As we already explained in overview the final result has little to do with the actual film recording or DCP export, not that isn’t critical the film recording process or the conversion quality, but assuming the film recording, colour management and quality control is perfect, the way a movie is colour corrected is paramount. In DCP, which reacts linearly, if we grade for a Film LOG target we get the best of both worlds, the definition of DCP as well as the softly rolling of highlights and the punch of the Film workflow.

Moreover if we Color grade for film then with one step render, using conversion LUT's, we can prepare materials for all delivery mediums such as DCP, HD, SD, internet, with amazing easiness while we have the ability to Filmout whenever is needed, since the original result of the Color grading process was already prepared for Filmout.

The end result is very closely related to the workflow it’s going to be selected.

There is a big discussion in the lower segment of the industry, related with the various DI workflows that claimed to be available, at the end of all discussions, all boils down to just two workflow options:

     •    LOG workflow

     •    Linear workflow

In the image below are the two options, by clicking on the buttons, you can see the differences, although we tried to match the result, there are considerable differences between the Log and the Linear image. The images are intentionally pushed to show the limits of the two workflows.  

Images from the movie "Five hours from Paris"

So lets elaborate...

LOG workflow vs. Linear workflow,

LOG workflow mimics Telecine film response and it needs a very precisely calibrated environment.

It resembles the film behaviour, that’s compressing the highlights and beautifully expands the deepest blacks on film, giving a colour bit depth that can reach the 14bit per colour, those preserving the organic look of original film stock or camera latitude.

Linear behaves like video; it clips the highlights and blacks hard if you go outside of the range that film can handle. So it behaves differently, while colour grading, it doesn’t compress but rather acts linearly.

This detail alone can affect heavily the artistic result that colourist are aiming.

All the modern cameras like, RED, Alexa, Viper, Varicam, F35, F23, F9000 are LOG and many more small ones like HVX200, HPX500, HPX300 and the new F3 and AF100 especially those that include the very soft looking “film” gamma curves, like S-Log or FilmRec, can be greatly benefited from LOG workflow.

Film scanned material can only use LOG workflow because in this way its being preserved the film latitude.

On the other hand, film that has being Telecine to HD tapes can’t have the LOG workflow because it has lost all the film latitude and now its Video. Also if we grade for DCP in Linear the same happens.

In the LOG workflow we aiming to film print stocks like Kodak Vision Premiere that delivers deep rich blacks and very beautiful colours. In Linear is difficult to do that, so we using the standard Kodak Vision.

Unfortunately to work with in a LOG environment, you need Color Management. In fact even on Linear, to work, you need Color Management.

Linear workflow can be achieved with the use of Color Management for Video transfer to film. We do recommend thought the LOG workflow also for these cases.

Colour management and LUT's.

To be able to get on the film projection what you see on your monitor, while Color Grading, we use Color Management techniques.

Color Management delivers the so called What You See Is What You Get "WYSIWYG".

There is a myth which dictates, that the "good negative" is the aim of a pristine Filmout. We have to say that the myth is derived from the traditional film process, in which this statement, is true.

But we are forgetting, that most of the time and much more in the future, we are going to process digital acquired images that had never passed from film originally, so they don't carry film's inherit look and characteristic exposure response.

So to lay them down on film, Digital Images need a special treatment, which is the Color Grading process. In order to do the job right, we need a Color Management procedure to take place before we start the process. The result of the Color Management procedure will be applied to our Color Grading system with the use of custom LUT's, in a way that will allow us to grade with the confidence that what we see is going to be transferred 100% to the filmout.

LUT's are the abbreviation of the words Look Up Table. A LUT is used as a correction glass (filter) that gets in between the viewing device and the viewer electronically. Its function is to correct the possible mismatches of the viewing device in order to match a predefined target viewing device, like i.e. a Cinema Theatre Screen.

Images from the movie "Five hours from Paris"

To create a LUT we need first to optimise and adjust the monitor, and then to measure it, in this way we create a profile that incorporates the projection behaviour of the specific monitor. With this profile, we develop a custom correction LUT, to be used along with the specific monitor for a couple of days while we Color Grading the movie for filmout. In this way we Color Manage the process and reaching the target of WYSIWYG.

