Digital tamil cinema

Digital cinema poised for big leap

By Sudhish Kamath

CHENNAI. MARCH 16. D-Cinema is in.

Digital technology has come of age, and is today competing with conventional film making technologies.

In the conventional 35 mm film format, there are about 4,000 lines a frame. Today, thanks to digital technology, video has reached halfway, providing for up to 2,000 lines a frame.

"This is called D-cinema or digital cinema," explains K.M. Suryanarayanan, senior manager (Technology) of Real Image Media. "D-Cinema films are shot on the hi-definition digital format," he said addressing entertainment managers at a seminar organised by ITCOT consultancy services recently.

Kamal Hassan's latest project `Mumbai Express' is Kodambakkam's second venture in the hi-definition digital format after P.C. Sreeram's `Vaanam Vasapadum.'

A year before that, Arul Moorthy of Digital Magic shot Kodambakkam's first digital film called `Muththam' on the Digi-Beta format that provides about 1,000 lines per frame.

While Arul Moorthy and P.C. Sreeram had to transfer their video footage to film (reverse-telecine) to make prints for release, Kamal Hassan will not have to, thanks to the digital projection systems that have been installed all over the State.

Projection systems

The savings on print cost is just one of the benefits of digital projection systems.

The picture quality remains unaffected by the number of screenings. Qube cinema digital servers were installed in Abhirami multiplex a few days ago. These E-cinema (Electronic cinema) projectors play movie files in the MPEG format and cost between Rs. 10 lakhs to 15 lakhs. "D-cinema projectors which offer a higher picture quality cost about Rs.1 crore," Mr. Suryanarayanan says.

"E-cinema will be the poor filmmaker's medium. These will become popular in multiplexes all around the State. D-cinema will be used by big budget filmmakers. D-cinema cameras, which can make for 4,000-5,000 lines per frame, are being introduced in the market. It is just a matter of time before film is entirely replaced by digital cinema," he adds.

Cameras to shoot hi-definition films, however, are expensive today. "That is because the technology is just being introduced.

The prices are likely to fall drastically when the demand increases," Mr. Suryanarayanan adds

In abirami complex

The first movie which was released in this manner in Abirami complex was Thalaivar’s Chandramukhi. The film is successfully running crossing 160 days. This has marked the entry of digital revolution in Tamil cinemas. Recently, a function was held in Abirami Multiplex to felicitate Ram Kumar, the producer of the movie, for the digital running of the movie. He was honored by Abirami Ramanathan.

Thiru Thiru Thuru Thuru will be the first Tamil movie to have a digital release all over the country.

The music release of the movie saw veteran actor Kamal Hasan talking about the future of cinema in

the digital age.

“I'm a great fan of the upcoming future - the digital cinema. This is digital cinema effort for which I've

an axe to grind. I believe that it'd come in high. I'm already doing a digital cinema,” says Hasan.

A co-production by Real Image and the popular Cineplex Sathyam Cinemas, Thiru Thiru Thuru

Thurustars actor Ajmal Ameer opposite newcomer Rupa Manjari.

Digital technology a sort of revolution

Staff Reporter

Pyramid Saimira to renovate 167 theatres for the project

CHENNAI: Digital cinema projected simultaneously across several theatres using satellite communication: this is what a private provider is planning for Tamil Nadu.

"The new technology will be a sort of digital revolution," says Natarajan, chairman of Pyramid Saimira.

"Producers are unable to release new films in many centres due to the high variable cost of prints. This is where our company Pyramid Saimira comes in handy for the producers, distributors and exhibitors. We want to take theatres on long lease. Our target for the first batch is 167 theatres. We will renovate the theatres and give all the facilities required for screening digital cinema. This project will cost about Rs. 25 lakhs for each cinema hall. In Chennai, we are in the process of signing lease agreements with six theatres."

