American Society of Cinematographers Motion Imaging Technology Council Progress Report 2017 By Curtis Clark, ASC; David Reisner, D-Cinema picture camera developments, look management, virtual Consulting; David Stump, ASC; Bill Bennett, ASC; production techniques, lens developments, DI, motion Michael McDonough, ASC, BSC; Jay Holben; imaging workflows, projection and display technologies, Don Eklund; Bill Mandel; Michael Karagosian; archiving, as well as advanced imaging. Eric Rodli; Steve Schklair; Gary Demos; Jim Fancher; Filmmakers are currently experiencing the accel- erated convergence of several key technology develop- Gary Mandle; Greg Ciaccio; Tim Kang; Joshua Pines; ments that are expanding the creative possibilities of our David Morin; Garrett J. Smith; W. Thomas Wall digital motion imaging future. Prominent among these are high dynamic range (HDR) for both TV displays ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council Officers and in cinema, along with wide color gamut (WCG) beyond both BT.709 and DCI P3. Chair: Curtis Clark, ASC The rapid advance of HDR currently being deployed Vice-Chair: Richard Edlund, ASC for ultra-high definition (UHD) television displays, Vice-Chair: Steven Poster, ASC including the BT.2020 WCG target, has raised urgent Secretary: David Reisner, [email protected] questions regarding the standards-based implementa- tions which filmmakers need to reliably support their cre- ative intent and ensure consistent image display quality Introduction across multiple content distribution platforms. Also, the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council Chair: release of the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) Curtis Clark, ASC 1.0 has further encouraged wider industry adoption of this vital standards-based color management system and During our past 14 years of proactive motion picture and image interchange framework that supports filmmakers’ TV industry engagement, the ASC Technology Commit- use of WCG with HDR. Both WCG and HDR are cru- tee has played a significant leadership role in guiding the cial to the development of a new expanded creative can- evolution and development of key motion imaging tech- vas with enriched color palette. It should be noted that nologies to better support our filmmaking art form. new development work on ACES has recently begun that Many of our industry partners and supporters of our will further enhance its performance throughout pro- recommendations, along with users of our technolo- duction and postproduction. gies, have suggested that the Committee’s name does In addition to greater spatial resolution (4K/8K), not sufficiently convey the scope and influence that there is growing interest in increased temporal resolu- our activities have had on important motion imaging tion via higher frame rates beyond 24 frames/sec, up to technology developments. In response to that input 120 frames/sec. and after careful consideration, we have decided to I would also like to mention that important fur- change the Committee’s name to the ASC Motion ther developments are being planned for our multi- Imaging Technology Council. We believe this bet- Award-winning ASC CDL (American Society of ter represents the expanded scope of the work we are Cinematographers Color Decision List). Please see the doing and our widely recognized role as industry report from our DI Committee for details. leaders - influencing the advance of motion imaging The convergence of these advanced digital motion technologies in ways that best serve the creative interests imaging developments requires enhanced workflow of filmmakers while emphasizing the cinematographer’s infrastructure to successfully support their implemen- contribution to the art form. tation from shooting through post finishing. These Our subcommittees will now be desig- important developments are gaining solid traction which nated Committees of the ASC Motion Imaging is accelerating their adoption by filmmakers to enable Technology Council. We will continue to encour- greater creative potential. age our Committees to work in a coordinated manner, Our Committees are advancing their work as reported combining their expertise on topics of wide interest and in our 2016 ASC Technology Committee progress report. concern, including ACES, HDR, digital motion We continue to proactively engage key technology devel- opments that are influencing our motion imaging future. Digital Object Identifier 10.5594/JMI.2017.2721778 Date of publication: 18 August 2017 In addition to high dynamic range (HDR), the latest 26 SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal | September 2017 1545-0279/17©2017SMPTE high resolution TV displays (both consumer and profes- Scientific and Technical Awards Committee, the sional), cinema projection, wide color gamut (WCG), ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council Camera evolving Virtual Production techniques, along with the Committee, and others, this year camera vendors most recent digital motion picture cameras and lenses, have seemed to become fully awake to the critical role we are further expanding the scope of our work to include of IR (Infra-Red) filters in digital imagers. This is an Virtual Reality (VR). important change as the relationship between IR fil- The following reports from our Committees cover in ters and digital imagers is an intimate one, and camera detail their crucial work to address the growing array manufacturers are in by far the best position to address of motion imaging technology developments impacting the issue. the art of filmmaking. High Dynamic Range displays can provide an imme- The ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council is diately compelling image, and the value of that attrac- guided by its primary mission to engage and influence tiveness has not been lost on consumer electronics motion imaging technology developments in ways that manufacturers. The majority of UHDTVs (the current better serve and protect the filmmaker’s creative intent generation of consumer TVs) are HDR-capable, but and the role of the cinematographer in realizing a cre- the characteristics vary meaningfully from product to ative vision that best serves that creative intent. product – both minimum and peak brightness (peak I would like to thank all those who generously devote usually different for small and large fields) and the map- their time and expertise to support the mission of the ping from input signal to displayed image. These varia- ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council. tions make it challenging to consistently deliver artistic intent to the viewer. For several years, the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council has been working with Secretary’s Comment studios and manufactures to try and improve this situa- tion, but the problem is quite complicated in both abso- ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council lute and practical technical terms and with the multiple Secretary: David Reisner, [email protected] business interests including manufactures, content pro- As we have learned in many areas of our world and our viders, and broadcasters. (In this case, OTT providers work, when an activity or technology has moved into are the easiest part and often strongest allies.) From the digital realm, development and change happen both the business+viewer side, see our UHDTV Committee quickly and continuously. report. To really understand the technical and artis- In the last couple of years, digital cinema cameras tic intent issues, and to appreciate part of the massive have reached feature motion picture levels of perfor- problem of the need for many masters and distribution mance, and we have seen several cameras gain wide, versions, I strongly commend both this and last year’s popular use and acceptance. I had thought the pace of Advanced Imaging Committee reports. camera development and release would slow, but exactly While, so far, High Dynamic Range is mostly the opposite has been true. The past year has shown deployed in the home, there is certainly interest in a surge in release of new cameras, all the way from HDR presentation in the theater. Dolby is making high-end personal video cameras thru high-end feature strong efforts with their DolbyVision theaters, IMAX motion picture cameras from multiple manufacturers. has their own high-quality and High Dynamic Range See our Camera Committee report for a deeper dig. theaters, and DCI (Digital Cinema Initiatives) has It is, as ever, the artist’s job to identify the right cam- recently approved Samsung’s new and nicely designed, era, with the right set of characteristics, for the individual large, modular Cinema Screen emissive display for movie or show, which gives us the happy responsibility use in D-Cinema theaters. See our Next Generation of doing show-specific testing. With things like ACES in Cinema Display Committee report for more on theatri- the workflow, camera-to-camera consistency has signifi- cal displays. cantly improved for digital cameras, but I still strongly Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning advocate scene-to-screen testing before selecting equip- (particularly Deep Learning) are terms and technolo- ment and starting a project (which ultimately improves gies that are already changing our world. I did work in results, saves money, and protects schedule). (HBO’s those areas in the early-1980s and originated Pervasive Camera Assessment Series 2017 (their 5th season) does Computing (a more sophisticated forebearer of the cur- their best job yet giving insight into camera characteris- rently popular IoT - Internet of Things), and I predict tics. A viewing on your target medium –