Citizendia

Digital cinematography is the process of capturing motion pictures as digital images, rather than on film. A digital image is a representation of a two-dimensional Image using ones and zeros (binary This article is mainly concerned with Still photography film For Motion picture film please see Film stock. Digital capture may occur on tape, hard disks, flash memory, or other media which can record digital data. Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto Magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device Flash memory is non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed As digital technology has improved, this practice has become increasingly common. Several mainstream Hollywood movies have now been shot digitally, and many vendors have brought products to market, including traditional film camera vendors like Arri and Panavision, new vendors like RED and Silicon Imaging, and companies which have traditionally focused on consumer and broadcast video equipment, like Sony and Panasonic. The Arri Group has been the largest world wide supplier of high quality Motion picture film equipment since 1917 Panavision is a Motion picture equipment company specializing in Cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills California. The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with The benefits and drawbacks of digital vs. film acquisition are still hotly debated, but digital cinematography cameras sales have surpassed mechanical cameras in the classic 35mm format.

Contents

History

Beginning in the late 1980s, Sony began marketing the concept of "electronic cinematography", utilizing its analog HDTV cameras. is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest Media conglomerates with The effort was met with very little success. In 1998, with the introduction of HDCAM recorders and 1920 × 1080 pixel digital video cameras based on CCD technology, the idea, now re-branded as "digital cinematography", finally began to gain traction in the market. HDCAM, introduced in 1997, is an HD version of Digital Betacam, using an 8-bit DCT compressed 311 recording in 1080i -compatible Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images

In May 2002 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones became the first high-profile, high-budget movie released that was shot on 24 frame-per-second high-definition digital video, using a Sony HDW-F900 camera. Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones is a 2002 Film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales Sony 's CineAlta 24P HD ( high definition video) Cameras are a series of professional digital video cameras that offer many of the same features The lesser-known 2001 movie Vidocq was shot with the same camera.

In parallel with these developments in the world of traditional high-budget cinematography, a digital cinema revolution was occurring from the bottom up, among low budget filmmakers outside of the Hollywood system. Beginning in the mid-1990s, with the introduction of Sony's DCR-VX1000, the digital MiniDV format began to emerge. Digital Video (DV is a Digital video format created by Sony JVC Panasonic and other video camera procuers and launched in 1995 and in its smaller tape Form factor MiniDV offered much greater quality than the analog formats that preceded it, at the same price point. While its quality was not considered as good as film, these MiniDV camcorders, in conjunction with non-linear editing software that could run on personal computers, allowed a large number of people to begin making movies who were previously prevented from doing so by the high costs involved with shooting on film. A camcorder is a portable Consumer electronics device for recording Video and audio using a built-in recorder unit "NLE" redirects here For the standardized test see National Latin Examination. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated

Today, cameras from companies like Sony, Panasonic, JVC and Canon offer the prosumer market a variety of choices for shooting high-definition video with less than $10,000 worth of camera equipment. ( usually referred to as JVC, is an International consumer and professional electronics Corporation based in Yokohama, Japan which was founded is a Japanese Multinational corporation that specializes in imaging and optical products including Cameras photocopiers and Computer printers At the high-end of the market, there has been an emergence of cameras aimed specifically at the digital cinema market. These cameras from Arri, Panavision, Grass Valley and Red offer resolution and dynamic range that exceeds that of traditional video cameras, which are designed for the limited resolution and dynamic range of broadcast television. The Arri Group has been the largest world wide supplier of high quality Motion picture film equipment since 1917 Panavision is a Motion picture equipment company specializing in Cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills California. A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a Meadow located within a forested and relatively small Drainage basin such as a Headwater The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use

Technology

Digital cinematography captures motion pictures digitally, in a process analogous to digital photography. Digital photography is a form of Photography that utilizes Digital technology to make Digital images of subjects While there is no clear technical distinction that separates the images captured in digital cinematography from video, the term "digital cinematography" is usually applied only in cases where digital acquisition is substituted for film acquisition, such as when shooting a feature film. Video is the technology of electronically capturing, Recording, processing storing transmitting and reconstructing a sequence of Still images The term is not generally applied when digital acquisition is substituted for analog video acquisition, as with live broadcast television programs.

