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VIDEO: THE MOVIE
VIDEO: THE MOVIE
DIGITAL CINEMA COMES OF AGE
by John Lawrence, Executive VP, Vidfilm International Digital
It certainly has been a long time coming. It seems that ever since videotape became a de-facto stan- dard for entertainment distribution, someone somewhere has been try- ing to figure out how to project video on to a large format screen.
But inadequate resolution, insufficient light sources and gen- erally unsatisfactory results have conspired to keep video impris- oned on cathode ray tubes.
But as so often happens,
developments in synergistic technologies have exploded onto the scene to create a whole new pos- sibility and direction. So it is with Digital Cinema.
It was early 1999 when Texas Instruments wheeled its prototype DLP digital projector into colourist Tim Peeler’s High Definition telecine bay at LA post production facility Vidfilm International Digital. At the time, Peeler was already a High Definition veteran with a number of feature film transfer credits in a vari- ety of HD standards.
“We dragged out all the non-essential furni- ture and cleared out the bay, propped the projec-
tor up on packing cases and jammed a screen into the farthest corner of the bay,” recalls Peeler, “it was pretty tight.”
Peeler spent the next two days transferring a variety of film clips to 1080i High Definition video while monitoring the results simultaneously on a 1080 video monitor and through the DLP projector:
black & white, colour, live action and animation in different aspect ratios: 2.35:1, 1.85:1 and 1.33:1.
A subsequent side-by-side viewing of the original film and Peeler’s DLP-projected transfers in a full-size theatre at the Television Academy in North Hollywood, California was proof that Digital Cinema was a bona fide technology with a future. Peeler recalls stepping into the theatre and being surprised by what he saw. “The projector easi- ly filled the entire screen and
looked extremely clean. I remember thinking, ‘Hmmm, this really does have potential.’”
Peeler wasn’t alone in his evaluation. Disney decided to release its new animated feature Tarzan in Digital Cinema and wanted Peeler to make it hap- pen. Vidfilm quickly assembled space in its Advanced Technology Center, installed a DLP projec- tor, a theatrical screen and a JBL/THX sound system and went to work.
By this time the da Vinci 2K had been upgraded with secondary colour correction and power win- dows. Also, the colour space on the projector had been improved. Recalls Peeler, “It was a good thing, too. We couldn’t have delivered the colours the director wanted without it.”
Most interesting on the Tarzan project (like the Dinosaur project that followed it in 2000) was the fact that film was not initially involved in the Digital Cinema process at all. The final image that went on- screen was converted directly from Disney Animation computer files to 1080 High Definition video, then colour corrected tape-to-tape.
Since then, there have been numerous advance- ments in all areas of the technologies and tools used for Digital Cinema. Vidfilm now transfers Digital Cinema to Philips D6 1080p/24f and offers a wide range of tools both in the 2K and in peripheral devices like the MTI Digital Restoration system.
“The exciting thing is that Digital Cinema is just going to get better.”
Photos above: Stills from Titan AE and Dinosaur
EXPOSURE • 18 & 19
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