Digital cinematography

Share This
Categories: Acquisition, Images

Shooting movies with digital movie cameras, not film. Nearly all movies are now shot digitally with cameras specifically made for movies, differing in many ways from those made for television. The output offers RAW data that includes the full range of brightness captured by the image sensors, allowing color grading, format changes, etc. to be executed as a part of the digital intermediate process. The camera’s image sensor is typically about the size of full frame 35mm film delivering at least 4096 x 2160 (4K) sized images, with the same movie look, including a narrow depth of field.

By contrast, television cameras are designed to work live. They include front-end processing for gamma correction, set-up for the required color look and clipping to suit home viewing conditions. Sensors are usually smaller, half-inch size, delivering the much deeper depth of field that we expect from TV, and is very useful when covering live events such as sports.

See also: VFR