Digital Film Lab – part-II

What is Digital Film Lab?

Digital Film Lab differs from traditional Film Labs which lasts over 6 decades or more. DFL manages as data from start to finish, where as traditional film lab deals in film stocks.

Digital Film Lab consists the following:

1)    Feature films shot as a digital data.
2)    File stored as RAW without applying debayering technology like Adobe DNG for Digital Still Camera.
3)    On Shoot Media backup in External Hard drives from CF cards or hard drives.
4)    Requires Multiple backup of same data in multiple mediums / locations like RAID-5 / RAID-0 / RAID-6 based hard drives, FW800 / eSATA Hard drives, Linear Tape-open(LTO), Digital Linear Tape(DLT) etc.
5)    Multiple backup of data needs to be ensured for file checksum.
6)    Requires logging of data backups in multiple locations using Database system and stores information of  files based on Shot / Scene / Date / Locations and i-data(focus, exposure settings etc.) from metadata of files.
7)    Creating offline dailies in traditional Tape based (1280 X 720p in HDCAM SR  / DVCPRO HD), File based ( Avid DNxHD 36, a screening quality HD offline resolution for progressive formats for Avid based workflows /  Apple ProRes 422, a HD offline quality for FCP based workflow). Both DNxHD & ProRes 422 supports 10-bit sample depth.
8)    Time code: EDL based workflow for conforming offline to online for Digital Intermediate.
9)    DI Solutions: Assimilate Scratch capable of reading RAW files from RED One Camera
10)    DI Solutions: IRIDAS SpeedGrade XR capable of reading RAW files from RED One Camera’s Quicktimes and R3D support coming shortly, Phantom HD / Phantom Cine Camera’s Cine , ARRI D20/D21 Camera, DALSA Origin 4K Camera, Silicon Imaging SI 2K/Mini and Weisscam HS-1 Camera.
11)    Digital post-production: Using 10-bit DPX log files either in 2K / 4K (2048 and 4096 horizontal pixel resolution) conformed to match edit list created by the film editor and then color corrected using the above DI solutions under the direction of Graders by correcting primary, secondary color correction, Masks, Pan and Scan etc. to achieve the final result.
12)    Film Recording: Once DI is done, Files are then converted for film print requires converting the 10-bit DPX log files to Film Negatives using Arrilaser / Lasergraphics / CCG / Definity  film recorders.
13)    Digital Release: Technologies use of  digital technologies to distribute and project motion pictures. Final movie can be distributed via hard drives, DVDs or satellite and projected using a digital projector instead of convention film projects.
14)    Digital Cinema Encoding: Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), working in conjunction with members of SMPTE standards committee, has published a system specifications for digital cinema that was agreed by major studios, specifications calls for picture encoding using the ISO/IEC 15444-1 JPEG2000 (.jp2) standard and use of the CIE XYZ color space at 12 bites per component encoded with a 2.6 gamma applied at projection, audio using the “Broadcast Wave” (.wav) format at 24 bits and 48 KHz or 96 KHz sampling, controlled by an XML-format composition playlist, into an MXF-compliant file at maximum data rate of 250 Mbit/s. Details about encryption, key management and logging are all discussed in the specification as are the minimum specifications for the projectors employed including the color gamut, the contrast ration and the brightness of the image.

Except 13th and 14th points, all other works are being part of Digital Film Lab. DFL requires technicians of various skills from data management, editing, conformist, colorist etc.

DFL for feature film requires minimum of 5 crew team. Two members for On set backup and two for Multiple RAID backups, Logging, Database management, Offline Dailies and Conform for DI and a Tech for Camera assist.

I enquired major film labs in india about Archiving, Offline dailies, Conforming and Finishing solution for Digital Cinema Camera based feature films. Labs replied that producers need to manage Media and Technicians for Digital Cinema Camera workflow. With advent of RED One, Phantom HD and SI2K Digital Cinema Cameras, I wonder why they not even thought about this emerging market.

All Labs have Post Production in house with Film Scanning and Recording, VFX and DI facilities with file based workflow. When it comes to Digital Cinema Camera Data Management they don’t have any answers right now and not even thought about this.

What a Digital Film Lab needs?

Answers in Part-II.