High Definition Cinematography by Paul Wheeler

Preface     xv
About the Author     xvii
Introduction     xix
Acknowledgments     xxi
High Definition: A Quick Overview     1
Why shoot on HD?     3
What do we mean by High Definition (HD)?     3
The knowledge base     3
What does it mean to the Producer - saving money!     4
What does it mean to the Director?     4
What does this mean for the Director of Photography?     4
What does it mean to the other crafts?     4
Editing and post-production     4
Context     5
Production Decisions     7
Which formats to shoot on?     9
Progressive or interlace?     9
How many pixels do you need?     9
Recording formats     9
HDV - can you get away with it?     10
Picture quality     11
What does HD look like?     11
HD images compared with 35 mm     11
Anamorphic 35 mm     12
Comparisons with Super 16 mm     12
Comparison with Digi Beta     13
Display quality     14
High definition shown on television     14
HD written to film andprojected mechanically     14
HD shown on a state-of-the-art digital projector     14
Digital projectors     15
The Barco D-Cine Premiere DP 50     15
The Barco SLM R8     16
Delivery requirements     17
For delivery on film     17
Multi-format delivery requirements     17
HD projection     18
Encryption     18
Broadcast delivery     18
Convertibility     18
Picture     18
Sound     18
Time code     19
Sales potential     20
Multiple standard sales     20
Multiple venue sales     20
Additional sales to HD users     20
Future proofing     21
Cost implications     22
Savings     22
Origination costs     22
Stock savings     22
Insurance savings     22
Savings in print costs     23
Shooting for anamorphic release     24
Added costs     24
Camera kit rental     24
Editing costs     24
Writing out to film     25
A cost comparison example - Oklahoma!     25
Stock and processing savings     25
Camera rental     25
Additional costs     26
Overall savings     26
Competitive pricing     26
Crewing     27
Should the DP operate?     27
Do you need a focus puller?     27
Do you need a loader?     28
Naming the camera assistants     28
Do you need a clapperboard?     28
Do you need a dolly grip?     28
Sound     29
Electricians     29
Different shooting requirements     30
General considerations     30
Shooting in the USA     30
Theatrical productions     30
US prime time television productions     30
US commercials     31
Other US productions     31
What frame rate to choose     31
Potential cost savings     31
European productions     33
European feature films     33
European television     33
Performance shows     34
The Merchant of Venice     34
The Technology     35
Digital imaging      37
The history of digits     37
Digital tonal range     37
Linear and logarithmic sampling     38
Image resolution, why so many pixels?     40
Required resolution for HD     41
Data quantity     43
Scanning the image     44
A little of the history of television     44
Interlace scanning     45
Progressive scanning     46
Traditional cinema flicker     47
How are images captured by the two scanning formats?     48
Printing out to film     53
Line standards and definition     55
Line summation     55
Apparent picture quality     56
1080 versus 720 in television     57
Conclusions     59
Is HD worth the trouble?     60
Three chip technology     63
Additive color imagery     63
The three chip camera's beam splitter     64
The image sensors     65
The sensor chip     68
Single chip technology     70
What's available?     70
CCD sensors     70
CMOS sensors     70
CCDs versus CMOS chips     71
Color filtering in single chip cameras     71
Bayer pattern filtering     72
Sequential filtering     73
The effect of increasing the pixel count     74
The video tape recorder - the VTR     75
The HDCAM format     15
Helical scan recording     75
Mechanical considerations     76
The drum lacing mechanism     78
Operational considerations     78
A jammed mechanism     78
HD Cinematography     79
Lighting and exposing for HD     81
An HD camera's equivalent ASA speed, or ISO rating     81
Tonal range     81
Lighting ratios     82
Lighting to a monitor     83
Highlights and shadows     83
Exposure     83
Using a monitor     83
Using a meter     84
Auto exposure     84
Exposing using a waveform monitor     84
Setting the color balance     86
White balance     86
What is white balance?     86
Neutral density filters     87
A warning!     87
Setting the white balance using a white card     87
Setting the white balance using a colored card     88
Setting the white balance under fluorescent lighting     88
The outer filter wheel on a Sony HDW camera     88
Black balance     89
Lenses     90
How to choose a lens     90
Resolution     90
Contrast     90
Perceived sharpness with regard to contrast     91
Color rendition     93
Overall color bias     93
Color fringing     94
What is fringing?     94
Breathing     94
Setting the back focus     94
Setting the back focus: zoom lenses     94
Setting the back focus: prime lenses     95
Focusing the lens using back focus charts - Beware!     95
Back focusing using the oval rings chart     97
Comparative focal lengths     97
Depth of field     98
Calculating depth of field     99
Neutral density filters     100
Limiting apertures     100
Filtration     101
Color correction     101
Diffusion     101
Monitors and cabling     102
What kind of monitors are available?      102
Cathode ray tube monitors     102
Liquid crystal display monitors     102
Plasma screens     102
Lining up your monitor     103
An SMPTE line up     103
Lining up using EBU bars     104
Using an exposure meter     104
Cabling your monitor     105
Single coaxial cables     105
Triple coaxial cables     105
Termination     105
Serial monitors     105
Best practice     106
Playback     107
Don't use the camera for playback!     107
Using the Sony HDW F500 VTR for playback     108
Using digital video for playback     108
