showing it to people and trying to see what's working... but I got so busy with a summer class I'm teaching that I never made a decision as to who I should ask to watch it.

So I let a couple of weeks slide by, and then today I decided I finally had to make some decisions on my own, without relying on any (more) input. Trusting your own instincts is always difficult.

But I think we're there. Simon, the editor, is making a few minor changes that I want, and then I believe we'll lock picture this weekend. Of course, visual effects work still needs to be done, and sound. But we're on our way...

As for sound, Sound Designer Kelley Baker has come aboard to supervise the postproduction sound work. Kelley, also known as 'the angry filmmaker,' is an indie filmmaker in his own right, but he also had a long history as a Hollywood sound designer on such films as Good Will Hunting, Psycho (the remake), Finding Forrester,and Far From Heaven. I'm thrilled to have him doing sound on my film, needless to say.

Kelley actually came aboard a while back -- but since his work hasn't really begun until now, I failed to mention it.

The Bathwater Scene: Getting to the Picture Lock

The rough cut of Endings is down to a total running time of 96 minutes, which both pleases and amazes me, especially considering the fact that my mockumentary comedy American Messiah was 95 minutes long.

I'm pleased to be able to keep a challenging indie drama like Endings to a shorter running time, but I'm also pondering whether or not certain elements work, if it's paced too quickly now.

I don't really think there are pacing problems (or, at least, none that can be fixed based on what was shot) -- but when you're faced with locking picture soon, you start questioning everything. I'm a perfectionist and a realist at the same time. I want to get it right, even if it means going through every take to check what else we've got; but I also want to get it done. Finding the middle ground between these two extremes is, I suppose, what an indie filmmaker does.

Also, the editor of the film likely won't stick around if I started reviewing every cut. I'm nitpicking things enough as it is right now, and he and I are haggling back and forth over one scene that he has affectionately dubbed "the Bathwater scene" -- so named because he believes it holds more bathwater than baby and should just be thrown out.

I'm not sure I agree -- and therein lies the process. We're tweaking this one scene every which way, to emphasize various things, to avoid cheesiness, to trim bad acting, and to try to find a way to transition to the next scene (something I should have planned for better when we shot these two scenes)...

I just took a blog break to answer an email from the editor with his latest suggestion for transitioning. Today has mostly been dedicated to watching the film and working on these little details.

But sometimes I worry that I'm losing the bigger picture while we work on these details. On the other hand, I think I lost the big picture when I started shooting. I really can't see Endings in the way an audience member can, because I'm too close to it and too aware of all the details (of the story, of the shooting, of the post process).

It's kind of a sad thing, in a way. You're trying to create something transcendent, but you yourself can't experience that transcendence, because you created the thing and can only experience it with all your memories of its creation intact. The hard part is determining if other people can experience it as a transcendent experience, something that's hard to judge if you will never see it that way yourself.

I'm trying to determine at what point I'll ask some people unfamiliar with the story to watch it and comment. That's a nerve-wracking process, for me anyway...

In any case, the picture will likely be locked in the next couple of weeks. After that, color correction, visual effects, and sound work all need to be done. But picture lock always feels like the biggest step to me. That's not to diminish the others; the work involved in all of them is critical. But getting the picture cut itself right is critical in setting the stage for all those other steps.

The End of Spring

Classes are ending here at Baylor on Monday, May 4th, though for me they end today (I don't have any MWF classes this term). It's always an interesting time. Spring fever has set in for students and for faculty, and everyone is exhausted. So it's not an unwelcome ending, but commencement means saying goodbye to some students who have been a more-or-less daily part of your life for several years. It can be strange. Their lives will change in new and exciting ways, and we remain here at their alma mater (that's not a complaint about my job; I love what I do).

My reflection on this event has been muted this year because the semester took a very busy turn when I was officially appointed director of the division. And since I'm teaching a mini-mester course that begins immediately after graduation, I'll barely have time to finish grading before I have to begin prepping lectures and figuring out how to cram a semester's worth of screenings and discussion into a three-week period...

American Mess Theatre Listing

I just got a hold of the listing of theatres which will be showing my first feature, The Proper Care & Feeding of an American Mess, starting May 29th. Here it is:

Nova at Hartford
Hartford, Illinois

Hartford at Moline
Moline, Illinois

Nova Georgia
340 Tanger Drive
Commerce, Georgia 30529

Studio 10 Cinemas
1624 E. State Highway 44
Shelbyville, Indiana 46176
Movieline: 398-FLIX(3549)

Georgetown 14 Cinemas
3898 Lafayette Road
Indianapolis, Indiana 46254
(317) 291-3456

Nova 10
4353 Merle Hay Road
Des Moines, Iowa 50310

Theatres of Georgetown
401 Outlet Center Drive
Georgetown, Kentucky 40324

Branson Meadows Theatres
4740 Gretna Road
Branson, Missouri 65616
Branson Meadows Outlet Mall
Phone: 417-332-0464
Movie Hotline: 417-332-2884

The Amp Oxford Mississippi
206 Commonwealth Boulevard
Oxford, Mississippi 38655
Movie Hotline: 662-236-4080

Portsmouth Cinemas
1623 Chillicothe Street
Portsmouth, Ohio 45662
Movieline: 355-FILM(3456)

Lake Geneva 4
244 Broad Street
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147

News on the Academic Front

I'm watching the new cut of Endings today -- or trying to, between meetings and other interruptions -- but wanted to pause for a moment to relay some news. I was officially appointed Director of the Film & Digital Media program here at Baylor University today.

Well, the appointment is effective June 1, but the official notification came today.

Anyway, this is a big moment for me personally, and I hope it will mean big things for the future of the program here, as I look to expand upon the already great work that has been done to bring it to this point.