Quality of Picture on some new movies

[tvralfagtv6]

I am not sure if this is the correct forum but here goes,

I have a reasonably high end Av setup, and, what I have noticed is.... and it annoys me a lot,

Is that the picture quality on older films for eg James Bond is fantastic, every time I watch one from this set of films, I notice something different with in the set of the film, such is the quality, a new level of detail with very realistic colours.


Now take some ( not all granted) new films and they are so over saturated with the colours that everyone looks like they have a suntan and the blacks are false and shiny.

Now go back to a normal film especially say a HD channel live feed and its stunningly realistic grass colours perfect and not luminous etc.Why do they do it , has someone sold them cr"£p cameras or what?


What is even worse, is the trend for funny colours, as in the matrix, to run a green filter through out the entire film, can someone get the message to these cow boy directors that there are three colours in the RGB range and they don't need to be turned up like an early 70's transistor tv.

feel better now.

So who can name the worst films for picture quality...ones to avoid

Edited by tvralfagtv6 on Thursday 11th November 19:30

Edited by tvralfagtv6 on Thursday 11th November 19:31

[W00DY]

http://www.cracked.com/article_18664_5-annoying-tr...

First couple in this article, not sure how accurate the info is though. It really annoys me in some films (although works in others), but it sounds like an easy way to justify a salary in post-production.

[tvralfagtv6]

not just me then

[JD]

Annoying trends in movies?

these techniques are used to enhance the feel of the film

The fact you mentioned the Matrix is apt, the Green filter is used to seperate the real world and the matrix

the way these are used, can make the difference between a good and bad film, they are just the same as different filming methods that directors are now able to use to their advantage !

[jmorgan]

I suppose that before any meaningful comparison is made, the source and processing and compression must taken into account?

[Uriel]

The teal/orange thing really grips my st. There have been films I've had to turn off because I've just sat there so distracted by it that I've been unable to focus on anything else than how they've managed to reduce a full colour shot to pretty much just 2 colours.

[Carl_Spackler]

Uriel said:

The teal/orange thing really grips my st. There have been films I've had to turn off because I've just sat there so distracted by it that I've been unable to focus on anything else than how they've managed to reduce a full colour shot to pretty much just 2 colours.

You must of loved Traffic then.

[youngsyr]

Uriel said:

The teal/orange thing really grips my st. There have been films I've had to turn off because I've just sat there so distracted by it that I've been unable to focus on anything else than how they've managed to reduce a full colour shot to pretty much just 2 colours.

I'd be surprised if the colour use isn't intentional. As mentioned above, coloured filters are used on cameras or in post-production all the time in filming for various reasons.

[Uriel]

Traffic was alright because it was used as an artistic device. For the same reason I don't mind the Matrix etc being green, 300 all being orange/brown.

But try and watch something like Transformers 2 (if you can stomach it) and once you're aware of it you just start looking at everything in the scene and seeing how they've twisted everythying...the grass is virtually blue and the sky is orange etc. I end up looking for things that have a fixed colour (fire engines, plants, company logos etc, and focusing on how they've managed it. But I don't believe it's an artistic thing, they're not trying to convey a mood or emotion. All I can think is that they're just trying to make whatever it is they want you to look at stand out from the scene, like I'm too dumb to know where to look. It reminds me a bit of the music industries loudness war.

There are some good examples here: http://theabyssgazes.blogspot.com/2010/03/teal-and...

Edited by Uriel on Wednesday 10th November 18:35

[Northern Munkee]

Teal Orange is very deliberate.

In fact a colourist from ILM discusses it here in a tutorial for colour grading software.

http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/videos/redgianttv/...

Go to 5min 50secs in. And the whole thing is a science, not only do they colour the shot digitally, they actually dress the set and actors in complimentary shirts etc, to enhance the colouring they want.

Guess his examples, yep, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, Terminator Salvation

There's even an Adobe tool called Kuler that does some fancy math to create the right balance of colour palette.

http://tv.adobe.com/watch/creative-suite-podcast-d...

Type in transformers or terminator into the themes and up pops algorithyms for you guessed it....

[RadoVR6]

28 Days later is really bad.

I switched it off after 5 mins.

[tvralfagtv6]

They will I hope get the message and not produce these colour ruining effects, someone in the industry sold them a real pup and is lying on a blue beach looking at a grey sun right by the red sea.

Eventually enough people will not buy or watch films produced in this format and we can all get on with watching a good film and not wonder constantly why the grass is blue or everyone has been tangoed.

I'll just give them 0 stars in film reviews eg love film if they include these effects, eventually the studios will get the idea.

[Acehood]

Some of you need to just watch the movie instead of criticising the picture. Seriously.

[zac510]

Acehood said:

Some of you need to just watch the movie instead of criticising the picture. Seriously.

The production values are just as important as the casting, the plot, the audio etc.