Sensors

Digital cinematography cameras capture images using CMOS or CCD sensors, usually in one of two arrangements. Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor ( CMOS) (pronounced "see-moss" siːmɔːs ˈsiːmɒs is a major class of Integrated circuits CMOS technology A charge-coupled device ( CCD) is an analog Shift register, that enables the transportation of analog signals (electric charges through successive stages (capacitors

High-end cameras designed specifically for the digital cinematography market often use a single sensor (much like digital photo cameras), with dimensions similar in size to a 35mm film frame or even (as with the Vision 65) a 65mm film frame. Many compact digital still cameras can record Sound and moving Video as well as still Photograph. An image can be projected onto a single large sensor exactly the same way it can be projected onto a film frame, so cameras with this design can be made with PL, PV and similar mounts, in order to use the wide range of existing high-end cinematography lenses available. Arri PL is a Lens mount developed by Arri for use with both 16 mm and 35 mm Movie cameras The PL stands for "positive lock" A PV mount is a Lens mount developed by Panavision for use with both 16 mm and 35 mm Movie cameras It is the only mount offered with Their large sensors also let these cameras achieve the same shallow depth of field as 35 or 65mm motion picture film cameras, which is important because many cinematographers consider selective focus an essential visual tool. In Optics, particularly as it relates to Film and Photography, the depth of field (DOF is the portion of a scene that appears sharp in the image

Prosumer and broadcast television cameras typically use three 1/3" or 2/3" sensors in conjunction with a prism, with each sensor capturing a different color. In Optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat polished surfaces that refract Light. Camera vendors like Sony and Panasonic, which have their roots in the broadcast and consumer camera markets, have leveraged their experience with these designs into three-chip products targeted specifically at the digital cinematography market. The Thomson Viper also uses a three-chip design. These designs offer benefits in terms of color reproduction, but are incompatible with traditional cinematography lenses (though new lines of high-end lenses have been developed with these cameras in mind), and incapable of achieving 35mm depth of field unless used with depth-of-field adaptors, which can lower image sharpness and result in a loss of light. A depth-of-field adapter (often shortened to DOF adapter) is used to achieve shallow Depth of field on a Video camera whose sensor size is not

Acquisition Formats

While many people make movies with MiniDV camcorders and other consumer and prosumer products that have lower resolutions or shoot interlaced video, cameras marketed as digital cinematography cameras typically shoot in progressive HDTV formats such as 720p and 1080p, or in higher-end formats created specifically for the digital cinematography market, such as 2K and 4K. Digital Video (DV is a Digital video format created by Sony JVC Panasonic and other video camera procuers and launched in 1995 and in its smaller tape Form factor Prosumer is a Portmanteau formed by contracting either the word pro fessional or pro ducer with the word con' sumer'. For the method of incrementally displaying Raster graphics, see Interlace (bitmaps. 720p is the shorthand name for a category of HDTV video modes The display resolution of a Digital television or Computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed The display resolution of a Digital television or Computer display typically refers to the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed

To date, 1080p has been the most common format for digitally acquired major motion pictures. In the summer of 2007, director Steven Soderbergh began shooting "The Argentine" and "Guerrilla", due for release in 2008, with prototype Red One 4K cameras[1], making these the first two major motion pictures shot in the 4K format. Steven Andrew Soderbergh (born January 14 1963 is an American Film producer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, editor, and The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use

Data Storage

Tape vs. Data-Centric

Broadly, there are two paradigms used for data storage in the digital cinematography world.

Many people, particularly those coming from a background in broadcast television, are most comfortable with video tape based workflows. Videotape is a means of recording images and sound onto Magnetic tape as opposed to movie film. Data is captured to video tape on set. This data is then ingested into a computer running non-linear editing software, using a deck. "NLE" redirects here For the standardized test see National Latin Examination. VTR redirects here For other meanings see VTR (disambiguation. Once on the computer, the footage is edited, and then output in its final format, possibly to a film recorder for theatrical exhibition, or back to video tape for broadcast use. Original video tapes are kept as an archival medium. The files generated by the non-linear editing application contain the information necessary to retrieve footage from the proper tapes, should the footage stored on the computer's hard disk be lost.

Increasingly, however, digital cinematography is shifting toward "tapeless" workflow, where instead of thinking about digital images as something that exists on a physical medium like video tape, digital video is conceived of as data in files. In tapeless workflow, digital images are usually recorded directly to files on hard disk or flash memory based "digital magazines". A hard disk drive ( HDD) commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a Non-volatile storage device Flash memory is non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed At the end of a shooting day (or sometimes even during the day), the digital files contained on these digital magazines are downloaded, typically to a large RAID connected to an editing system. RAID — which stands for Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks,or alternatively Redundant Array of Independent Disks (a less specific name and thus now the Once data is copied from the digital magazines, they are erased and returned to the set for more shooting. Archiving is accomplished by backing up the digital files from the RAID, using standard practices and equipment for data backup from the Information Technology industry, often to data tape. Information technology ( IT) as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA is "the study design development implementation support A tape drive, which is also known as a streamer, is a data storage device that reads and writes data stored on a magnetic tape.

