Piccaso Color Correction System Makes Big-Budget Debut in “Star Wars: Episode II”

To ensure consistent color grading on the new digitally capturedfeature Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones from fameddirector George Lucas, Industrial Light & Magic engineers areemploying the Piccaso color correction system from Snell & Wilcox.This marks Piccaso’s major motion picture debut and is the firsttime a feature film has been color graded using a real-time system inRGB for HDTV output.

Piccaso, a real-time disk-based nonlinear color correction suitedesigned specifically for DTV, HDTV and digital cinema applications, isbeing used to achieve a visual balance between scenes shot at differenttimes and from varying locales. Piccaso ensures that thefeature’s coloring and lighting values match from frame to frameand evoke the specific look desired.

A new RGB-version of Piccaso was specifically developed to colorgrade trailers for Star Wars: Episode II in November 2001, andthe test system has subsequently been replaced by two productionssystems that are currently in use grading the film, which is slated fora May 2002 release.

After shooting, which was done entirely in HDTV usingSony/Panavision 24P HD cameras, images from Star Wars: EpisodeII are converted from YUV to RGB, and transferred onto ILM’sserver as HDTV RGB files. After editing and compositing are complete,the finished 22-minute “film” reel is played out of the ILMserver for realtime playback and color correction using the Piccasosystem. Piccaso is the only system to offer realtime playback, colorgrading and output. Up to two hours of the film can be played back,color corrected in realtime, resized for digital cinema andsimultaneously previewed in the grading theater. This is a live,realtime operation, and there is no rendering or processing to waitfor.

"The advantages of a Piccaso color timing system, which leveragerealtime RGB 10 bit HD technology, outweigh many perceived advantagesof the more expensive, non-realtime, 2K data based systems,” saysFred Meyers, Principal Engineer at ILM and High Definition Supervisorfor Star Wars: Episode II. “I don't think anyone is seeingresolution differences on a film print. It is also the better fit forDigital Cinema mastering. The implementation of realtime filmresolution digital color timing has been delayed and obscured bydemands for 2K data-based systems. The Piccaso dual link‘HD’ interface is at least five times faster than thefastest GigE ‘data’ interface in moving film resolution RGBimages around."

“This is the first time that the playout and grading of entirereels of a movie are being done in real-time and within the HD RGBformat,” explained Nigel Hadley, Snell & Wilcox Ltd. DiskProducts Manager. “This is an interactive process--changes can beexecuted and viewed immediately.”

Within Piccaso, a list of parameters for each shot or sectionswithin a shot is memorized and can be applied to specific frames,creating a specific palette for a certain scene. And images from thefilm are optimized for the medium on which it will appear – film,broadcast television, digital projection or as a QuickTime movie on theweb.

“Given ILM’s high visual standards, we areextraordinarily pleased that Piccaso has been selected for StarWars: Episode II’s color correction,” continuedHadley.