processing day for night

[Carubian]

I've recently photographed a short alternative film on 7213. We shot a test roll to challenge the stock and experiment with colors. Part of this experimentation included day for night shots, whereby we underexposed and deliberately left the tungsten stock uncorrected outdoors. Anticipating some very blue footage, I was surprised to find that the lab had corrected it all. I'm relatively new to film, and assumed that Technicolor would not have performed this kind of correction without instruction. I had simply asked that they process normally. Did they jump the gun or should I have provided a more detailed explanation of our content?

[Roger]

If you didn't talk to the lab beforehand, or send them a stills reference for what you wanted, I can imagine they would automatically correct the image to look 'normal'. I think 'process it normally' could be misconstrued to mean 'correct' it. Bear in mind that this was done only in the printing and your negative will reflect the 'look' you are after.

[martellucas]

Carubian,
How did you receive your dailies? Was the "corrected" image just video dailies or a 2K/4K telecine?

Perhaps you or Roger can enlighten me: would such a correction be made photochemically or only in the transfer?
With DI's being so prevalent now, I would think the later.
thanks~!

[Roger]

That is two differing processes. When I shoot film I have a corrected/timed print made of a few shots every day and I watch that on a film projector. The rest of my 'dailies' I watch on a calibrated monitor from a DVD of a 2K scan of the negative, which has also been colour timed. That is not the final 4K quality of the final scan but it is a very good way to view dailies and that colour timing can be maintained for the DI.
When I was recently shooting with a digital camera we had our dailies timed at full res. and sent back on a removable drive. We viewed them on a large screen colour calibrated monitor.

[martellucas]

Rock On.
Thanks for clarifying-- I believed that exactly to be the case, but I witnessed many film students (me having been one of them) shooting film, then sending out for processing and requesting a One Light 2K scan to be used as the "digital neg," then attempting to colour time this final cut.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this like cutting the rushes/dailies together for a digital output?
If one is is shooting 16mm for a digital output (whether it's 2K or 4K), a One Light is less than optimal, no? Still combing through some research/forum so forgive me if I'm repeating a question.
cheers~
steve

[Roger]

If you are scanning your negative you scan it at a 'one light'. The digital negative is an exact copy of your film negative and can then be timed, colour corrected, when the film is finally assembled. The dailies you might view off the original negative can be timed for a film print or for a DVD but that timing won't necessarily be any use if you are going to a digital finish. When you shoot with a digital camera you can have any timing that is done to produce dailies follow along with the metadata of each shot.

[martellucas]

excellent, thank you!
After some reading I was starting to think a best light was better for a digital out when originating on film (http://www.finalcolor.com/Onelight.htm)

Thus far, any piece I have shot has not had the budget nor venue for a film print; I have had mixed experiences with labs and am still trying to find a preferred work-flow
for 16mm to digital output.