backwards film trickery

[woods01]

This week I finally got back my film from
my first Super 8 short. If anyone recalls I
asked about using K40 in low light situations. I found that with my camera set
at f1.2 (the widest setting) I was able to
get satisfactory to excellent results using
only a few 100 watt bulbs. So thanks to all
for your advice, I learned a lot.

Now part of my film involves a gag projecting
a scene backwards. I have a few questions about this. I am going to be transfering it to digital. So would it better to let the computer render the backwards footage or should I splice it manually before the transfer? I am wondering if there is a dulling of picture quality because the emulsion is flipped over? I am also concerned about the film getting scratched up for the same reason.

I eventually plan to edit the film by hand just so I have the option of projecting it.
But what I am concerned about right now is getting the best possible video transfer done.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 26, 2002 08:00 PM: Message edited by: woods01 ]</font>

[MikeBrantley]

I think you'll have to shoot the backwards part with the camera upside down, if I am remembering correctly. Then just flip the film end for end turn it over to splice it in. When you get to the piece of projected footage that is upside down and backwards (so the action appears to move backward), you MIGHT have to refocus the projector slightly because the emulsion with the image is a slightly different distance from the spot the projector focus is on.

If you are digitizing this footage, it may be far easier to reverse the action in your computer. It'll just take a little rendering time, that's all.

[Matt Pacini]

Yeah, just shoot normally and do it in the computer.

For the best reverse gag of all time, watch the movie "Top Secret".
It's the second film from Zucker/Zucker/Abrams, who later did Airplane and the Naked Gun TV show & movies.
Val Kilmer's first movie.
There's a scene in a Swedish Bookstore that is shot completely backwards.
The guy is supposed to be speaking Swedish, and there's subtitles, but since I've done backwards audio stuff, I recognized it right away and started laughing my head off.
Really done well. It's worth renting the movie just for that scene, and also the underwater cowboy Bar scene, which must have been a nightmare to shoot!
I'm talking a complete, western movie bar fight, shot completely underwater!
Too bad Z/Z/A have gotten lazy, or lost their senses of humor, and don't make movies like this anymore.


Matt "I'm serious, and stop callign me Shirley" Pacini

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ October 27, 2002 02:55 PM: Message edited by: Matt Pacini ]</font>