Building a DIT cart...

[Björn Benckert]

I want to work one of your jobs haha.

I feel like the minute you walk onto set as a DIT and say what you CANT or WONT do you've completely cut yourself off.

Granted I will never typically OFFER to sync sound unless it's a known fact that I have to and if camera doesn't mind me constantly checking time code along with the mixer if there isn't a lockit box on set (hm, I should buy one of those).

The job I'm currently on is 2 EPICs, shooting 5k HD 8:1 with NO scratch track. why? because it's hand held and the DP and operator dont want any additional gack and the mixer doesn't want to really cooperate. Does this make my job harder? a bit.. but when I do a quick adjustment in redcine or make my prores 4444 (red log gamma space) I'm able to sync the audio in redcine within seconds and choose my channels to output or bake in.

The hardest part I find about having to sync audio on set is having the mixer cooperate with it.. a lot of times I get grief when I tell them I need their CF card every time I reload camera. Eventually they get over it.

The dailies thing has become pretty much second nature now. I have a few big names talent wise on this project and they are also wearing the producer hats so they want to walk away with what they shot, especially if it's a scene they were acting in and didn't get to watch the monitors. So not only am I taking 2 camera, syncing audio, changing gamma space and adjust WB and tint before i export out my 444 files for a quick grade in resolve I'm also making my 264 circle takes as well. It's not a tough work flow I suppose, I wish I didn't have to do 2 exports (redcine/resolve) but it is what it is.

I feel adapting is the most important thing I can do on set as a DIT, personally. I try not to bend over backwards, but you sometimes have to if you want to come back and play next time. I'm also typically the first person getting a call if there is a post issue/workflow issue so I'd rather just get it all dialed in right there on set.

Tom, I've been doing more and more live grading and I can typically see what you mean about it taking you away from what I posted above.. you're constantly johnny on the spot with it.

I wished the epic had a built in microphone, like my iphone or such. I know that it's possible to attach a small mic to ch1 or 2. But the sound guys does not want that, they want to attach those wireless recivers, that alot of times has issues, hangs of the camera etc... It would be so great to have a scratch track at all times, do not care for the quality of it, just something to go by whne time code is wrong and nothing else works, just to sync by.

 

[Michael Cioni]

The DIT Dilemma

The DIT Dilemma

I've enjoyed reading this thread since it started, and other threads like it. There are some good points made by all contributors and I take the time to read each one and "feel out" where the writer might be coming from. As they say, try to imagine yourself in another man's shoes before you jump to conclusions.

That said, I want to make perfectly clear that what I'm about to write is based not only on extensive on-set experience, but on the relationships with production supervisors, UPMs, producers, production companies and studios who run digitally captured features and television shows. Some DITs recognize that the "Light Iron way" of managing the DIT and data management roles differ from other entities. -Some prefer our arrangement, others do not. But the reason Light Iron manages the DIT process the way we do is because we largely designed our system based on the feedback we receive from the people who do the hiring and firing. So take a read of my comments if you like and understand that I manage the on-set dailies process of close to 100 projects per year - which is more than 1,000 shoot days annually. -I don't have every answer, but I've come across a lot in a short time and deal with studios as often as I do DPs.

Consider this: If you are interested in knowing what a DIT does, ask a DIT. But I was interested in knowing what a DIT should do: so I asked the people who hire them.

From there, it should come as no surprise that the role of the DIT is one that carries along with it some controversy. -Some readers may feel the word controversy is a bit extreme, but I can easily say that the role of the DIT is one that is consistently debated (partially proven by this thread). But the debate of the DIT doesn't stem from the DITs themselves - why would a DIT ever want to have to defend their own relevance? No, the debate of the DIT comes from the top down and some production's choices *not* to have a DIT are definitely short-sighted and (in many cases) flat our wrong. But in my experience, the DIT Dilemma is a lot more serious than some realize. Eric's download of his DIT perspective is incredibly relevant, challenging and typical. For anyone who is on the fence of this issue, I recommend re-reading his post and consider the challenge you face as a DIT is that (for example) Eric represents what an employer may be looking for.

There is no other production role on digital productions that is equally "in question" other than the DIT. No one is questioning the relevance of DPs, script supervisors, actors or camera operators. But whether or not a DIT is needed is a common discussion in the production office and above-the-line meetings. I have personally been in a hundred production meetings on large and small productions in which *not* having a DIT has been fervently discussed. Since I am in favor of the DIT, my vote counts in that direction, but there are plenty of cases in which DITs are not hired on a show or are demoted to another ancillary position. -If anything, that should be the initial reason DITs should be thinking about this issue: they have been named. And once you are "named" and the momentum of defending ones relevance comes into question, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain favor as time goes on and trends inevitably shift.

It was during this this observation that we continued to examine the role of the post house as well. While DIT's have been named, they're not the only ones: post houses are also being challenged. And then we thought: these two [related] areas represent endangered species in our changing media ecosystem. Consider this: if a measurable portion of the industry feels like they no longer want to rely on post houses, and another measurable portion of the industry feels like they no longer want to rely on DITs, then the beginnings of a predictable outcome starts to be revealed. -Clearly these two issues are related in some way! We can even assume that there is some portion of these two camps that believe the same thing. -Overlapping their no-post/no-DIT notion together! -Those became people worth targeting and inquiring as to "WHY?" The results are typically plain and simple: economics. Everyone wants more for less. I don't care if it's a producer on a film or your mother at the grocery store. There is a perceived notion in the eyes of many producers that the DIT and the Post House are more expensive than the return service they provide. -And for many, that's not a new perspective, but until now, an alternative simply didn't exist.

The data that I've collected and successfully applied into my business suggests that the post house is less desirable than ever before and in terms of dailies provisions, will not exist by 2017. Mark my words. Likewise, the sophistication of cameras continues to increase and for the DITs who have been in the game for 10 years, you know that many of the tools you used to require to normalize images on your cart have been absorbed into the camera itself. In fact, I predict that by 2021, all the capture, transcodes (there won't be transcodes, but the equivalent of the transcode), sync, color, windowburn, watermarking, versioning, color space conversions and even lined-script notes based on totalcode-timecode during capture will *ALL* be recorded and managed by the camera and saved to an online cloud server. In other words, a significant portion of what Light Iron does today to make its money will not exists in 10 years (which is the same for thousands of people world wide). Again, mark my words.

