Early Practices in Digital Cinematography: The Techniques and Technologies of the Digital Intermediate and Digital Motion Picture Cameras Open Access

Abstract

At the turn of the twenty-first century, recently developed digital technologies posed new challenges for cinematographers. The technologies most relevant to early changes in cinematography are the digital intermediate and digital cameras. The introduction of the digital intermediate will be explored through the film, O Brother Where Art Thou?, which was shot by Roger Deakins and showcases how Kodak's Cineon scanner and color correction suite was used to affect the look and feel of an entire film. Then, digital cameras will be explored as a progression to understand how the technology developed in the films The Celebration, 28 Days Later, and Slumdog Millionaire, all shot by Anthony Dod Mantle. Both Deakins and Dod Mantle are key to better understanding how these technologies can be used to create an aesthetic that was removed from the look and feel of celluloid film. Despite these films not adhereing to the standard Hollywood conventions of cinematography, their lower resolutions did not affect audience's positive perceptions of the film. The technologies and techniques were utilized on each film to create a new aesthetic with its own definition of image quality, influenced by the digital tools used, instead of trying to mimic the look and feel of celluloid film. This thesis examines these early examples of innovation in the realm of digital filmmaking, a trend that has slowed today.

Table of Contents

Introduction................................................................................................................................... 1

A Notable Early Use of the Digital Intermediate........................................................................ 2

The Early Progression of Digital Cameras................................................................................... 4

The Relationship between Technology and Techniques............................................................. 7

A New Digitally Influenced Aesthetic........................................................................................ 8

Chapter 1...................................................................................................................................... 10

From Digital Answer-Print to Digital Intermediate................................................................... 10

Roger Deakins............................................................................................................................ 11

Kodak's Cineon......................................................................................................................... 12

O Brother Where Art Thou?...................................................................................................... 13

Color Becomes a Character........................................................................................................ 17

American Cinematographer: The Future of Filmmaking........................................................... 20

The DI Dilemma Begins............................................................................................................ 21

Roger Deakins On Image Quality.............................................................................................. 24

New Production Practices?........................................................................................................ 26

Chapter 2...................................................................................................................................... 29

Digital Cameras Enter the Market............................................................................................. 29

Anthony Dod Mantle................................................................................................................ 30

The Celebration......................................................................................................................... 34

Sony PC3............................................................................................................................... 36

Creation of Image Quality with Low-Grade Images.............................................................. 39

28 Days Later............................................................................................................................ 40

The MiniDV Format............................................................................................................. 42

Aesthetics of the MiniDV Format........................................................................................ 46

Slumdog Millionaire.................................................................................................................. 49

SI-2K Mini............................................................................................................................ 50

Canon EOS-D1 Mark III....................................................................................................... 53

Difficulties of Working With New Digital Technologies....................................................... 54

Changes in Technique Create a Unique Cinematographic Style............................................ 55

Digital Becomes an Accepted Medium..................................................................................... 58

Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 60

The Cinematographers and their Technologies.......................................................................... 60

Digital Production Practices...................................................................................................... 63
Implications for Young Filmmakers.......................................................................................... 64
Final Conclusions...................................................................................................................... 65

Bibliography................................................................................................................................ 70

Filmography................................................................................................................................. 73

About this Honors Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Emory College
Department	Film Studies
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Cinema
Keyword	Anthony Dod Mantle O Brother Where Art Thou? Roger Deakins Digital Intermediate Slumdog Millionaire Celluloid The Celebration Digital Cameras Digital Motion Picture Technology 28 Days Later
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Mueller, Eddy Von, Emory University Allison, Tanine L, Emory University
Committee Members	Teague, Lori, Emory University

Last modified

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	Early Practices in Digital Cinematography: The Techniques and Technologies of the Digital Intermediate and Digital Motion Picture Cameras ()	2018-08-28 14:57:27 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions