For more than three years, the film industry has been actively developing and testing digital technology with an eye toward transitioning from film-based motion picture projection systems used in movie theaters to those that are digital.
And last week that work culminated with the announcement that a consortium of Hollywood studios has completed and released it final system requirements and specifications, which are designed to help theatrical projector and equipment manufacturers create a uniform and compatible digital cinema system in the U.S.
The agreement was viewed as a historic milestone in motion picture development by all who participated in the massive effort, lead by studio consortium Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI), which was formed with the specific purpose of creating digital cinema specifications. The effort also included participation from many individuals and organizations including the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), which teamed with DCI to produce a mini movie designed for testing purposes and known as the Standard Evaluation Material (StEM). Feature and commercial cinematographer Allen Daviau, ASC served as DP on the StEM movie, and many other commercial cinematographers from the ASC participated in the production.
Major elements of version 1 of the DCI distribution spec–a 163 page document now available on the DCI web site (www.dcimovies.com)–include 2k (2048 pixels of horizontal resolution x1080 vertical; 24 or 48 frames per second) and 4k (4096 x 2160; 24 frames per second) image resolutions, as well as 16 channel, 24-bit audio.
So what does this mean to the advertising production community? Hollywood’s Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) CEO Charles Schwartz explained that this spec becomes a target for postproduction facilities that prepare content for theatrical release, encompassing the digital intermediate, visual effects, and digital mastering processes. As well, DCI has mapped out a specification for the creation of the Digital Cinema Package (DCP) that postproduction facilities would be required to comply with for delivery.
While this spec brings new challenges to post, it could also usher in new opportunities for advertisers. “The spec is very clear about providing for alternative content,” explained John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO). “That’s an important part of the dialogue. It’s open to everyone. That means small independent movie markers; that means alternative products like rock concerts; that means you can use it for advertisements.”
COMPANY 3
Commercial house Company 3 is Santa Monica, which also offers digital color grading and DI services to the feature film industry, is an example of a post house that is already paying attention to these developments.
Today, the limited number of digital cinema releases are typically delivered at 1920 horizontal pixels, matching the capacity of currently available digital cinema servers. But that portion of the 2k spec calls for 2048.
Company 3 recently created a 2048 digital cinema deliverable of the new Michael Bay feature The Island, which was color graded by Company 3 president and colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld. For the film, Company 3’s technical team–notably Steven B. Cohen, VP of feature film services at Company 3 parent Ascent Media Creative Services; and Company 3 director of engineering Mike Chiado–developed a workflow that enabled the creation of the 2048 deliverable.
This was used for preview screenings and the premiere of The Island–and is believed to be the first theatrical motion picture to premiere in 2048 4:4:4 RGB.
Sonnenfeld was very happy that Bay chose to “push the limits” with The Island premiere. “He was given an opportunity through Dreamworks who have been terrific throughout this process,” Sonnenfeld said. “And Michael chose to go with 2k for the premiere.”
This was not the complete DCI spec as it was 10-bit RGB color space, and the DCI spec calls for 12-bit XYZ, but stakeholders explained that before post needs to respond to this portion of the spec, further work is first required in distribution technology, particularly digital cinema servers.”
Meanwhile, Company 3 continues to watch these developments as it enhances its DI services, which have also been used for cinema commercial finishing.
For instance, Company 3 recently purchased and installed Grass Valley’s Spirit 4k, a higher resolution iteration of the Spirit Datacine. “We are speeding up the scanning speed and going with higher resolutions; we are acting on the studios’ demand for 2k and 4k,” reported Rainer Knebel, VP of digital intermediate services for Ascent Media Creative Services. “With the Sprit 4k, we will also be able to fulfill the DCI specs, 12-bit. If we want to make digital cinema releases, we have to provide12-bit scans in postproduction.”
He added, “when we evaluate color correctors, we do want to make sure then are also future proof. The investment is too high, we cannot make another investment in color correctors or postproduction tools in one or two years from now.”