Explaining the projects, P.S. Swaminathan, managing director of the company, said, "The negative will be changed in digital HD 5 format and encrypted and put on the centralised server. It will then be up-linked to satellite. The theatre concerned will receive the signals, which in turn will go into the local server and then on to a digital projector. The digital projector would be used for screening on a bright background screen.

"A major advantage would be the elimination of piracy. The theatres have very little in terms of print cost nor will they have to incur film transportation or other related charges."

Specifically, a single film can be viewed in several (even hundreds of theatres) at the same time

Pyramid Saimira has roped in quite a few names from the Tamil film industry into their advisory panel, including `Abirami' Ramanathan, Balu Mahendra, Cheran, S.Ve. Shekar, Madan and Suhasini Mani Ratnam.

MoonnamathoralV. K. Prakash

Jayaram, Samvrutha Sunil, Jyothirmayi,Sherin, Vineeth

The first Indian film to be shot and distributed in digital format.[11]

Background music has been scored by Praveen Mani to keep up with the pacing tempo. Sometimes sudden brake is applied to the story’s speed by songs barging into serious sequences. Luckily this movie does not have any song. After Mozhi, Radha Mohan has teamed up with cinematographer Guhan. Payanam is shot in digital format in Red camera giving the team an unusual experience. So, fasten your seat belts to check if Payanam will be another success story really hijacking the viewers’ hearts when the movie will be released on 11th February.

Till now, films made in digital format could compete, but only if they had a normal (celluloid) print release in theatres

(even if of just one print).

But now films made in digital format can enter for the NFA by fulfilling only one condition – they have to be certified as

a “feature” or a “featurette” by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

The NFA 2009 has already implemented this rule (the last date for entry got over on the 11th of August). If not this

year, from 2011 (when NFA will be given for films made in 2010), one can surely expect a deluge of entries because

by then this now-not-so-well-publicized decision of the government will get widely known.

If you make films only in the digital format, whether for creative or financial reasons, don’t forget to thank filmmakers

from Manipur (a really talented bunch) for this development. For it was their petition in Gauhati High Court that

demanded inclusion of digital films in NFA – and the Directorate of Film Festivals agreed to the demand and

conveyed it to the court.

he Manipuri film industry has gone completely digital quite a few years ago as filmmaking on celluloid has become

completely uneconomical with the closure of all cinema halls because of militant/insurgent dictates.

So they switched over to digital, and have been churning out all kinds of stuff – from the purely masala to

experimental. Their films are shown on makeshift screens, and DVDs are sold for home viewing. Scale of economy is

the reason why films in Chhattisgarhi, Ladakhi, Kumaoni, Garhwali and so many other ‘smaller’ languages / dialects

are made in digital format. Now, the good ones among them can vie for national recognition too.

Manmadhabn ambu red mx camera

Madurai to theni vazhli andi patti digital FORMAT

Film distribution will catch the digital bug before filmmakers decide to put down the analog dinosaur for good

We may have bid goodbye to the bulky manual cameras we lug around on holidays and opt for sleek digital ones instead. But when it comes to making movies, are filmmakers still romancing the good old film reels or is it time to go digital?

There is no doubt that digitisation has seeped into every aspect of our lives, not to mention films. Almost all films made these days are heavy with visual and special effects and thus digital cameras like the RED Digital Cinema Capture System are being rented out like hot cakes.  Here’s how digital cameras like the RED make life easier for filmmakers.

As most films these days use a lot of special effects, it becomes easier for filmmakers to shoot with digital cameras. So once a filmmaker decided to incorporate a digital camera, the cost of negatives is completely eliminated. These cameras are lighter and easy to manoeuvre. And the biggest advantage that the RED cameras have is that they cost much less almost as low as Rs 24,000 for a period of two years. Filmmakers can also bundle an entire package deal complete with the camera, lens and tripod for Rs 50-65 lakh.

