35mm Film Scanner Article

Scanners that capture film's splendid picture and color message for processing in the digital terrain, and recorders that record that data back out to film, are exacting to providing superior digital intermediate finishing.

Recognizing the need for DI houses to produce pristine images in very tight time-frames, vendors say their next-generation scanners and recorders have reached new benchmarks for quality and speed.

SCANNERS

GRASS VALLEY GROUP

"With respect to film scanners, there are three main differentiators: scanning speed, resolution stature and conception stabilization," says Michael Schneider, GVG (.net) marketing foreman for EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), based in Weiterstadt, Germany. "I encourage buyers to take a piece of film with which they are customary and bear it scanned on different brands of scanners to compare the results.

"With prices in the $100,000 to $300,000 range, slow-speed scanners employ pin registration to steady each film frame before scanning it, making them ideal for complex visual effects, layering and compositing jobs. Thus, throughput in slow-speed scanners is limited as they examine at roughly one frame per second." says Schneider. "elevated-speed scanners, starting around one million dollars, are adequate of scanning 4K film in near-realtime and 2K resolution film in realtime, making them ideal when speed and productivity are issues, without sacrificing quality."

The new Spirit 2K scans 2K earnestness in 10-bit, at a realtime transfer rate, and can be upgraded to a Spirit 4K by Grass depression engineers in the field. Either can be configured for testimony or video turnout, or both.

The Spirit 4K and 2K are based upon a new design architecture, completely leveraging the Kodak Advanced Imaging Subsystem with customized optics for 16mm and for 35mm. For image stabilization, Grass basin offers Bones Stabilizer software, which can be used downstream on the synonymous Linux server platform that stores image testimony from the film transfer.

Schneider says 21 mood 4Ks procure been installed cosmic, including FrameStore and Clear in London; Duboi in France; and Laser Pacific, Warner Bros, and up-to-date Videofilm in Hollywood. And they've been used to scan many major motion pictures, including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The pilot.

FILMLIGHT

While FilmLight is only three years old, the company's Northlight film scanner has met with fruition. "At first, we estimated the world of eminent-end film scanners to be less than 100 units worldwide. But that simply isn't true today," says Peter Stothart, monetary director for UK-based FilmLight (.). "With the explosive growth of the DI market, and demand for malodorous-end scanners dramatically increasing, we've already sold over 30 scanners in a short conclusion of time. Facilities are buying scanners today that they wouldn't undo premeditated buying years ago largely to jump into the DI market."

Northlight .0, due to transmit by year's end, will feature new sensor technology, optics, pin registration and electronics, resulting in an increase in scanning speed by a agent of four to six times. It's faster than two frames per second at 2K and one frame per second at 4K mettle. "Northlight truly scans at 6K in one scanning pass, then outputs the conclusion you need," adds Stothart. "CCD scanners like ours use very high sprightly levels to capture the true depth and dynamic range of film to get the best out of the negatives without introducing racket."

Northlight .I has been used to examine such motion pictures as Alexander, Alien vs. Predator, Bourne dominion, The Day After Tomorrow, Lemony Snicket's, Troy and Gothika. Northlight customers add Frame-Store CFC in London; ILM in San Rafael, CA; Cinesite in London; Modern VideoFilm and rhyme & Hues in LA; and Cinebyte Images in Toronto.

FilmLight afresh announced a ownership with Kodak that would integrate FilmLight's TrueLight color management resolution with Kodak's Display Manager color calibration software. TrueLight provides a realtime simulation of the entire workflow from digital data to final projected perception so that the closest viable match can be realized when translating the color period of the digital domain with that of film.

CINTEL

"The main challenge for the DI process is tracking testimony, such as timecode, keykode and origination information--as it flows through the process," says Adam Welsh, managing leader of Cintel (.) in the UK. "Cintel scanners are designed to insert this basic enlightenment into the 'header' of each image file so it can be tracked."

Cintel has two film scanners: the dataMill and the very new diTTo. The dataMill is adequate of (10-bit log-calibrated) scanning 2K resolution at 15 frames per second and 4K resolution at frames per second using an HSDL output stream, with optional pin registration. Welsh says, "The dataMill scans film at 2K, 3K and 4K resolutions from all film formats from wonderful 8mm to 65/70mm. It can likewise offer a 10-bit log-calibrated HD or SD turnout in realtime."

The diTTo, (previewed at NAB 2005 with a solemn launch planned for IBC 2005), is a pin-registered, three-color mild source frame array scanner with a simple Windows-based GUI and buffer storage (for $300,000). It scans 4K images at four frames per second in (10-bit log) DPX file images, stored on buffer storage or straight into a SAN.

Welsh says, "diTTo's alpine precision mechanics ensure that scans from all diTTo's event each fresh, with repeatable results, enabling several units to be utilized for a single project effectively."