These predictions are based on following the data that has been compiling for 10 years, analyzing Moore's Law, talking with targets of manufacturing, evaluating the market evolution and making a few educated guesses. The result: in 2021, we will not have DITs or dailies post houses. -Sure, I'm scared, too, but I know enough of my own abilities to predict the market that I intend to evolve along with it - as opposed to devolve in spite of it as some do. If you are a DIT today, I can assure you that you won't be a DIT in 2021. -Maybe that's a relief But it means that one needs to find ways to A) build a career that leads to professional satisfaction in the future and B) find ways to extend your relevance today as far in the future as appropriate.
For answer B, I can tell you exactly what Light Iron does. Again, while some people disagree with the Li model, I can tell you that it has changed the lives of the producers who take advantage of the system and the people who are our regular operators. It's not the only system out there, but I have to say even I'm impressed with our recent developments. So before you knock it, try it;-)

The post house is at the end of its life, and unless DIT's realize this is their last chance, DIT's will share in the slowly fading demise of post houses. The DITs that quickly point out they don't have time to do certain tasks, or that it's not their job are the prey of the post house; big post houses LOVE the DITs who don't deliver things complete, correct or compliant because it enables them to charge production for the same services all over again. -Sometimes a premium! But for the enabler DIT - the ones that have desire and the skill set to provide the services that post is, they are the threat to the post house and the white knight to the producer. Remember: based on the changing media ecosystem, most post houses use similar equipment DITs use. -Only they are willing and able to finish the job. If you share similar tools, then it becomes more of a mental game of completing the task, not a physical one.

So in a matter of survival: focus on what you can bring to the production, not what you can't. Focus on how you can protect the filmmaker, not protect yourself. Focus on what technologies exist that elevate potential and possibly, not just copying what everyone else uses (there are lots of bad DIT habits that are spread across the world). Focus on practicing and improving on the areas in which you struggle, not ignore them or pass them off to another person. If you are providing all of the above, then you know what I'm taking about. Your job is a lot more protected when you can demonstrate you are more relevant than a dailies post house.

If you are doubting all of the above, then I wish you the best. It truly is a dilemma and we can all agree it's a complex issue. But know that the post house is dying and that it's hoping that DIT's make mistakes and refuse to provide services. The less DIT's do, the more air in their lungs. And while that may seem good for both the DIT and post house, it's bad for the creative. The truth is getting out and there are creatives who are experiencing life without a post house thanks to the talent of good DIT's. By this, a new standard is being born and I have watched it explode over the past 3 years - which is why this is all worth debating. But one things is for sure, 3 years ago on-set dailies was but a fraction of a fraction of services on set. Today, it's 100% of my dailies business and growing with companies all over the world. If you think the DIT as a post provider is a phase that will phase itself out, then you are already less valuable than your employers think...but they'll figure it out soon. They always do.

| m |

 

[Bob Minervini]

This is most definitely the post of the year for me. Forward looking and daring. Great thoughts. This is what sets apart a great mind from the rest of the gear porn nerds troops.

 

[paul engstrom]

Offcourse there are shooting days when there could be a need for bigger gear. If the DP or director insist on shooting highspeed all day and keep the camera rolling just about constantly. For those days things will be stressfull. but those days are rare.

As the raid has 4tb raided storage and the SSD reader is connected to it with Esata we can empty a 128Gb card in about 20minutes. Usually there is time to render proxies to a FW drive before the next card comes in and a usually the setup covers a one camera regular shooting day. As in duplicating the r3d's and render proxies. If I also want to look trough all the proxies than that takes... realtime and if the setup is rendering it will lag. but usually it's time for browsing the files between renders as well. If not it's possible to use two firewire drives and a secondary laptop and do the browsing on the second laptop.

But it goes without saying the system is not digesting, rendering and browsing in real time... which would be needed if somebody would shoot non stop all day. But that is not the normal scenario. We do commercials mostly and each camera setup takes time and each scene takes time and so on, So for our day to day job this case does the job well. If there is a stress full day we might just backup the r3d's scroll them in 1/16 and then bring the case home over night and set it to backup and render proxies. But thats rare, normally it's managed during the shooting day. Towards the end of the day we snag the mags more frequently from the camera and by doing so we usually managed to have it all done before the lights are out and the shooting day is over.


Normall amount of r3d's is about a 1Tb / day.

we also got a fire wire feed coming out of our ref monitor so if we need to edit or such I usually hook up a laptop capture the video tap and test edit from that and such so that the "r3d case" can be left alone redering. Another cool thing with having fire wire out from the video feed is that we very often use that feed as our camera in SKype or Ichat and have agency people overlooking the shoot trough skype.. This works like a charm. They get the sound feed from the laptop and the video feed from the camera. The picture quality that goes tough is actually very good as it comes straight from the epic and is downconverted to FW pal so it is much better than the little facetime camera of a laptop. We have been shooting here in stockholm and had the creatives in kentucky and the agency producer in LA and they all love it, "does not even have to get out of bed to attend the shoot" where thier comment. The agency producer thought this way of working was so great so she actually made a little move about it... see: http://vimeo.com/50340269

The film does maybe not make much sense but you get a hint.

Thanks Bjorn,

I can see how that would work great for a commercial, but not so well for a movie. Thanks for sharing your system (and keep up with the great work that you share on here).

 

[paul engstrom]

I've enjoyed reading this thread since it started, and other threads like it. There are some good points made by all contributors and I take the time to read each one and "feel out" where the writer might be coming from. As they say, try to imagine yourself in another man's shoes before you jump to conclusions.

That said, I want to make perfectly clear that what I'm about to write is based not only on extensive on-set experience, but on the relationships with production supervisors, UPMs, producers, production companies and studios who run digitally captured features and television shows. Some DITs recognize that the "Light Iron way" of managing the DIT and data management roles differ from other entities. -Some prefer our arrangement, others do not. But the reason Light Iron manages the DIT process the way we do is because we largely designed our system based on the feedback we receive from the people who do the hiring and firing. So take a read of my comments if you like and understand that I manage the on-set dailies process of close to 100 projects per year - which is more than 1,000 shoot days annually. -I don't have every answer, but I've come across a lot in a short time and deal with studios as often as I do DPs.

