Choices in Motion Picture Acquisition Format

 

Observations following International Cinematographer’s Guild

Digital Cinema Seminar, Albuquerque, NM, December 2007

By Dick Fisher

 

            Previously motion pictures were shot primarily on 35mm film, using a relatively small number of cameras manufactured for this purpose, most commonly by Panavision and Arriflex.  More recently Super 16 millimeter was added as an economical alternative because of dramatic advances in film resolution technology and consequent savings in the use of negative film stock.  Additionally, the adoption of the Digital Intermediate (DI) in the post production process makes Super 16mm a viable alternative.  Film recording techniques, or “film outs,” allow creative decisions made during the Digital Intermediate process to be recorded, frame by frame, on to 35mm release negatives. 

 

Recent advances in electronics, computer science, and miniaturization, and newly legislated High Definition Television Standards and the development of Digital Cinema Exhibition schemes have led to the creation of new digital cinema acquisition methods.

 

Filmmakers now have to consider the following options for recording media when planning to produce a motion picture.

 

1.     Standard 35mm

2.     3 Perforation 35mm (3-perf)

3.     Super 16mm

4.     HDCAM 24P  (1080) (in a number of varieties)

5.     DVC-PRO HD 24P (760P)

6.     Solid State HD (P2 Card)

7.     RAW Data Acquisition

 

No matter what acquisition form factor is chosen material must be processed, ingested, or transferred for;

 

·       Creative Editing

·       Color Correction

·       Sound Editing, Layback, and Design

·       Special Effects and titling

·       Output for Exhibition (film, DVD, digital projection, etc.)

 

Consequently deciding which format to utilize in producing a motion picture is a complex one.  Following is a brief description of some of the choices.

 

 

 

 

Standard 35mm

 

            Traditionally Arriflex and Panavision 35mm Camera packages have been used to shoot motion pictures.  Numerous vendors, Panavision, Otto Nemenz, and Clairmont, to name a few, currently service the motion picture industry. 

Exposed film must be shipped to film laboratories for processing and then transferred to video for ingestion into editing systems.   After creative editorial, the “locked” content is transferred to the Digital Intermediate Domain, where it can be color corrected, titled, and in many other ways manipulated to create the finished film.  The end product of the DI is the creation of the required “deliverables” that comprise a finished film.  The film can then be “released” in any variety of formats for exhibition.  This could include video formats or 35mm film (the “film out” process) for distribution and exhibition.

 

            3 Perforation 35mm

 

            3-Perf is a camera system which uses 25% less film but REQUIRES Digital Intermediate (or optical transfer) for finishing.  The reason for this is that release exhibition prints use 4 perforations for each frame.  With 3-perf camera gates, the image is contained within 3 perforations, saving 25% of film during shooting.  Optical printing or a DI is required to produce exhibition prints.  See illustration below.  In order to shoot 3-perf 35mm, cameras must be modified with this pull down mechanism.

 

 

            The obvious advantage of this system is the 25% savings in raw film stock and developing cost.

 

Super 16mm

 

Another way to economically shoot film is with Super 16mm.  New film stocks with much finer grain structure and the advent of Digital Intermediates have revived the format.  With proper lighting and top rate equipment, proper post production, and color correction, a film out 35mm release print originated on Super 16mm can be mistaken for 35mm.  The small form factor of this camera system can also be an advantage when shooting in practical locations.

 

Digital Cinematography - 24 Frames Per Second, Progressive HD Video

 

Using digital camera equipment provides the obvious advantage of seeing on set exactly what is being shot as well as creating data which is native to the post production environment.  The other great advantage of digital cinematography is the low cost of recording media (relative to raw film stock and processing).  This allows for long takes and the creative freedom of improvisation.  The filmmaker can shoot many more takes and angles of each scene.  Undisciplined use of this freedom however will lead to much higher post production costs in dealing with the large amount of acquired material.

