'Upstream Color' - Behind the Scenes

[QuickHitRecord]

Thanks largely to Andrew's original post, many people here already know that Shane Carruth shot 2013's excellent indie feature Upstream Color with a pair of hacked GH2s. At the time, aspiring filmmakers everywhere found inspiration that such a masterful film was created with such an accessible consumer camera. It still stands up today as a beautiful, challenging, thought-provoking film:

I just happened across some behind the scenes photos on Reddit posted almost a decade after the film's release. I've always wondered about the technical particulars of how this film was made and even though what was posted is pretty low-res and deteriorated further with early Instagram filters, it does show some pretty bare-bones camera rigs and a lot of natural light.

As I enter my forties and the dream of creating a meaningful narrative film in my lifetime seems to slip further and further out of reach, this is just the kind of inspirational kick in the pants that I needed. If 8-bit, 4:2:0 AVCHD from a Micro Four Thirds sensor was enough to create an immersive story like this in 2013, then the never-ending pursuit of marginally improved gear and software really is just a giant, capitalism-fueled distraction -- one that I know that I use to put off the very real possibility that when I buckle down to make something deeply personal, I might not have anything to say. But I also know that it will be my deepest regret if I never even try.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that my own thoughts and ideas aren't particularly novel or unique, so maybe others on this board will connect with this too.

[PannySVHS]

Even more to the story, I think Shane Caruth used Andrews 44mbit hack for the Gh2. I found the trailer compelling, the cinematography beautiful but the film all in all a bit of a let down due to its hyper fragmented narration. I got it on Dvd as a gift back then and it is an achievement I plan to rewatch on Bluray. The use of natural and available light is often a sight to be seen. Primer, the predecessor is a likewise confusing film and with some spectacular handheld camera work and editing, shot in one or two takes per shot on 16mm film. I call Upstream Color an oddity. Some find it masterful.

The filmmakers threats some time later against his fellow actress are very unsettling. They were in a relationship with one and another. She is a very exiting name in the indy directing world now with some mainstream success. The threats by Caruth are gruesome and very upsetting. I cannot forget about it when thinking about this film and it makes me very sad.

GH2 enthusiasts were often valid filmmakers with a solid filmmaking or creative background. If one rewatches Andrews GH2 pieces f.i. theres is a craftsmanship and art to it to be highly appreciated.

You go and make your film, short or long, doesn't matter. Long or commercially successful does not necessarily mean good. So looking forward to you grabbing a moderately priced 10bit cam and rock. Love your Ccd abventures and color galore. @QuickHitRecord cheers 🙂

[kye]

6 hours ago, QuickHitRecord said:

Thanks largely to Andrew's original post, many people here already know that Shane Carruth shot 2013's excellent indie feature Upstream Color with a pair of hacked GH2s. At the time, aspiring filmmakers everywhere found inspiration that such a masterful film was created with such an accessible consumer camera. It still stands up today as a beautiful, challenging, thought-provoking film:

I just happened across some behind the scenes photos on Reddit posted almost a decade after the film's release. I've always wondered about the technical particulars of how this film was made and even though what was posted is pretty low-res and deteriorated further with early Instagram filters, it does show some pretty bare-bones camera rigs and a lot of natural light.

As I enter my forties and the dream of creating a meaningful narrative film in my lifetime seems to slip further and further out of reach, this is just the kind of inspirational kick in the pants that I needed. If 8-bit, 4:2:0 AVCHD from a Micro Four Thirds sensor was enough to create an immersive story like this in 2013, then the never-ending pursuit of marginally improved gear and software really is just a giant, capitalism-fueled distraction -- one that I know that I use to put off the very real possibility that when I buckle down to make something deeply personal, I might not have anything to say. But I also know that it will be my deepest regret if I never even try.

If there's one thing I've learned, it's that my own thoughts and ideas aren't particularly novel or unique, so maybe others on this board will connect with this too.

The relationship between a cameras image and the emotional experience of the viewer are connected, but a compelling story will completely overwhelm the image quality.  I know there is no discussion on here about what happens to images once they're captured (and much discussion is relevant to only single images) but I think that the image quality is part of the last 10% of polish on top of a finished piece.

• Love is still love, even if it's in SD
• Heartbreak is still devastating even if shot on Alexa
• Betrayal is still ugly even if using Canon colour science
• Emotions are still colourful even if filmed in B&W

If you want to make a feature then go ahead and make one.  You are probably already familiar with Noam Kroll and the principles of writing the film you can make, starting with what you have access to and working backwards.  I think that probably everyone is capable of making a feature film of significance if they were able to look within and tell a story inspired by their own struggles.  

Until recently all of TV was in worse quality than every FHD camera on the planet, and millions or billions of stories were told.  Don't let colour subsampling and DR distract you from the fact that the human experience is universal, and that what separates a good film from a bad one is how much the audience can relate emotionally to what they see.

[PannySVHS]

I remember her name now, Amy Seimetz. After i had watched the film around 2014 or 2015 i remember reading about her as a filmmaker. She as an actress and artist was very intriguing to me and means something to me as an icon of indy filmmaking. To later find out about her being harrassed was very unsettling and saddening to me. It felt like the worm under her skin hurting her for real. To me this film is always connected to the real circumstances of the abuse coming after it.

Regarding watching SD content. @kye It was still mostly filmed on film. People were willing to watch VHS tapes, because it was the hot shit. Hard to replicate that experience and exitement about it. Well mastered Dvds look pretty impressive, sometimes better than streamed 1080p.

[IronFilm]

20 hours ago, QuickHitRecord said:

If 8-bit, 4:2:0 AVCHD from a Micro Four Thirds sensor

That's from an old sensor too! And "only" FHD. 

Recording FHD 8bit 420 from a GH6 today (maybe you've got severe budget issues when it comes to storage space and/or a potato as an editing PC) would look waaay better than the GH2 does. 

 

[PannySVHS]

Here is an interview from the Criterion channel with Amy Seimetz about her narrarive feature "Sun Don't Shine". She was director, writer and producer for this film, which came out in 2012, shortly before Upstream Color.