Consider this: If you are interested in knowing what a DIT does, ask a DIT. But I was interested in knowing what a DIT should do: so I asked the people who hire them.

From there, it should come as no surprise that the role of the DIT is one that carries along with it some controversy. -Some readers may feel the word controversy is a bit extreme, but I can easily say that the role of the DIT is one that is consistently debated (partially proven by this thread). But the debate of the DIT doesn't stem from the DITs themselves - why would a DIT ever want to have to defend their own relevance? No, the debate of the DIT comes from the top down and some production's choices *not* to have a DIT are definitely short-sighted and (in many cases) flat our wrong. But in my experience, the DIT Dilemma is a lot more serious than some realize. Eric's download of his DIT perspective is incredibly relevant, challenging and typical. For anyone who is on the fence of this issue, I recommend re-reading his post and consider the challenge you face as a DIT is that (for example) Eric represents what an employer may be looking for.

There is no other production role on digital productions that is equally "in question" other than the DIT. No one is questioning the relevance of DPs, script supervisors, actors or camera operators. But whether or not a DIT is needed is a common discussion in the production office and above-the-line meetings. I have personally been in a hundred production meetings on large and small productions in which *not* having a DIT has been fervently discussed. Since I am in favor of the DIT, my vote counts in that direction, but there are plenty of cases in which DITs are not hired on a show or are demoted to another ancillary position. -If anything, that should be the initial reason DITs should be thinking about this issue: they have been named. And once you are "named" and the momentum of defending ones relevance comes into question, it becomes more and more difficult to maintain favor as time goes on and trends inevitably shift.

It was during this this observation that we continued to examine the role of the post house as well. While DIT's have been named, they're not the only ones: post houses are also being challenged. And then we thought: these two [related] areas represent endangered species in our changing media ecosystem. Consider this: if a measurable portion of the industry feels like they no longer want to rely on post houses, and another measurable portion of the industry feels like they no longer want to rely on DITs, then the beginnings of a predictable outcome starts to be revealed. -Clearly these two issues are related in some way! We can even assume that there is some portion of these two camps that believe the same thing. -Overlapping their no-post/no-DIT notion together! -Those became people worth targeting and inquiring as to "WHY?" The results are typically plain and simple: economics. Everyone wants more for less. I don't care if it's a producer on a film or your mother at the grocery store. There is a perceived notion in the eyes of many producers that the DIT and the Post House are more expensive than the return service they provide. -And for many, that's not a new perspective, but until now, an alternative simply didn't exist.

The data that I've collected and successfully applied into my business suggests that the post house is less desirable than ever before and in terms of dailies provisions, will not exist by 2017. Mark my words. Likewise, the sophistication of cameras continues to increase and for the DITs who have been in the game for 10 years, you know that many of the tools you used to require to normalize images on your cart have been absorbed into the camera itself. In fact, I predict that by 2021, all the capture, transcodes (there won't be transcodes, but the equivalent of the transcode), sync, color, windowburn, watermarking, versioning, color space conversions and even lined-script notes based on totalcode-timecode during capture will *ALL* be recorded and managed by the camera and saved to an online cloud server. In other words, a significant portion of what Light Iron does today to make its money will not exists in 10 years (which is the same for thousands of people world wide). Again, mark my words.

These predictions are based on following the data that has been compiling for 10 years, analyzing Moore's Law, talking with targets of manufacturing, evaluating the market evolution and making a few educated guesses. The result: in 2021, we will not have DITs or dailies post houses. -Sure, I'm scared, too, but I know enough of my own abilities to predict the market that I intend to evolve along with it - as opposed to devolve in spite of it as some do. If you are a DIT today, I can assure you that you won't be a DIT in 2021. -Maybe that's a relief But it means that one needs to find ways to A) build a career that leads to professional satisfaction in the future and B) find ways to extend your relevance today as far in the future as appropriate.
For answer B, I can tell you exactly what Light Iron does. Again, while some people disagree with the Li model, I can tell you that it has changed the lives of the producers who take advantage of the system and the people who are our regular operators. It's not the only system out there, but I have to say even I'm impressed with our recent developments. So before you knock it, try it;-)

The post house is at the end of its life, and unless DIT's realize this is their last chance, DIT's will share in the slowly fading demise of post houses. The DITs that quickly point out they don't have time to do certain tasks, or that it's not their job are the prey of the post house; big post houses LOVE the DITs who don't deliver things complete, correct or compliant because it enables them to charge production for the same services all over again. -Sometimes a premium! But for the enabler DIT - the ones that have desire and the skill set to provide the services that post is, they are the threat to the post house and the white knight to the producer. Remember: based on the changing media ecosystem, most post houses use similar equipment DITs use. -Only they are willing and able to finish the job. If you share similar tools, then it becomes more of a mental game of completing the task, not a physical one.

So in a matter of survival: focus on what you can bring to the production, not what you can't. Focus on how you can protect the filmmaker, not protect yourself. Focus on what technologies exist that elevate potential and possibly, not just copying what everyone else uses (there are lots of bad DIT habits that are spread across the world). Focus on practicing and improving on the areas in which you struggle, not ignore them or pass them off to another person. If you are providing all of the above, then you know what I'm taking about. Your job is a lot more protected when you can demonstrate you are more relevant than a dailies post house.

If you are doubting all of the above, then I wish you the best. It truly is a dilemma and we can all agree it's a complex issue. But know that the post house is dying and that it's hoping that DIT's make mistakes and refuse to provide services. The less DIT's do, the more air in their lungs. And while that may seem good for both the DIT and post house, it's bad for the creative. The truth is getting out and there are creatives who are experiencing life without a post house thanks to the talent of good DIT's. By this, a new standard is being born and I have watched it explode over the past 3 years - which is why this is all worth debating. But one things is for sure, 3 years ago on-set dailies was but a fraction of a fraction of services on set. Today, it's 100% of my dailies business and growing with companies all over the world. If you think the DIT as a post provider is a phase that will phase itself out, then you are already less valuable than your employers think...but they'll figure it out soon. They always do.

| m |

Spot on Michael. We're seeing all these trends here as well on larger and smaller budgets. Its pretty exciting actually

 

[Dominick Pietrzak]

Woah I was stoked when I saw all of these new replies after being so busy! Thanks so much for all of them. I read through all of them, and it's excellent to be able to read all of the different views and opinions.