Compression

Digital cinema cameras are capable of generating extremely large amounts of data; often hundreds of megabytes per second[2]. A megabyte is a unit of Information or Computer storage equal to either 106 (1000000 Bytes or 220 (1048576 bytes depending on To help manage this huge data flow, many cameras or recording devices designed to be used in conjunction with them offer compression. Prosumer cameras typically use high compression ratios in conjunction with chroma subsampling. Data compression ratio, also known as compression power, is a computer-science term used to quantify the reduction in data-representation size produced by a data compression Chroma subsampling is the practice of encoding images by implementing less resolution for chroma Information than for luma information While this allows footage to be comfortably handled even on fairly modest personal computers, the convenience comes at the expense of image quality. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated

High-end digital cinematography cameras or recording devices typically support recording at much lower compression ratios, or in uncompressed formats. Additionally, digital cinematography camera vendors are not constrained by the standards of the consumer or broadcast video industries, and often develop proprietary compression technologies that are optimized for use with their specific sensor designs or recording technologies.

Lossless vs. lossy compression

A lossless compression system is capable of reducing the size of digital data in a fully reversible way -- that is, in a way that allows the original data to be completely restored, byte for byte. This is done by removing redundant information from a signal. Digital cinema cameras rarely use only lossless compression methods, because much higher compression ratios (lower data rates) can be achieved with lossy compression. With a lossy compression scheme, information is discarded to create a simpler signal. Due to limitations in human visual perception, it is possible to design algorithms which do this with little visual impact.

Chroma subsampling

Main article: Chroma subsampling

Some digital cinematography systems further reduce data rate by subsampling color information. Chroma subsampling is the practice of encoding images by implementing less resolution for chroma Information than for luma information Because the human visual system is much more sensitive to luminance than to color, lower resolution color information can be overlaid with higher resolution luma (brightness) information, to create an image that looks very similar to one in which both color and luma information are sampled at full resolution. This scheme may cause pixilation or color bleeding under some circumstances, however, and the highest quality digital cinematography systems are capable of recording full resolution color data (4:4:4) or raw sensor data. A raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of a Digital camera or Image scanner.

Bitrate

Video and audio compression systems are often characterized by their bitrates. Bitrate describes how much data is required to represent one second of media. One cannot directly use bitrate as a measure of quality, because different compression algorithms perform differently. A more advanced compression algorithm at a lower bitrate may deliver the same quality as a less advanced algorithm at a higher bitrate.

Intra- vs. Inter-frame compression

Most compression systems used for acquisition in the digital cinematography world compress footage one frame at a time, as if a video stream is a series of still images. Inter-frame compression systems can further compress data by examining and eliminating redundancy between frames. This leads to higher compression ratios, but displaying a single frame will usually require the playback system to decompress a number of frames that precede it. In normal playback this is not a problem, as each successive frame is played in order, so the preceding frames have already been decompressed. In editing, however, it is common to jump around to specific frames and to play footage backwards or at different speeds. Because of the need to decompress extra frames in these situations, inter-frame compression can cause performance problems for editing systems. Inter-frame compression is also disadvantageous because the loss of a single frame (say, due to a flaw writing data to a tape) will typically ruin all the frames until the next keyframe occurs. In the case of the HDV format, for instance, this may result in as many as 6 frames being lost with 720p recording, or 15 with 1080i recording[3]. HDV is a High-definition_video format that uses MPEG2 compression to record HD content onto tapes originally designed for standard definition DV recording

Digital acquisition codecs compared

Format Bit depth Resolution Chroma sampling Bitrate Inter-frame? Algorithm type
DV 8 bit 720×480 (NTSC) / 720×576 (PAL) 4:1:1 or 4:2:0 25 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
DVCPRO50 8 bit 720×480 (NTSC) / 720×576 (PAL) 4:2:2 50 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
DVCPRO HD 8 bit 960×720, 1280×1080 or 1440×1080 4:2:2 100 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
AVCHD 8 bit 1920x1080,1440x1080,1280x720 4:2:0 24 Mbit/s Yes DCT (lossy)
AVC Intra 10 bit 1920x1080,1440x1080,1280x720 4:2:2 50 or 100 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
HDV 8 bit 1280×720 or 1440×1080 4:2:0 19-25 Mbit/s Yes DCT (lossy)
HDCAM 8 bit 1440×1080 3:1:1 144 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
HDCAM SR 10 bit 1920×1080 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 440 or 880 Mbit/s No DCT (lossy)
CineForm RAW (SI-2K) 10 bit Log 2048×1152 Raw Bayer 100-140 Mbit/s No Wavelet (lossy)
REDCODE RAW 12 bit 4096×2304 Raw Bayer 220 Mbit/s No Wavelet (lossy)

Distribution Formats

Movies shot digitally may be released theatrically or on DVD or VHS. A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A discrete cosine transform ( DCT) expresses a sequence of finitely many data points in terms of a sum of Cosine functions oscillating at different frequencies A wavelet is a mathematical function used to divide a given function or continuous-time signal into different frequency components and study each component with a resolution A wavelet is a mathematical function used to divide a given function or continuous-time signal into different frequency components and study each component with a resolution DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

Digital Theatrical Distribution

Main article: Digital cinema

For the over 4000 theaters with digital projectors in the USA, digital films may be distributed digitally, either shipped to theaters on hard drives or sent via the Internet or satellite networks. Digital cinema refers to the use of Digital technology to distribute and project Motion pictures The final movie can be distributed via Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC, a joint venture of Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Digital Cinema Initiatives LLC or DCI is a joint venture of major motion picture studios formed to establish a standard architecture for Digital cinema Studios, has established standards for digital cinema projection. In July 2005, they released the first version of the Digital Cinema System Specification, which encompasses 2K and 4K theatrical projection. They also offer compliance testing for exhibitors and equipment suppliers.