Besides these, Gaurav Gupta, CEO, FutureWorks Media Limited, lists a few more advantages of the RED cameras. “Digital cinema capture has evolved today to such an extent that it offers a comparable option to filmmakers over film. Like any new format, there is a learning curve to shooting digital. Digital cinema capture has tremendous workflow advantages including the ability to see exactly what the final result is on the set, right there and then. Certain technologies such as very high-speed cinematography, stereoscopic 3D and the versatility of use due to size, weight etc are unique to digital capture.” 

Some films that have been shot on the RED digital camera include all five versions (2 Tamil, 2 Hindi and 1 Telugu) of Ram Gopal Verma’s Rakht Charitra. Hollywood too has been an ardent admirer of the RED One cameras for quite some time now. Films like Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jumper, The Informant!, Gamer, District 9, The Book Of Eli, Green Zone, The Lovely Bones, Wanted, G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra and the most recent The Social Network, which had received several Academy Award nominations was shot on RED and posted on a Quantel IQ Pablo in 4K. Apparently, this is exactly the same workflow that Ram Gopal Varma used for Rakht Charitra and Cinergy Productions saved almost up to USD 250,000 by using RED.

Not just that, South Korea’s best-known movie director, Park Chan-Wong, made a movie shot entirely on the iPhone 4.

But like all things digital, even cameras have to constantly undergo upgradations. The RED Digital Cinema Capture System like other solutions such as those from Arri and Sony are continuously evolving and there has been hot competition between Kodak and Fuji with new negative stocks in the analog capture world. The older version of RED used to get heated during outdoor shoots. The new Mysterion sensor that RED has launched is better than the previous one.

It is entirely the DoP’s prerogative to decide, which camera is best suited to a certain project. For instance, a film like Boodha, which is about to begin, is actually being tested on RED Cameras as well as film. Depending on the nature of the subject, the producers will take a call. As far as the picture quality and clarity is concerned, it is a subject of some debate as both film and digital have their unique advantages in imaging. Film continues to be the benchmark but digital cinema capture is not far behind and is catching up really fast. For some filmmakers, film will continue to dominate in terms of quality for some time but the advantages of shooting digital make digital cinema capture an attractive option over film.

Niraj Sanghai, Business Head, Film, EQR of Prime Focus says, “You can’t compare film cameras to digital cameras as Indian filmmakers have still not graduated to the digital medium. Digital cameras come in handy when it comes to distributing a film. In the next two years, there will be no prints made for exhibition purposes. So as a capturing medium, film still has greater potential due to the latitude it enjoys.”

He adds, “Over the last 100 years, people have been shooting on film, which therefore enjoys a certain comfort level in spite of being just a myth. The entire world is going digital and more than 60 to 70 per cent of film is being stored digitally.”

On the digital platform there is no stock, no telecine, no scanning and no processing of negatives, so filmmakers end up saving a lot of money. But certain things like adding highlights and colour tones can be easily done on the digital medium. So the decision to shoot on film or digital is very subjective to the environment the film is being shot in. If the film is being shot outside, then the DOP would prefer shooting it on film, but if the film has a lot of indoor shots where there is a lot of controlled lighting, then he can use a lot of digital cameras.  

Sanjeev Goswami of Nishant Videotech, a camera rental company says, “If you shoot on film, the negative is right there in front of your eyes and you can see the product. If it is a Rs 30 crore film, the producer will always have a mental block against the digital medium, which is considered a little unreliable. The fact that a film is being stored on hard disk, which can crash any time or fall down and break can be quite unnerving for a producer although there are other ways of storing the data such as on another hard disk box as well. On negatives, a filmmaker takes comfort from the physical presence of the film reel.”

As of now, most technicians in the film industry opine that film will remain the medium for shooting for another ten years. But in terms of distribution, film or prints will soon be replaced by digitisation.

As far as the future of digital cinema capture is concerned, Gupta avers, “It has a very bright future. Not only RED, we will see lots of digital content shot with different camera formats including film. I have come across filmmakers who have had a wonderful experience shooting digital and some who have found it very painful. The one common factor among all the happy digital filmmakers was that they tested and locked their post-production partner and pipeline at the pre-production stage itself.”

