Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/5315
mode and will be opening a DI theater in 2010, the new home of DI colorist Michael Mintz, whose feature credits include Taking Chances, Across the Hall and Tell Tale. STRENGTHS: "There's so much more creative space in color grading compared to photochemical color timing. While DI is not a substitute for the work of DPs or crew members on the set, it's a way to supplement what couldn't be done in production due to lim- itations of time and budget, like flagging walls and smoothing out con- tinuity in exterior scenes subject to changes in lighting conditions. "Due to upgrades in color grading systems, we can now get to an extremely stylized look faster than ever before, and filmmakers can see the results in realtime." WEAKNESSES: "I firmly believe that you get what you pay for. A lot of companies are coming out with extremely affordable color grading systems.That's great, but not all systems are alike just as not all facilities or colorists are alike. So I'd advise 'buyer beware' if you're offered incredible rates on DI. If you haven't worked with that com- pany before or don't know anyone who has, I suggest you take the company and the colorist for a test drive. Make sure they're a good fit and can do what you need done in a timely fashion with a system that's reliable and dependable. "It has been the case that a lot of DPs don't have it in their con- tracts to be present at the time of the DI. I prefer the DP and director to be there and wish it would become commonplace for the DP to spend at least a few days in DI if they can't attend the entire session." OPPORTUNITIES: "With all the films now being shot digitally there's a huge oppor tunity for the colorist to become par t of the production instead of part of the post production stage.The colorist is often brought on early now to set the basic grade and style with the DP. Getting involved early solidifies a colorist's relationship with a film and makes sure everyone is on the same page and there are no surprises when you get into the DI room. "That said, you don't have to be married to a look set early on. Raw footage is kept intact for the final DI, and the color grade used on set can be passed along via a CDL (Color Decision List) and used or amended in the final DI." THREATS: "Shrinking budgets are always a threat to me having as much time as I need to do the best possible job. Indie films used to devote 40-80 hours to DI, but I'm now seeing numbers under that range. I'm still able to get the job done, but it sets a dangerous prece- dent. Smaller budgets for DI hur t the creative process. Filmmakers need to talk to the colorist in budgeting for DI, and the colorist needs to meet with the director and DP and look at the film, even if it's not locked, to estimate the amount of time needed for the DI." OUTLOOK 2010: "I'm an optimist. I believe that with the improv- ing economy we'll see more independents shooting again. During the darkest days of the recession a lot of productions were put on stand-by. But purse strings are starting to loosen up, and that should mean more shoots and a lot more DIs." TIM SPITZER Managing Director Goldcrest Post Productions New York (www.goldcrestpost.com) Goldcrest Post Productions is known as a film- maker-friendly, technically-innovative facility that provides high-profile feature and TV picture and audio finishing. Recent DI credits include the features The Winning Season and 13, and Ken Burns's latest PBS se- ries, The National Parks. STRENGTHS: "The advantages digital intermediates offer film- makers compared to conventional film finishing include more con- trol over color grading and the look of visual effects plus the ability to do scratch and stain removal and dust busting. You get all the toolsets familiar from film-to-tape telecine and all the toolsets used in compositing and digital effects in a more powerful process. "Unlike negative cutting, the high-resolution film scans used in DI are non-destructive, allowing editorial revisions at any stage in the DI process. Keeping films in flux longer isn't always a good thing eco- nomically but it does give filmmakers strong creative flexibility. A lot of the New York market base we deal with are indie features that may not have distribution deals in place: They typically premiere at film festivals. For these clients we do 3K to 2K scans with our Arri scanner utilizing automatic digital dust busting with Kodak's Digital ICE, then conform and color grade on Quantel iQ. We output an HD 23.98 master for the festival circuit and archive the entire 2K project. Once the filmmaker has a distribution deal, from the archive we make whatever creative revisions are required to the 2K files, and create all the film, video and DCP deliverables needed." WEAKNESSES: "The flexibility of DI means films often undergo editorial changes once the process is underway. But changing the picture triggers a ripple effect of other changes with cost implica- 26 Post • December 2009 www.postmagazine.com OUTLOOK D i g i t a l I n t e r m e d i a t e s Ken Burns' The National Parks series got its DI at Goldcrest.