The Filmmaker's Guide to Digital Imaging

for Cinematographers, Digital Imaging Technicians, and Camera Assistants

Blain Brown

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN: 9781138426139
• eBook ISBN: 9781317692645
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

It's a whole new world for cinematographers, camera assistants, and postproduction artists. New equipment, new methods, and new technologies have to be learned and mastered. New roles such as that of the DIT (Digital Imaging Technician), Digital Loader, and Data Manager are integral to today's motion picture production process. Take your mastery of these new tools, techniques, and roles to the next level with this cutting-edge roadmap from esteemed author and filmmaker Blain Brown.

The Filmmaker's Guide to Digital Imaging covers both the theory and the practice, featuring full-color, in-depth coverage of essential terminology, technology, and industry-standard best-practices. Brown covers new industry-wide production standards such as ASC-CDL and the ACES workflow. Interviews with professional cinematographers and DITs working on Hollywood productions equip you with knowledge that is essential if you want to work in today's motion picture industry, whether as a cinematographer, DIT, Digital Loader, Data Manager, camera assistant, editor, or VFX artist.

Topics include:

• Digital sensors and cameras
• The structure of digital images
• Waveform monitors, vectorscopes, and test charts
• Using linear, gamma, and log encoded video files
• Exposure techniques for HD and UltraHD
• Understanding digital color
• Codecs and file formats
• The DIT cart
• Downloading, ingesting, and managing video files
• Workflow from camera to DIT cart to post
• Using metadata and timecode

The companion website (www.focalpress.com/cw/brown) features additional material, including demonstrations and interviews with experienced DITs and cinematographers.

index

References to figures are shown in italics. References to tables are shown in bold.

2K video 30, 31

3D feature DIT carts 196

3G-SDI 33

4K Production Cameras (Blackmagic Design) 125

4K video 30, 31, 32, 33, 143

8K sensors 14

8K video 143

18% gray see middle (18%) gray

19″ racks (or rack mounts or relay racks) 202, 203–204

45 degree rule (diffuse white) 123

75% color bars (SMPTE) 50, 51–53, 52–53, 57

85 correction filters 134

100% Color Bars (or RGB pattern) 52, 53, 57

Academy Density Exchange Encoding (ADX) 259

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) 144, 252, 256; see also ACES (Academy Color Encoding System)

ACES (Academy Color Encoding System): color spaces 142, 144, 145, 257, 259; components of system 252; digital negative 114; headroom/footroom 76, 253; history of (AMPAS and ACES 256; Cineon system (Kodak) 252–253; ILM and OpenEXR 76, 118, 169–170, 252, 253–255, 254–255, 257; Image Interchange Format (IIF) 257); picture rendering 95; Reference Rendering Transforms (RRTs) 260; scene-referred method 71, 254–255, 257, 259; SMPTE ACES file format 259; terminology 259; workflow stages 258, 258

Adams, Ansel 58, 118, 127

Adams, Art: bits per stop 81; deBayering 12; diffuse white (45 degree rule) 123; DSC Labs OneShot charts 63–64; expose to the right (ETTR) 123; incident and reflectance (spot) meters 119–120; matrix 145–146; middle (18%) gray 121–122; native ISO 20–21; putting black at black 122–123; RAW concept 25–26; S-curve 7...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Bound to Create
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Sensors & Cameras
• The Digital Image
• Measurement
• Linear, Gamma, Log
• Exposure
• Digital Color
• Codecs & Formats
• Image Control & Grading
• The DIT Cart
• Data Management
• Workflow
• Metadata & Timecode
• References
• Acknowledgements
• Index