Camera movement

Crab A less-common term for tracking or trucking.Dolly The camera is mounted on a cart which travels along tracks for a very smooth movement. Also known as

a tracking shot or trucking shot.Dolly Zoom A technique in which the camera moves closer or further from the subject while simultaneously adjusting

the zoom angle to keep the subject the same size in the frame.Follow The camera physically follows the subject at a more or less constant distance.Pan Horizontal movement, left and right.Pedestal (Ped) Moving the camera position vertically with respect to the subject.Tilt Vertical movement of the camera angle, i.e. pointing the camera up and down (as opposed to moving the

whole camera up and down).Track Roughly synonymous with the dolly shot, but often defined more specifically as movement which stays a

constant distance from the action, especially side-to-side movement.Truck Another term for tracking or dollying.Zoom Technically this isn't a camera move, but a change in the lens focal length with gives the illusion of

moving the camera closer or further away.

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Composition and Camera Movement

CompositionComposition exists in a context.  That context is the frame, which is itself an element of picture composition. In 1894 Thomas Edison introduced the Kinetoscope motion picture format, with an aspect ratio (ratio of picture width to height) of four units wide to three units high, or 1.33 to 1.  For the next fifty years most film used the 1.33 aspect ratio.  Sixteen millimeter, eight and “super eight” millimeter film formats and NTSC, PAL, and SECAM telvision standards all share the 1.33

atio. 

4 x 3 or 1.33 Aspect Ratio

From an optical standpoint, the most efficient rectangular format would be square, since it would use as much of the lens area as possible.  So why don’t we have square pictures?

Artists and mathematicians from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians have focused on the “golden rectangle” as the perfect shape.  The aspect ratio of the golden rectangle is 1.618.  One might presume (although I’ve found no evidence so far) that the 1.33 aspect ratio is a compromise between the most efficient ratio and the most esthetically pleasing.

Over the years a number of standard sizes with different aspect ratios became popular.  The 8x10 photograph  (1.25), the 4x6 photograph (1.5), and the 35mm slide (1.5) are a few examples.  Film evolved, too.  Cinerama (2.5 - 3.0), Cinemascope (2.55), and Panavision (1.78 – 2.4) are a few standards among many.  High definition television has an aspect ratio of 16 by 9, or 1.78.  The shape of the frame is the first consideration in composition.

16 x 9 or 1.78 Aspect Ratio

Ideally, every shot in a television program should be composed as carefully as a still photograph. While this is not often possible, some general rules of composition should be kept in mind. 

 The face of the typical television screen has been surrounded by a frame called a shadow mask, which hides about five per cent of the picture..  The composition of the same image will be different with and without the shadow mask.  The presence of the shadow mask has always caused a problem for films transferred to video because they were generally composed to be shown “edge to edge.”  Now the same problem occurs when images are composed using a digital (LCD) monitor without taking the shadow mask into consideration. 

The red border around the frame represents the shadow mask.  It is unlikely the viewer will see anything in this area.  The gold and green areas combined are referred to as the safe action area.  Anything that takes place here is likely to be visible to the

viewer.  The green area is known as the safe title area.  It is virtually certain that any text in the green area will be visible to the viewer.  Notice the difference in "head room" in the pictures below this text.  If you are using a camera with a monitor that shows the entire picture, be sure to allow for the shadow mask when you are composing your shots.  Some viewfinders have "safe area" masks or lines to help you.

 

   Unless your subject is perfectly symmetrical, the screen should never be divided exactly in half by strong horizontal or vertical lines. Instead, it should be divided approximately into thirds. For example, the horizon (if you're shooting a corn field)

should be either a third of the way from the bottom of the screen or a third of the way from the top. With the exception of titles, composition should not be perfectly symmetrical, but should rather balance positive and negative (filled and empty) space. 