Distributors prefer digital distribution, because it saves them the expense of making film prints, which may cost as much as $2000 each. Digital projection also offers advantages over traditional film projection such as lack of jitter, flicker, dust, scratches, and grain. Theater owners initially balked at the high cost of installing digital projection systems. However, the number of digital venues is now growing, as of September 2007, at a rate of around 400 screens a month in the United States.

Film-based Theatrical Distribution

Most theaters do not yet have digital projection systems, so even if a movie is shot digitally, it must be transferred to film if a large theatrical release is planned. Typically, a film recorder will be used to print digital image data to film, to create a 35mm internegative. A Film Recorder is a Graphical output device for transferring Digital images to Photographic film. An internegative is Motion picture Film stock used to make Release prints for distribution to movie theatres. This internegative is then treated much as a camera negative from a film camera, and the same traditional optical processes are used to generate release prints from it.

Digital cinematography cameras

Main article: Digital cinematography cameras

Professional cameras include the Sony HDCAM Series, RED One, Panavisions Genesis, SI-2K, Thomson Viper, Vision Research Phantom, Weisscam, GS Vitec noX, and the Fusion Camera System. Digital cinematography cameras can be purpose designed professional cameras but cameras designed for domestic use are also used Independent filmmakers have also pressed low-cost consumer and prosumer cameras into service for digital filmmaking.

Digital vs. film cinematography

Technical Considerations

Predictability

When shooting on film, response to light is determined by what film stock is chosen. A cinematographer can choose a film stock he or she is familiar with, and expose film on set with a high degree of confidence about how it will turn out. Because the film stock is the main determining factor, results will be substantially similar regardless of what camera model is being used. However, the final result cannot be controlled when shooting with mechanical cameras until the film negative has been processed at a laboratory. Therefore, damage to the film negative, scratches which are generated by faulty camera mechanics etc can not be controlled.

In contrast, when shooting digitally, response to light is determined by the CMOS or CCD sensor(s) in the camera and recorded and "developed" directly. This means a cinematographer can measure and predict exactly how the final image will look by eye if familiar with the specific model of camera being used or able to read a vector/waveform.

On-set monitoring allows the cinematographer to see the actual images that are captured, immediately on the set, which is impossible with film. With a properly calibrated high-definition display, on-set monitoring, in conjunction with data displays such as histograms, waveforms, RGB parades, and various types of focus assist, can give the cinematographer a far more accurate picture of what is being captured than is possible with film. In Statistics, a histogram is a Graphical display of tabulated frequencies, shown as Bars It shows what proportion of cases fall into each of A waveform monitor is a special type of Oscilloscope used in Television applications However, all of this equipment may impose costs in terms of time and money, and may not be possible to utilize in difficult shooting situations.

Film cameras do often have a video assist that captures video though the camera to allow for on-set playback, but its usefulness is largely restricted to judging action and framing. A video assist is a piece of equipment mounted onto a Movie camera that allows (with the addition of a monitor the director to see exactly what the Camera operator Because this video is not derived from the image that is actually captured to film, it is not very useful for judging lighting, and because it is typically only NTSC-resolution, it is often useless for judging focus.

Portability

Ultra-lightweight and extremly compact digital cinematography cameras, as the SI:2K mini, are much smaller and lighter than mechanical film cameras. Other High-end digital cinema cameras can be quite large, and some models require bulky external recording mechanisms (though in some cases only a small strand of optical fiber is necessary to connect the camera and the recording mechanism). An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length

Compact 35mm film cameras that produce the full 35mm film resolution and accept standard 35mm lenses cannot be sized down below a certain size and weight, as they require at least space for the film negative and basic mechanics.

Smaller form-factor digital cinema cameras such as the Red One and SI-2K have made digital more competitive in this respect. The Red Digital Cinema Camera Company manufactures Digital cinematography cameras and accessories for professional and cinematic use The SI-2K, in particular, with its detachable camera head, allows for high-quality images to be captured by a camera/lens package that is far smaller than is practically achievable with a 35mm film camera and is used in many scenarios to replace film - especially for stereoscopic productions.

