In this episode I chat to Charles Poynton.
Many of you may know him as one of the foremost educators in our industry and he has had a formidable career.

He is an independent contractor specializing in the physics, mathematics, engineering, and programming of digital colour imaging systems, including digital video, VFX/CGI, Digital Intermediate and digital cinema systems. He is involved in engineering wide colour gamut and high dynamic range systems.
He does technology forecasting, systems modelling, algorithm development,
video signal processing architecture, colour characterization
and calibration and image quality assessment work.

It was about 25 years ago that he decided that HD should have 1080 image rows, and square pixels.
He has been involved in developing many of the industry standards that we use today.

He wrote one of the most commonly used books for our industry titled: Digital Video and HD, Algorithms and Interfaces.

In December 2024 he hosted a Metamerism Experts Day, which was attended by a wide range of industry experts to discuss the various ways that metamerism is successful and how it fails more regularly with technological advancements.

We discuss the many complex topics presented at this event, and also his illustrious career.
Hope you enjoy it.

Charle’s website: https://poynton.ca/

IMAGO article link: https://imago.org/committees/technical/metamerism-experts-day-debrief/

Charles’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Video-Second-Algorithms-Interfaces/dp/0123919266/

Color Mentor is on YouTube or your favorite podcast provider.

We discuss:

• (00:00) - Start.
• (00:53) - Introduction.
• (02:46) - Interview starts.
• (05:49) - Flanders and Barco in Belgium.
• (07:39) - Charles’s history.
• (09:31) - Sun Micro systems.
• (10:24) - BT. 601.
• (10:54) - Battle for 1080 lines and square pixels.
• (20:35) - ICC development.
• (21:44) - Transitioning to LCD monitors.
• (23:31) - CRT monitors.
• (25:31) - sRBG standard.
• (27:09) - OETF’s and EOTF’s.
• (43:16) - CRT’s spikey spectrums.
• (45:19) - Metamerism experts day lead up. Bram and Steve.
• (49:29) - Don’t call it RGB yet.
• (51:30) - A quick history of color mixing and matching.
• (53:24) - Illuminant metamerism.
• (54:33) - Florescent bulbs and meat counters.
• (56:22) - Observer metamerism.
• (58:29) - Metamerism in virtual production.
• (01:01:10) - Multi-primary systems.
• (01:03:57) - Characterizing cameras.
• (01:06:06) - Nudging primaries.
• (01:14:06) - DLP and Xenon bulbs.
• (01:18:57) - Personal color matching functions.
• (01:22:01) - IMAGO article.
• (01:22:21) - Mastering gamut’s.
• (01:28:37) - Dynamics.
• (01:32:25) - Apple EDR.
• (01:35:49) - Cone fundamentals.
• (01:43:47) - Rec 2020 as container not target gamut.
• (01:48:31) - Problems of laser in cinema.
• (01:53:10) - Outro.
• (01:53:08) - End.

This is the second of a two-part discussion I had with Richard Muller. He is a DIT based in Germany now, but like me started out in South Africa. He has a wealth of experience from working on shows like: Chappie, Avengers, Dark, Tribes of Europa, 1899, and more recently The Phoenician Scheme, where he was a virtual production supervisor.
We continue to discuss the testing and calibration of various film stocks for use on virtual studios. Also metadata and maintaining consistency and the challenges to doing good work when the D.I.T. role is not acknowledged. He has lots of great advice for people wanting to become D.I.T.s.

