Seamless, no-nonsense, time-saving special effects are the focus of Ilford’s and Kodak’s latest motion picture film stocks while Fuji improves on its already existing products.

Ilford’s newest SFX 200 is a medium-speed, black-and-white pan chromatic film which delivers the creativity and quality of infrared without the hassle.

SFX 200, is an infrared ‘type’ (not a true infrared), medium-speed film designed specifically to be used with creative camera filters for producing infrared-type special effects. Unlike actual infrared, the new stock does not require any extra attention, such as special storage, and it requires no complicated loading techniques.

When loading actual infrared film no light can leak in, as even a minute pinhole will destroy not only the exposed piece but the entire film. Infrared must be kept at freezing temperatures.

SFX 200 handles like normal black-and-white film, it has a one-year storage life and can be left out of the refrigerator for days at a time.

Depending on how the shot is filtered, the cinematographer using SFX 200 can dynamically alter the look of the objects. With a red filter, a blue sky appears black, and trees become white, which is the look dop Ricardo Diaz achieved using the new stock in a recent music video.

Greg Davis, president of Greercom Professional, a Toronto film dealership, says that at present they are the only company selling it in Canada. He introduced the product at a mid-June csc meeting, and while it is still very new and everyone is still on a learning curve, he says several thousands of feet have been sold so far and the feedback from dops has been very positive.

According to Davis, the SFX 200 will be used for special effects in music videos and more artistic and creative commercials, but not likely in motion pictures or series work unless there is a special application for it within the picture such as a flashback or a dream.

Also new on the market and focusing on effects, is Kodak’s SFX 200T color negative film designed for tricky compositing applications.

SFX 200T is optimized for travelling matte shots so any foreground action shot against a blue or green screen can be more easily separated from the background.

Although any Kodak film can be used for shooting green or blue screen effects, the new stock makes the effects appear more seamless, and once scanned into the digital format, saves time in post-production.

SFX 200T, which is a special-order product, is a medium-speed, tungsten-balanced film with microfine grain. It has wide exposure latitude and accurate tone reproduction.

Improved film

While the latest Fuji products are not brand new to the market, its existing F-Series of motion picture films the F64D and F125 have been improved.

F64D is for daylight shoots while F125 is used when shooting under tungsten light. The new and improved film stocks, which the company has just started shipping this month, feature improved sharpness and granularity and more realistic gradation to produce more natural and realistic looking images.

Also part of the Super F-Series line of motion picture films, Fuji has developed a new version of its intermediate film stock for use in post-production, Fujifilm Color Intermediate (fci).

fci is a high-definition, ultra-fine grain intermediate stock designed to produce high resolution and ultra-fine grain while preserving all the color and gradation of the original negative. The new stock is best suited for optical work such as dissolves, wipes, fades and title effects.