Digital Video - March 2008 - (Page 31)

can elevate your images to a whole new level. Although many editing platforms now include powerful color-correction applications, the software and its capabilities are not a replacement for an artist controlling it. During the course of my career, I’ve had the luxury of sitting with some of the top colorists in the business, and I can say, in no uncertain terms, that the talent of the colorist is a considerable attribute to the success of the color session. Merely having the tools, and even a qualified understanding of how to use them, does not replace the talents of a good colorist by any stretch of the imagination. That said, the first session with a real colorist can be a bit intimidating for the novice filmmaker. Understanding the basics of what is possible and what the colorist is doing to manipulate the image will help alleviate some of the trepidations you might have when going in for your first session. At its most basic level, there are three major image controls that need to be understood: the blacks, the gamma (or midrange) and the whites. Blacks and whites, or shadows and highlights, are relatively self-explanatory. Brightening the blacks is often called “raising” or “lifting” and it will make the shadow areas less dense, less dark and render the blacks more gray-like, lightening the picture. The reverse of this, “crushing” or “lowering” the blacks, takes the low-end shadow detail and eliminates it, strengthening the blacks and darkening the picture. The “whites” control the highlights of the image. It is important to note that, in the digital world, once you have overexposed an element — in the photography — beyond 100 percent white, there is no longer any detail information remaining and it can no longer be brought down. Whereas underexposed elements of the image can be raised toward “proper” exposure and still have detail. The trickier, but possibly the most important, area is your gamma or midtone range. This is where most of your skin tones, with the exception of dark black skin, falls. Just like the blacks and whites, you can lift and/or lower the midtone range to control the image look overall. If your faces are a little too overexposed, you may want to bring down the gamma a bit to correct that; or if they’re a little dark, bringing up the gamma can help considerably. All of these areas have independent control, but they also all work together. A combination of crushing the blacks, popping (raising) the whites and raising the gamma can result in a “poppy,” contrasty, commercial look. Communicating your needs to the colorist is as simple as asking: “Can we raise the gamma here a bit?” or “Can we crush the blacks a bit?” You’ll see the results immediately. Once you get beyond these basics, you have primary color www.dv.com correction, which is manipulation over red, green and blue elements of the picture. In additive color mixing (light), these are your primary colors and any combination thereof can create any color from pure black to pure white. You don’t always have to know what a little green will do to the picture, you can simply talk in conceptual terms with your colorist. For example, you might say “I’d like this scene to be really warm, but more yellow warm than orange” or “I want this scene to be very cold, but more steely than deep blue” and let your colorist work their magic. It’s a good idea to start with a defining shot for a particular sequence. You may have started shooting a scene with inserts or cut-aways or coverage on a secondary actor, but the most important shot for the scene is the close-up of the actress that happened to be the 10th shot for the day. It’s a good idea to start with that 10th shot, establish the look that you want for the sequence on that hero shot and then have the colorist go back and match the rest of the sequence to that key shot. This not only saves time — as the colorist can match the look quicker if they know where they’re going with it — but it also sets the right tone for the most important moments of a scene. Sometimes if you start setting the look on less important shots, when you get to the important ones — the look you liked earlier just doesn’t work and you have to go back to the beginning, costing time and money. The frame store is one of your best friends. Most color suites have a frame store option where you can capture a single frame from a colored sequence and recall that frame later for reference. This is used to match shots and sequences that don’t sit right next to each other on your camera rolls. It’s best to establish your own working cadence with the colorist, but it’s a good idea to let them work on a shot first, let them get to a point where they’ve done their technical adjustments and then start giving input. There’s nothing more frustrating than having a filmmaker over your shoulder saying “No, no, that’s too bright, that’s not what I want” when the colorist is actually setting a range for the whites and has no intention of keeping it there; you’re just speaking too soon. If you’re not comfortable with your cadence yet simply tell the colorist your general idea for the scene then tell them “Go ahead and work and let me know when you’re ready for comments.” They will appreciate that more than I can explain in the space allowed here. Many digital shooters don’t feel color correction is a necessary step, but that’s a mistake. Color correction, at its most basic technical application, can elevate the consistency and professionalism of your image to a whole new level. Working with a talented colorist and allowing their creative input can improve the final look of your images well beyond your imagination. DV dv march 2008 31 http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - March 2008

Digital Video - March 2008 Contents DV Update Q&A Fest Circuit Instant Expert LP-Micro Light Fusion F2 Drive PPFP-3N Bag Ego Digital Imaging Light KE-79CC Boom & Fuzzy Close-Up: Honoring George Spiro Dibie, ASC Food Fight Key Thoughts on Chroma key DV101 Dynamic Duos First Look: A Big Serve Cameras & Courtrooms Ad Index Production Diary

Digital Video - March 2008

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