The EDCF, European Digital Cinema Forum, http://www.edcf.net was created three years ago by three European Institutions (SFI, DTI, BKSTS) in order to concentrate and coordinate E-cinema and D-cinema questions on an European level. It has a Commercial, a Technical and a Content module. Each module is divided in several Topic groups or work groups. Works and developments of these work groups can be found on the EDCF website. The principal task of the Technical module at this time is to work on the future standard of the Digital Cinema Distribution Master (DCDM) in other words the future digital film copy to be distributed to the cinemas. I think this is a very important matter for us cinematographers. This is the standard that will replace the 35mm film copy in the future. It is very important that it will not be linked to any brand of projection equipment or projector technology (as is the case now with the de-facto temporary standard), it should allow for complete world-wide compatibility (like 35mm has now) and allow for very high quality and flexibility. There are issues about encryption and copy-protection, resolution, color gamut, contrast, etc. The EDCF Technical module has been accepted by the SMPTE DC28 workgroup as one of the advisory bodies (next to the DCI Digital Cinema Initiative, representing the major Hollywood studios) for input about this standard. As Europeans we have certain specific technical needs (like multiple languages and subtitle facilities) but also a different point of view on quality, marginality and originality, more shortly said "European spirit". That is also why this work is important or else we risk that only the interests of the Hollywood majors will be served. That is the goal of EDCF-T. When I entered this group in September - December 2003 I found out that I was almost the only film maker in this group at that time. Most of the other participants were from companies making equipment like projectors or satellite communication systems etc. or are from exploitation (cinema theatre owner’s association f.e.). It looked like I was the only film-maker. This was rather surprising for me. I really had to impose my views a little there at that time because the interests of film makers apparently were new in this group. Today it starts to become more accepted that those views are important too, and that they are intimately linked to the distribution. John Thomson BKSTS, also D.O.P., now also is active in EDCF.
Please feel free to visit the web page of the EDCF Technical module http://www.edcf.net/pages/technical.html
Proposals from IMAGO at IDIFF.
IMAGO representative Kommer Kleijn SBC, representing IMAGO within EDCF-T, presented three proposals for the future digital cinema (distribution and exploitation) standard at the EDCF-T meeting in Cannes I-DIFF this 4 th of February 2005 and saw his three proposition accepted by the meeting. This may make those propositions into a EDCF-T proposition towards the SMPTE DC28 commission.
The three propositions may thus eventually become propositions from Europe towards the international future standard for digital cinema distribution. In very short, those propositions are:
-1. Openness to higher frame rates. 24 fps will continue to be an option, but shooting and projecting at 48, 50 and 60 fps would become possible as well.
-2. Frame rate compatibility with existing material. 8, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 30 fps
-3. Define how to represent stereoscopic imagery within the digital distribution copy. Since stereoscopy is going to be used anyway from time to time, let’s standardize it, so that stereoscopic installations will be compatible among each other.
links
http://www.idiff.org
and
http://www.edcf.net
Imago-Proposal for the forum EDCF.
IMAGO-Proposals for Digital Cinema
By Kommer Kleijn, SBC
