Far from delivering on the promises of the early advantages of DI's, digital capture has now thrown the universal standards and established processes for film colour management into disarray. Film was simple. For colour control, skilfully choose the lenses filters and lighting, understand film stock and processing, know the timer, and print!
Transparent and predicable, digital should offer similarly straight forward control of colour at all stages of production. But 'know your film stock' now equates to know your camera, 'know your processing' equates to know your colour scientist, and 'know your timer' means understand the whole process !
Whilst digital brings the advantages of on set review, complex composting and digital delivery, the variables are many and complex. Screen calibration, differing frame rates, multiple resolutions, camera colour rendition, use of stock footage, all add up in rendering the filmaking workflow ever more complex and fraught with potential pitfalls.
The American Motion Picture Academy's ACES standard brings one approach to controlling the process from camera to post and also allows for future developments of more accurate processing, wider colour gamut and predictable quality in the archives . In the meantime many other work practices exist, which are currently already producinng stunning images in the digital domain.
This session seeks to bring an understanding of colour control at all stages of production. Starting with primer on colour science, speakers and panelists will address the challenge at all stages of production and explain the solutions, including ACES. Examples from recent productions will be used by some of the industry's leading practitioners to highlight aspects of the pitfalls and solutions to issues faced by cinematographers, data wranglers, post-production supervisors and producers all across the globe every day.
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