What exposure and focus tools show
| Tool | What it shows | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Waveform | Keeps the horizontal position of the frame and plots brightness vertically | See how bright each part of the frame is, such as faces or sky |
| Histogram | How many pixels there are at each brightness (no position information) | Piled up against either edge means clipped highlights or crushed shadows |
| False color | Paints each brightness range in a set color | What each color means varies by camera and monitor, so check the legend |
| Focus peaking | A colored outline where edge contrast is high (where focus is sharp) | It also lights up on finely patterned clothing, so use it with magnification |
| Zebras | Stripes over areas above a set brightness | Decide whether to use them as a highlight warning or to check a specific level, and set the value |
When shooting LOG, check whether your tools are reading the LOG signal or the image with the LUT applied. The same scene gives different numbers depending on which one they read.
LUTs — monitoring LUTs and final color
- What it does — A LUT is a table that converts input colors to output colors. Applied to gray LOG footage, it shows something close to the finished look.
- Monitor only — Usually you record LOG as is and apply the LUT only to the monitor. A LUT baked into the recording is hard to undo later, so check the setting.
- The same LUT — Use the same LUT on the director’s monitor, at the DIT cart and in dailies so everyone discusses the same image.
- Final color — The on-set LUT is a shared reference; the final color is decided in the grade.
White balance
Match the camera’s white balance to the color temperature of the light and white records as white. Enter a Kelvin value directly or set it off a gray or white card, and also watch the tint, which leans toward green or magenta. Auto white balance can shift color mid-take, so turn it off and keep the same value within a scene. RAW can be changed in post, but it’s better to set a value so the on-set monitor image matches. For the color temperature of different sources see “Lighting basics,” and for color differences between lights see “Choosing light.”
Data management — from card to backup
- 01Receive the cardMark a card coming out of the camera as shot (with colored tape or similar) and hand it straight to the data wrangler. The card number must match the roll number on the camera report.
- 02Copy to two or more placesUse offload software to copy to at least two different drives at the same time.
- 03Verify checksumsCompare the checksums (fingerprint values calculated from the file contents) of the original and the copies. If they match, the contents were copied exactly. This is more reliable than comparing file sizes.
- 04Open the footagePlay back a few clips to check that picture, sound and timecode are fine.
- 05Log itRecord the card number, clip count, size, verification result, copy locations and who did it.
- 06Return the cardOnly someone who has checked the log returns the card to the camera team, and the card is formatted in the camera.
- 1Three copies — The card will be erased, so it’s safer not to count it as a copy.
- 2Two types of media — Avoids losing everything when drives of the same kind fail together.
- 3One off-site — Kept away from set in case of accident, theft or fire.
- Before formatting — Checksums match on copies in at least two places
- Before formatting — Clips played back and logged
- Before formatting — Card number matches the roll number on the camera report
- Before formatting — Sign-off from the data wrangler
Checks before delivery
- Resolution, frame rate, codec, aspect ratio and color space match the spec
- File and folder naming rules, and card numbers in order
- Camera reports, data logs and the LUT files used are delivered together
- Agreement on where the final copies are stored and for how long
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