pharma_GCP 1998

Throwback to 1998. My first shoot with my new Aaton XTR Super 16 camera, which I carried to set in a cardboard box. The crew got a good laugh!  And we had to use light meters and stuff.

This was an instructional video for the Novartis clinical trials on “Good Clinical Practice.” Kudos to the production company for going all in and shooting on film. I can't locate the full video, but I found this cutdown from way back then. All the grain and dust are real (enhanced from 640i to 1080p up-res). We shot on Kodak Double-X 7222, rated at 250 and pushed to 500 for increased grain. We purposely didn't clean the negative before transfer. We did the transfer at NFL Films (I think to BetaSP!) and asked the colorist to use a dirty bath for the neg. I put in hours studying "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"—not only a hilarious classic, but also a technical clinic on the look of 1950s and 60s film noir movies.We had a couple days of pre-light in the studio, all tungsten units and hard light. The set design people were great. Fun times!

A style like this is much easier to pull off now. You'd still need the time, studio, set, and crew. But the post would be dramatically more efficient.