Michael, thanks for the input. Times are definitely changing and those who refuse to accept it will be at a loss. I hope, and think, that the DIT position will evolve. I also enjoyed speaking with you through email about your DIT stations and workflows.

What I am doing here, in the end, is building a system which I can both use for my own shoots and projects, as well as one that I can offer certain services with to productions. All the while not spending $50k. I'm starting by offering transcoding / dailies, along with Data Management and Camera Tech.

 

[Sareesh Sudhakaran]

... In other words, a significant portion of what Light Iron does today to make its money will not exists in 10 years (which is the same for thousands of people world wide). Again, mark my words.

...
For answer B, I can tell you exactly what Light Iron does. Again, while some people disagree with the Li model, I can tell you that it has changed the lives of the producers who take advantage of the system and the people who are our regular operators. It's not the only system out there, but I have to say even I'm impressed with our recent developments. So before you knock it, try it;-)


| m |

Michael, your excellent post has been very beneficial to me. Thank you for taking the time out to write it. May I ask, what is answer B? How does Light Iron plan to tackle this problem?

Obviously I don't expect you to reveal all your cards, but please share some general strategies one can adopt. Thanks again!

 

[Tom.Wong]

Michael, you make excellent points, and it is a hot topic where there are a lot of agreements and some disagreements. But in the end, I honestly can say I am not a, "i don't do that" kind of guy. Rather I"m more of a what makes more sense kind of guy. Sound, dailies, color, etc. If it makes sense for me to do it, I'll do it. The DIT is undisputely a position that is new considering, and debated when it comes to the bottom dollar. There is no point in my justifying the position, but if I'm needed, I'm needed plain and simple. Some people prefer without and other prefer with. In the end, I'd like to think a better product comes about with me being involved, as with any proper DIT in the production process. The job has always been evolving and will continue to evolve. In essence the roots was really a video engineering position and has grown to the way it has now. In the end, whether the position remains, some evolution of the position will continue on because it is technical position that translates set to post no matter what it becomes in the years ahead. It could be as advanced as you say it is, but a technical standpoint will remain and someone will have to organize and make it happen. Granted people are more tech savvy by the generation, but I truly believe that departments and specializations have their place, and dedicated people in their fields can bring more to a set than a person that wears many many hates.

I also don't think a post house will be eliminated completely, maybe more so the boutique houses over the large houses. Big budget heavy shows and films will always need a facility to fill in the gap and handle what they have. More is being shot for cheaper these days, but it all has to be organized at point or another no matter what medium it's acquired or archived in. edit to finish, a 55+ tb film is still a lot for any boutique or single person freelance company. storage may get cheaper by the year in larger capacity and increase in speed, but even to this day we have a hard time keeping up with digital cinema acquisition files of various types. On set is always it's own animal, always different with different needs, and it's not always viable to bring large carts on set especially what's required as a lab for a heavy duty workflow. Things may get simpler or more complicated, it always goes back and forth. But it's always about evolving with the process. and i think anybody that can evolve and mold themselves into what the future may hold but still be able to concentrate on what is now will be ultimately extremely successful.


and i really hope whatever form of DIT will exist past 2020, i really can't imagine myself doing too much else at the moment. I'd be extremely heart broken otherwise, i really love what i do

 

[Michael Cioni]

Michael, your excellent post has been very beneficial to me. Thank you for taking the time out to write it. May I ask, what is answer B? How does Light Iron plan to tackle this problem?

Obviously I don't expect you to reveal all your cards, but please share some general strategies one can adopt. Thanks again!

Sareesh-

Actually, I have no problem revealing our cards
Ever since I started working in Hollywood, I found that sharing information is more effective in building relationships than in boasting about "secret sauces" that are reserved for clients only. While many people (especially post companies) lure people in with so-called "proprietary tools," I find that sharing the knowledge with everyone and everyone yields far more positive results. Hopefully, that mantra has translated to forums like this, my blog, dozens of interviews, the Light Iron website and our free training program, OUTPOST University.

What I was referring to in "B" was the design of our on-set business. The core of our success is anchored in two parts: the talent of the operators and the technology in which we equip them.

For the operators, we have found that the key to success is in letting DIT's BE DIT's. In other words, not employing Light Iron staff to operate our carts. The norm in the on-set industry is to use their own employees as operators because they convince productions that their employees are the best to provide services. -While I can already hear the grumblings of some readers that subscribe to that model, I can say without hesitation that it is better to train and equip production people in the ways of post rather than train and equip post people in the way of production. In essence, once you determine that on-set post is the path to the future, the big dilemma for many people is to determine who is the best person to be the operator: post people or production people. I don't think it's a "tie" by any means and I never underestimate the ability for production people to learn new traits. Because production already has an established set of rules, regulations, protocol and due process, we find that they are a better candidate for this "transplant" than making a post person comfortable with the set. Beyond that, post people do not have a union contract with the set and in almost every case I've seen, post-driven employees providing on-set services costs more. This is due to the fact that the overhead of a company is more significant than the overhead of a general contractor (private citizen). So training willing operators who want to make more money by replacing the post house means 1. they keep their existing job 2. they get paid more for doing more 3. they maintain their existing relationships with production entities 4. they already know the production process
While it can be argued that post employees can assimilate into a production, I have tried it and found that it is only achievable with more resistance. Plus, DITs deserve to keep the job they established and seeing a post house replacing their role creates tension on the set. UPMs, Producers, the crew and even DPs can be confused by this arrangement. But when a DIT provides the service, everyone understands. Of course, it's the post house that becomes the loser in this equation, but since they never had an established contract for being on set (and the majority never showed any interest in it) they will have to adapt to change different ways. Simply moving a dailies colorist to the set is a desperate move in which many are trying, but few will succeed.

