ASC and DCI Creating Digital Cinema Test Film

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and Digital Cinema Initiatives (DCI) have taken an important step towards producing standardized test material for evaluating the performance of digital projectors and other elements of digital cinema systems. The test is being produced under the auspices of the ASC Technology Committee in partnership with DCI, which represents seven Hollywood film studios.



Clark says that members of DCI and the ASC Technology Committee had an in-depth dialogue before reaching a consensus regarding the original footage needed to adequately "stress test" digital projectors for technical performance and also to compare the emotional impact of digital and 35 mm film. The film sequences they produced will be used as a standard test for evaluating current and future digital projectors.



Members of the ASC Technology Committee agreed on parameters for the test, including nuances in colors, contrast, textures and camera movement.



Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC, who designed the shooting script, says it was a team effort, including Ron Garcia, ASC, Daryn Okada, ASC, Clark, other cinematographers, and associate members of the organization who work in various sectors of the industry.



Spinotti says that the scene contains powerful emotional content, and it also includes various challenging situations. He explains that when film images are converted to digital format the files are "compressed" for efficient distribution and handling in digital projection booths. Aggressive camera movement during production can create artifacts if the film isn't properly scanned and projected. The test was designed to shoot with multiple cameras in Super 35 and anamorphic formats, with selected 65 mm shots.



The test was filmed on August 26 and 27 in the European Village on the Universal Studios backlot. Peter James, ASC, ACS was the executive producer and Allen Daviau, ASC was the cinematographer. Daviau assembled an experienced crew, including cinematographers Roy Wagner, ASC, Michael Negrin, ASC and Peter Anderson, ASC. The A and B cameras were used to record images in Super 35 format, and the C camera carried anamorphic lenses. Anderson operated the 65 mm camera.



One of the 35 mm cameras was on a Technocrane with a 30-foot long telescoping arm, and the others generally tracked on dollies. Daviau created contrast to visually punctuate dramatic moments, and he used color gels to make the light warmer in some shots and cooler in others staged at different times of day and with varying emotional overtones. Daviau also used smoke to diffuse light in one shot, and rain in another.



Clark says that ASC and DCI are currently planning the next step, including culling appropriate short scenes from nearly two hours of original footage. Those scenes will be scanned and converted to digital files that will be used to master the standard materials designed to test the performance of digital projectors compared to film.



Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) was created in March 2002, as a joint venture of Disney, Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal and Warner Bros. Studios. DCI's primary purpose is to establish and document specifications for an open architecture for digital cinema that ensures a uniform and high level of technical performance, reliability and quality control. DCI will also facilitate the development of business plans and strategies to help spur deployment of digital cinema systems in movie theatres.



The ASC Technology Committee was formed earlier this year. It consists of some 50 cinematographers and technology thought leaders from all sectors of the industry. Clark says the goal is to create an open forum "where some of the best minds in the industry" can exchange ideas about the evolution of film, digital and hybrid technologies for the purpose of recommending standards and practice that enhance the art form.