1960's treatment

[Fiendish Astronaut]

Hi all,

What tips does anybody have for giving a digital image a 60's feel? I'm doing the stills for a shoot next week and they need to be provided digitally. It's a short film about a Soviet cosmonaut preparing for launch in the early 1960's and I've been asked to make some of the shots look like genuine 60's products. It's for a digital press kit so the shots need to be digital anyway, plus I don't want ALL the shots to have this feel so it probably needs to be something I can do in Photoshop with RAW files.

Here's something from the filming brief:

"The film should look almost 60's. There should be a very authentic feel to the whole piece. This will be achieved with a combination of set design and costuming and also in the grade. The film should have a very grainy look and a strange grade to match the references."

I've got some ideas and tried this sort of thing before, but have never nailed a definite technique for doing it. I'll be supplying this before I see the film so going to be tricky to match it! But I can at least provide something that looks like 60's photography.

 

[Socrates]

Hi all,

What tips does anybody have for giving a digital image a 60's feel? I'm doing the stills for a shoot next week and they need to be provided digitally. It's a short film about a Soviet cosmonaut preparing for launch in the early 1960's and I've been asked to make some of the shots look like genuine 60's products. It's for a digital press kit so the shots need to be digital anyway, plus I don't want ALL the shots to have this feel so it probably needs to be something I can do in Photoshop with RAW files.

Here's something from the filming brief:

"The film should look almost 60's. There should be a very authentic feel to the whole piece. This will be achieved with a combination of set design and costuming and also in the grade. The film should have a very grainy look and a strange grade to match the references."

I've got some ideas and tried this sort of thing before, but have never nailed a definite technique for doing it. I'll be supplying this before I see the film so going to be tricky to match it! But I can at least provide something that looks like 60's photography.

Tr-X film is still available. Why not shoot on film and and get a Kodak CD? Alternately, get the shots printed and scan them yourself.

 

[Fiendish Astronaut]

Thanks Socrates. I'm currently considering shottng with old film - but if I do go with digital - which I will be using for at least some of this I need to work out what I can do. I'm sure it only needs to a couple of subtle tweaks rather than a massive re-working of the style of every shot.

 

[JerryPH]

First, RAW is a good way to shoot, but what I did for that old postcard look of the 60's was go black and white (obviously), strong contrast and lots of vignetting.

In this pic, as an example, I wanted the look of a vintage 50s-60s snapshot of somewhere in Miami or similar to that.

Note the small hints of motion hidden under the vignette a little with the bottom right side seagull in low flight and the people on the far left... but the "hotels" clear. One could have taken the shot at higher ISO for a grainer look and feel... further adding age to the picture.

Quite retro in term of how it "feels".

In your case, it seems to assume FILM which is NOT digital pictures. Add lots of noise, DEFINATLEY all black and white and make sure the sound is tinny... meaning in the audio, remove al LOT of the bass and treble for that old fashioned sound that old microphones used to have... but thats not relative to a photo forum... lol

 

[Socrates]

Thanks Socrates. I'm currently considering shottng with old film - but if I do go with digital - which I will be using for at least some of this I need to work out what I can do. I'm sure it only needs to a couple of subtle tweaks rather than a massive re-working of the style of every shot.

You're right. It shouldn't be massive. I recently scanned some old family photos, including my grandmother's wedding photo from 1905. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.

 

[Socrates]

First, RAW is a good way to shoot, but what I did for that old postcard look of the 60's was go black and white (obviously)...

Hey, wait a minute! We had color postcards in the sixties. We even had talkie movies.

 

[Socrates]

Hi all,

What tips does anybody have for giving a digital image a 60's feel? I'm doing the stills for a shoot next week and they need to be provided digitally. It's a short film about a Soviet cosmonaut preparing for launch in the early 1960's and I've been asked to make some of the shots look like genuine 60's products. It's for a digital press kit so the shots need to be digital anyway, plus I don't want ALL the shots to have this feel so it probably needs to be something I can do in Photoshop with RAW files.

Here's something from the filming brief:

"The film should look almost 60's. There should be a very authentic feel to the whole piece. This will be achieved with a combination of set design and costuming and also in the grade. The film should have a very grainy look and a strange grade to match the references."

I've got some ideas and tried this sort of thing before, but have never nailed a definite technique for doing it. I'll be supplying this before I see the film so going to be tricky to match it! But I can at least provide something that looks like 60's photography.

I just thought of something that might interest you. I have some prints from the late sixties, July 1969 to be at tad more precise. My camera was on a tripod aimed at the television screen. I took several dozen shots of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin exploring the moon. I could scan them and get them to you. Naturally, I'd want credit for the shots.

 

[JerryPH]

Hey, wait a minute! We had color postcards in the sixties. We even had talkie movies.

I know... I was old enough to be around then.. lol But he wants a vintage look and that almost demands B&W.

 

[JerryPH]

Naturally, I'd want credit for the shots.

That should by all rights be yours already... but if you have concerns, take the time to watermark your pics and register them BEFORE handing them out to the public.

 

[Socrates]

That should by all rights be yours already... but if you have concerns, take the time to watermark your pics and register them BEFORE handing them out to the public.

I'm pretty much a trusting soul and I really don't have concerns but thanks for your suggestion.

 

[Rachelsne]

Have you ever seen the old post cards which have all the same colour reds , same colour blues etc like this image I found when I googled 1960s colour postcards:

I like how these look.

 

[Fiendish Astronaut]

I just thought of something that might interest you. I have some prints from the late sixties, July 1969 to be at tad more precise. My camera was on a tripod aimed at the television screen. I took several dozen shots of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin exploring the moon. I could scan them and get them to you. Naturally, I'd want credit for the shots.

HAHA!

Black and white is a good idea, but these are meant to be stills for an electronic press pack for a film which will be in colour so I think they should probably look similar; could provide b&w alternatives - I think I can be as creative as I want as it will be interesting to provide something really striking in it's authenticity.

Rachel, I can't see that image but this is a typical 1960's comsonaut photo... http://www.vibrationdata.com/Resources/Yuj0701.jpg

and a nice rocket: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Titan2.jpg

I'm like an excited child! I want to go to into space!!!

 

[Digital Matt]

When I think 60s, I think kodachrome, not necessarily b&w.

http://www.creativepro.com/printerfriendly/story/23201.html

 

[Happy Hour]

You might not believe it, but Picasa has some great options in it for this. I just use sepia or B&W add some grain and play with shadows and highlights ans in seconds you have a great vintage looking picture. You might want to give it a try. It wouldn't hurt.

 

[Happy Hour]

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I know this is a older look than you want but just as a example it took me a minute to do this