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How to ensure color is accurate for movie screens at film festivals?
Hey guys, I’ll be submitting a sci-fi short film to film festivals for the first time. I’m on a PC, Dell; It’s edited in Premier Pro CS5.5(with fx from AE CS5.5) and my monitor is 1920×1080, Samsung.
How do I make sure the color doesn’t turn funky for movie theaters? Is there a format I need to save as to ensure it’s accurate for theaters?
There was an article in Videomaker magazine stating you need an External Preview Monitor. I have no that idea where to get that(assuming it’s even affordable).
Does anyone know any tricks to ensure the color doesn’t get ruined when they show it on the big screen?
Mod City Dave
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15 Replies
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Are you specifically concerned about the equipment or the entire end-to-end workflow? The effort starts during production, but if the footage is already shot the next steps include:
– color correction and application of effects during post production
– selection of the export codec
– color reproduction of the playback equipmentThe points to address include things like color level, bit depth, scopes, monitor/projector specifications and calibration, ICC color profiles, etc. Please give more information regarding the approach you have taken so far.
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Hey Ivan, well, my main concern is that I just don’t want anything strange to happen to the colors when it shows on the big screen. Here’s an example, the top image looks great on your monitor, but on a tv or big screen, the color levels may change. It may change a blue sky into a pink sky. I just want to ensure it shows correctly on the big screen.
The short is basically done and edited, all fx are done, and it looks great on my computer; I just don’t want any surprises on the big screen when it shows.
Mod City Dave
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Usually the festival organization tells you what format to use and which carrier.
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Hey Ann! That makes me feel better! If each festival has their own specs, maybe I can just view the file before I send it to them. I’ll be using withoutabox.com to submit. Thanks for the response!
Mod City Dave
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The industry norm is to use a SMPTE video monitor, normally connected to the computer via a SDI card.
– No Parking Production –
2 x Finalcut Studio3, 2 x Prod. bundle CS6, 2 x MacPro, 2 x ioHD, Ethernet File Server w. X-Raid…. and FCPX on trial
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Ya, you need an I/O card from the likes of AJA, BMD, Matrox and others.
Then you should invest in a quality video monitor.Chris
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Thanks, Morten and Chris! I hear those monitors cost 4-5k or more. It sounds way too confusing to me, no matter how much reading I do on this subject, I’m just not understanding it.
Someone mentioned I’d be safe if I just use sRGB color, and I’m not even sure how to find out how to do that. I am totally lost. I’ve been working on this short film for 2 years,(it’s very fx heavy) and in the end, it may be totally screwed up on color on festival screens and I’d have no idea.
Mod City Dave
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BMD has a mini monitor card for $150 bucks. HDMI and SDI output.
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/decklink/howtobuy
BMD also has a Production monitor for around $850.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/824133-REG/Blackmagic_Design_HDL_SMTVHD_SmartView_HD.html
The other option is to take your finished movie to a professional that can color grade/correct your film for you.
Chris
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[David Phifer] “Someone mentioned I’d be safe if I just use sRGB color, and I’m not even sure how to find out how to do that. I am totally lost. I’ve been working on this short film for 2 years,(it’s very fx heavy) and in the end, it may be totally screwed up on color on festival screens and I’d have no idea.”
There are no shortcuts to accurate color; you either need a calibrated broadcast monitor as suggested above or a profiled display and color-managed workflow.
Technically, if the monitor you’ve been working on has a green cast and you’ve been using that to make color judgments, then your final product will look beautiful on your monitor but will have a magenta cast everywhere else.
Practically, if your monitor is decent, and if the theatrical display is decent, and if you make the correct deliverable required by the theatre, then you’ll at least be in the right ballpark.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
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Make an export of part of your project and put it on an external hard drive. Find someone who has a calibrated color monitor (SMPTE), and go there to see if your colors generally are OK.
– No Parking Production –
2 x Finalcut Studio3, 2 x Prod. bundle CS6, 2 x MacPro, 2 x ioHD, Ethernet File Server w. X-Raid…. and FCPX on trial
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