Justin-Bendo

Phil is right, it's chroma subsampling. Film is RGB, but most codecs are Y CrCb (sometimes abbreviated as YUV). RGB is converted by a mathematical formula into a luma channel and two chroma channels, which are sampled at 1/2 or 1/4th of the luma (full) resolution (4:2:2 or 4:1:1). So your 1920 * 1080 Cr and Cb channels, if sampled into 4:1:1, are both actually only 480 * 270 ! Hence the horrible blockiness, particularly of red because it's the 'widest' wave in the color spectrum. And the blue channel is generally the noisiest because it's the smallest/narrowest in the color spectrum. The low resolution chroma due to chroma subsampling is why it's extremely difficult to key 4:1:1 and 4:2:2 material without serious help. You can't get rid of it on YouTube, they control their compression encoding settings. You can change the playback Quality settings to 720HD, but that's about it.

Thanks again Jo. Even with the different lenses and formats, there is a consistency that I really like about this film. From the poetic stillness of the first shots of Katniss to the very last shot of her, 'Catching Fire' has a consistent visual progression that many films I see do not have. Alot of other 'big' films in comparison feel random and look fake to me. This film feels cohesively dynamic and alive. Very well done. The shot was not insinuated as an error, but rather to the effect of Sam looking particularly radiant. I was skimming interviews and blogs after seeing the movie the second time in IMAX. Will post links if I can find them again. I went to USC 20 years ago. Gary Ross was our Writing guest lecturer, who directed the first Hunger Games film. Rob Tapert was our Producing guest lecturer, who you worked with on 30 Days of Night. Then one of my best friends from that same USC class discovered the band POD, and was also asked by Linkin Park to be their manager back when their name was Xero. Small world… Anyway, I'm definitely looking forward to the next two Hunger Games films ! B)

There are many important factors in making digitally-originated footage look like film. Before matching exposure, grain, and saturation, you must begin with a signal which is free of chroma subsampling artifacts, as colors are sampled in full resolution in the analog film world. Chroma subsampling is a process where the chroma channels are sampled at lower resolutions-- i.e., half vertically or half vertically and horizontally, leaving 1/4th the luma information per channel. This makes chroma channels appear 'blocky' and difficult to key since they are relatively low-rez. Film can resolve billions of colors, unlike 8 bit DSLRs which can only resolve 256 shades of grey per color channel. 16 BPC (bits per color) resolves 16,384 shades of grey per color channel--- a massive improvement. Banding affects digitally originated images, unlike film. So, to get close to film, you should have little-to-no banding in your digital images. Aliasing affects digitally-originated as well. Harsh jaggy edges are not found in film, but are often found with digitally originated images. Then, you need to replicate the gamma toe and latitude of film. An 8 stop DSLR will not look like 12 stop film. Then match color saturation and grain and you should be close B)

Thank you Dave and Jo ! It's very cool that you're contributing your experiences ! I have a few questions: 1. Dave, how are the shots composed ? Are some/all shots composed by Francis or Jo, or do you have a shot list and go from there ? And are most of the hand-held shots in 'Catching Fire' shoulder-mounted ? 2. Dave, do you prefer the ALEXA to the IMAX cameras for hand-holding ? 3. Both, I've seen 'Hunger Games Catching Fire' twice now, once in IMAX. Were the IMAX lenses the Hasselblad Zeiss ? That entire sequence looks immaculate. Did you shoot any of that sequence in Atlanta ? 4. Both, There is quite alot of talk online about the 'glow' around Sam's character Finnick in the scene where he introduces himself to Katniss,, offering her the sugar cubes. Just wondering, was Sam shot with the C series anamorphics in that scene ? 5. Jo, one of my favorite music videos of all-time is the Justin Timberlake 'Cry Me a River' video. Was that the first project you shot with Francis Lawrence ? 6. Jo, the lighting in this film is superb. Very classical and smooth at times, and very futuristic and edgy at times. Always superbly synchronized with the script. Do you use a particular method for backlighting ? And do you have a preferred method of creating key light (bounced or diffused) ? 7. Jo, how were the shafts of light achieved in the games sequences ? Best of luck with the next two films ! Honestly I think 'Catching Fire' deserves an Oscar for Best Cinematography !