Quality Control in
Digital Cinematography

John Galt
Senior Vice President, Advanced Digital Imaging, Panavision



The photo-chemistry involved in the manufacture and processing of silver halide film emulsions has always required careful process control. Inherent in the technology has been the requirement for quality control at every stage from negative manufacture to chemical development of camera negative, intermediate film elements, through final release printing.  Over the past 100 years of the evolution of this technology a close collaboration between the film manufacturers, the film laboratories, and the end users, has evolved to the point where this process is almost taken for granted and although various problems can and do arise, the system has evolved to where problems are quickly identified and remedied.

Mainly through television broadcasting, electronic motion imaging technology has been a major part of our entertainment and information systems for more than half a century.  Yet, it has been less than a decade since electronic imaging systems have been developed that rival the image quality of the silver halide-based motion picture film technology first developed over a century ago.  The  vigilant quality control process that we take for granted in film-based imaging systems must now be re-invented to encompass the new world of digital image capture, post production and archiving.  

This paper will explore the various issues and problems involved in developing an adequate quality control process for this nascent technology.

 

John J. Galt
John Galt is currently the Senior Vice President of Advanced Digital Imaging at Panavision's corporate office. His responsibilities at Panavision include the development of digital imaging technologies in support of Panavision's core motion picture and television production business. Galt was project leader of the group that, with Panavision's technology partner Sony, developed the "Genesis" digital cinematography camera. Prior to Genesis, Galt was also responsible for the "Panavized" version of the Sony HDW-F900 first used by George Lucas on Star Wars episode 2. John Galt was previously employed as Vice President, High Definition Technology Development for Sony Pictures High Definition Center. His main responsibilities were the integration of electronic and film imaging systems. This included film preservation, High Definition film transfer systems and electronic cinema. Galt was project leader of the group that designed and built the first High Definition Telecine in North America. He holds numerous U.S., British, and Japanese patents in film and electronic imaging related areas.


 

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