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Kodak Highlights Film And Hybrid Technologies


Tim Tyler

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AMSTERDAM, September 9, 2004 - Kodak is showcasing an array of film and post production technologies at the annual International Broadcasters Convention (IBC) conference. The company is demonstrating the Kodak Look Manager and Kodak Display Manager Systems, which are designed to help ensure the integrity of looks created by cinematographers through the digital post production workflow, and other post tools. The exhibit also features images recorded on the new Kodak Vision2 color negative films.

 

"Amazing progress is being made in the evolution of film and complimenting hybrid technologies," says Robert Mayson, general manager and vice president of image capture for the Kodak Entertainment Imaging division. "We are drawing on a deep pool of the company's unique color science technology to broaden the palette of creative options available to the creative community. The convergence of advances in film and hybrid post production technologies has broadened the quality gap separating film and digital image capture, and it also provides creative alternatives and flexibility in post production."

 

The Kodak Look Manager System is designed to allow cinematographers to create, pre-visualize and manage film looks from preproduction through post production. The software-based system locks the picture data into an exportable file, which can be accessed by other system users to ensure accurate communications in a collaborative environment.

 

Chris Wheeler, worldwide product manager of hybrid products for the Kodak division, explains that everyone involved in a project using the system can access the same images as visual references. Once a look is set, the system can deliver uniform results on many display devices, including computer monitors, standard and high-definition video, and film and digital projectors.

 

"The over-arching goal is to give cinematographers extraordinary artistic control of the images they create through the post production process," says Wheeler.

 

The Kodak Look Manager System is available under a pay-per-use licensing model. Productions can buy a license key for the duration of their shoot that will enable full use of the system, including calibrated visual communications from the set through postproduction. Trial versions are available to directors of photography who want to familiarize themselves with the system. Interested filmmakers should contact a Kodak representative.

 

The Kodak Display Manager system consists of calibration hardware and proprietary software utilizing Kodak color science technology that adjusts electronic display devices to accurately emulate the look of print film. Precise calibration ensures that collaborators looking at different displays are seeing identical images. Kodak Display Manager is a key component of the Kodak Look Manager System. The Kodak Display Manager System V2.0 is available for Windows, IRIX and Mac OS X platforms.

 

The Kodak exhibit also features a diverse range of film footage displayed on high-definition television monitors. The Kodak Vision2 films leverage advances in emulsion technology to render finer grain images with a wider range of latitude for recording nuances in both shadows and highlights. They also feature enhanced color and contrast, as well as efficiencies for both optical and digital post production. The new palette includes color negative films optimized for exposure indexes of 100, 200 and 500 in tungsten light, and a specialized 500-speed film designed to record a more subdued range of contrast and color saturation. The new films are available in all popular formats, including 35 mm, Super 16, 16 mm and Super 8.

 

Part of the demonstration includes a test produced by NFL Films that compares Super 16 film and digital images displayed on HD monitors. The demonstration includes side-by-side comparisons that run the gamut of production situations captured with film and high-definition, NTSC and PAL format video cameras. The test scenarios include interior and exterior dramas, nature and action sequences.

 

"This exhibit provides convincing evidence that content produced in Super 16 format will satisfy the highest expectations for future HD display," says Maryann Mendel, product manager for the Kodak Entertainment Imaging division. "Advances in films, cameras and post production technologies are fueling a renaissance in the use of Super 16 mm film. Budget-conscious filmmakers are opting for the creative flexibility and affordability of the format. The exhibit also includes a proprietary Kodak algorithm, which enhances film images while maintaining sharp, crisp edges. This is another exploratory research tool for future-proofing film images."

 

The Kodak Telecine Calibration System (TCS) 1002-V is also featured in the exhibit. This system is designed to transfer highlights, shadows, contrast, and colors when the negative is scanned and converted to digital files while maintaining the intentions of the cinematographer. Mendel explains that the advanced Kodak technology employed by the TCS provides a recurring way for cinematographers and colorists to communicate, and ensures nuances recorded on the negative are retained during telecine transfer.

 

In addition to the standard features, which include exposure control, scene illuminant, fine color adjustment and a remote user interface, the Kodak Telecine Calibration System now has the ability to download and apply 3-D look up tables (LUTs) in real time. The Kodak TCS also incorporates Kodak color science technology.

 

In a joint development with Pandora, the Pogle Platinum now has full control of the Kodak Telecine Calibration System. This control integration into the Pandora system means that the telecine colorist can easily and accurately create calibration related lists and notes. The resulting metadata can also be shared between multiple Pogle Platinum rooms equipped with the Kodak Telecine Calibration System.

 

Pandora's POGLE Evolution will be on display at the Kodak booth controlling the Kodak Telecine Calibration System.

 

"We have been listening to our customers, and in response we have developed these exciting new film, digital and hybrid technologies that give them the creative flexibility they want," says Mayson. "Our commitment to the future of film is open-ended."

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