Dynamic Range

The sensors in most high-end digital video cameras have less exposure latitude (dynamic range) than modern motion picture film stocks. In particular, they tend to 'blow out' highlights, losing detail in very bright parts of the image. If highlight detail is lost, it is impossible to recapture in post-production. Cinematographers can learn how to adjust for this type of response using techniques similar to those used when shooting on reversal film, which has a similar lack of latitude in the highlights. In Photography, a reversal film is a still positive image created on a transparent base using photochemical means They can also use on-set monitoring and image analysis to ensure proper exposure. In some cases it may be necessary to 'flatten' a shot, or reduce the total contrast that appears in the shot, which may require more lighting to be used.

Many people also believe that highlights are less visually pleasing with digital acquisition, because digital sensors tend to 'clip' them very sharply, whereas film produces a 'softer' roll-off effect with over-bright regions of the image. Some more recent digital cinema cameras attempt to more closely emulate the way film handles highlights, though how well they achieve this is a matter of some dispute. A few cinematographers have started deliberately using the 'harsh' look of digital highlights for aesthetic purposes. One notable example of such use is Battlestar Galactica. Battlestar Galactica is an Emmy and Peabody Award -winning serial drama Television program created by Ronald D

Digital acquisition typically offers better performance than film in low-light conditions, allowing less lighting and in some cases completely natural or practical lighting to be used for shooting, even indoors. This low-light sensitivity also tends to bring out shadow detail. Some directors have tried a "best for the job" approach, using digital acquisition for indoor or night shoots, and traditional film for daylight exteriors.

Resolution

Substantive debate over the subject of film resolution vs. digital image resolution is clouded by the fact that it is difficult to meaningfully and objectively determine the resolution of either.

Unlike a digital sensor, a film frame does not have a regular grid of discrete pixels. Rather, it has an irregular pattern of differently sized grains. Film grain or granularity is the random optical texture of processed Photographic film due to the presence of small grains of a metallic silver developed from As a film frame is scanned at higher and higher resolutions, image detail is increasingly masked by grain, but it is difficult to determine at what point there is no more useful detail to extract. Moreover, different film stocks have widely varying ability to resolve detail.

Determining resolution in digital acquisition seems straightforward, but is significantly complicated by the way digital camera sensors work in the real world. This is particularly true in the case of high-end digital cinematography cameras that use a single large bayer pattern CMOS sensor. Explanation Bryce Bayer's patent called the green photosensors luminance-sensitive elements and the red and blue ones chrominance-sensitive elements. A bayer pattern sensor does not sample full RGB data at every point; each pixel is biased toward red, green or blue[4], and a full color image is assembled from this checkerboard of color by processing the image through a demosaicing algorithm. Generally with a bayer pattern sensor, actual resolution will fall somewhere between the "native" value and half this figure, with different demosaicing algorithms producing different results. Additionally, most digital cameras (both bayer and three-chip designs) employ optical low-pass filters to avoid aliasing. An anti-aliasing filter is a filter used before a signal sampler to restrict the bandwidth of a signal to approximately satisfy the sampling theorem. This article applies to signal processing including computer graphics Such filters reduce resolution.

In general, it is widely accepted that film exceeds the resolution of HDTV formats and the 2K digital cinema format, but there is still significant debate about whether 4K digital acquisition can match the results achieved by scanning 35mm film at 4K, as well as whether 4K scanning actually extracts all the useful detail from 35mm film in the first place. However, as of 2007 the majority of films that use a digital intermediate are done at 2K because of the costs associated with working at higher resolutions. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change Additionally, 2K projection is chosen for almost all permanent digital cinema installations, often even when 4K projection is available. Digital cinema refers to the use of Digital technology to distribute and project Motion pictures The final movie can be distributed via

One important thing to note is that the process of optical duplication, used to produce theatrical release prints for movies that originate both on film and digitally, causes significant loss of resolution. If a 35mm negative does capture more detail than 4K digital acquisition, ironically this may only be visible when a 35mm movie is scanned and projected on a 4K digital projector.

Grain & Noise

Film has a characteristic grain structure, which many people view positively, either for aesthetic reasons or because it has become associated with the look of 'real' movies. Film grain or granularity is the random optical texture of processed Photographic film due to the presence of small grains of a metallic silver developed from Different film stocks have different grain, and cinematographers may use this for artistic effect.

Digitally acquired footage lacks this grain structure. Electronic noise is sometimes visible in digitally acquired footage, particularly in dark areas of an image or when footage was shot in low lighting conditions and gain was used. Image noise is a random usually unwanted variation in brightness or color information in an Image. In Electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a circuit (often an Amplifier) to increase the power or Amplitude of a Some people believe such noise is a workable aesthetic substitute for film grain, while others believe it has a harsher look that detracts from the image.

Well shot, well lit images from high-end digital cinematography cameras can look almost eerily clean. Some people believe this makes them look "plasticky" or computer generated, while others find it to be an interesting new look, and argue that film grain can be emulated in post-production if desired.