OXBERRY

Oxberry's Cinescan 6400, with a 2D CCD array, can be configured as 35mm/65mm (or 70mm) or 35mm/16mm, for 2K, 3K or 4K scanning. The Cinescan 6400 scans 4K film at five seconds per frame; and 2K at under two seconds per frame.

"Our design theory is that parts dedicated to film control, film movement and optics will presumably serve us until the end of film, while the CCD and computer technology will evolve," says Dr. Alfred Thumim, president and owner of Oxberry (.com), in Carlstadt, NJ. "Since our scanners have a modular design, even units we sold 10 years ago can be upgraded with the latest CCD and computer component to maximize the original expense."

The Cinescan 6400 can zoom in on any part of the film frame for blow-up of that aspect. Thumim says, "It can be done optically by zooming in with detailed guts, as well as panning and rotating the image to align it out ... with no loss of spirit or aliasing."

The Oxberry Cinescan 6400, which was used in the film restoration of Carousel by Cineric in NYC, offers a liquid gate for tender film handling, mitigating scratches and dust, and supports every film format, including 4-perf, 3-perf, 28mm film and 46mm film, and even "shrunk film." Oxberry doesn't begin a film recorder, but manufactures some of the cameras used by Celco and Lasergraphics in their film recorders.

IMAGICA

In 1999, Imagica's Imager XE scanner scanned 2K film at four seconds per frame and 4K film at II seconds per frame. However, today, Imagica's Imager XE Advanced Plus digital film scanner now scans 4K film at seconds per frame and 2K film at seconds per frame.

"Our Imager XE Advanced Plus captures richer picture and color wisdom, and pin registration ensures that each frame will be scanned with rock thick steadiness," says Koji Ichihashi, president/CEO of LA-based Imagica Corporation of America (.com). "After film dailies have been transferred on high-end telecines, facilities can rescan the selected frames [from the EDL] using our film scanner--so telecines and scanners are complementary."

At IBC 2005, Imagica will introduce the Imager HSX high-speed scanner, which scans at rates comparable to the Imager XE Advanced Plus. But, when used in conjunction with Kodak Digital ICE technology, the Imager HSX detects scratches and dust on film surfaces, and corrects many artifacts automatically.

Among the movies that were scanned using the Imager XE Advanced film scanner are brine's 12, discovery Neverland, Spider-Man 2 and National Treasure.

ARRI

"DI houses need to handle a massive extent of scanning and recording that would tolerate been intentional overwhelming a few years ago," says Richard Antley, product foreman, digital imaging systems, of Arri, Inc. (.com) in Burbank. "Because of the ground-breaking technologies we've busy, our new Arriscan will be a strong competitor in the market for scanning films for DI, visual effects and data-based post."

The guts of the Arriscan is tranquil of a 3K x 2K CMOS breadth array sensor mounted on a precision micro positioning thing for scanning roughly one frame per second; with 6K x 4K scanning at about four seconds per frame. With Speed Pack I, an upgrade to be released in September 2005, 3K x 2K will scan at four frames per second; 6K x 4K will contemplate at one frame per second.

"Illumination is provided by an array of red, green and blue LEDs, which tolerate momentous advantages over the broad spectrum lamps used in many other scanners. LEDs include a very long life [years as compared to a few thousand hours], are very stable and are precisely controlled through a closed-loop feedback theory," says Antley. Among its nine installations to date cosmic, the Arriscan is in use at Weta Digital in New Zealand, scanning material for the upcoming remake of magnate Kong.

FILM RECORDERS

LASERGRAPHICS

"Before we began sly the Lasergraphics Producer 3 [P3] film recorder, we held focus groups with top film professionals who described the film recording process in these words: 'managed only by highly-paid specialists; difficult-to-ascertain scripting languages; integration issues; steep learning curves; unpredictable results; and extravagant,'" says Steve Klenk, VP, marketing and sales, for Lasergraphics (.com) in Irvine, CA.

"We used that feedback to bring to market a film recorder that answered all of those concerns, plus offered QuickTime-direct-to-film recording that eliminates image file conversions, saving 50 to 100 hours of slavery per feature film," adds Klenk. "Also, we can record images directly to print film, saving 50 to 80 percent of the costs of traditional processing, at speeds of roughly second per frame, and at half the price of the meeting."

According to Dr. Stefan Demetrescu, Lasergraphics senior VP of R&D, "Customers don't want to base their dealings on 'provisional' technology or waste valuable time on maintenance. They told us that laser recorders crave frequent adjustment and maintenance. So we chose to base our film recorders on CRTs, which typically require ritual once every few years." The P3 accepts any resolution from SD to 4K, up-samples SD to HD on the fly, and outputs HD to full-density 4K.

