MovieChat Forums > Vital (2004) Discussion > GORGEOUS cinematography--was it Hi-Def...

GORGEOUS cinematography--was it Hi-Def digital?

posted 18 years ago by Ike-12
15 replies | jump to latest

I'm pretty old-school when it comes to motion picture photography. No matter how fast digital image capture has advanced, I have always said that it will not be until a filmmaker does a LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or a DAYS OF HEAVEN in digital that I will be convinced.

Well, I'm a lot closer after seeing VITAL. I am only guessing it was shot in HD because of the super-sharp and colorful look.

But I can't seem to find any discussion of whether it in fact was photographed that way. In the R1 DVD's behind-the-scenes features I cannot see what kind of camera they were using.

Can anyone confirm what technology they used to shoot this movie, or give a link to a discussion of the cinematography?

The colors and compositions were just perfect. I'm not surprised to learn Tsukamoto was a painting student. This looks leaps and bounds better than anything else he has done, though.

[–] martin-b 18 years ago

Looking at the DVD credits there is no mention of either Kodak or Fuji so probably it wasn't originated on film. The credits mention Final Cut Pro but that doesn't have to mean a digital shoot.
Maybe you could have a look at Iron Man The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto, published by FAB Press and available from them, ( www.fabpress.com ) or Amazon.
Midnighteye review this book-www.midnighteye.com/features/iron_man.shtml
They say it includes "the blow-by-blow history of the making of all Shinya Tsukamoto's films,from Tetsuo to Vital". Also "fully authorised by the director and featuring first-hand accounts from many of his close collaborators".
Looks like an interesting book. Hope this helps.
Martin.

[–] Ike-12 18 years ago

That IS helpful, Martin. Thank you very much!

[–] Sven_Hassel 18 years ago

He used the expensive 35mm for this feature... due to the relevant budget restraints Vital had a very tight 7 week shooting schedule... according to the Tartan DVD leaflet.

"Ah storwee wike mine ha ne'er bean towld." - Chiyo.

[–] Ike-12 18 years ago

Really? It says in the booklet that it was shot on film? I'll have to try and get a hold of it.

If so, that's disappointing. Not because I have anything against celluloid, but because I was really hoping that he had broken through a new visual quality level for this type of movie.

[–] Sven_Hassel 18 years ago

Considering that Vital was a low budget affair it's surprisining that he went with 35mm. Take in to consideration that Tetsuo original prints were 16mm then due to it's popularity he was able to utilise 35mm for Tetsuo II then with A Snake of June he used 16mm. This is because of the subject matter I assume so this shooting of Vital was still quite a feat. I doubt the actors got their usual salary (the two central female characters aren't even actors, one is a model and the other is a ballerina).

"Ah storwee wike mine ha ne'er bean towld." - Chiyo.

[–] squelcho 18 years ago

Tsukamoto adds a vital ingredient to any format. A vivid imagination.
My guess is that he also does a fair bit of post-production visual fx treatment in the editing suite.
The result is uniquely Tsukamotovision.

[–] MetalMiike 18 years ago

It was shot on Fuji stock (you can just tell from the look) and the camera was an Arri 535. Actually Hi-Def wouldn't look as good. It would have been graded digitally, however.

Where Japanese cinema meets Keith Chegwin...

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] derekisdman 18 years ago

Also give a lot of credit for the wonderful transfer over to DVD. I have a projection system with a 106" screen and even blown up to that size it was gorgeous with no real noticeable flaws in the picture. Compared to the awful releases of some of Tsukamotos other movies, this was something else. Beautiful and great film.

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Xcalat3 17 years ago

Have to agree that was some fantastic Cinematography !

very good movie

8 out of 10

I Worship The Goddess Amber Tamblyn

[–] umma-ohz 17 years ago

I'm pretty old-school when it comes to motion picture photography. No matter how fast digital image capture has advanced, I have always said that it will not be until a filmmaker does a LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or a DAYS OF HEAVEN in digital that I will be convinced.

It's interesting you say that because when I watched Tsukamoto's 'Bullet Ballet' i got that same feeling of the real beauty of nature expressed in a film that rarely comes along, but I also felt it in the bits of 'Days of Heaven' that I did see.

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[–] Jeremy_X 16 years ago

It is definately 35mm material, you can tell just by the look of the d.o.f.
My guess would also be that it was shot on a good old Arri535, but thats debatable, unless Tsukamoto confirms it.

[–] DukeTogo1300 15 years ago

I figured from the look that this was too good to be digital, but I am also looking forward to the day when digital catches up to film.

On the Haze DVD Tsukamoto mentions that Haze was his first foray into digital shooting. He seemed quite excited about the freedom it gave him with reduced camera size and unlimited shooting. That in mind I would assume Nightmare Detective 1-2 used the same format, though don't quote me. I will be bugged if he forever sticks with digital, as film has a certain mystique that I have always associated his movies with, especially 16mm.

BTW, Vital was incredible. :)

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[–] Flabrezu 14 years ago

If you want to see an incredible-looking movie shot digitally, check out All About Lily Chou-Chou.