A Digital Intermediate Primer

Like many people you may have heard the term Digital Intermediate mentioned as the future of post production. Like many people you may have no idea what Digital Intermediate entails, or what it is. At DarbeeVision we think that Digital Intermediate is a fantastic tool for filmmakers, and have put together some basic infomation and resources to help educate people about it.

At it's most basic Digital Intermediate is the process of taking film into a digital state and then putting it back into a film state. This can be done for a number of reasons, including: restoration, additiion of special effects, and digital color timing. The process is truly amazing in the sense that it gives people who are using film the flexibility afforded digital filmmakers.

The film is scanned on a film scanner, generating a digital file. These files range in size from 1k to 4k, the difference being resolution. 4k is thought by many to be the most accurate replication of film resolution. Over 4k gives you gigantic files, and less then compelling image improvement, while under 4k certain details are not accurately replicated.

Once the film is scanned and turned into files it becomes a piece of digital media. This means that it can be dealt with in fantastic new ways: color channels can be separated and timed individually, contrast and latitude can dynamically change, color can change over time in a shot, complex opticals can be created, image sharpeners, and DVn can be applied. All of this can be done with speed, efficiency, and leeway to experiment. As with all digital tools it is nondestructive, you can return to a base state to start over.

Below are links to companies involved in digital intermediate, as well as some good articles: