The Heritage of MTV

[Tabula Rasa]

Hi!

I am curious of the origination of few "flashy" and popular techniques in contemporary cinema. This may sound very nerdy, but I would like to find out in which mainstream films and music videos they first appeared. There is one problem: I am not familiar with music video history, but I have a some knowledge of which mainstream movies they first appeared in. Can anybody help me?

Flash frames:
I have first seen it in the animated feature Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Double Exposure:
Any Given Sunday?

Abnormal shutter speed:
long shutter speed: G.I. Jane, Saving Private Ryan

short shutter speed: A Knights Tale

But when did it enter MTV?


I am grateful for any help!

Cheers,
Tabula Rasa

[Hans von Sonntag]

Hi!


Flash frames:
To open up the lens and let the shot overexpose, and use the white flash to cut to a shot where you stop down. I have seen it in films from animated Hunchback of Notre Dame to Tony Scotts Man on Fire and Domino. But which music videos in the 90s used the effect?


You don't have to "open up" the lens (what ever that means). Just let the camera stop and use the 1-5 frames long flashes that emerge just from letting the camera sit around and catch some light. Film cameras let the light in to their body, they are not light-proved, kind of leaky. 35mm cameras have more overexposed frames than 16mm cameras. Also if you shoot 50 fps for instance and stop the camera you will have a longer "flash frame" sequence then stopping from 25 fps. If you want a longer flash frame sequence from 25 fps you need a speed control. With the speedcontrol (kind of throttel) you can manually slow down the camera until stop up to ones taste.
Longstory short: when shooting film it's impossible to avoid flash frames.

Hans

[Martin Weiss]

I thought the flash frames came from the camera slowing to a stop, thus frames are getting gradually more overexposed. As the gate is checked, one or two frames get white. And as camera gets up to speed, they gradually become less overexposed.

More white frames when changing a mag.

But (outside the filmschool I went to) cameras are lightproof.

[TheSHYRED]

Flashed frames also can happen from who ever is operating the camera and takes their eye off the eye piece and light will leak in through the view finder.

[TheSHYRED]

Isn't flashing your film stock still some sort of double exposing?

[David Mullen ASC]

Though music videos of the 80's and 90's were a big influence, some of these techniques date back further to experimental films and even to the Silent Era.

See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_film

[Martin Weiss]

Flashing your film stocks refers to a technique where a full roll of film is briefly exposed to a defined amount of light.

I also remember working on a set once where they had a special contraption that allowed for flashing during filming; that way the DP could change the amount of pre-flashing according to each take.

[Tabula Rasa]

Thanks for updating me on how to make flash frames. Very interesting indeed.

But what about the flash frames in for instance Man on Fire? How are they achieved?

http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/man-on-fire-3-200.jpg
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/man-on-fire-4-200.jpg

[James T Mather]

This occurs normally when you cut the camera on film (not digital) - sometimes slower frame rates help prolong the flash effect.

[Tabula Rasa]

By "cut the camera on film", do you mean to when the film roll ends?

This effect is used many times in Man on Fire, and seems motivated. Would it not be very hard to time it with how much film you have left in the can to get exactly where you want it?

[David Mullen ASC]

Not only when the film rolls out, but when you switch off the camera between takes, the time it takes for the camera to slow to a stop causes the last few frames to become overexposed. How many frames depends on the camera. Modern cameras tend to have very few flash frames.

A lot of "Man on Fire" was shot with hand-cranked Arri-2C's though, so simply the process of manually winding/cranking down to a stop would cause more overexposed frames at the end of a shot.

[Fredrik Callinggard]

By "cut the camera on film", do you mean to when the film roll ends?

This effect is used many times in Man on Fire, and seems motivated. Would it not be very hard to time it with how much film you have left in the can to get exactly where you want it?

Yes it is by cutting the camera.

I don't think Tony really times it. They shoot a lot and freestyle with the camera stops. It's in the editing the timing starts to happen. It's all about feeling and luck.

It's the same when we shoot a music video and are asked to run and stop the camera. Or if we're asked to do swish pans or anything else. We try to do it in rhythm with the music, when we believe it would be appropriate editing points. You get used to it and quite quickly learn when and how it should be.


Fredrik Callinggard

[Hans von Sonntag]

The last frame always gets fully white because it stays on the gate and no mirrorsystem is light proved (that's what I meant when saying let the camera sit around and catch some light - was irritating I guess...). For stop motion for instance you need a special iris device in front of the lens to prevent unwanted light exposing the frame.


Hans

[Stephen Williams]

For stop motion for instance you need a special iris device in front of the lens to prevent unwanted light exposing the frame.
Hans


Hi,

Or a camera with a focal plane shutter like a Mitchell. Unfortunately a focal plane shutter & PL mounted lenses don't mix which is why modern film cameras need a capping shutter for stop motion.

Stephen

[Hans von Sonntag]

Hi,

Or a camera with a focal plane shutter like a Mitchell. Unfortunately a focal plane shutter & PL mounted lenses don't mix which is why modern film cameras need a capping shutter for stop motion.

Stephen

I rememer shooting once a stop motion sequence with a Mitchell. The camera came form Optical Arts in Hamburg. The guy who operated the camera was very nice and full of nerdy stopmotion, moco and other stories, Lehmann was his name...

Hans

[Zk2007]

Yes, but what is the big deal to replicate the effect in the exact point you need it in post? Seems like an easy enough effect. Most NLE should be able to pull it off.