Since most theatrical exhibition still occurs via film prints, the super-clean look of digital acquisition is often lost before moviegoers get to see it, because of the grain in the film stock of the release print.

Digital Intermediate Workflow

The process of using digital intermediate workflow, where movies are color graded digitally instead of via traditional photochemical finishing techniques, has become common, largely because of the greater artistic control it provides to filmmakers. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change Color grading is the process of altering and enhancing the color of a motion picture or television image either electronically photo-chemically or digitally In 2007, all of the 10 most sucessful movies released used the digital intermediate process.

In order to utilize digital intermediate workflow with film, the camera negative must be processed and then scanned. High quality film scanning is time consuming and expensive. With digital acquisition, this step can be skipped, and footage can go directly into a digital intermediate pipeline as digital data.

Some filmmakers have years of experience achieving their artistic vision using the techniques available in a traditional photochemical workflow, and prefer that finishing process. While it would be theoretically possible to use such a process with digital acquisition by creating a film negative on a film recorder, in general digital acquisition is not a suitable choice if a traditional finishing process is desired.

Sound

Films are traditionally shot with dual-system recording, where picture is recorded on camera, and sync sound is recorded to a separate sound recording device. Sync sound (synchronized sound recording refers to sound recorded at the time of the Filming of movies and has been widely used in U In post-production, picture and sound are synced up.

Many cameras used for digital cinematography can record sound internally, already in sync with picture. This eliminates the need for syncing in post, which can lead to faster workflows. However, most sound recording is done by specialist operators, and the sound will likely be separated and further processed in post-production anyway. Also, recording sound to the camera may require running additional cables to the camera, which may be problematic in some shooting situations, particularly in shots where the camera is moving. Wireless transmission systems can eliminate this problem, but are not suitable for use in all circumstances.

Archiving

Many people feel there is significant value in having a film negative master for archival purposes. As long as the negative does not physically degrade, it will be possible to recover the image from it in the future, regardless of changes in technology. In contrast, even if digital data is stored on a medium that will preserve its integrity, changes in technology may render the format unreadable or expensive to recover over time. For this reason, film studios distributing digitally-originated films often make film-based separation masters of them for archival purposes.

Economics

Low-budget / Independent Filmmaking

For the last 25 years, many respected filmmakers like George Lucas have predicted that electronic or digital cinematography would bring about a revolution in filmmaking, by dramatically lowering costs. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter

For low-budget and so-called "no-budget" productions, digital cinematography on prosumer cameras clearly has cost benefits over shooting on 35mm or even 16mm film. Prosumer is a Portmanteau formed by contracting either the word pro fessional or pro ducer with the word con' sumer'. The cost of film stock, processing, telecine, negative cutting, and titling for a feature film can run to tens of thousands of dollars according to From Reel to Deal, a book on independent feature film production by Dov S-S Simens. Photographic processing is the Industrial process by which conventional Photographic film is treated after Photographic exposure in order to produce the Telecine (ˈtɛləˌsɪni/ /ˌtɛləˈsɪni/ ˌtɛləˈsɪnə also /ˌtɛləˈsiːn/ — "tel-e-Sin-ee" "tel-e-Sin-a" as 'cine' is the same root as in 'cinema' Negative Cutting (also known as Negative Matching and Negative Conforming) is the process of cutting motion picture negative to match precisely the final edit as specified In typography titling capitals are a variant of uppercase designed for heading and titles Costs directly attributable to shooting a low-budget feature on 35mm film could be $50,000 on the low side, and over twice that on the high side. In contrast, obtaining a high-definition prosumer camera and sufficient tape stock to shoot a feature can easily be done for under $10,000, or significantly less if, as is typically the case with 35mm shoots, the camera is rented.

If a 35mm print of the film is required, an April 2003 article in American Cinematographer found the costs between shooting film and video are roughly the same. The benefit to shooting video is that the cost of a film-out is only necessary should the film find a distributor to pick up the cost. When shooting film, the costs are upfront and cannot be deferred in such a manner. On the other hand, the same article found 16mm film to deliver better image quality in terms of resolution and dynamic range. Given the progress digital acquisition, film recording, and related technologies have seen in the last few years, it is unclear how relevant this article is today.

Most extremely low-budget movies never receive wide distribution, so the impact of low-budget video acquisition on the industry remains to be seen. It is possible that as a result of new distribution methods and the long tail effects they may bring into play, more such productions may find profitable distribution in the future. The phrase The Long Tail (as a Proper noun with capitalized letters was first coined by Chris Anderson in an October 2004 Wired magazine Traditional distributors may also begin to acquire more low-budget movies as better affordable digital acquisition eliminates the liability of low picture quality, and as they look for a means to escape the increasingly drastic "boom and bust" financial situation created by spending huge amounts of money on a relatively small number of very large movies, not all of which succeed.

