Push process

[Ivan Lebedev]

Hello , i'm starting my final short in the Moscow film school... All scenes are at night. The stock is Fuji 400 Eterna, but it's only about 200 iso. The question basically is : can i get some unusual look from this process, more saturation, contrast or something else... Or it all is only about exposition and grain? (the point is not to get more exposition)

[Roger]

You know I am not a big fan of push processing - if you mean forcing the development by this term - but it is a commonly used technique. I did force develop sometimes when I was shooting documentaries but I have only very rarely used it on features, although I have run tests from time to time. You should see an increase in saturation and contrast and you will certainly see an increase in grain. I think the only way to tell if you will like the effect is to shoot a test.

[octopoli]

i did many tests with pushing stock and I was not happy at all. It got a lot more contrast and grain and the colors were merky looking. Actually it looked a lot like that early metrocolor look or the early 70s Hammer pictures. Plus its expensive to do. I know that DPs do it often and do not get better results than i did, however. The Fuji 160 vivid test was the only stock that didn't get too merky color wise, but contrast was to old kodachrome levels.

[Ivan Lebedev]

thaks a lot for the comments, but what do you mean under "merky" and "metrocolor", what is it?

[Ivan Lebedev]

And is there any point to go this way (force development) in the case of DI correction after all??

[aslanyurek]

hello Ivan,

first, I'd like to suggest you just make a test and see results.
second; if you gonna use DI and you have no time/money to make test, don't push the negative just make what you want on DI.

ps. your name is familiar, do i know you?