Richard’s Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3415527/

We discuss:

• (00:00) - Intro.
• (00:53) - Richard intro.
• (01:35) - Interview starts.
• (01:45) - Chappie.
• (06:29) - Avengers.
• (07:16) - Tribes of Europa.
• (08:48) - Daylight reference library.
• (10:51) - Metadata capture.
• (11:34) - Shooting data analytics.
• (12:58) - Scene-lapse continuity check.
• (13:46) - Summary of a D.I.T’s role.
• (14:21) - Watching everyone’s back.
• (15:43) - Crew having their own equipment.
• (18:49) - Cost of D.I.T equipment setup.
• (20:13) - D.I.T and virtual production.
• (23:10) - Understanding the signal chain.
• (25:14) - Color managing textures in Unreal.
• (27:52) - Characterizing lenses for virtual production.
• (28:29) - La Comandante.
• (31:46) - Big virtual studios vs small custom builds.
• (35:54) - Developing the role of the D.I.T.
• (38:59) - Learning paperwork structures.
• (39:33) - Space for trainees.
• (40:28) - Recce's and tests.
• (41:29) - Perceived temporary nature of D.I.T’s.
• (42:46) - Segmentation of roles and unions.
• (44:33) - The need for flat dailies scans.
• (47:11) - Spectral sensitivity and Ektachrome.
• (50:45) - Profiling film stocks.
• (51:30) - Initial Ektachrome tests.
• (53:45) - Processing and scanning Ektachrome.
• (55:57) - Shooting bracketed test charts.
• (56:53) - IDT maker.
• (59:03) - Comparing film scanners.
• (01:00:44) - Open VPcal.
• (01:01:55) - Choosing test steps.
• (01:02:50) - Repeatability and who’s responsibility?
• (01:05:59) - Creative play on top of wall calibration.
• (01:08:54) - Moiré artifacts of film vs digital.
• (01:11:14) - Spill light.
• (01:13:59) - Automation and need for tests.
• (01:17:36) - Expanding the role of the D.I.T.
• (01:19:52) - Advice on how to become a D.I.T.
• (01:29:08) - D.I.T and Cinematographers relationship.
• (01:31:51) - Outro.
• (01:32:19) - End.

This is the first of a two-part discussion I had with Richard Muller. He is a DIT based in Germany now, but like me started out in South Africa. He has a wealth of experience from working on shows like: Chappie, Avengers, Dark, Tribes of Europa , 1899, and more recently The Phoenician Scheme, where he was a virtual production supervisor.

We discuss the role of the Digital Imaging Technician and what in involves and also some testing he is doing with film and video acquisition combined with virtual studios. We discuss the quirks of various markets regarding the DIT.

Richard’s Imdb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3415527/

We discuss:

• (00:00) - Intro.
• (00:53) - Richard intro.
• (01:35) - Interview starts.
• (02:40) - Working in South Africa and abroad.
• (05:38) - Solutions for jobs.
• (07:12) - Starting out.
• (09:11) - Film vs digital exposure guidelines.
• (10:25) - Post production experience.
• (13:51) - Early digital cameras.
• (15:47) - Is the role of the DIT easily defined?
• (16:21) - Read the fucking manual.
• (17:25) - LED walls, a complex color management task.
• (22:26) - LED wall calibration.
• (23:49) - Shooting tests on film.
• (29:03) - Film scanners.
• (32:33) - Color management and approaches to HDR.
• (37:54) - Watching exposure.
• (42:22) - Onset dailies grading.
• (46:20) - Effect of a show LUT on production.
• (52:32) - The many tasks of a DIT.
• (56:47) - Backups and data security.
• (01:02:58) - Q-take operator rather than DIT in Germany.
• (01:08:17) - Cost saving of a DIT.
• (01:09:50) - Reality shows and concerts.
• (01:12:33) - Misconceptions about DIT’s.
• (01:15:23) - Is the DIT part of the camera department?
• (01:16:56) - Confidence booster.
• (01:17:44) - Color pipeline collaboration.
• (01:19:02) - Makeup artists.
• (01:22:08) - The look of Dark.
• (01:23:32) - Daniele’s look design talk for Filmlight.
• (01:25:48) - Difficulty of grading on set.
• (01:27:40) - Show LUT options and LUT’s of lore.
• (01:29:48) - Outro.
• (01:31:05) - End.