We at Motion FX, have various ways that we can collaborate with a Producer to Film record a movie.

The most common way is to introduce the Producer to one of our Partners to do all the online conform and color grading (DI) process of his movie. During that period we act as “DI consultants” to our Partner and to the Producer. In many cases the production is a direct client of our Partner. So depending on who has the contact with the Producer, we get in touch directly with the production and we book the time slot on when we will do the film recording.

You can study the Client Testimonial page or the Movies Sample on the side menu to get a better grasp of what we can do. Also have in mind that digital storage mediums can't hold your movie for more than 20 to 30 years when they are store and ignored state. Academy of Motion Pictures suggest to film record movies in 4K to be safe for over a century because the disks and the LTO's after 30 years they will be empty, check this study document.

Discuss with us or with our Partner the available options in film stocks and film recorders. The producer along with our Partner decide the appropriate workflow, film recorder and film stocks and we provide a quotation to Producer. While us providing the appropriate LUT's to our Partner in order to be able start the post process.

When our Partner has finished the post process and while production has seen couple of confidence filmouts tests, we sent the Invoice Proforma's to the production for the down payment in order to lock down the time slot for the film recording and order the film stock. Then we are expecting the hard disks containing the movie, plus the sound, (if we going to handle sound also). In the whole filmout process the production deals with us directly and the Partner has an advisory role.

The ordering of the film stock and the film calibration process takes almost a week. Then we start the film recording. When the recording is finished typically one to two weeks after, depending on the resolution HD/2K/4K, we arrange how we going to deliver, either by sending the zero copy (zero copy is the first answer print derived directly from the film recorded negative), or by booking an accommodation close to the Kodak Cinelabs Greece here in Athens, to have the involved persons from the production to see the projection and approve the movie.

We want to be clear in this point that we don't make money from Kodak services in any way or form and actually all services relating with copies, development and other chemical related process, are directly charged and paid to Kodak. We only facilitate the relation with them and the client, in order the client to be able to talk to just one responsible person for the whole process, what we really do is only the film recording and that is from where our profit comes.

In case of the possible need for photochemical secondary correction (is the color correction process that is being done in the lab with the final negative), depending on the selected workflow, it might be almost nothing (which is not charged), or it mite need a very wide spread color correction, that is being either included in the initial offer or client deciding it on the spot.

The materials can stay at the lab, in order to ask more copies when you need them or alternatively, we can ship them back to your country, or where ever you ask us to ship them. The rest of the copies and shipping is handled directly from Kodak Cinelabs Greece, since our work ends the moment we deliver the movie. Off coarse we can act on Producer behalf to assist in logistics and simple things in case its needed. Additionally our partner will be able with a simple rendering step to deliver the image for all digital forms like DCP, HD, SD and the Internet.

We can handle and materials that are color corrected using the NOT recommended REC709 method, graded in a broadcast monitor in QuickTime or TGA's or TIFF's. Our only clause will be that the result is on the responsibility of the client. We can offer a set of guidelines to make the result as good as possible, but due to the lack of credible color management we can't take the responsibility of the results, although we will do whatever on our power in order the film to look "good". For more check the Workflows & LUT's section of our web.

Below there are FAQ for Producers, looking to finish their movie and do a filmout or seeking for only a film recording service.

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FAQ for Producers

Q. Is it so complicated to do a Filmout?

A. It depends on the level of quality, the production seeks. Typically if you get in touch with one of our Partners around the globe, they will make everything transparent and easy.

Sent as a request using the side menu Request for Quotation and we will get you connected to the Partner which is closer to you.

Q. Can you handle sound?

A. Yes we can, Dolby SR, Dolby digital and DTS. Only the rights to Dolby must be paid first so we do accept already encoded material. It can be uploaded to our secure FTP for optical print.

Q. Can I have quick cost estimation for my movie?

A. We can’t give in public numbers. Click and fill the form “Request for Quotation” on the side menu and we promptly sent you a detailed quotation along with the list of our closest Partners.

Q. I saw somewhere on your web site that digital Hard Disk's or LTO's archive's has not being proven and that Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says there is NO real evidence that a digital archive will last for more than 30 years?