Hollywood

On higher budget productions, the cost advantages of digital cinematography are not as significant, primarily because the costs imposed by working with film are simply not major expenses for such productions. Two recent films, Sin City and Superman Returns, both shot on digital tape, had budgets of $40 million and close to $200 million respectively. Sin City is a 2005 film written produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Superman Returns is a 2006 Academy Award -nominated Superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character The cost savings, though probably in the range of several hundred thousand to over a million dollars, were negligible as a percentage of the total production budgets in these cases.

Rick McCallum, a producer on Attack of the Clones, has commented that the production spent $16,000 for 220 hours of digital tape, where a comparable amount of film would have cost $1. Richard McCallum (born 1952 is a Film producer most famous for his work on the Star Wars Prequel trilogy and special editions as well as Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones is a 2002 Film directed by George Lucas and written by Lucas and Jonathan Hales 8 million. However, this does not necessarily indicate the actual cost savings. The low incremental cost of shooting additional footage may encourage filmmakers to use far higher shooting ratios with digital. The shooting ratio of a Film or Video is the Ratio between the total duration of its Footage shot and that which results from its final " The lower shooting ratios typical with film may save time in editing, lowering post-production costs somewhat.

Shooting in digital requires a digital intermediate workflow, which is more expensive than a photochemical finish. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change However, a digital intermediate may be desirable even with film acquisition because of the creative possibilities it provides, or a film may have a large number of effects shots which would require digital processing anyway. Digital intermediate workflow is coming down in price, and is quickly becoming standard procedure for high-budget Hollywood movies.

Industry acceptance of digital cinematography

For over a century, virtually all movies have been shot on film and nearly every film student learns about how to handle 16mm and 35mm film.

Today, digital acquisition accounts for the vast majority of moving image acquisition, as most content for broadcast is shot on digital formats. Most movies destined for theatrical release are still shot on film, however, as are many dramatic TV series and some high-budget commercials. High-end digital cinematography cameras suitable for acquiring footage intended for theatrical release are on the market since 1999/2000, and have meanwhile gained widespread adoption.

Some notable high-profile directors that have shot with digital equipment include

Some of these directors are strong supporters of the change from film to digital, some of them declare that it depends on the particular movie. Robert Bernard Altman (February 20 1925 – November 20 2006 was an American Film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with A Prairie Home Companion is a 2006 ensemble comedy Elegy directed by Robert Altman, his final film released just five Jean-Jacques Annaud (born October 1, 1943) is a French Film director. Two Brothers is a 2004 France / United Kingdom adventure / Family film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20 1957 is an Emmy Award -winning and Academy Award -nominated American Film director, Bamboozled is a 2000 satirical Film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised Minstrel show Timothy "Tim" William Burton (born August 25 1958 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and Set designer, notable for the quirky James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is an Academy Award -winning Canadian - American director Francis Ford "Frank" Coppola (born April 7, 1939) is a five-time Academy Award -winning American Film director, David Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film and Music video director known for his dark and stylish portraits of Zodiac is a 2007 American film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith 's non-fiction book of the same name Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson, AO (born January 3 1956 Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937 is a Welsh Film, stage and Television Actor. Slipstream is a 2007 American Science fiction film written and directed by Anthony Hopkins, which explores the premise of a man who is caught Peter Robert Jackson, CNZM (born 31 October 1961 is a three-time Academy Award -winning New Zealand director producer and writer best known for directing Crossing the Line is a 2007 short by Peter Jackson and the first film made with the Red One camera George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Star Wars is an epic Space opera franchise initially conceived by George Lucas during the 1970s and significantly expanded Sidney Lumet (born June 25 1924) is an Academy Award -receiving American Film director, with over 50 Films to his name Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is a 2007 film written by Kelly Masterson and directed by Sidney Lumet. David Keith Lynch (born January 20 1946 is an American director, Screenwriter, producer, painter, Cartoonist, Composer INLAND EMPIRE is a 2006 feature film written and directed by David Lynch. Michael Mann is the name of Michael Mann (director (born 1943 Hollywood Fats (real name Michael Mann 1954-1986 accomplished Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police dectives Crockett and Tubbs, who Collateral is a 2004 crime/thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Robert Minkoff is an Animator, writer film producer and director The Forbidden Kingdom ( is a 2008 American martial arts - Adventure film from Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company Michael Francis Moore (born April 23 1954 is an Academy Award -winning American filmmaker author and liberal Political commentator. Bowling for Columbine is a 2002 American Documentary film written directed produced by and starring Michael Moore. Greg Mottola (born 1964 is a film and Television director. He wrote and directed the 1996 Independent film The Daytrippers before Doug Liman (born July 24 1965) is an American Film director and producer best known for The Bourne Identity Jumper is a 2008 Science fiction film from 20th Century Fox and New Regency Productions. Peter Greenaway, CBE (born 5 April 1942) is an English Film director born in Wales. Nightwatching is a 2007 film about the artist Rembrandt and the creation of his painting The Night Watch. Robert Anthony Rodriguez (born June 20 1968 is an American director, writer, producer, Cinematographer, editor and Musician Sin City is a 2005 film written produced and directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez. Grindhouse is a 2007 Film co-written produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Anthony D L "Tony" Scott (born 21 July 1944) is a British Film director. Déjà Vu is a Science fiction Crime thriller directed by Tony Scott, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Bryan Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American Film director and Film producer. Superman Returns is a 2006 Academy Award -nominated Superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Steven Andrew Soderbergh (born January 14 1963 is an American Film producer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, editor, and Guerrilla is a 2008 biopic about Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara, portrayed by Benicio del Toro. Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone (born July 6 1946 is an American Actor, director, producer and Screenwriter. Lee Tamahori, born 17 June 1950 in Wellington, New Zealand, is best known as a Film director, although he got his start as a commercial Next is a 2007 Film, the original script is very loosely based on the Science fiction short story " The Golden Man " by Lars von Trier (born Lars Trier, April 30, 1956) is a Danish Film director and Screenwriter. Dogville is a 2003 Film written and directed by Lars von Trier, starring Nicole Kidman, Paul Bettany, Lauren For the fictional estate see Manderley; for the Burmese city see Mandalay. Biography Andy and Larry Wachowski were born to a Polish-American family in Chicago. Biography Andy and Larry Wachowski were born to a Polish-American family in Chicago. Speed Racer is a 2008 Live action Film adaptation of the 1960s Japanese Anime series of the same name. David Zucker (born October 16 1947) is an American Film director. Scary Movie 4 is the fourth film of the Scary Movie franchise and is directed by David Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams

