Why The Ring Didn’t Use Color Grading

How The Ring created its influential look largely without digital color grading, how I replicated it on a budget, and why it was worth it.

patreon:   / watchingtheaerial  
twitter:   / watchingaerial  
letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/watchingaerial/

American Cinematographer article: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ngYY...

The Greatest Long Take You've Never Seen:    • The Most Ambitious Undocumented Long Take  
Collateral & the Death of Neon:    • Collateral & the Death of Neon  
How Hitchcock Turned a Town Into a Film Set:    • How Hitchcock Revolutionized Location Shoo...  

Special thanks to my partner mystic_Iris for assisting with the photo tests and all her support behind the scenes. Follow her here:   / mystic__iris  

Links:
Intro
Empire - "The Ring Review" (March, 2003)
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/r...

In Search of an Article
Cinematography Forums - "The Ring" (Feb. 19, 2005)
https://cinematography.com/index.php?...
Translight Backdrop
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translight

Creating the Look
81EF Filter Specs
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
85B Filter Specs
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Existing Wratten Numbered Filters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wratten...
Roger Deakins Forums - "Printer Lights and Digital" (March 6, 2023)
https://www.rogerdeakins.com/forums/t...
Printer Points
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printer...
List of Motion Picture Film Stocks - Eastman Kodak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
Kodak EXR 200T Spec Sheet
https://125px.com/docs/motionpicture/...
"The Making of Joker with Cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC"
   • The Making of Joker with Cinematographer L...  
IGC Magazine - "Wild Card" (Oct. 10, 2019)
https://www.icgmagazine.com/web/wild-...
American Cinematographer - Clubhouse Conversation: Lawrence Sher, ASC on Joker (Dec. 10, 2019)
https://theasc.com/news/clubhouse-con...
Push Processing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_pr...

Recreating the Process
A Guide to Color Filters with B&W Film
https://thedarkroom.com/color-filters...
Kodak Professional Accessories Catalogue (Jan., 2000)
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/rea...
"rating kodak stocks in term of contrast" (May 30, 2005)
https://cinematography.com/index.php?...
"How to remove left over remjet after film has dried" (June 29, 2021)
https://cinematography.com/index.php?...
CineStill Film
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinestill
Bellows Film Lab Chicago - ECN-2 Development
https://www.bellowsfilmlabchi.com/pro...
Boutique Film Lab - ECN-2 Film
https://www.boutiquefilmlab.com/produ...
"How to Clean Your Negatives"
https://kodakdigitizing.com/blogs/new...
"Opinion: lab box ecn-2 process" (March 29, 2023)
  / opinion_lab_box_ecn2_process  
"What is preventing film photographers from shooting ECN-2?" (Jan. 27, 2023)
  / what_is_preventing_film_photographers_from  
"Testing ways to remove Remjet on Vision3 film" (April 24, 2022)
  / testing_ways_to_remove_remjet_on_vision3_film  


Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:26 In Search of an Article
03:09 Creating the Look
10:17 Re-creating the Process
17:50 The Results
24:23 Why Bother?