Cinema Canada (Apr 1980)

teristics; but both image gradation and color in these areas may be distorted or lost in the television picture. The same issue of SMPTE Journal in which this recommended practice appears (Sept. 1972) has another Recommended Practice RP27.7, giving specifications for a gray scale operational alignment test pattern for setting up telecine cameras. The lightest steps of the test pattern have a density of 0.30 (50% transmission). In Nov. 1959, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. had a series of three papers in SMPTE Journal with the title “An Engineering Approach to Television Film.” In these papers proposals were made to improve the uniformity of film image densities, including the use of a spot photometer to measure the brightness of highlight and shadow areas in scenes, and a special calculator for determining appropriate camera aperture settings. Later on, in the March 1969 issue of SMPTE Journal, CBC had another series of three papers with the title “An Engineering Approach to Color Telecine.” In these papers the concepts in the Nov. 1959 papers were extended to include color film reproduction. It was also proposed that films intended for use in television should be viewed in a standard film review room, in conditions simulating reproduction in a telecine set up with color test patterns. The work by CBC to improve film reproduction in telecine has attracted attention around the world, and has had significant effects on television film production practices. But filmmakers have been less than enthusiastic over the use of spot photometers for setting camera exposure; and attempts by equipment manufacturers to encourage the use of electronic accessories for film cameras, giving video monitoring signals, have not been notably successful. Even the use of automatic, camera exposure control — so successful in the operation of Super 8 amateur cameras — has not been accepted by 16mm. professional filmmakers. Film Post Production on videotape — A New Approach Foryears filmmakers have been insisting that there must be some alternative to the rigorous demands of television broadcasters for more uniformity in film image densities. But surely, few could have anticipated that they would one day have the opportunity to make television pictures from their own films. Within the past year or two the role of film in television has changed dramatically. At the same time, quite startling improvements have been achieved in film reproducing methods, and in the quality of the pictures obtainable from film. As the changeover from film to electronic news gathering (ENG) began to take place, many television broadcasters set to work to eliminate on-air telecine operations altogether, by transferring film programs to videotape prior to scheduled air times. Soon, video post-production companies and motion picture laboratories were installing telecine equipment to make film-to-videotape transfers, and advertising agency representatives were personally supervising film transfer operations. These, and others like them, demanded more flexible and versatile film reproducing facilities, and the personal attention of skilled operating personnel, to produce the best possible television pictures from film. These developments have completely altered the previous attitude towards film as asource of television pictures. With the flying spot scanner to reproduce the film images, and the highly sophisticated electronic picture modifying systems now available, the old restrictions on films intended for television are being abandoned. Filmmakers are now insisting that the television pictures from film should look like directly-projected screen displays. This is a far cry from television broadcasters’ demands of only a few years ago, that the pictures from film should match the pictures from live television cameras. . Of course, the old problems with film, that broadcasters had to deal with when they were responsible for film reproduction, did not simply vanish when this new approach was adopted. All the old problems — scene-to-scene variations in highlight and shadow densities, and sometimes quite large shifts in color — still exist. But now we have better equipment, and more flexible methods for dealing with these problems. In the transmission of film programs directly to the public, as part of a television station’s broadcasting service, adjustments of telecine controls have to be made at the start of each scene while the film is running. But when a film is being transferred to videotape the equipment can be stopped, and scenes can be rerecorded with the most favorable settings of telecine controls. Facilities are now available for storing individual scene corrections in a memory, and applying these corrections automatically at the start of each scene during a continuous transfer of the film to videotape. With these facilities, each scene can be viewed and corrected. during a preview or rehearsal session, and successive scenes can be matched by rewinding the film and putting in the previously selected picture modifications from the memory. All of this can be done from a central post-production console while the corrected color picture displays appear on conveniently located television monitors. In these film post production operations there is still the same need to maintain uniform, peak, white and black signal levels, and make adjustments of the telecine controls to compensate for variations in highlight and shadow densities. But now the adjustments can be made at the start of each scene during the preview and rehearsal session, and recorded in the memory along with the other picture modifying adjustments. Previously difficult scenes, in which people appear against bright sky backgrounds, can often be salvaged with the variable gamma controls now available in the new generation telecines. As filmmakers gain direct access to television film reproducing facilities, the importance of maintaining uniform. film image characteristics will become more apparent. The new, more versatile facilities may appear to give filmmakers greater latitude, but films with the smallest density and color variations, scene-toscene, will always yield the best television pictures. FILM INSURANCE Do you have the proper coverage? To be sure, consult a specialist. Films-TV-Theatre MICHAEL DEVINE & ASSOCIATES LTD. 2360 Lucerne, suite 6A Montreal, Quebec H3R 2K2 (514) 735-2579 Cinema Canada /35