For the technology, well that's where post houses tend to show favor over owner/operator DITs. The nature of our society driven by an IT infrastructure has proven that staying current is not only difficult, but increasingly expensive. In the beginning of digital cinema, there were only 2 or 3 cameras that people had to choose from. Today, I can name 12 cameras that we would consider "common" in terms of normal, daily use in acquisition. In the beginning of digital cinema, there was only 1 or 2 ways in which to capture the footage (tape or uncompressed RGB data). Today, I can name 8 different codecs that we would consider "common" in terms of capturing media. Each of these 8 options also means there could be 8 or more ways in which to download and process. 3 years from now, I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't 20 different cameras with 20 different capture codecs. The knowledge, expense, download tools, storage, processing and color science of 10-20 options requires more time, effort and money than the average owner/operator is able to invest. Again, I can hear the grumblings of owner/operators who beg to differ. But consider this:
Light Iron is not the only company that supplies an end-to-end on-set system, but I'm confident in saying it is the absolute best. Because we are a post house, we have the resources of a large group of people that work together in order to provide the best of the best into our carts. We have the financial resources to upgrade our systems on-the-day of new releases. We code ourselves, build our own software and hardware and team up with others to build better solutions. We have dozens of people and thousands of DIFFERENT jobs in which to draw from in order to funnel down into an ever-evolving on-set system.

When a DIT works on a job, the development process of their evolving kit slows. For many, it stops completely. In between jobs, owner-operators have to evaluate their kits and make repairs, upgrades, and adjustments (if at all). But at Light Iron, with nearly 50 carts in the world and counting, our company "mothership" is constantly in development and building complex solutions to big problems in effort to solve them on a massive (fleet-wide) level. For example, in January, Light Iron will announce an entirely new system that solves the major issue of live grading. We consider live grading one of the worst things to happen to the set. Most people never see what really happens behind the scenes of live grading, and how detrimental it is to precision, control and workflow. -But people FEEL that it's an improvement to the process. While I wholeheartedly disagree with this (and can prove it at another time), I know that live grading is becoming a preference for many - even though it is a flawed workflow. But instead of fighting it, we have been developing a solution for 4 months that combines hardware and software together to an entirely new and robust live grading system. We are calling it DP TERMINAL. I'll make a formal announcement when we're ready to release on jobs, but the point is the average DIT lacks the resources required to manage a task as large as developing software and hardware that solves the problem of live grading.
The same goes for our new rendering solution: For 5 months, Light Iron has been co-developing a new rendering process which includes the partnering of 3 companies in which we are rendering at 100 frames per second completely in the background. On OUTPOST carts next year, operators will NEVER have to stop any task (even color, syncing, checksumming or transferring) while they render. Imagine if you could render 4-5x faster than real time and you never knew it was happening. -That's a total game changer and necessary as crews shoot larger codecs and more minutes per day.

If you read into this, you'll notice that we can't do this all on our own. It requires the investment of many people at many companies. The average owner/operator not only lacks the relationships and meetings/developing/lab space in which to do this, but the time required in which to brainstorm, develop, test and deploy. This is not because they are incapable of doing it intellectually, but that the nature of their job prevents them from doing it physically.

I don't consider myself or the team at Light Iron any smarter than DITs working in the field. Talent is talent, and we all have something unique, special and important to bring to the table. But there is no doubt about it: significant developments happen faster and with greater precision when you control your destiny. You can wait for Blackmagic to invent something that can be shoe-horned into a DIT's workstation for $1,000. Or you can build a superior version that does everything so much better that there is, in fact, no contest. What I do is use the relationships, space, financial resources and talent I have at my disposal to create the best solution for on-set post in the world. -Commonly, our clients say, "You are the first group to actually deliver everything you said you would, and more than we asked for." -That tells me we're on the right track. But we would be nowhere without talented and willing operators.

So bringing balance to the force is done in this way: sharing the profitability with DITs by training them to do their job the best they can and equipping them with the best tools the world has to offer. By removing the "ownership" part of the equation, this relationship has made millions of dollars for operators whom carry "OUTPOST Operator" on their business cards and are credited in big movie credit scrolls as "OUTPOST Operator." It's a relationship I proud to be a part of and hope to continue to develop. In either case, OUTPOST is only becoming more and more popular and we're looking for willing and able people to continue collaborating with. We're not the enemy here;-) -For the people working close to us, we empower them. For those that want to stay owner/operators, I believe there's enough work to go around for all.

| m |

 

[Michael Cioni]

I also don't think a post house will be eliminated completely, maybe more so the boutique houses over the large houses. Big budget heavy shows and films will always need a facility to fill in the gap and handle what they have. More is being shot for cheaper these days, but it all has to be organized at point or another no matter what medium it's acquired or archived in. edit to finish, a 55+ tb film is still a lot for any boutique or single person freelance company.

Good points all-around, Tom. But just to be clear: I qualified my statement regarding the death of the dailies post house, not post houses altogether. Remember, I'm a post house, so I know what we can and can't do. I know what makes money and what doesn't. And I would never foolishly lead a client of mine down a path that could get them into trouble. That said, mark my words: the dailies post house, or post houses that rely on revenue from providing dailies services will not exist by 2017. Some of my friends believe that's generous. Dailies vs. finishing are very different things and require very different infrastructures - similar to a private pilot's airport vs. an international commercial airport. The good news for people that realize this is that it's an amazing opportunity to capitalize on a major shift in the market. -I think it's the biggest shift in 20 years - even more significant than switching to digital (because that didn't happen quickly nor did it result in thousands of people being laid off due to decline in business). That's precisely why the Li model for on-set works: we use the post house for the portion it delivers and the DIT for the portion they deliver. Working together, we can both see a prosperous year 2020.

| m |

 

[Nick Pasquariello]

The one thing I don't see in your assessment, Michael, is how the next wave of creatives are going to be so much better versed in all aspects of production.