Directors Steven Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Paul Thomas Anderson belong to the opposing camp, and have vowed to continue to shoot on film. Steven Allan Spielberg, KBE (Hon (born December 18 1946 is an American Film director, Screenwriter and producer. Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan (ˈʃaməˈlan ( Malayalam: മനോജ് നെല്ലിയട്ടു ശ്യാമളന്‍ Tamil: மனோஜ் நெல்லியட்டு William Oliver Stone (born 15 September) is an American Film director and Screenwriter. Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26 1970 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated American Filmmaker.

Some directors have expressed an openness for either format, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud who used 35mm and HDCAM together for Two Brothers, or Quentin Tarantino, who, while he ended up shooting his contribution on film, expressed an interest in digital acquisition for Grindhouse [5]. Jean-Jacques Annaud (born October 1, 1943) is a French Film director. HDCAM, introduced in 1997, is an HD version of Digital Betacam, using an 8-bit DCT compressed 311 recording in 1080i -compatible Two Brothers is a 2004 France / United Kingdom adventure / Family film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud Quentin Jerome Tarantino (born March 27, 1963) is an Academy Award - BAFTA Award - and Palme d'Or -winning Emmy - and Grindhouse is a 2007 Film co-written produced and directed by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.

Lower-budget and limited-release movies have adopted digital cinematography at a somewhat faster pace, although some filmmakers still choose to shoot such productions on 16mm film, the traditional medium for that market segment.

As the digital intermediate process gains wider use, even for finishing movies shot on film, and as digital acquisition technology continues to improve, it seems likely digital cinematography will continue to gain wider acceptance. Digital intermediate (often abbreviated as DI) describes the process of digitizing a Motion picture and manipulating color and other image characteristics to change

Digital technology has eclipsed analog alternatives in many other content creation and distribution markets. On the content creation side, digital photo cameras significantly outsell film photo cameras, digital video tape formats like MiniDV have superseded analog tape formats, digital audio workstations have almost entirely replaced multi-track tape recorders, digital non-linear editing systems have displaced Moviola/Steenbeck equipment as the standard means of editing movies, and page layout software running on desktop computers has come to dominate the graphic design industry. A digital audio workstation (DAW is an electronic system designed to record, edit and play back digital audio Multitrack recording ('multitracking' or just 'tracking' for short is a method of Sound recording that allows for the separate recording of multiple sound sources to create This is about the editing machine For the television channel see Movieola. Steenbeck is a brand name that has become synonymous with a type of flatbed Film editing suite which is usable with both 16mm and 35mm On the distribution side, CDs have largely replaced LPs, DVDs have largely replaced VHS tapes, and digital cable systems are displacing analog cable systems. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is It seems likely that despite current resistance on the part of some in the industry, digital technology will eventually be similarly successful in the feature film acquisition and theatrical exhibition markets.

List of major films shot in digital

In the last decade a large number of films have been shot digitally. Some of them are independent, low-budget productions, while others are major Hollywood- and Europe-based productions.

Sony HDCAM (750/900/F23)

Thomson Viper

Panavision Genesis

RED ONE

See also

References

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org