4K ProRes is Coming

[Jeffery Anderson]

I think most DoP's will say, if they can lock in the look they want, in camera... then why send it over to a DIT or Post facility?

 

[David Battistella]

I think most DoP's will say, if they can lock in the look they want, in camera... then why send it over to a DIT or Post facility?

I doubt there is not one feature film or commercial or even high end commercial that uses a 100% in camera look. It's just a pipe dream, even with all this LUT talk, it's a starting point, every setup has its challenges.

Would you you release a film without mixing the sound?

 

[Scott Crawley]

Would you you release a film without mixing the sound?

Slam Dunkeroo!

Atta boy

 

[Mat_G]

Besides the usual "producers like the straight to ProRes workflow"....

Using a platform like FRAME.IO would be the f'n future workflow for many smaller productions.

Shoot 6k r3d master w. 2k ProRes and upload your ProRes footage straight to Frame.IO for dailies.

Drag and freak'n drop.

No time consuming transcoding, everyone gets to view footage faster.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I doubt there is not one feature film or commercial or even high end commercial that uses a 100% in camera look. It's just a pipe dream, even with all this LUT talk, it's a starting point, every setup has its challenges. Would you you release a film without mixing the sound?

Very well-said, David. People forget how massively things change in post, particularly in color. If anything, I find clients are demanding far more power windows and complex correction nowadays, doing things that were unthinkable even 5-6 years ago. A LUT isn't going to give you tracking power windows on every character's face in every shot, and sometimes that's what we have to do to give them the look they want.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

I doubt there is not one feature film or commercial or even high end commercial that uses a 100% in camera look. It's just a pipe dream, even with all this LUT talk, it's a starting point, every setup has its challenges.

Would you you release a film without mixing the sound?

Even when movies were shot on film and finished photochemically, they were color-timed. Most DP's don't shoot entire features thinking that no color-correction will be needed later.

 

[Corey_O]

Very well-said, David. People forget how massively things change in post, particularly in color. If anything, I find clients are demanding far more power windows and complex correction nowadays, doing things that were unthinkable even 5-6 years ago. A LUT isn't going to give you tracking power windows on every character's face in every shot, and sometimes that's what we have to do to give them the look they want.

Do you bill per face or per hour?

Can you share the film stock you're using?

 

[Marc Wielage]

Do you bill per face or per hour?

Just per hour of facility time. You can have window presets to speed the process along, but a lot depends on the quality of the initial lighting. The better that looks, the easier the job of the colorist. It's never a good idea to relight in post, but I think using post to enhance what's already there is great. If we can add a little fill (as one example) in a place that would be absolutely impossible to put a light on the stage, then I'm all for it. Same deal with adding flags and dodging, which I spend a lot of time doing. Placing shadows is often what 50% of the job entails.

Can you share the film stock you're using?

My favorite stock in all my years at Technicolor & Complete Post was always Kodak 5219 Vision 3, which I think was really consistent for a 500 ISO film. I use that as the comparison for all digital cameras, and none of them quite have the dynamic range or color quality of this negative stock yet. But they're getting closer all the time. Years ago, I realized it didn't matter what the client shot on -- all that's important is that the pictures look good and the client is happy, within the available budget and schedule they have to work with.

All the movies that are still shooting on film (like the upcoming Star Wars VII mostly shoot on 5219 for interiors, though some go for a slower, finer-grain film for exteriors. No digital camera can tough those, either... yet. Strictly IMHO.

 

[David Battistella]

Even when movies were shot on film and finished photochemically, they were color-timed. Most DP's don't shoot entire features thinking that no color-correction will be needed later.

David, I'm sure you can better confirm all of this but,


Yes,

color or correction and color timing are a creative phase of storytelling. It should be seen this way and not as a "fix" but as part of an entire process for the creation of a film.

Equating it to sound is a good analogy, sometimes you have to equalize an actors voice so their voice cuts the mix, the levels of different takes over different days requires a balancing.

With films, the sequence of shots makes a big difference to final color balance and levels, mood is also a contributing factor.

so thinking what you did on set is going to be what the public sees is actually a bit nearsighted. It is very important for the cinematographer to establish the look of the film through lighting contrast ratios, color and style, camera position, etc, but sometimes subtle changes are needed when shots are assembled.

This is why it is fundamental to capture a good negative and establish solid workflows and lines of communication for what you are intending. The chances of maintaining the look you intended and having your style as part of the production goes way up.

There are always exceptions. But my attitude has always been that a colorist is your friend, not the enemy. They are not there to make your stuff look bad, but to make everything look better. The best cinematographers understand that there is an "imaging chain" and it's good to be able to have a voice in every link including after footage had been handed over and when budget allows.