2Color in Motion Picture Film

Before diving into the details of color in digital cinema, let’s step back and review how color is captured, creatively manipulated and displayed in the traditional motion picture film system. This chapter covers the basic design and performance of the negative/positive motion picture film system, and the characteristics that control the color gamut and contrast of the reproduced picture. It also examines the fundamental differences between film and video, and how this affects their respective production processes.

A color negative film is used for original photography, and its basic function is to capture the scene. For motion pictures, this film is printed onto a color positive print film that is used for projection ...

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