Digital Cinema - Luminance recording and processing

[James Malamatinas]

I'm currently trying to bind together a few digital cinema concepts which I've always had vague understanding of, but never really the big picture - in this case I'm curious about the pipeline luminance values goes through from sensor capture to post-production.

 

I've recently been getting to grips with the basics of sensors, in particular how colour is handled from using Bayer filters over the sensor, to debayering, colour models, colour spaces, gamut's and so forth. However my understanding of what happens to luminance values is more vague, and in particular what sort of processing luminance goes through after the photosites have captured photons on the sensor.

So my question is - can someone please provide a broad, not deeply technical overview or how photon's measured at the sensor get converted into the final exposure and luminance you'll end seeing in the theatre. What concepts are relevant in the same way that colour models and colour spaces help explain the final colour rendition you get on the theatre.

 

Or, alternatively to point me in the direction of resources that explain this in a not too scientific manner (I can get deeper into it later!)

I'm not completely in the dark about this, I understand that the main concept here is probably gamma and gain, and that Log conversions are a large part of the processing - I'm just trying to see the bigger picture and order or processes so I can do my own further reading on the subject.

Thanks in advance!