I fully intend to direct. 30 years from now, I'm a director. But I started with a job in post. Specifically, in asset delivery. From there I worked backwards to graphics and then editorial. From there to on-set DIT (for over 30 broadcast TV commercials). Now I'm making the jump to shooting and ACing, while also working on grading (knowing how I can push and pull footage at the end helps for taking in footage at the beginning). My thought is that to be the best director I can be, I need to be intimately aware of how every step of the process works. I need to know what common mistakes to avoid and how to best set up the rest of the workflow off-set for success. On a personal level, this has been extremely useful so far.

For me, any shoot under a certain budget level, I have no intention of using a DIT. When I look at the histogram on my monitor, I look at it with DIT's eyes. I know which lights to use to avoid the uglier noise and I know how to keep my images sharp. I know which shadows I can grade out of (or into) and which I can't. This all may sound careless, but it comes down to the fact that there are very few sets of eyes in my area that I trust for these things more than my own, and if the budget isn't there for one of those guys to be on set, then I'm not going to sacrifice in other areas first.

That, and the approvals method is starting to shift. There's a growing camp of creatives that shoot, edit, deliver straight to YouTube or other distribution channels. Just yesterday, I stumbled upon Devin Graham (http://www.youtube.com/user/devinsupertramp). Here's a guy that's cracked the "viral" code that marketers love to squawk about. Videos regularly breaking a million views, and in some cases way, way more; I realized I've seen a few of his videos at separate times in the past before ever having heard his name.

He shoots, does post or has it done by someone close to him, and then delivers to fans.

Now, people may look at that and say "But that's completely different than making a TV show for a network, or a big budget movie. That has no place in this discussion." I disagree. And I disagree because if that guy wanted to write a script for a half-hour fictional show, he could make it in a month, pop it out to fans, and have an instant audience. It would look slick, it would resonate with people, and the only person approving it would be himself. Imagine popping out a half hour a month for a built-in audience and then posting each year as a season to Netflix. No networks, no big studios. No need for watermarked dailies. With sound syncing and look-creation getting easier, and with NLEs being able to accept more and more raw codecs, and with storage sizes increasing as well as I/O speeds increasing, if this sort of production becomes more and more the norm, then DITs will be needed less and less.

For someone as young as myself, this thought process is exhilarating. Empowering. Tantalizing. It's the main reason I chose to built up a camera kit before building up a DIT kit; I can perform very, very well as the latter. But the former, with knowledge of how the latter works, is the future.

 

[PatrickFaith]

I've been thinking about my view on the DIT role over the last two years, how it's changed, and what I expect - which could be invalid . Basically now, i won't fund something if there is not a DIT. If the producer/director doesn't know why they need a DIT, i immediately ignore that production. I really hadn't thought why my DIT viewpoint has become so extreme, but reading this thread ... invalidly or not, I think what I expect from the DIT is on set production QA. Basically i don't want complete screw ups, and what I want is that the DIT checks all the footage against the shot list, and makes sure the money shots have no light/digital/sound issues. I also expect the DIT to make sure all the medata is organized with the shot list - including camera settings and camera position in relationship to the set(this is my most recent whine ... that basic camera info is not written down so that the VFX guys have to do detective work to rebuild the metadata ... also that basic color balance shots and ambient sound is done). Anyway, I think the DIT role would be viewed a lot more importantly, if it was realized that they are the main person that is the production quality assurance person so the entire day/week/shoot isn't wasted (which can derail the entire project).

 

[Dustin Cross]

This has turned into an interesting thread.

Seems like lots of people here are confused about what a DIT is.

The DIT came from the video engineer. The guy with a paint box attached to a video camera to dial in the colors using an expensive monitor because the record format was so compressed there was not much that could be done once it left the camera. You had to get it right on set.

As file based cameras came about things started changing a little. Productions either needed to have enough media to never reload and send it to post for download, or a person was needed on set to download the footage. This job was done by a digital loader or by the video engineer who was already onset paining the image.

When Red showed up everything changed. For the first time we had a file based camera that recorded images that needed to be tweeked after the footage came off the camera. There was no connecting a paint box to the camera or using a LUT box to tweek the image coming out of the camera. Now someone on set was downloading the footage and adjusting the colors before sending to post. This was the birth of todays DIT.

Since on set we were loading all the footage into a grading tool and tweeking all the settings, it became logical to just hit the render button. So we started transcoding on set. Not making dailies, but just converting the footage to a format post could more easily use. making dailies is more than a basic grade and hitting render.

More and more file based cameras came out like the Alexa. Recording a log image to an easily editable format (Prores) and was market as a direct to edit camera. What Arri missed was Editors don't like to cut a heavy format like Prores 444 and most professional editors use Avid and not FCP. So DITs started being asked to transcode this footage to a usable format for Avid, since Avid does not work well with Prores and it takes a long time to convert in Avid.

Now, most of the new cameras coming out are recording huge raw files that are 500-1000MB per hour. When Red One camera out the 100MB per hour was considered huge. Now cameras are five to tn times that size. It takes a long time to download Codex, Sony Raw, Gemini, etc. Transcoding these files take longer too.

Since this seems to be the direction of the future, I don't see the DIT going away. Footage is only going to get bigger and more technical.

I also don't see the Dailies house completely going away. The footage is just too much for a single person on set to handle on set livegrading and live QC, media management and data QC, and transcoding. A DIT and a loader working with two separate stations is really needed to handle the amount of data from these new cameras. If you want on set transcoding you really want two DITs. One doing live and one managing data and transcoding. Digital loaders are only loaders, if you want someone competent to correctly transcode your footage you need to pay for the knowledge. I tell all loaders to demand the DIT rate if the are expected to do things outside basic media management.

Most productions refuse to pay for a DIT and a loader, so two DITs is only going to happen on large productions. So post is going to be making dailies and most likely transcoding.

Most TV refuses to hire a DIT and expects post to make dailies. So again post is not in too much trouble.

So that leaves small to medium productions that will want the DIT to assume more and more responsibility because they can't afford to have post do it. This is where I spend most of my time. I can do a lot, but I charge extra for extra work.

A couple other things:

Secondaries are outside the scope of what a DIT should be doing. Yes some of the tools have the ability to do secondaries, but they are not transferable to other systems. We need what we do on set to be transferable. If we stay within the limitations of the ASC CDL then the corrections we do on set a transferable to almost any post system.

