some desaturation and slightely higher contrast than normal?

You might be referring to bleach bypass. It's done during the processing of film when the lab skips the bleaching function. The silver is retained in the image along with the color dyes. As rizzo points out the image then has reduced saturation and latitude, along with increased contrast and graininess.

Now you can achieve this look digitally through filters in most color correction programs. After Effect has it as does Final Cut Pro.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Thank you. "Bleach" not "Beach". Fogettful me. Sorry if I confused you guys. Thanks for the help.

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When the script writing is done, the work has just begun. When the filming is done, the work has just begun. When post-production is done, the work has just begun. When the distribution is done, you decide if the work is done.

Be wary of doing this effect digitally when the original images is very vibrant and colours. If shot without regard to the final look of it, you will lose detail of the digital image when using these filters over the top, removing saturation pulls out the colour channels and subsequently you will remove the detail of the image. Shooting an original image where you know you want to to this effect to, make sure there isn't anything too colourful in the scene that will lose detail when you take out the colour.

I will be shooting a film that will have a very desaturated look for most of it, until the end. Where the colours are rich and highly contrasted against what the actors are wearing. My DP knows this and will shoot and very dull looking "negative" (raw video image, since in Digital it is my negative in effect). Then i post I can colour correct it without losing too much of the detail in the image.

I hope this helps.

Michael Rogers
McRogson