High Definition Cinematography

Part one:High Definition - a quick overview; 1-What do we mean by High Definition (HD)?; The knowledge base; What does it mean to the producer - saving money!; What does it mean to the Director?; What does it mean to the Director of Photography?; What does it mean to the other crafts?; Editing and Post Production; Part two-Production Decisions; 2-Which formats to shoot on?; Progressive or Interlace?; How many pixels do you need; Recording formats; HDV - can you get away with it?; 3-Picture Quality; What does HD look like?; HD images compared with 35mm; Anamorphic 35mm; Comparisons with Super 16mm; Comparison with Digi Beta; 4-Display quality; HD Shown on a television; HD Written to film and projected mechanically; HD Shown on a state of the art digital projector; Digital projectors; The Barco D-Cine DP 40 Premier; The Barco SLM R8; 5-Delivery requirements; For delivery on film; Multi format delivery requirements; For HD Projection; Encryption; Broadcast delivery; Convertibility; Picture; Sound; Time code; 6-Sales potential; Multiple standard sales; Multiple venue sales; Additional sales to HD users; Future proofing; 7-Cost implications; Savings; Origination costs; Stock Savings; Insurance savings; Savings in print costs; Shooting for anamorphic release; Added costs; Camera Kit rental; Writing out to film; A cost comparison example - "Oklahoma"; Stock and processing savings; Camera rental; Additional costs; Overall savings; Competitive pricing; 8-Crewing; Should the DP operate?; Do you need a focus puller?; Do you need a loader?; Naming the camera assistants; Do you need a clapper board?; Do you need a dolly grip?; Sound; Electricians; 9-Different shooting requirements; General considerations; Shooting in the US; Theatrical productions; US Prime Time television productions; US Commercials; Potential Savings; Other US productions; What frame rate to chose; European television; Potential cost savings; European productions; European feature films; European television; Performance shows; "Oklahoma"; "The Merchant of Venice"; Part three: The Technology; 10-Digital imaging; The history of digits; Digital tonal range; Linear and logarithmic sampling; Image resolution, why so many pixels?; Required resolution for HD; Data Quantity; 11-Scanning the Image; A little of the history of television; Interlace Scanning; Progressive scanning; Printing out to Film; 12-Line Standards and Definition; Line Summation; Apparent Picture Quality; 1080 versus 720; Conclusions; 13-Three Chip Technology; Additive Colour Imagery; The Three Chip Camera's Beam Splitter; The Image Sensors; The Sensor Chip;
14-Single chip Technology; What's available?; CCD sensors; CMOS sensors; CCDs Versus CMOS chips; Here is a check List; Colour filtering in single sensors; Bayer pattern filtering; Sequential filtering; The effect of increasing the pixel count; 15-The Video Tape Recorder (VTR); The HDCAM Format; Helical Scan Recording; Mechanical Considerations; The Drum Lacing Mechanism; Operational Considerations; A Jammed Mechanism; Part Four-HD Cinematography; 16-Lighting and exposing for HD; Equivalent ASA speed; Tonal range; Lighting ratios; Lighting to a monitor; Highlights and shadows; Exposure; Using a monitor; Using an exposure meter; Auto Exposure; Exposing using a waveform monitor; 17-Setting the Colour balance; White balance; What is white balance?; ND Filters; A warning!; Setting the white balance using a white card; Setting the white balance using a coloured card; Setting the white balance under fluorescent lighting; The outer filter wheel on a Sony HDW Camera; Black balance; 18-Lenses; How to chose a lens; Resolution; Contrast; Perceived sharpness with regard to contrast; Colour rendition; Overall colour bias; Colour fringing; What is fringing?; Breathing; Setting the back focus; Setting the back focus - Zoom lenses; Setting the back focus - Prime lenses; Focusing a lens using back focus charts - Beware!; Back focusing using the oval rings chart; Comparative focal lengths; Depth of field; Calculating depth of field; Neutral Density filters; Limiting apertures; Filtration; Colour correction; Diffusion; 19-Monitors and cabling; What kind of Monitors are Available?; Cathode Ray Tube Monitors; Liquid Crystal Display Monitors; Plasma Screens; Lining up your Monitor; An SMPTE Line Up; Lining up using EBU Bars; Using an Exposure Meter; Cabling your Monitor; Single Coaxial Cables; Triple Coaxial Cables; Termination
Serial Monitors; Best Practice; 20-Playback; Don't use the camera!; Using the Sony HDW F500 VTR or equivalent for playback; Using DV for playback; Using two DV recorders; Down converters from Sony HDV cameras; The Evertz down converter; The Miranda down converter; Sound delay lines; Playback packages; 21-Shipping; It's not ENG!; Shipping lenses; Transit cases; Camera set-up when shipping; Size and weight; Batteries; 22 Multi camera shoots; Synchronisation; Time code on location; Lock It Boxes; Script Boy; Time code in a studio; Genlock; Menu set ups; The Sony RMB 150; Using memory sticks; Matching lenses; 23-Hazardous conditions; Re-setting the trips; Water; Heat; Cold; Dust; Gamma rays; 24-Camera supports; Fluid heads; Geared heads; Remote heads; Under water; In the air; Motion control rigs; 25-How HD affects other crafts; Art and Design; Costume; Make up and Hair; Sound; Script supervision and continuity; The second assistant cameraperson or ex-clapper boy;
26-Troubleshooting; Stating the Obvious; Problems and Solutions; No image on Monitor; Monitor shows colouration; No image in viewfinder; No image through down converter; Camera will not power up; Camera will not record; Monitor too bright; Monitor is green; Monitor shows bright single pixel; Image vignettes; Image blurred when panning; Image looks soft; Footage marks on lens wrong; Camera will not accept external time code; No signal on camera VU meter; Lens Ret not working; White balance not working; Audio not in sync when using down converter; Part five: Examples of shoots; 27-Some pictures that made it to HD - and why; "The Children of Dune"; Rushes requirements; An extended playback facility; The equipment list; "Birthdays"; The Studio Shoot; The location shoot; Exterior tracking shots; Interior lighting; Adding gain; Editing "Birthdays"; Viewings; Part six:Post Productionl; 28 Post production - an overview; Generations; How the choice of edit suite effects the generation game; The route to a film copy; Non photographic distribution; An international standard
Where might it be shown; Time code; Considerations;
29-The Sony HDW F500 Desktop VTR; VTR's in general; An overview of the HDW F500; Editing and Playback; Simultaneous playback; Slow motion replay; High speed picture search; Digital jog sound; Vertical interval time-code (VITC) read / write; The control panel; Remote control; In / out capacity; Optional plug in boards; Cassettes; Changing the frame rate; Available frame rates; Power supplies; Part seven: Cameras; 30-Cameras in general; My choice of cameras; My disclaimer!; 31-The Arriflex D-20; The camera; The Camera's chip; Interface; Lenses; Recorders; 32-The Dalsa Origin; The camera; The look through; The Sensor; Interfaces; Conclusions on the Dalsa Origin; Currently available recorders; The Codex Media Recorder; The Touch Screen; Monitoring via the Codex; Conclusions on the Codex; 3-The Panavision Genesis; The Camera; Menus; White balance; The camera sensor; Formats, Outputs and Interface; Viewing logarithmic images; 34-The Panavision HDW F900 and its system; Introduction; External modifications; The top handle; The viewfinder support; The viewfinder; the camera front plate and lens mount; The camera base plate; The voltage distribution box; The internal filter; Electronic modifications; the internal filter; Electronic definition enhancement; 35-The Sony HDW 750P and the 730 HD cameras; frame rates; The camera body; Add -in boards etc.; Image control via the menus; Multi matrix; Auto tracing white balance; Colour temperature control; Selectable gamma curves; RGB gamma balance; Variable black; gamma balance; Black stretch; Adaptive highlight control (Auto knee mode); Knee saturation function;
The triple skin tone detail control; Level depend detail; Meta-data handling; The Sony Tele-File system; The optional HD SDI adapter; 36-The Sony HDW F900R; The Camera; The Chips; The Processor; Additional facilities; Menus; Overall impressions; 37-The Thomson Viper HD camera; An overview; The camera body; Outputs from the camera; Recording a FilmStream signal; The Directors friend; The Beam Splitter; The Vipers CCD array; The mechanical shutter; Frame rates; Resolution; The cameras processor configuration; The camera back; The arguments for a logarithmic format; Lenses for the Viper; Monitors for the Viper; Camera accessories; Shipping the Viper; Part eight; Camera menus; 38-Menus in general; 39-The Sony HDW F900 menus