For my
post-production workflow studies, I really wanted to analyse a movie that was
shot on 35mm film, since the organic look and feel to it just (almost) can’t be
faked. I chose Eternal Sunshine Of The
Spotless Mind, because it is one of my favourite movies of all time. The
flow in the film is amazing, and the characters so vivid you almost wish you
knew them in real life. Most of the film takes place inside the head of Joel
Barish (Jim Carrey), as he tries to erase the loving memory of his ex girlfriend
Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), but ends up rediscovering his love for
her, as he moves back in time through the memories of them being together.
Technical Specifications
The
film is shot entirely on a Arriflex ArriCam LT (Gondry, 2004) – a 35mm analog
film camera, which shoots in Anamorphic, Super 35 & standard spherical formats (Arrimedia).
From the ArriCam LT camera you get the 2K quality of the 35mm film format, with
a small and flexible body. Lens mount on the Arriflex cameras is PL, which is
Arris own standard lens mount format, just like the EF on Canon or the F-mount
on Nikon.
On the camera
was mounted the Zeiss Super Speed lenstypes. Zeiss in general is a very well
known brand, and are famous for producing some of the sharpest and best lenses
in the world (“Winners,”
2013). The lenses
are of the type CP.2, that stands for Compact Prime. This type of lens is
extremely lightweight while still maintaining its quality and functionality.
Some of the key features include:
- T1.5 for use in low-light situations and for cinematic depth of field
- Interchangeable mount
- Full-frame coverage
- Standard focus and iris gear positions
- Compact size and low weight of 0.9 to 1.1 kg
- Robust cine-style housing with the ability to utilize a follow-focus system
- Standard focus and iris gear positions
To shoot the
macro shots, Arri Macro Lenses were used. The lenses have a 1:1 magnification
ratio, and are therefore considered true macro (eHow, n.d.).
Some of the key
features include:
- High resolution, high contrast
- Dramatically reduced flare
- Brilliant, vibrant colors
- Minimized chromatic aberration
In case you
don’t know what Chromatic Aberration is, I found a definition online:
“Chromatic Aberration also known as “color fringing”
or “purple fringing”, is a common optical problem that occurs when a lens is
either unable to bring all wavelengths of color to the same focal plane, and/or
when wavelengths of color are focused at different positions in the focal
plane. Chromatic aberration is caused by lens dispersion, with different colors
of light travelling at different speeds while passing through a lens. As a
result, the image can look blurred or noticeable colored edges (red, green,
blue, yellow, purple, magenta) can appear around objects, especially in high-contrast
situations.” (Mansurov, n.d.) Personally I
have had some trouble in the past with Chromatic Aberration, especially when
shooting pictures or video on cheap lenses in a compressed format like jpeg or
H.264.The film was shot using Fuji Reala 500D 8592 Negative Film
(specifications can be found here:
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/motion_picture/pdf/reala500d.pdf),
and printed to positive film with the Fuji Eterna-CP 3513DI and Fuji F-CP 3519D.
Gondry, 2004).
Sources
Arrimedia, http://www.arrimedia.com/catalog/product.php?product_id=27#technical-details
eHow,
n.d. What Is a Magnification Ratio? [WWW Document]. eHow. URL
http://www.ehow.com/about_5040403_magnification-ratio.html (accessed 11.11.13).
Gondry, M., 2004. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind.
Mansurov, N., n.d. What is Chromatic Aberration? [WWW
Document]. Photogr. Life. URL
http://photographylife.com/what-is-chromatic-aberration (accessed 11.11.13).
Niessen, N., 2013. Cinema and the Drive in the Digital
Age. Cult. Crit. 156–162.
Winners: Five prizes for ZEISS lenses at iF awards
2013 [WWW Document], 2013. . Camera Lens Blog. URL
http://blogs.zeiss.com/photo/en/?p=3339 (accessed 11.11.13).
