Q: Which 35mm still films match the technology and performance of Ektachrome 100D, 5285?
A: Good matches are the Kodak Professional Film E100VS or the consumer film, Kodak Elite Chrome 100 Extra Color.
Q: Has Ektachrome 100D been used successfully for green screen composite filming?
A: To date, I am not aware of any of your colleagues who have tested Ektachrome 100D specifically in green screen applications. I do, however have some results of more comprehensive technical testing run on the film at Kodak.
When we think about green screen filming, a few key film characteristics become vitally important to us. First, of course, is color separation. The specific hue rendering of the green screen dictates how easy it will be to segregate and manipulate the subjects filmed in front of it. In this trait, Ektachrome 100D benefits from its designed high color saturation. By boosting color saturation in reproductions, 5285 effectively stretches out the color gamut, taking the green hue of the green screen even farther from any greens that may be represented in the subject.
The second characteristic of a good green screen film is high sharpness/acuteness. The film must be able to resolve edges very cleanly and accurately and with no hue bias. Here, of course, I am referring to the phenomena of 'yellowish' fringing on green screen backgrounds and 'reddish' fringing on blue screen backgrounds. Though Ektachrome 100D is not as strong for sharpness/acuteness as Kodak SFX 200T Color Negative Film (technology designed specifically for accurate effects work), it is quite comparable with the highest acuteness Vision negatives.
Finally, the higher contrast of the positive Ektachrome images makes the fringe phenomenon actually appear less severe in telecine transfers than it might in negative films. Imagine if you will a white square filmed against a black screen. The classic phenomenon for the white on black edge is the appearance of a red fringe line on the white/black border in the scanned image. Higher contrast films become inherently more difficult for scanning systems to see through (have you ever tried to transfer a print rather than a negative??? - how about that lost shadow detail!!!). As a consequence, higher density information becomes less segregated and the area where you might have been able to see a definite transition from black to red to white on the piece of film is now represented by a narrower fringe band on the monitor. Essentially the scanner can not differentiate the end of the black image and the beginning of the red fringe (spectrally or in transmission space). The positive densities are simply too high for the system. Consequently, the fringe appears narrower and less pervasive in your image. (And of course, the same descriptions hold for the green background versus the black one in our example).
Perhaps more detail than you wanted, but I am confident that using Ektachrome 100D in green screen applications will yield perfectly acceptable results, despite the novelty of the reversal genre in the motion imaging world. I'm curious to see how things turn out.
Q: Does 5285 respond similarly to normal contrast print film when scanned into a telecine?
A: Absolutely...
5285 is built with a positive contrast that is similar to the Vision negative/ Vision print system. When Ektachrome 100D is processed normally in E6 chemistry, it will offer positive images with intended viewing contrast. Anyone who has transferred a print (also built with intended viewing contrast) will know that some shadow detail can be lost in the practice, especially as compared to the transfer of a low contrast negative. The reasons for this are based solely on scanning technology. The high densities in the film (shadows in the case of a positive media) are beyond what the electronic scanner can discern. As a result, you and I may see a gradation of blacks in the shadows, but the scanner will not. To compensate for this, the colorist must often boost the contrast of the on-screen image. The overall result is a higher contrast video image with somewhat blocky shadows.
Despite this, 5285 does still hold up quite nicely. The look and contrast of a scanned negative may not be achievable with the reversal film, but then again, we did intend for this product to be quite different from your normal ECN stocks!
Q: What makes this film different from traditional Eastman Color Negatives?
A: Besides the obvious fact that this stock is a reversal film, Kodak Ektachrome 100D offers brilliant color saturation and excellent image structure. When properly processed, the overall contrast of the film is very similar to the printed ECN stock, however, the gamut of color saturation levels available is much wider than that of a traditional print. 5285 derives its saturation position from a greatly enhanced inter image and cleaner performing dyes.
Q: Why would I choose this product over a negative stock?
A: Ektachrome 100D is another tool cinematographers can use to explore their creativity. The look offered is contrasty and super-saturated right out of the camera, and promotes real vibrancy and edginess in a telecine transfer. The stock can be manipulated in several ways not possible with negatives allowing for new exploration of creative expression.
Q: What formats will this product be available in?
A: Ektachrome 100D is being manufactured in 35mm formats with Bell & Howell perforations. The available lengths are 400' and 1000' camera rolls.
Q: How do I process this stock? Where do I process this stock?
A: This stock is intended for process in E6 chemistry - cine machines only. The cine machines are the only ones fast enough to process this film with any speed and efficiency (>10 feet/min). With large tanks, they are also the most stable and consistent of all the E6 processors, performing to the same uniformity specifications as most ECN or ECP machines. Other, slower machines may be found around the country, but caution is advised when dealing with these less robust systems.
Q: Does this film have the traditional Keykode identification?
A: Yes, Ektachrome 100D is the first film to adopt the new 'E' designation for Key Kode identification. Its official symbol (visible after processing) is 'EA.'
Q: Can I project my camera original film?
A: As a positive image, Ektachrome 100D can be projected right out of the camera if desired. For proper screen orientation, the emulsion side of the film should be turned away from the projection light (opposite of the ECP orientation).
Q: How does the new Ektachrome 100D, 5285, compare to the older Kodak 160D reversal stock, 7239?
A: Well, the first and most obvious difference between these stocks is their design background. The older 160D is a staple of our VNF reversal motion picture line while the new 100D is built off of the very successful Ektachrome professional and consumer still reversal film line. The 7239 stock is intended for processing in VNF-1 chemistries; the 5285 stock is designed for E6 chemistry. Both films offer positive images through their respective processes with general contrast positions that are quite similar.
From there, though, the similarities really end. First, 5285 is all about color. The reproduction color saturation in 5285 far exceeds that in 7239. 5285 is designed to exaggerate color while maintaining balanced flesh tones where as 7239 has more accurate color reproduction across the gamut in mind. Second, 5285 benefits from improved neutrality across the tone scale from black to white and an enhanced flesh-to-neutral balance. Third, 5285 has incorporated Kodak's very latest sharpness technology leading to images considerably cleaner and clearer than those available from 7239. Finally, new T-grain technology enables 5285 to reproduce images with less grain than 7239. All in all, these various enhancements can be attributed to the technical advancements realized between the release of the older VNF stock and the introduction of Ektachrome 100D. With 5285, you're getting Kodak's very latest reversal film technology.
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