A. Yes unfortunately, that is true, currently there is nothing better, if you want your work of art to still exist in 60 years or more and be compatible with the future distribution systems that will deliver at least 4K, then do a real filmout in 4K... camera negative can stay in a status of "store and ignore", as they call it, for more than a century and film separations can do half a millennium...! Hard Disks, SSD's and LTO's need "data maintenance" at least every 15 years that cost tenths of thousands dollars... to read more register and download the document.

Q. What is the typical turnaround time from online conforming, to have a big smile on my face?

A. The post production phase along with all the filmout confidence tests it will take from two weeks to six weeks and it depends on the complexity of the movie. The film recording phase is about three weeks. So its from 5 to 9 weeks until you get that big smile!!!

Q. We have being told that a typical color session in a REC709 monitor is enough to get a good negative, why you are not recommending it as a good process?

A. There is a huge difference in exposing a negative film with a real film camera in a real film production set and exposing the same negative electronically with the intent to do a positive print.

What are most producers familiar with, is the typical expression that they get when they finish a film shoot, and from the processing lab they get the assurance of “neg. is good”. Between this and the same argument when the negative is exposed electronically, there is a whole world of differences…!!!

It’s totally different to expose negative to a REAL SCENE, than try to represent the reality, electronically. Not to get more technical, when you do DI, your aim should be a “good positive” and the steps to get to that, should be counted in your budged and in your calculations when you comparing offerings. It mite sound cheaper an offer that delivers a “good negative”, from another that delivers a “good positive print”.

But if you calculate the extra cost and effort to do the a second photochemical color correction on the lab that is involved on the “good negative” (and most of the time is not mentioned in offers) to get to the point to have an equivalent good positive print, you will be amazed…!!

It could be an extra 2.000 euro's to 6.000 euro's and from one day to one week, depending on the difficulty of the corrections needed. Read more in Workflows & LUT's

Q. Ok, but this argument connects the resulted quality of the projected positive print with the post production phase, that isn’t adds up to the cost of color correction phase of the post production?

A. Yes, it adds, but all boils down to the point of, what is the quality level the production is seeking. We do offer a cheaper Linear method to do a color correction accurately, off coarse not at the level of the artistic result that you will get from one of our Partners or a post production house that would use a high end LOG workflow, but you will get much closer to the aim of the “good positive print” than the REC709 “good negative” approach.

Also if you have the turnaround by producing movies regularly and your stuff is technically competent, it might be good idea instead of doing, in house only the editing, to get the know how from us to Color Grade your films also in house and gain the cost reduction. Color grading Its not rocket science, it’s not costly (it’s merely 20K euro’s the whole extra investment), and we can consult and assist you all the way thru. For the Linear method, check out the “For Students” on the side menu.

Q. What will happen if I want the REC709 method, can you deliver?

A. Off coarse we can, upon request, we will send a guide with instructions on how to prepare and minimize the possible problems in order to sent us a disk with the material to be film recorded. It’s understood although we have optimize, as much as is humanly possible, the REC709 workflow, the results are based in the best effort condition, which means, it will most likely need a secondary photochemical correction and you should count this extra cost on your calculations.

To be totally clear because the results are also dependant on the quality and the precision of your monitor, the positive print mite have some irreversible problems that we will not be able to handle in the secondary photochemical process i.e. contrast difference.

Q. I’m not interested to become a Partner, but for my info where I will find more details?

A. More info on how you can become a Partner, you can find on the side menu under the “For Post Facilities” link.

Q. We have a movie that will be mostly projected in digital theaters but I need to have also celluloid copies for some festivals that requesting it, what is the best option?

A. If your film is digital shoot (RED, Alexa, Viper, F900, F23, HVX200, EX3 etc), the best option is to color grade your film with LOG workflow and with the intention to film record it on regular camera negative stock (not inter-negative) like the Kodak Vision 3 5201D which is a typical 50ASA fine grain film that has a typical warm look and feel and delivers a very cinematic result.

The film recorder to be used should be the CRT based to get the natural antialiasing effect of the phosphor screen that will compliment greatly the pixel based imagery of your movie. If you have 4K original footage our Lasergraphics Producer will be able to transfer the 4K info to the film. Because the film is going digitally for distribution you will not need more than 20 - 30 film based copies so its perfect for this process.

