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Stops, Steps, Looks, and LUTs:
The Transition to Digital Cinematography


Date & time: Fri. Apr. 17, 2009, 14h00-18h00, Sat.-Sun., Apr. 18-19, 2009, 9h00-18h00
Venue: TOBIS PORTUGUESA S.A., Praça Bernardino Machado, Lisbon
Presenter: Charles Poynton

The event is organized by Associação de Imagem Cinema e Televisão Portuguesa (AIP).

Description

Cinematographers and their colleagues — camera operators and assistants, colorists, and others — are in the midst of the transition to digital acquisition. Digital imaging technicians (DITs), digital intermediate engineers, and digital intermediate technicians are also involved. All of these people are engaged in translating aspects of film into the equivalents in digital technology. Many questions arise. How many stops of exposure latitude does a digital camera offer? What exposure index should be used? Where is the “film look” imparted? Why does noise arise, and what steps can be taken to minimize it? Should I record “log” or “linear”? Is it valuable to have an on-set display, or is that practice unnecessary? Where do the LUTs go? Who determines their content? Is on-set colour grading feasible?

In this 2-1/2 day Seminar, organized by AIP, Charles Poynton will introduce digital cinema acquisition in a manner that’s accessible to cinematographers and related craftspeople. He will introduce logarithmic coding, and relate that to conventional photography and to digital cinema. He will describe camera sensitivity and ISO/EI ratings. He will describe the zone system, and discuss what aspects of that system are valuable in connection with digital acquisition. He will discuss the tone scale modifications that impart the “film look,” and he will discuss the roles of camera controls (“gamma“) and lookup tables in achieving these modifications.

A 2-page flyer, in PDF format, is available.

Who Should Attend

The attendee should be familiar with digital video, HDTV, and/or digital cinema. Knowledge of mathematics isn’t required; nonetheless, we’ll show some equations and graphs! The Seminar will be suitable for people in positions such as these:

Registration fee is approx. EUR 500. Handout notes, lunches, and refreshments will be provided.

Charles Poynton - Courses & seminars
www.poynton.com/notes/events/
2009-04-17