Comments on: Choosing Super 16mm over Digital and the Cinematography of 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'

By: Hakeem Foster

Hakeem Foster — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 14:24:15 +0000

Congrats to this Film for making the Oscars. Very Nice! Make this post that much more exciting to me, for it being recognized on such a grand level.

By: Choosing Super 16mm over Digital and the Cinematography of ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’. By Joe Marine (video 04:06) | Digital Cinema Tools | Scoop.it

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:00:52 +0000

[...] Posted by Joe Marine on December 21, 2012 • "It seems like there have been tons of posts about this movie, but The Creators Project has been slowly releasing their exclusive Behind the Scenes videos over the course of the last few months. We’ve taken a look at the score and other aspects, but now we’ve got a video with Director of Photography Ben Richardson talking about the aesthetic of the film and their choice to shoot on celluloid as opposed to digital."…NoFilmSchool.com [...]

By: Kukula

Kukula — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:04:20 +0000

Hey JAKE . Make sure that you and some more FILM-nerds get an outranged developing machine from one of the labs that are actually being closed. Think of this possibilties. The last chance would it be to develop your stock in a bathtub. It works too.

By: liftman

liftman — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 06:21:21 +0000

I can only reaffirm the above: having shot my exam short at HSC (Hungarian Society of Cinematographers) DOP school, Kodak Hungary was most friendly and acted as above.
The film:
https://vimeo.com/39720468

By: Johnson

Johnson — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 01:17:22 +0000

I’m Johnson….Please I have some money and I need my personal Camera…I need your advice….Is Digital Cinema Camera better than Film Camera….Although I used Bolex 16mm and Aaton A Minima before….(Documentaries)…..glad to read from you….

By: Pierre Blais

Pierre Blais — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:46:28 +0000

Jake, I’m 28, I only started shooting film 3 years ago… today as a emerging DP I shoot a lot of digital low budget but also a reasonable amount of celluloid low budget, because I took the time to learn and try. I’m not going to say it is a viable option for you, as I do not know your reality, but being 20 is not an excuse if you think it’s something you’d like to try! my barebone 16mm film kit costed me less then my Digital DSLR kit, practically all my DSLR equipment (lighting, grip, dolly, sound, etc.) can be used with my film kit. a Bolex with 400′ mag, cristal sync motor and film gate adjusted for super16 will cost you under 2000$ to get in most case, if you take the time to look…

By: Pierre Blais

Pierre Blais — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:37:22 +0000

I think people should know that Kodak is very friendly to indie filmaker, more then once have I negotiated with them to get stock at a discounted price for a project, or have them donate a % of the estimated stock required. Same goes with labs (even if there are less for 16mm then 35mm), I’ve frequently dealt with Technicolor (or here in Montreal we also have Vision Global that processes film) and they’re always very amiable in helping me figure out the cost and budget realistically, trying to see what discount they could provide, they also tend to have pricing agreements with local film association or collective… don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to argue that film is the cheapest option out there, it’s not, but what I am saying is before ruling it out as too pricey people should get actual numbers first, you might be very surprised… I know I was!

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 08:19:18 +0000

Being only 20 really makes me sad that shooting on film may never be a viable option for me.

By: Ryan Koo

Ryan Koo — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:32:42 +0000

Thanks John!

By: KahL

KahL — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 20:05:44 +0000

God, this is a gorgeous film.

I totally feel his perspective; out of all the film stocks out there, s16 isn’t easy to imitate and nearly impossible to do it well.The closest we can get to s16′s resolution and texture is with Canon DSLR’s s35 sensors and even then, some doctoring is needed in post.
But, s16 and 65mm/Imax are the only film stocks that current digital sensors just cannot touch for aesthetic value. Especially w/ 16mm, as its golden highlight fall off and bloom is a VERY unique looking factor. Even more than its grain.

By: John Preston

John Preston — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:28:52 +0000

I forgot to mention that Beasts of the Southern Wild actually was serviced by Arri/CSC :)

By: John Preston

John Preston — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:27:14 +0000

I would just like to let people know that right now it is very easy to rent film equipment affordably because it is a lot less popular than going digital. As a camera rental agent at Arri/CSC I can say that if you can figure out the cost of stock, processing and transfer shooting on film can be a very attractive option and from a rental perspective-much cheaper than renting out digital cinema equipment . I consistently rent out the 416′s, 535b, arricam studio and 435 to students and make camera packages work within their budgets . If anyone is looking to get an idea of how much film equipment will cost them they can email me jpreston@arricsc.com or call me @ 212.757.0906 ext. 256.

By: Lliam

Lliam — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:32:47 +0000

Great post Andy.

By: brett

brett — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 03:21:25 +0000

The capacity for hard work is a talent. Genius has been defined as the near infinite capacity for taking pains.

By: andy

andy — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 01:27:54 +0000

Can never hear enough about beasts of the southern wild, not only was it a wonderful film but it serves as a great example of the kind of drive that people need to get films made. Zeitlin and his court 13 crew is a force, obviously he/they are hugely talented but that is no where near enough. He was always gonna get films made no matter what. I think his level of drive and commitment is what people lack, more than talent.