1.5

Furthermore, choices made during preproduction and the shoot, including the film or
video format and camera settings used, can have a profound effect on the amount of
flexibility that’s available during the eventual color correction process.
Initial Color Correction When Transferring Film
When a project has been shot on film, the camera negatives must first be transferred to
the videotape or digital video format of choice prior to editing and digital post using a
telecine or datacine machine. A telecine is a machine for transferring film to videotape,
while a datacine is set up for transferring film directly to a digital format, usually a DPX
(Digital Picture eXchange) or Cineon image sequence.
Telecine VideotapesVideotapesCamera Negative
Usually, the colorist running the film transfer session performs some level of color
correction to ensure that the editor has the most appropriate picture to work with. The
goals of color correction at this stage usually depend on both the length of the project
and the post-production workflow that’s been decided upon.
• Short projects, commercials, spots, and very short videos may get a detailed color
correction pass right away. The colorist will first calibrate the telecine’s own color
corrector to balance the whites, blacks, and color perfectly. Then the colorist, in
consultation with the DoP, director, or producer, will work shot by shot to determine
the look of each shot according to the needs of the project. As a result, the editor will
be working with footage that has already been corrected.
• Long-form projects such as feature-length films and longer television programs probably
won’t get a detailed color correction pass right away. Instead, the footage that is run
through the telecine will be balanced to have reasonably ideal exposure and color for
purposes of having a good image for editing, and left at that. Detailed color correction
is then done at another stage.
• Projects of any length that are going through post-production as a digital intermediate
are transferred with a color correction pass designed to retain the maximum amount
of image data. Since a second (and final) digital color correction pass is intended to be
performed at the end of the post-production process, it’s critical that the image data
is high quality, preserving as much highlight and shadow detail as possible. Interestingly,
since the goal is to preserve the image data and not to create the final look of the
program, the highest-quality image for grading may not be the most visually appealing
image.
17Chapter 1 Color Correction Basics