Syncing sound is pretty easy to do so long as we have good timecode. The problem is we don't normally get sound until the end of the day. Which means I can't start transcoding until the end of the day. That makes for lots of overtime production does not want to pay or I am transcoding a day behind what we are shooting.

The sound department is not used to reloading everytime camera reloads so we can sync sound as soon as footage is downlaoded. If you are on a multi camera shoot you need all cameras and sound to reload at the same time to easily sync everything and not have half of this mag syncs with half of that sound. It opens a whole can of worms to start doing this. If you need sound in your transcodes, then record sound to ALL cameras.

It takes the assistant editor a few seconds to sync sound to the transcodes. Plus if the assistant editor syncs then all the metadata in the sound files get transferred completely to the edit system. Sound meta data does not transfer fully to most video files we transcode to on set.

Since I am normally transcoding to MXF files, it is impossible for me to sync the sound to MXF files I make with the tools I use. I would need to use the Avid that the assistant editor uses to sync the sound. Avid does not do what I need and is completely useless as a DIT tool. So the correct answer is to let the assistant Editor sync sound.

Lastly there is a union that covers post production. IATSE Local 700. The camera union gets involved if an non-600 person is downloading media or doing DIT work on set. Similarly the post union has had DITs removed from productions for transcoding and making dailies and stuff that is covered by Local 700. The same goes for video assist guys getting involved if camera is doing playback. Since all of this stuff really only matters to union shoots, we have to take into consideration of the union rules.

Things like syncing sounds, transcoding, and making dailies is all outside the scope of camera (DIT) and in the scope of the post union. We are all IATSE so we all have to pay attention to the rules of IATSE. If you are non-union there are no rules and you can do anything you want.

---------------
Quick side bar on LUTs. LUTs were designed for post facilities doing film out work. Engineers using highly calibrated tools in very controlled environments created LUTs that mimicked the chemical process that was going to happen when they printed a digital image to a specific film stock. LUTs work great for this. It is the change that will always happen in a very controlled environment.

A 3D LUT is almost 100,000 numbers that must be mapped perfectly. The problem is creating those numbers perfectly is very hard and interpreting those numbers in even harder. So when we do a color correction on set and export it as a LUT, the chances of that LUT matching when it is import by post is almost nil! If you have not already done so, do some testing and you will see that DITs creating LUTs is a complete waste of time. Just look at all the different variations of LUTs for Arri Log-C to rec709 based on the Arri spec. I have not found two that match. If I color correct with my software's built in Log-C to Rec709 LUT and post uses a different software's built in Log-C to Rec709 lut and applies my grade on top of it the result will not be what I saw on set.

Plus the monitors and environment on set are not perfect and changing all the time. The post facility controls all of this very strictly.

LUTs are also either on or off. The colorist can't manipulate a LUT. He has to do a color correction before or after a LUT to fix a problem with a LUT.

The correct answer for on set work today is the ASC CDL. Easily transferable between systems and easily manipulable by a post colorist.

Since most professional cameras today record some form of Log or Raw, we (DITs) should be creating a basic look that is in the direction the DP wants and pass that look to post so they have a starting point that they can easily manipulate. LUTs are terrible for this.

We are not doing final color on set.
---------------

There is a ton more I could say about the DIT, but this post is already way too long.

Last thing. Things are always changing and changing fast.



Mahalo,
Dusty
IATSE Local 600 DIT

 

[Björn Benckert]

There is different ways to do this. We use our red rocket case built around a laptop and that works for most shoots. But I think there would be a bigger market for fully equipped vans with the backseat setup for viewing and then have a generator and some fat workstations with dual red rockets for transcoding. As DIT' does not need to be to close to the set this would work also when you can not move the car into the studio or set. Just keep it nearby. And when shooting on location such car/van should have it's own built in generator. Would be nice to see if somebody built such a DIT vehicle. Such thing would be perfect for big shoots or feature work where several cameras are in use etc.

 

[Matthew Conrad]

As DIT' does not need to be to close to the set this would work also when you can not move the car into the studio or set. Just keep it nearby. And when shooting on location such car/van should have it's own built in generator. Would be nice to see if somebody built such a DIT vehicle. Such thing would be perfect for big shoots or feature work where several cameras are in use etc.

I don't consider that a DIT at all. Thats a dailies colorist. And quite a few post facilities have vans such as that. I don't see how you could be a DIT and be away from set. If you see a technical mistake, or a technical aspect that could have been resolved prior to a scene being shot, you're failing as a DIT.

2cents for the moment.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

There is different ways to do this. We use our red rocket case built around a laptop and that works for most shoots. But I think there would be a bigger market for fully equipped vans with the backseat setup for viewing and then have a generator and some fat workstations with dual red rockets for transcoding. As DIT' does not need to be to close to the set this would work also when you can not move the car into the studio or set. Just keep it nearby. And when shooting on location such car/van should have it's own built in generator. Would be nice to see if somebody built such a DIT vehicle. Such thing would be perfect for big shoots or feature work where several cameras are in use etc.

This has been explored before by myself and other DITs. Bottom line is if you talk to most DPs who want a DIT on their show, they want that person close by. So, depending on the situation and the budget, this can mean a DIT is on set working with DP to establish looks, manage some of the technical settings on the camera, while the footage is brought to either a near-set or off-set system to do dailies.

I have done jobs where I was jack of all trades and ones where the duties were divided up. With a powerful system and a cooperative crew there is potential for the DIT to get a lot done as a single entity. But you need the right tools and you have to be a highly efficient and detail oriented person. For mere mortals (like myself) sometimes it's better to have things divided up if the demands of the shoot require a lot of time working with DP both at camera and at your DIT station.

Michael C makes some really good points and I have no doubt that production and post are going to continue to undergo some major changes over the next ten years. That's why I am already beginning the process of evolving my own career, one in which owning content is a big factor.

 

[Björn Benckert]

This has been explored before by myself and other DITs. Bottom line is if you talk to most DPs who want a DIT on their show, they want that person close by. So, depending on the situation and the budget, this can mean a DIT is on set working with DP to establish looks, manage some of the technical settings on the camera, while the footage is brought to either a near-set or off-set system to do dailies.

