The filmmaker's guide to digital imaging for cinematographers, digital imaging technicians, and camera assistants

310 Pages·2015·15.217 MB·English

by  Brown, Blain

The Filmmaker’s Guide to Digital Imaging
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The Filmmaker’s Guide to Digital Imaging

For Cinematographers, Digital Imaging Technicians, and Camera Assistants

Blain Brown

F Focal Press
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2015
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
and by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 Taylor & Francis
The right of Blain Brown to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance
with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any
electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publish-
ers.
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment
may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and
using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information
or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including
parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifica-
tion and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Brown, Blain.
The filmmaker’s guide to digital imaging : for cinematographers, digital imaging technicians, and camera
assistants / Blain Brown.
pages cm
1. Digital cinematography. I. Title.
TR860.B76 2014
777’.6--dc23
2014008397
ISBN: 9780415854115 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781315777160 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo Book by the author.

p.iv
Bound to Create
You are a creator.
Whatever your form of expression — photography, filmmaking,
animation, games, audio, media communication, web design, or
theatre — you simply want to create without limitation. Bound
by nothing except your own creativity and determination.
Focal Press can help.
For over 75 years Focal has published books that support your
creative goals. Our founder, Andor Kraszna-Krausz, established
Focal in 1938 so you could have access to leading-edge expert
knowledge, techniques, and tools that allow you to create
without constraint. We strive to create exceptional, engaging,
and practical content that helps you master your passion.
Focal Press and you.
Bound to create.
We’d love to hear how we’ve helped
you create. Share your experience:
www.focalpress.com/boundtocreate
p.v
DEDICATION
For my wife, Ada Pullini Brown, who makes it all possible, and Osgood, who keeps things calm.
p.vi
contents
Dedication ................................p.vi
introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .p.ix
sensors & cameras .......................1
The Digital Signal Path ............................. 2
HD and UHD ....................................... 2
Viewing Stream .................................... 5
OLPF .............................................. 7
Digital Sensors ..................................... 8
Photosites ......................................... 10
Demosaicing/DeBayering .......................... 12
How Many Pixels Is Enough? ....................... 14
What Color Is Your Sensor? ......................... 15
Sensor Size and Depth-of-Field ..................... 18
Shutters ........................................... 18
Noise .............................................. 19
ISO In Digital Cameras ............................. 20
IR and Hot Mirror Filters ............................ 21
the digital image ........................23
Cookie Dough and The History of HD ............... 24
Digital Negative ................................... 26
Chroma Subsampling .............................. 28
Types of Video ..................................... 30
Frame Rates ....................................... 33
A Little Math Review ............................... 35
measurement ............................41
Measuring the Image .............................. 42
The Waveform Monitor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Test Methodology ................................. 44
Hue/Phase. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
The Vectorscope ................................... 48
Color Bars In Detail ................................ 50
Types of Waveform Monitors ....................... 53
Using the Waveform On Set ........................ 54
Using the Vectorscope On the Set .................. 56
Video Test Cards ................................... 58
Calibration Test Charts ............................. 62
Measuring Image Resolution ....................... 65
linear, gamma, log ......................67
Dynamic Range .................................... 68
Linear Response ................................... 70
Film Gamma and Video Gamma .................... 72
Rec.709 ............................................ 74
The Code 100 Problem ............................. 76
Gamma Control In Traditional HD .................. 77
contents
p.vii
Another Approach ................................. 78
The Inefficiency of Linear .......................... 81
Log Encoding ...................................... 82
Proprietary Log Curves ............................. 86
18% Gray In Log ................................... 90
Picture Rendering ................................. 94
exposure ..................................97
Exposure Theory ................................... 98
The Response Curve ............................... 101
Video Exposure .................................... 106
The Tools .......................................... 106
A Different World of Exposure ...................... 107
Setting Exposure With the Waveform Monitor ...... 108
Camera Exposure Indicators ........................ 109
Philosophy and Strategy of Exposure ............... 117
Black Magic Camera Exposure Advice .............. 125
HDR ............................................... 127
digital color ..............................129
The Visual Interface ................................ 130
Color Models ...................................... 138
The CIE Diagram ................................... 139
Gamut ............................................ 141
Video Color Spaces ................................ 142
AMPAS ACES Color Space .......................... 144
Color Transforms ................................... 144
The Matrix ......................................... 145
Metamerism ....................................... 149
codecs & formats ........................151
Video File Formats ................................. 152
Wrappers, Stacks, Containers and Codecs ........... 153
Digital Compression Codecs ....................... 155
Types of Compression ............................. 156
Codecs ............................................ 159
Compression Technologies ......................... 161
Floating Point ..................................... 168
Compression Artifacts ............................. 170
image control & grading ...............171
At the DIT Cart ..................................... 172
Color Correction and Color Grading ................ 174
Controllers and Control Surfaces ................... 174
Control Parameters ................................ 175
Color Space ....................................... 184
Color Control ...................................... 185
Vectors ............................................ 185
Exporting and Reusing Grades ..................... 186
LUTs And Looks .................................... 187
Viewing LUTs ...................................... 189
LUTs and Looks: What’s the Difference? ............. 189
Poynton’s Fourth Law .............................. 192
(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:9)(cid:10)(cid:11)(cid:12)(cid:13)(cid:14)(cid:15)(cid:7)(cid:11)(cid:16)(cid:17)(cid:11)(cid:15)(cid:14)(cid:12)(cid:14)(cid:16)(cid:5)(cid:3)(cid:11)(cid:14)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:12)(cid:14)(cid:18)(cid:12)
p.viii
the DIT cart ..............................193
Things To Think About In Planning a Cart ........... 194
Mobility ........................................... 195
Power ............................................. 195
Video and Data Cables ............................. 198
Moving Around On The Set ........................ 199
Failover ............................................ 200
Rack Mount ....................................... 203
data management .......................209
Data Management ................................. 210
Basic Principles .................................... 210
Procedure — Best Practices ........................ 211
Logs ............................................... 216
File Management ................................. 216
File Naming ....................................... 217
Download/Ingest Software. ........................ 217
Proprietary Data Management Software ............ 219
External Recorders ................................. 220
Hard Drives & RAIDS ............................... 223
How Much Storage Do You Need? .................. 224
Long Term Storage ................................ 226
Moving The Data .................................. 227
(cid:19)(cid:17)(cid:8)(cid:6)(cid:20)(cid:17)(cid:19) .................................231
The Digital Camera Crew ........................... 232
The Job of the DIT ................................. 233
Working With the DP ............................... 239
The Meeting ....................................... 240
DIT Workflow ...................................... 241
Interfacing With Other Departments ............... 241
Monitor Outputs ................................... 242
Deliverables ....................................... 242
Files For Post and VFX .............................. 245
Camera Specific Workflows ......................... 245
Industry Standard Workflows ....................... 248
Ten Numbers: ASC-CDL ............................ 248
ACES: What It Is, What It Does ...................... 252
The History of ACES ................................ 252
The Transforms .................................... 260
metadata & timecode ...................261
What is Timecode? ................................. 264
Other Types of Metadata ........................... 267
XML ............................................... 268
Metadata From Rigs ............................... 270
Metadata at the DIT Cart ........................... 270
references ................................271
acknowledgements .....................275
Acknowledgements ............................... 276
About the Author .................................. 276
index ......................................277
contents
p.ix