Color charts and gray scales

[Layton Burton]

Hi all, just a quick question. I DP'd a commercial yesterday and my assistants asked if I wanted to shoot a Macbeth chart as well as a gray scale. Without thinking I said yes, but I started to think that the Macbeth might be considered redundant by some colorists/editors because of the camera generated bars.

Should I still shoot both before I set my lighting up, or is the gray scale enough?

Just curious on others opinions. Layton Burton

[David Mullen ASC]

I only use MacBeth charts when testing a stock, not for dailies -- color charts are too subject to personal interpretation. I prefer a grey scale because most people can agree on when the grey is not grey.

 

That said, I don't shoot either when shooting on video -- what's the point? Grey scales are silent communicators to the colorist when you won't be there to supervise the transfer. If you are shooting video, odds are high that you won't be using a colorist for dailies, unless you are shooting a LOG-type camera like the Viper and you want more than a simple LUT applied for dailies.

[Layton Burton]

I only use MacBeth charts when testing a stock, not for dailies -- color charts are too subject to personal interpretation. I prefer a grey scale because most people can agree on when the grey is not grey.

 

That said, I don't shoot either when shooting on video -- what's the point? Grey scales are silent communicators to the colorist when you won't be there to supervise the transfer. If you are shooting video, odds are high that you won't be using a colorist for dailies, unless you are shooting a LOG-type camera like the Viper and you want more than a simple LUT applied for dailies.

 

Thanks David, I appreciate you taking the time to add your advice. Cheers, Layton.

[Satsuki Murashige]

There are video techs who like to throw up a Macbeth chart after white balancing the camera, just to check that the colors line up properly. They generally won't roll any tape on it though.