I have done jobs where I was jack of all trades and ones where the duties were divided up. With a powerful system and a cooperative crew there is potential for the DIT to get a lot done as a single entity. But you need the right tools and you have to be a highly efficient and detail oriented person. For mere mortals (like myself) sometimes it's better to have things divided up if the demands of the shoot require a lot of time working with DP both at camera and at your DIT station.

Michael C makes some really good points and I have no doubt that production and post are going to continue to undergo some major changes over the next ten years. That's why I am already beginning the process of evolving my own career, one in which owning content is a big factor.

Agree, Such setup would need more than one person. One closer to the Camera and one on render watch or such. And I guess usually thats whats going on, especially on bigger productions when there is like 5 or more cameras running.
I can not see how one single person can do much creative grading / work while looking over whats going on by the camera and at the same time make sure the video and audio files are non corrupt, do sync backups, proxies etc while color grading and doing some on set editing etc. If you do all that then big chances are your will forget to transfer some of the files, wrong mag gets formatted or such. So personally I think it's better if the DIT only transfers the material to disks and transcodes. If that person is signed up to do even half the stuff that people list here. Then at least I would be worried he is not focusing on getting the files checked and on backup, which is prio Uno. But I guess I rather see the DIT do some creative grading than sitting on facebook all day

For the future of post. I see my self and Syndicate as early adopters. We sold our scanners and tape decks long ago. We also got rid of all the non creative staff. However I see a scary amount of rather big post companies that has way to much invested in old school infrastructure and machinery. These companies will not just turn over and die, they will fight, struggle and while they bleed do their best to reinvest in near by fields. Some will make it but a lot of them will for sure close down and before they do they will harm the rest of the post industry quite a bit I'm afraid. Just as in any other industry that got digitized there will be quite a rumble.

 

[Tom.Wong]

although this thread has derailed quite a bit, my last 2 cents I have about all this is plain and simple and something I've mentioned already. the role of a DIT is always evolving with the times, and fills in the need for the production and the current technology. Whatever that may be, the primary goal is to negotiate and bridge set to post to make life easier for everybody. Whether that's paintboxing, untethered coloring, transcodes, camera troubleshooting, media management, signal flow, exposure check live or not live, working with the DP on color decisions (especially in commercials where they have no final say in color and on set color is the closet they'll ever get to a grading session and showing what their true intent is) and the list goes on. At the end of the day you can't find the argument of the bottom dollar, if a production has found a way to go on without a DIT, that's life, and that's the business. But productions I work with try their best not to go without one, cause they know how much easier things can be when a specialist is there to deal with the technology and get everything that was shot to post in a efficient manner with all the bells and whistles. more is being shot for less money, turn arounds get tighter by the job, and post facilities vary on how much they keep up with the times in technology.

Michael Cioni has the great fortune of being a very forward thinker and has built himself the equity and business since to stay with the times, not every post or dailies house can do that, and there are some markets that are tough to eliminate because of trust and loyalties. Company 3 and Deluxe still handle a lot of dailies for all the biggest shows, or send out their own guys now. The latter can be a good and a bad thing, but either way my opinion is, the end goal is to make everything better not worse. I'd like to think that's my job, make things better from set to post and try to keep everybody on the same page especially when there are so many banes of post/workflow. However anybody else can accomplish the same thing, whether you're like me and rolling around a cart everywhere on set, tethered and evaluating the image live constantly while fulfilling other duties, or just in a truck all day with a lab on set, it's still a job well done.

 

[Alex Carr]

I find that being closer to camera shows that you are a part of the team and gives the DP an opportunity to discuss lighting with you, plus paying attention to lighting gets you a lot of brownie points..

 

[Von Thomas]

This may help;

Some Real TIPs for all DIT (lol);

If you sit there dragging and dropping to transfer files, you are not a DIT.

If you don't know color theory, you are not a DIT.

If you cannot read a histogram, you are not a DIT.

If you can't setups like detail, noise reduction, secondary color correction in the camera in every scene, you are not a DIT.

If you can't match whole material on set instead of "fixing everything in post", you are not a DIT.

If you can't record the proper signal - so you could use as much information in post as you can, you are not a DIT.

If you never use a gray card, guess what, you don't know why you should use a gray card, and you are not a DIT.

If you can't advise on exposure, you are not a DIT.

If your DP does not respect your opinion, you are not a DIT.

If you color on set, yet don't/can't calibrate your own monitor, you are not a DIT.

If you are not the consultant on set for your camera crew, you are not a DIT.

If producers are more excited over your rate than your work, you are not a DIT.



A DIT is a person who is competent in data management, look creation, and giving knowledgable advice to the DP on ways to get the best image possible.

Good luck

I guess copying me almost word for word (from my June 28 2012 post) is a form of flattery, at least you could have mentioned you pulled this from Von Thomas.

This was from my post.

A cart does not make a DIT!

If you never use a gray card, guess what, you don't know why you should use a gray card, and you sir/madam are not a DIT.

If you cannot read a histogram, you are not a DIT.

If you can't advise on exposure, you are not a DIT.

If your DP does not respect your opinion, you are not a DIT.

If you sit there dragging and dropping to transfer files, you are not a DIT.

If you don't know color theory, you are not a DIT.

If you color on set, yet don't/can't calibrate your own monitor, you are not a DIT.

If you are not the consultant on set for your camera crew, you are not a DIT.

If producers are more excited over your rate than your work, you are not a DIT.

If you do 3 or 4 different jobs (DP, AC, MIXER, GAFFER, oh and DIT), you are not a DIT.

If you took a 3 hour workshop on a DIT cart, you are not a DIT.

If you panic under pressure, you sir, are NOT a DIT

A DIT is a skill set, one acquired over time.

If all this is foreign to you, you are not a DIT.

Not to piss off any more than I have, but a true DIT is a safety net on a production. If you see a problem, you act, or else there could be financial, artistic, and career consequences at stake. It's you and your DP.

While I'm amazed at the incredible man in the flying machine cart/stand concept, I can only wonder how long it would take to set up, to move on set, to be productive. It's an erector set gone wild, but it is something to see.