Using two DV recorders     109
Down converters     109
The Evertz down converter     109
The Miranda down converter     109
Sound delay lines     111
Playback packages     111
Shipping     112
It's not ENG!     112
Shipping lenses     112
Transit cases     113
Camera set-up when shipping     113
Size and weight     113
Batteries     113
Multi camera shoots     114
Synchronization     114
Time code on location     115
Lock It boxes     115
Script Boy     115
Time code in a studio     115
Genlock     116
Menu set-ups     116
The Sony RMB 150     116
Using memory sticks     117
Matching lenses     117
Hazardous conditions     118
Re-setting the trips     118
Water     119
Heat     119
Cold     119
Dust     119
Gamma rays     119
Camera supports     121
Fluid heads     121
Geared heads     121
Remote heads     122
Under water     122
In the air     122
Motion control rigs     122
How HD affects other crafts     124
Art and Design     124
Costume     124
Make up and Hair     125
Sound     125
Script supervision and continuity     125
The second assistant cameraperson or ex-clapper boy     125
Troubleshooting     127
Stating the obvious      127
Problems and solutions     127
Examples of Shoots     131
Some pictures shot HD, and why?     133
The Children of Dune     133
Rushes requirements     134
The extended playback facility     134
The equipment list     134
Birthdays     134
The studio shoot     135
The location shoot     136
Exterior tracking shots     137
Interior lighting     137
Adding gain     139
Editing Birthdays     139
Viewings     139
Post-Production     141
Post-production: an overview     143
Generations     143
How the choice of edit suite affects the generation game     143
The route to a film copy     145
Non-photographic distribution     146
An international standard     146
Where might it be shown?     147
Time code considerations     148
The Sony HDW F500 VTR     149
VTRs in general     149
An overview of the HDW F500     149
Editing and playback     149
Simultaneous playback     149
Slow motion replay     150
High speed picture search     150
Digital jog sound     150
Vertical interval time-code read/write     150
The control panel     150
Remote control     151
In/out capacity     151
Optional plug-in boards     151
Cassettes     151
Changing the frame rate     151
Available frame rates     152
Power supplies     152
Cameras     153
Cameras in general     155
The choice of cameras     156
My disclaimer!     156
The Arriflex D-20     157
The camera     157
The camera chip     159
Interface     159
Lenses     159
Recorders     159
The Dalsa Origin     163
The camera     163
The look through     164
The sensor     165
Interfaces     165
Conclusions on the Dalsa Origin     165
Currently available recorders     165
The Codex Digital Media Recorder     165
The touch screen     166
Monitoring via the Codex      167
Conclusions on the Codex     167
The Panasonic VariCam: AJ=HDC27H     168
The camera     168
Frame rates     168
Exposure times     169
The chips and the processor     169
The VTR     169
Time code     170
An overview     170
The Panavision Genesis     171
The camera     171
Menus     173
White balance     174
The camera sensor     174
Formats, outputs and interface     175
Viewing logarithmic images     175
The Panasonic HDW 900F     176
Introduction     176
External modifications     176
The top handle     176
The viewfinder support     177
The viewfinder     178
The camera front plate and lens mount     178
The camera base plate     178
The voltage distribution box     179
Internal modifications     179
The internal filter     179
Electronic definition enhancement     179
The Sony HDW F750P and the F730 HD cameras     181
Frame rates     181
The camera body      181
Add-in boards, etc.     182
Image control via the menus     184
Multi matrix     184
Auto tracing white balance     184
Color temperature control     184
Selectable gamma curves     184
RGB gamma balance     184
Variable black gamma range     184
Black stretch     185
Adaptive highlight control (auto knee mode)     185
Knee saturation function     185
The triple skin tone detail control     185
Level depend detail     185
Meta-data handling     185
The Sony Tele-File system     185
The optional HD SDI adapter     185
An overview     185
The Sony HDW F900R     187
The camera     187
The chips     188
The processor     188
Additional facilities     189
Menus     189
Overall impressions     189
The Thomson Viper HD camera     190
The camera body     190
Outputs from the camera     190
Recording a FilmStream signal     190
The Director's Friend     192
The beam splitter      194
The Vipers CCD array     194
The mechanical shutter     194
Frame rates     194
Resolution     194
The cameras processor configuration     194
The camera back     195
The arguments for a logarithmic recording format     196
Lenses for the Viper     196
Monitors for the Viper     197
Camera accessories     197
Shipping the Viper     197
Camera Menus     199
Menus in general     201
The HDW F900 menus     202
Using the menus     202
The layout of the menus     203
Using the menus: some warnings     204
The Operation Menu     207
VF Display page     207
'!'Indicator page     207
Marker page     207
Marker     208
Center     209
Safety Zone     209
Effect     209
Aspect Mode     210
Mask     210
Gain SW page     212
Zebra/VF DTL page     212
Auto Iris page     213
Batt Alarm page     213
Others page      214
Operator File page     215
Lens File page     217
The Paint Menu     217
SW Status page     218
Video Level page     219
Gamma page     221
Black Gamma page     222
Low Key Saturation page     222
Knee page     222
Detail 1 page     223
Detail 2 page     225
Skin Detail page     226
User Matrix page     228
Multi Matrix page     230
Shutter page     231
Scene File page     232
The Maintenance, File and Diagnostic Menus     235
Page M7     235
Index     239