Film Technology in Post Production, Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: All you wanted to know, but were too afraid to ask!
Review: The film lab has always been the friend of the cinematographer, even if the methods and technology it represents remain a black-science to many.

Author Dominic Case is Technology Manager at Atlab, Australasia's largest filmlab. He puts it best: "Traditional film technology and post production methods are far from simple ... but those used for the lowest budget short-film are essentially the same as those that have evolved for major feature films ... This book describes the arcane properties and procedures of post production for both traditional film-makers and those experienced in video or digital imaging ..."

Film-stock, colour, B&W, sprockets and numbering, emulsion layers and processing, lab costs, density, gamma, grain, printing ... these and many more are each simply described on their own pages, together with a chart, diagram or accompanying image on the facing page. Editing (flat-bed and digital non-linear), Telecine and Video, Neg matching and cutting, Dupes, Blow-ups, Opticals, Sound and Grading are all given extensive coverage.

This is such a good, detailed and yet easily understood primer on the laboratory and post process, that most film-makers won't need to go any further. Well worth putting on the bookshelf.