  

Intelligent use of composition can be used to draw the viewer's eye to important parts of the picture.

Too High

Too Low

   

When framing people, there are several additional concerns. By placing someone too high or too low in the frame, the individual can be made to seem taller or shorter than he actually is. The tendency is to place people too low.  

When shooting a profile (side view) of a person, it's important to allow empty space in the direction the subject is looking. This extra space is called "nose room."  

      

Insufficient Nose Room

 Nose room applies not only to people, but to anyone or anything pointing or moving.  There should be relatively more empty space in the direction of the pointing or movement. 

The kind of framing a writer or director wants is usually described in terms of wide, medium, or close-up.  

A wide shot includes the entire subject and important objects in the immediate surroundings. It's used to show where he is in his environment. If it's used at the beginning of a scene it's often called an "establishing" shot.

A medium shot shows most of the subject, including all parts of the subject that are important to understanding what the subject is doing. A medium shot of a person sitting still might show his body from the waist up, letting hands and the lower half of his body fall outside the frame.

 

A medium shot of a person dancing or performing Tai Chi, on the other hand, would have to include his arms and hands, since these are generally important to understanding what he's doing.

  

A close-up is used to isolate the most important part of the subject. For a speaker, this is generally the head. For an entire football team, a close-up might be a shot of the quarterback only.  An extreme close-up focuses on one important detail of the subject, perhaps the mouth alone, or just the eyes, if the subject is a person. The object is to focus on important detail either to increase the drama or impact on a situation or to allow the viewer to see necessary picture information more clearly.   In shooting a group of people, we have a few special terms. A "one shot" is a medium shot of a single person. A "two shot," would still be a medium shot, but the "subject" is made up of two people and the shot is framed tightly around those two. We also use terms such as "head shot," "head and shoulders shot," and "waist-up shot."    

Camera MovementIn the age of hand-held camcorders it must seem odd that there's an elaborate vocabulary describing how a camera can be moved. If you can do it, the industry has a

technical term for it.  

Pan

  Tilt

The two camera movements you use routinely are the "pan" and "tilt." A pan is a turning of the camera to the left or right. A tilt involves tilting the camera up or down.  

Pedestal Up 

The stand for a heavy studio television or film camera is called a "pedestal." That's why the term for raising the camera is "pedestal up," and the term for lowering the camera is "pedestal down." These terms have nothing to do with adjustments to the "pedestal," or setup of the black level of the picture, which is an electronic adjustment, not a camera movement. 

 Truck Right

In moving a camera from side to side you "truck right" or "truck left." To move the camera closer to the subject, you "dolly in." To move it farther away you "dolly out." Of course, whenever the camera-to-subject distance changes, the focus must be adjusted.  

Dolly In

Purists will point out that dolly shots (in or out) are fundamentally different in effect from zooming in or out. They're right. But professionals will go to extreme lengths to get a smooth dolly shot, to the point of laying special tracks to roll the dolly on. People with more modest means have mounted cameras on bicycles, shopping carts and, of course, cars to get their dolly shots. 

Finally, in situations where important parts of a scene are not the same distance from the camera, it's possible to change the emphasis of a shot from one part of the scene to another by changing focus alone.. The instruction to do this is "rack" focus "in" or "out" for a particular object in a scene. "Rack focus into the cup on the table," would be an example. Such instructions are rarely used and are generally given for artistic effect. 

See the Compostition and Camera Movement forum at http://tv-handbook.com/discussion/.

Video camera movement is used for many purposes. It may be used to make an object appear to be bigger or smaller. 

It may be used to make things blurred, scary, or just different. Camera movement techniques are often used, however, to tell a story.

Learning camera movement fundamentals isn't hard. The various camera movement techniques

are done either with a mounted camera, a moving camera - where the camera and the photographer move together, or movement of just the camera lens.

Practicing the various camera movement fundamentals will help you learn which camera movement techniques work best for you.  