Since 1999, Lasergraphics has seen a 60 percent increase in sales, with installations at Digital Film Group in Vancouver; PostWorks in New York; and Matchframe and Ascent Media in Burbank. Motion pictures filmed out on a Lasergraphics recorder implicate I, Robot, The Day After Tomorrow and Troy. Klenk adds, "We also offer an integrated color management strategy that predicts how print film will appear when projected in the theater before the negative is anytime recorded."

CELCO

"Because our DI customers are concerned with administration high volumes of film recording, in very parsimonious timeframes, we designed two next-generation film recorders: Fury and Firestorm," says John Constantine, director of marketing for Celco (.com) in Rancho Cu-camonga, CA.

The violence records 35mm film in roughly one frame per second and 65mm 15-perf IMAX film in eight seconds per frame. "There are two stereoscopic 3D IMAX films in theaters today, Aliens of the Deep by James Cameron and Sharks 3D by 3D Entertainment--both were recorded using the new violence," Constantine says. The Firestorm has a slower processing speed than Fury and serves as an affordable, entry-level commodity.

Most DI customers, such as Post philosophy and TCS in Hollywood, are using the high performance Fury, and repeatedly behave more than one element as higher volumes of digital film are required for the DI process. Post Logic used the violence to record tavern Rwanda and Constantine says while the post began using old film optical processes, "once they saw the look Post Logic achieved in the digital color timing series for the digital master; they decided to emit out a new negative using the digitally color graded version."

passion can record onto closely any camera negative, intermediate color or B&W film stock. Kodak 2242 intermediary film stock is the most popular choice for DI because it has virtually no morsel. "This film stock requires a higher extent of light to expose it. and the violence was designed to do this at a very high-speed with precision," Constantine says.

Celco afresh introduced its Film Out Pro Graphical User Interface software for controlling the film recorder and the DCP (Digital Chemical Process) color imaging tool that ensures that colors set in the color grading suite translate accurately to film.

ARRI

"Since introducing the Arrilaser film recorder in July 1999, there are practically 160 Arrilaser systems installed ecumenical, which use this recorder for DI, film archival, visible effects and video-to-film transfers," says Arri product manager Richard Antley.

"The Arrilaser offers superior perception quality and speed for recording the full dynamic frequency range on intermediate film stocks," adds Antley. The system can be configured to fit the end users' imaging needs and budgets, including native support for HD resolution images, 5245 camera negative stock, color management and a graphical configuration editor. "We also offer color management solutions, which we see as a critical enabling technology for users of our DI products," adds Antley. "Arri Color Management is offered for Arrilaser and houses using digital color grading solutions, such as Autodesk Lustre, Quantel iQ, da Vinci Resolve, Digital Vision's Nucoda, Iridas FrameCycler and the DVS Clipster."

IMAGICA

At NAB, Imagica introduced its first film recorder--the Imager HSR high-speed film recorder--which records 2K spunk film facts to Eastman Kodak 5242 intermediate film for digital interpositive or internegative films. This film recorder leverages recorder technology licensed from Eastman Kodak Company and combines a new optical engine with JVC's D-ILA LCOS image device and LED illumination loose source.

As a final note, most of these vendors wanted to stress that they've added tools for color grading and management to ensure accurate results as filmed images move between the different color spaces of the film and digital worlds.

RELATED ARTICLE: ALT supports the price-premeditated market

BURBANK--The Solitaire Cine III film recorder reached its "end of life" in 2000, but ALT Systems is modifying these legacy 35mm film recorders to handle 65mm/70mm IMAX livelihood. Using the original Solitaire Cine III base, ALT Systems refurbishes the length by installing the MSM (observance) 65mm camera. "There's growing interest in the IMAX format, and that's the alcove market that we are addressing with the Solitaire Cine III recorder," says Jon D. Guess, president of ALT Systems (.com). "It has wax the platform of choice for grand-format recording."

A CRT-based recorder, "the Solitaire has always been appreciated for its picture quality, although its speed is very slow by today's standards," says Guess. "Despite the slower speed, there are many facilities around the universe that still own it."

Since 2000, the rights to the way changed hands between Management Graphics, EFI (Electronics For Imaging), Imation, and accordingly finally, verdict One in Minnesota, which now supplies ALT Systems with the components and spare parts. ALT Systems moreover offers the Solitaire XP, a Solitaire Cine III they've modified to deliver twice the speed without sacrificing trait.

In 2004, ALT Systems signed an concord with Digital Film Systems to wax the exclusive distributor in America for the new Definity digital film recorder. "Definity is the first recorder to be based on the latest TFT LCD imaging technology and we see it being a immense successor to the Solitaire," says Guess. "We're very excited about the 2K pictures we've obtained from Definity, which at around seconds per frame on Kodak 5245 stock and about seconds per frame on intermediary will be very competitive to Arri's Arrilaser recorder and CRT-based recorders from Celco and Lasergraphics."

--Claudia Kienzle