How Indie Directors Like ‘The Brutalist’ Have Been Supported to Shoot on Film

Viktória Sovák, the new head of NFI Filmlab, a post-production house in Hungary, has shared insights about the company’s extensive history and recent initiatives. With significant credits, including Venice competition titles “The Brutalist” and “Maria,” as well as upcoming projects by Oscar nominees like Ildiko Enyedi and Laszlo Nemes, NFI Filmlab stands out in the film industry.

Sovák took on the role of managing director at NFI Filmlab in February. Her career spans leading European film laboratories such as Laboratoires Éclair in France, L’immagine Ritrovata in Italy, and Hiventy/Transperfect in France. Her expertise covers a broad spectrum of film post-production, from film processing and negative editing to digital deliveries.

In recent years, Sovák has also contributed to film digitization and restoration. She was notably involved in the French ECPAD’s PSNA project, which focused on digitizing and preserving around 4,500 nitrate films. As a project manager, her responsibilities ranged from project preparation to supervising technical work and training technicians.

According to Sovák, NFI Filmlab is “the most complete and most experienced film laboratory in Central Europe,” offering a comprehensive range of analog and digital film post-production services.

NFI Filmlab is one of the few remaining film laboratories in Europe that provides complete analog post-production services such as traditional negative editing and both black and white and color film processing. Sovák notes that many productions looking for analog services consult Kodak’s official site, which lists all available analog labs by country. NFI Filmlab is among the few that can offer a full range of services from analog post-production to high-quality digital post-production services like scanning and mastering.

Satisfied clients often recommend NFI Filmlab, which has worked on “Maria” and “The Brutalist,” thanks to recommendations from the Hungarian production service company Pioneer. The lab’s work on the negatives of the four-time Oscar winner “Poor Things” has also garnered significant attention.

For “Maria,” the film processing involved 5,889 meters of 16mm color film, 5,095 meters of 35mm black and white film, and 55,160 meters of 35mm color film. The project required full negative processing, two months of preparatory work, tests, and 42 shooting days, with ten NFI Filmlab professionals participating.

“The Brutalist” required processing 87,039 meters of 35mm color film. This included full negative processing and digitization of the analog material, two months of preparatory work, tests, and 34 shooting days, again with ten NFI Filmlab professionals involved. The film was shot in Vista Vision format, utilizing 35mm film but achieving a higher resolution that allows for high-resolution 70mm copies.

Sovák points out that directors often use different formats for their unique visual effects. For instance, 16mm film offers more grain and an older look, while bleach bypass results in darker images. Handling these different methods simultaneously poses a significant challenge but is a specialty of NFI Filmlab.

Last year, NFI Filmlab began modernizing its analog lab by creating a high-tech processing hall and integrating three new processing machines from Photomec U.K., a leading company. These machines can develop both color and black and white negatives in 16mm and 35mm formats. They are more modern, ecological, and effective than previous models, meeting the technical specifications of Kodak’s labs.

“With our latest investment, we serve the market needs of new film productions and enable long-term restoration projects for archive films,” Sovák says. The modernization also includes updated chemical supply equipment, which aligns with today’s sustainability standards and helps reduce costs while maintaining excellent film processing quality.

The new machines allow more precise adjustments and can process up to 900 meters of negatives and 1,300 meters of positives per hour. The analog renaissance is alive, with both big studio productions like Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and independent films like Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” opting to shoot on film.

In a recent interview, Corbet told Variety that 35mm film stock offers a grander and more accurate representation of the final product, with better definition and color separation. He believes film creates an impression that almost makes images leap out of the frame.

Sovák emphasizes the importance of maintaining analog technology, noting the increasing difficulty in repairing obsolete analog machines. Equally crucial is passing on knowledge to new generations. NFI Filmlab is committed to training its staff and educating young professionals in the field.

NFI Filmlab, along with the NFI Film Archive, is set to begin an analog film preservation program, which involves a massive digitization effort for the archive’s films, particularly nitrate ones. The program will also include recording restored films on 35mm film to ensure their preservation for future generations.

Source: Variety