 

Technique 1: Mounted Camera Pan

Mounting the camera on a tripod, simply move the camera horizontally from left to right. Pan shots are used to show the viewer more of the scenery. This technique is also often used to show views from high places, such as overlooks. Pan shots should begin with a still shot, then pan, then finish with a still shot. You should practice panning at various speeds until you find the speed that works best for you. 

Technique 2: Mounted Camera Tilt

A tilt done with a mounted camera is quite simple. You just move the camera up or down, without lowering or raising the position of the camera. This is must like panning, only it is done vertically. This video camera technique is used to follow the subject that you are photographing, or to show the viewer a large object from top of bottom - or from bottom to top.

You should note that when you tilt from bottom to top, the object looks larger or thicker. When you tilt from top to bottom, the object looks smaller or thinner. As with panning, you should begin with a still shot, tilt, then stop on a still shot. Again, practice this technique at

various speeds until you find what works for you. 

Technique 3: Mounted Camera Pedestal

This video camera technique is pretty much the opposite of the tilt technique. You do not tilt the camera, but you either raise or lower the position of the camera. This technique is simply used to get the proper view that you are looking for.

If you wanted to shot pictures of a baby, you would want to lower the camera. If you wanted to shot a tall person, you would raise the height of the camera. The purpose would be to make it appear that the subject is 'eye to eye' with the viewer. 

Technique 4: Moving Camera Dolly

This video camera movement technique involves the use of a camera dolly, like the camera dolly's you might see on a movie set. You can make your own dolly with a wheelchair, a scooter, a skateboard, a rolling cart, or many other devices that have wheels.

This video camera movement technique is used to follow your subject. The use of a dolly opens up many possibilities, especially when used in conjunction with other techniques. Remember that you will want to be able to roll backwards as well as forward. Practice using this technique, and once you have it down, try mixing it with other techniques. 

Technique 5: Moving Camera Floating Stabilizer

Floating stabilizer devices are used to follow a subject around twists and turns. The stabilizer is strapped to the photographer, and the camera is mounted to the stabilizer with metal jointed which are controlled by gyroscopes.

This video camera movement technique is a step up from the dolly technique. The movement of a dolly is limited, floating stabilizer devices remove those limitations. As with the dolly technique, you should learn the video camera movement fundamentals of this technique, then try mixing it with other techniques to get different effects. 

Technique 6: Moving Camera Boom

A camera boom is a smaller version of the cranes that are used for construction. A camera boom is used to get a view of subjects or scenes from above. These are commonly used in filming movies, and the boom moves up, down, and around.  

Technique 7: Moving Camera Handheld

Using this technique, the photographer simply holds the video camera, and moves wherever, and however, he needs to move to get the shot that he wants. When using this technique, you should avoid using the zoom feature on your camera. Zooming while using

the handheld technique will make your shot appear to be shaky. Instead of zooming, move closer to the object you are shooting. 

Technique 8: Camera Lens Zoom

You can get many different effects when using the zoom feature on your camera. This works well when combined with other video camera movement techniques. You should practice zooming at different speeds, as different situations will call for different speeds of zooming.

Zooming can create many different illusions, which can effect the viewers perception of size and distance. Alternately, zooming can be used to more adequately portray the size or distance to a viewer. It is recommended that you use a tripod when using the zoom technique. 

Technique 9: Camera Lens Rack Focus

This is an interesting video camera movement technique, which can give your shots more impact. This technique calls for focusing the camera on one object in a close up shot, causing everything in the background to be out of focus, then causing the object itself to become out of focus while the background becomes in focus.

This is done by changing the focal length so that one object will go out of focus while another comes into focus. The two objects must be at a correct distance away from each other for this technique to work, and you will want to use a tripod for this type of shot. 

Conclusion

Learn how to use all of the features on your camera, then combine the use of those features with different movements to get the most out of your shots. Video camera movement techniques can really spice up your home movies, and give them the style and flair that you see in Hollywood movies!