 

Currently there are a number of HD cameras capable of processing very high quality images for transfer, through the DI process, for theatrical exhibition.  These include (but not limited to):

 

·       Sony F-23

·       Panavision Genesis

·       Arriflex D-20

·       Dalsa Origin

·       Thomson Viper

·       Red One

 

These camera systems use differing technologies to produce high quality digital video cinematic images.  Currently there is no established universal standard so the cameras are capable of generating and outputting a variety of different signals.  In addition, the highest quality (most resolution and greatest color space/rendition) images require tremendous amounts of storage.  Consequently there are a number of different storage solutions, which include compression schemes which facilitate storage but compromise the images color space.  These include.

 

Format

Bit depth

Resolution

Chroma sampling

Bitrate

 

 

DV

8 bit

720×480 (NTSC) / 720×576 (PAL)

4:1:1 or 4:2:0

25 Mbit/s

 

 

DVCPRO50

8 bit

720×480 (NTSC) / 720×576 (PAL)

4:2:2

50 Mbit/s

 

 

DVCPRO HD

8 bit

960×720, 1280×1080 or 1440×1080

4:2:2

100 Mbit/s

 

 

HDV

8 bit

1280×720 or 1440×1080

4:2:0

19-25 Mbit/s

 

 

HDCAM

8 bit

1440×1080

3:1:1

144 Mbit/s

 

 

HDCAM SR

10 bit

1920×1080

4:2:2 or 4:4:4

440 or 880 Mbit/s

 

 

CineForm RAW (SI-2K)

10 bit Log

2048×1152

RAW Bayer

100-140 Mbit/s

 

 

REDCODE RAW

12 bit

4096×2304

RAW Bayer

220 Mbit/s

 

 

 

Each of these formats has different advantages and disadvantages.

Bottom Line

 

There is no clear leader among the digital formats or cameras.  Each has distinct advantages as well as draw backs.  Less expensive systems tend to produce inferior images and record less color information but they are more cost effective; the most robust systems and storage solutions are extremely expensive or require impossibly amounts of storage media.  As evidenced by the list of films originated with digital cinematography below, HD is a viable alternative.  However the choice of whether or not to originate in the digital domain requires an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of all acquisition options as well as cost and aesthetic considerations. 

 

HD Advantages

 

·       What You See is What You Get (WYSWYG)

·       Inexpensive Recording Media Allows Long Takes, Improvisation, Spontaneity, and freedom to shoot a lot of coverage

·       Recorded Material is ready for post production with minimal processing

 

HD Disadvantages   

 

·       Equipment is expensive and complicated, requires expert maintenance and operation, setups are complex

·       Universal standards don’t exist/are still evolving

·       No archival media or standards exist

·       Limited Contrast Range

 

Film Advantages

 

·       Robust and mature technology

·       Standards Accepted Worldwide

·       High Resolution/Low light sensitivity

·       Broad Contrast Range

·       Camera Negative provides archive

 

Film Disadvantages

 

·       Images must be pre-visualized – captured footage can’t be seen until processed

·       Raw Stock and Processing Expensive

·       Requires transfer for post production

 

The most obvious advantage to digital acquisition is the cost of raw stock and processing.  However equipment rental rates are greater for high end HD acquisition equipment and the ability to shoot far greater amounts of digital material lead to higher post production costs.  Consequently financial considerations are not necessarily a defining factor in the decision of what format to shoot a motion picture with.

 

Digital cinematography is rapidly evolving and improving.  Film stock and film camera systems are also being improved but only marginally.  It would seem that until digital cinematography systems become more economical and recording formats are standardized both forms of motion picture production will continue to co-exist.  The decision of how to shoot motion pictures will also continue to be aesthetic one firmly guided by economic consideration.

 

Some examples of digital cinematography acquisition. (Linked to Wikipedia articles.)

The preceding material was written by Dick Fisher and may not be reproduced without his permission. 

 

www.DickFisher.net

FisherDP@yahoo.com

520-907-1900  

 

 

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