To do the DCI copy, we will deliver a high quality conversion 3D-LUT that will transfer intact the images to the XYZ colorspace in order to get a perfect cinematic digital master for your digital mastering process.

Q. We have a film shoot movie what is the best workflow to go to digital and have also the copies for festival that require celluloid copies?

A. Since it’s a film acquired movie the best is to scan it in Log DPX, color grade it with LOG workflow with the intention to record it on inter-negative with ArriLaser to get a copy process that gives the least intervention on the original film character.

Inter-negative is a totally grain less film and has no character what so ever, since it’s a purely duplication stock, so it’s the best, because you already have shoot on film and we don’t want to add any character nor grain, since both are already existing in the first place form the film stock used while shooting. Moreover ArriLaser digital nature is perfect to transfer analogue film imagery with no intervention or antialiasing properties.

We will also provide a high quality conversion 3D-LUT that will transfer intact the images to the XYZ colorspace in order to get a perfect cinematic digital master of your film for your digital mastering process.

Q. How come and everyone is using inter-negative (intermediate) and not camera negatives since it’s so good for digital acquired images?

A. For decades film was the only high end acquisition medium, so the industry was organized to handle film to film jobs. Inter-negative was designed to be as grain less as possible and have a color response as flat as possible.

The main problem that was designed to solve was to duplicate the fragile edited original camera negative of a movie in order to be able to do copies. An edited original camera negative was almost unable to do copies because of the many cut points thus making it very fragile.

The years have passed and the last ten years we can do digital intermediate on film oriented movies, so the logical was to continue to go back to film on inter-negative and not camera negative since movies were being shot on film that has grain and character.

The last four years we get more and more digital cameras involved to the cinematography craft. It’s natural that everyone will try to do what he was use to do for years.

But there is a fundamental difference; we don’t have film acquisition as an original medium in many productions, which has as a result, the lack of the cinematic texture, look and feel in the digital images.

Many are trying to mimic that by adding artificial grain and some other effects to by pass the obstacle.

This is not wrong, but also is not natural. We simply saying that, instead of trying to mimic something that is so complex and difficult to get to, why not to use an analogue method like the CRT film recording on original camera negative, to add all these properties naturally?

Moreover because we have a digital transition to theatres is more and more common not to have big distribution to theatres with film, but instead with DCI (digital distribution), so since a film record on a camera negative can deliver almost 30 copies (it can do that on slow machines and because its not edited) we can get the cinematic look and feel as well as the few prints that we need for festivals and save few thousands of euro’s without going to inter-negative.

Q. But how many copies can we get with an inter-negative?

A. Inter-negative is a different type of film stock, the Kodak 2242 has an Polyester base material that makes it extremely strong against scratches and static electricity. It’s being designed as a film duplication medium, having extra strength in order to be suitable for the high volume production machines that producing 100 copies per day. Every intermediate film can deliver from 500 to 1000 copies.

Q. So there is a good reason, which sounds to me more industrial than aesthetic, what are the options if we use camera negative for our filmout to get that extra cinematic look, if we want to get thousands of copies?

A. Since we usually shoot digitally in 4K, we can film record in 4K and then make inter-positive and many inter-negatives to get the thousands copies. The 4K film out will guaranty the high quality of the duplication process.

Q. Can we follow one of the above workflows without actually go to film?

A. Yes you can, we actually offer a free generic 3DLUT film target to do it on the FAQ Students section. But if you really have the intention to go to film in some point of time and your film doesn’t falls to the student category you should follow the real film-out workflow and just don’t do the last step, the actual film recording. In this way, you will always have the ability to just transfer your movie to film with just one step, effectively and accurately. Ask one of our Partners about the options.

Q. What is a rule of thumb then for filmout?

A. For film oriented movie, LOG workflow, ArriLaser on inter-negative. For digital oriented LOG workflow, Lasergraphics on camera negative. For low cost student Linear workflow (or Log if they want) and do a film out only if it’s needed, on Lasergraphics using camera negative.

Q. Why don’t we just do a direct positive print for the festivals, isn’t it the same with negative recoding process?

A. We don’t offer that option, but if you select that road, don’t expect color accuracy, contrast accuracy, natural film grain and filmic aesthetics. It’s a matter of priorities and costs. Let’s be honest, if your priorities to have a really good print for this festival is on the bottom of your list, then you can.