The EDCF guide to digital Cinema Production
Review by Tony Costa
A new tool for cinematographers is making its own evolution. Today for many cinematographers around the world a new format is arriving. In order to learn and understand this new feature to work with, there is nothing better to listen what the pioneers have experienced with HD shooting for large screens. That it is what is all about in this book “The EDCF Guide to Digital Cinema Production”. With this publication it is possible to understand much better details of the trade by reading the different experiences lived by the pioneers of HD shooting for Cinema.
Each one of the statements is described in detail from pre-production to post-production.
Directors of photography describe with honesty each step that they had to overcome to be able to capture the story in digital cinematography. From adapting accessories to operate the camera and to find solutions for direct sound recording, each one explains with vivid enthusiasm their adventure. They explain the new concept and approach to shoot a feature on digital format in comparison to analog image. The positive and negative aspects of both formats are widely debated in this book.
The description of the work in post production is made along with Lab technicians for DI (Digital intermediate), for laser scanning, colorists and special affects. The problems that they have faced by learning the differences from analog image gave them strength and deep knowledge about the process. This is what this book transmits by publishing a variety of statements from directors of photography, directors, producers and lab technicians. It is fact an excellent guide for those who really are interested in getting involved with Digital cinematography.
The book leads the reader through all aspects of HD shooting without leaving any aspect of creating digital images behind.
Contents
Prefaces
Åse Kleveland, Chairman EDCF
Johannes Lassila, Chairman EDCF Content Module
1. INTRODUCTION
WHY DIGITAL? by Lasse Svanberg
• The History
Film is Dead!
”The Incredible Shrinking Game”
Silver or Rust?
Three milestones
• The Present
What’s the difference between E- and D-cinema?
Resolution?
Who Runs the Digital Show?
• The Future
• About this book
2. THE TOOL BOX
2.1 HD Systems & Cameras by Roland Sterner
• Systems
Requirements
The ”Film Look”
Image sharpness, resolution and colour quality
Depth of field
The viewfinder
Variable frame rate
Exposure latitude
Lenses
Camera noise
Accessories
Post production
• Recent Camera models
Sony
Panasonic
Viper
DALSA
ARRI
JVC
• Conclusions
2.2 HD Camera Testing by Hans Hansson
• Adjusting back-focus with Siemens star
• Adjusting back-focus with collimator
• P+S Pro Digital Images Converter
• Lens sharpness tests
• Exposure
2.3 The 37 Most Frequently Asked Questions on HD Production
by Michael Brennan
• What is HD?
• Do you need less light when you shoot HD?
• Do you need less crew with HD?
• Can HD tapes be damaged by x-rays or metal detectors?
• Are HD CCDs damaged by airline travel?
• How good is the audio recording on a HD camcorder?
• Do I use a clapper?
• What is negative fill?
• Is there a difference in lighting for HD than film or standard def?
• Do I need a big HD monitor to make good HD pictures?
• Do HD cameras have a problem with red?
• Why shoot HD if there is no HD transmission?
• Can HD record in slow motion?
• Video lenses are inferior to film lenses?
• Panavision lenses are best?
• Should I record sound on camera?
• What about the adapters that convert 35 mm lenses to HD?
• HD strobes more than film
• Film guys can’t handle HD
• Can video guys shoot HD?
• Should I shoot straight and achieve the look I want in post?
• Can HD cameras handle extremes of temperatures and humidity?
• HD post is complicated and time consuming
• Audiences think that HD is awful
• What is a Viper?
• What is 4:4:4?
• What is 720p?
• HD is lower resolution than 2K
• Compression is nasty since you lose colours and resolution
• HD viewfinders are awful
• HD cameras make a lot of noice
• Digital effects are expensive
• HD cameras are large and heavy
• Is there a HD minicam?
• What are the benefits of shooting HD?
• What are the drawbacks of shooting HD?
• What is the most important thing to consider when shooting HD?
3. HD Film Production in Scandinavia – a few case studies
3.1 Ingmar Bergman Meets Hi-Tech by Lasse Svanberg
• Part 1. Pre-production and production
Background
Choice of production technique
Shooting problems
Recording techniques
• Part 2. Post-production
The 35 mm film version
• Conclusions
3.2 The Swedish Digital Experience by Lasse Svanberg
• Pioneering work
• The Third Wave
• The Infrastructure
• In conclusion
3.3 The Danish Digital Experience by Jens Ulff-Møller
• Technical issues: HD image versus 35 mm
• Recording format
• Danish Digital Movies
”Dogville”
”Wilbur Wants to Commit Suicide”
”Zafir”
3.4 A Finnish HD Experience – ”Hymypoikka” (Young Gods)
by Jarkko T. Laine
• Pre production
• Production
Cameras
Some other practical problems
Focus problems
Screening of rushes
Exposure
• Post Production
• Release printing
• Conclusions
4. Audio Recording for HD by Simon Bishop
• Unwanted on-set noises
• What to record on and where
• Post production work flows for audio (and pictures) from shooting
to delivery format
5. Introduction to the Digital Intermediate Process by Steve Shaw
• Digital Intermediate vs. Digital Film
• The DI process
• Digital Film – width & depth?
• A Note on Log vs Lin
• Linear Data in a Log World?
• Resolution
• Greater than 2K?
6. Digital Cinema Economy – The Benefits of Change by Sean Foley
• Economic implications
• HD D-Cinema – an independent filmmaker’s medium
• Digital Exhibition and Festivals
• Case study
7. Some recent European initiatives in Digital Film Production, Distribution & Exhibition
7.1 European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF) by John Graham
• Aims
• Structure
• Constitution and the Future
7.2 National Film Theatre Digital Test Bed by Richard Boyd
and Sarah Trigg
• Why a Digital Test Bed?
• Objectives
• Snell & Wilcox
• Sound
• QuVis
• Texas Instruments
• The Projectors
7.3 European DocuZone (EDZ) by Kees Ryninks
• Working together across borders
• Euro Docs
• Central co-ordination of European programming
• Central Play-Out Centre
• One standardized server based system
7.4 Folkets Hus Digital Houses Project by Lasse Svanberg
7.5 UK Film Council Digital Projects by Peter A. Parks
• Digital Technology
• The UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund
• BFI screenonline
• The new funded programmes
• The UK Film Skills Strategy: building a workforce for tomorrow
• Distribution and Exhibition Fund
• The UK Film Council’s Digital Screen Network
• Conclusions
8. The Digital Future of Cinema – Faraway, So Close
by Patrick von Sychowski
• Technology
• Standards
• Business Models
• Service Providers
• International Ventures
• Content
• Conclusions
9. Standards by Peter Wilson
• Why do we need standards?
• Standardization in our industry
• SMPTE and the formation of Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI)
• European Digital Cinema Forum (EDCF)
• Technical Levels of Service
10. Archiving Digital Media by Paul Read
• What is an archive? What is digital preservation?
• Preservation vs access
• What’s the rush?
• Why digital?
• Cinema Images?
• Film Images?
• Compression
• So, at maximum, just how much data will we need to store?
• Migration
• Access
• What should this preservation format be?
• What suitable format do we have now?
• Where does this all leave us?
• In conclusion