The bottom line is that, there isn't such thing like "good negative" in the DI world, instead there is "good answer print". We must Color Grading with the aim of "a good positive", that can be printed with NO extra photochemical corrections. Its understood that if the positive is good then the negative is also perfect...

A Filmout that has being accurately processed, through all the steps of the process can save a production unwanted costs and precious time from secondary photochemical corrections in order to fix a bad DI. The extra cost of can get up to 6.000 euro's or more, depending on how wide spread was the problem. Also we have to note that some times, like the example below, we have a hue in a specific colour (green turns cyan in the example below) or a contrast issue, these are problems that the photochemical process is incapable to fix.

Digital Cinema, DCP and LUT's.

LUT's are also the ticket to the Digital world of DCP, HD etc. With a conversion LUT we can Color Grade once for Filmout target and then with just a render have all the deliverables in perfect alignment with the Film master. In this way we can have initially Digital deliverables and if needed we can strike a Filmout.

Its paramount to understand that, in the modern Digital Cinematography, a big part of the resulted beauty of the image, is directly connected to the quality of the Color Management of the whole cycle, from your disk to the theatre screen. To get the job done effectively, accurately and to guarantee the result, we rigorously controlling the quality of all the steps of the process, leaving to the client/partner only the monitor calibration part.

Images from the movie "Schemer"

The process involves various levels of accuracy, depending on the level of expertise and the result needed. Color Management is costly add on to a post production house and for years was the "secret sauce" of the big boys, well its not any more. We offer a solution that is 10 times more cost effective when compared to the options available in the market.

We offer "typical" LUT's (we call them Generic LUT's) for specific setups, mostly using Apple components and we also offer more professional solutions up to the point that we assist and consult in a know how transfer process, the post facilities that want to get the best and partner with us. Look at the side menu for the appropriate, for your case, link.

Lets now explore the other common phrase: “do it in REC709 and we will fix it”

The Linear REC709, NOT Color Managed, method.

One of the most common workflows also called "Indy DIY", that we don’t recommend, is the REC709 method, which on same cases, is one-way road.

The idea is to just grab a REC709 monitor and prepare your image with it, sent us the disk and we will try our best to fix it with a one light/3D-LUT correction on the film recorder while recording.

The results could vary from 10% off of what you were expecting, to 50% off, depending on how lucky you are, or better, how good is your monitor, the light conditions in the room and few other parameters that are too technical to discuss.

So at the end of the process the chances are to need a second photochemical grading session on the Lab that will have additional cost depending on how widespread the drift was and how many tests and man-hours needed to fix the movie.

The extra cost could be varying from 2.000 to 6.000 euro’s. Also bare in mind, that in some cases the simple RGB shift that a photochemical process can do, will not fix a contrast difference i.e. it can’t lift only the mid tones without affecting the blacks. So there is a good chance, about 15%, that you will not get what was indented, even with a corrected copy.

To be clear, we don’t recommend this workflow, but since is being requested by the client we deliver it with the above possible pitfalls, that we are assuming that they are known and accepted by the client.

For us, is just business as usual.

To summarize.

The two workflows, Log and Linear even for the REC709 method, in terms of our work, are exactly the same, the Filmout cost are the same, the Film recorders are both good, and the quality of the lab are the same. Off coarse the way the movie is being acquired (Digital or Film), along with which film recorder is going to be used to give that extra something, either by resolution (4K) or by camera negative film character or from both, affects the result.

But apart from these factors, the main and decisive difference, is how you going to process it (Log or Linear), the level of quality in the colour management and of coarse the talent that is added by the client or our partners.

Bottom line is, that the typically stated phrases “we will deliver a good negative” or “do it in REC709 and we will fix it” are just big empty words. If the beauty of the images are not crafted before we lay them down to the film emulsion, the movie will not look beautiful in the screen and no matter what we will do in the photochemical phase, the result will not be as pristine as we expected to be.

Also a major part of the accuracy of the Digital deliverables, DCP, HD etc. are directly related to the Color Management quality that we will apply to our Color Grading process to be able with just one render step to have everything we need.

If you want to read more about the Film recording technologies along with pros and cons click the link Film Recorders

Select your level of collaboration with us depending in your position in the industry, by clicking on the side menu the appropriate link.