Last year, Autodesk arranged the Digital Intermediate tour which was focused on the art of colour grading and was addressed by the likes of Steven Poster, ASC & former President of the American Society of Cinematographers, Jean-Francois Panisset of Sony Pictures Imageworks as well as Philippe Reinaudo from Europe’s leading film lab ?‰clair Laboratoires.
This year Autodesk has widened the scope of the event to include Visual Effects and has organised a Digital Film Tour which boasts of big names like King Kong Director Of Photography Andrew Lesnie ACS, ASC and Industrial Lights & Magic digital supervisor Grady Cofer.
Speaking to Animation ‘xpress Autodesk Media and Entertainment, Regional Manager for South East Asia & India Pankaj Kedia said,”Last year Autodesk Media and Entertainment hosted a DI tour which was focused on the art of colour grading. The DI Tour was very well received by the Indian film fraternity and our audience consisted of 450 participants which included DoP’s, film makers and the post production community. The success of last years event coupled with the growth of digital technologies in the Indian film industry, we have decided to widen the scope of this year’s event to include Visual Effects. As a result, this year’s event will also focus on the applications of two of Autodesk Media and Entertainment’s most popular products i.e. Flame (VFX) and Lustre (DI)”
“What we intent to focus on this year, is the momentum that has built up worldwide and in India, in the usage of DI and digital post production processes. As a part of this we are bringing 2 very high profile speakers (who have celebrity status in their respective fields) – Andrew Leslie, DoP for King Kong & Lord of the Rings and Grady Cofer, Digital Supervisor from ILM to present. The films that would be discussed would include the biggest blockbusters of recent times – King Kong, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episode III and War of the Worlds”
Summary of what the presentations are going to cover
Andrew Lesnie
Cinematography is undergoing a dynamic rebirth not seen since the 1950s and 1960s, a time when many different photographic and photochemical processes were in the marketplace. Various systems became standard and stability reigned until the 1990s, when the advent of digital technologies started impacting all aspects of the motion picture industry.
Academy Award-winning DoP Andrew Lesnie has been present through this latest revolution and has used some of this cutting-edge technology, including Lustre, in the making of some of the biggest blockbusters in recent cinema history.
Lesnie’s presentation will cover digital color grading with Discreet Lustre on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and King Kong accompanied by a live Lustre demonstration. Future directions in HD technology and its relevance to cinematography will also be explored.
Grady Cofer
Industrial Light & Magic digital Supervisor Grady Cofer will deconstruct examples of major scale destruction in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III and Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds. First, the dynamic re-entry and crash landing of the Federation Cruise Ship, a complex effects sequence composited entirely in Inferno, will be broken down. Cofer will explain the techniques the Sabre department deployed in order to execute the otherworldly disaster sequence. Then, he will move on to a movie which takes place here on Earth, War of the Worlds. He will reveal the development process for the Tripod’s deadly heat-ray, and show how Sabre used it to vaporize a city. And finally, Cofer will break down the exploding bridge shot. He will discuss how Inferno’s 2D/3D architecture was integral to assembling one of the year’s most impressive effect shots.
Tour Dates and Presentation Times:
City Dates Venue Time
Sydney 08 May Film Australia Studios 3-6pm
Chennai 11 May Hotel Taj Coromandel 6pm onwards
Mumbai 13 May Fun Republic Theatre 6pm onwards
Seoul 15 May Co-Ex Intercontinental Hotel 2pm-5pm
Beijing 17 May KunLun Hotel 2pm-5pm
Hong Kong 19 May Institute of Vocational Education, Kwun Tong 2pm-5pm
On being asked to elaborate on a few statistics related to the growth of Digital Intermediate in India, Autodesk’s Pankaj Kedia shared,”Autodesk introduced the concept in India in 2003. The concept of Digital Intermediate (DI) has made waves over the last couple of years not only for its ability to give films the look and feel that they deserve but also for providing unprecedented control over film color. DI in India has made its presence felt through ground breaking films such as Black, The Rising and Rang De Basanti. Therefore, its fundamental creative and technical advantages are making it a standard part of post-production for many features. In 2003 only two films went through the DI process. This number increased to about 17 in 2004 and 2005 closed at 60. We expect 2006 to be another record year with over 100 feature films expected to go through the DI process”
“On our part, at Autodesk Media and Entertainment, we have been promoting the concept of DI through events such as the Digital Film Tour, DI Tours as well as Super User Tours. Our objective is to create awareness for the use of digital technologies in films and educating filmmakers of the medium that will allow them to realize their dreams”
Autodesk’s Kedia further provided information on DI and other emerging trends.
DI as a concept has taken root in India over the last few years. However, there are a number of factors that will influence its growth in the next few years. These include:
Taking India to the world: Indian films have always had a large fan following in international markets. However, films like Lagaan and Paheli have raised the bar by taking India to the Oscars. As a result, Indian filmmakers are increasingly looking to create films that cater to a global audience. DI provides them with a tool that is extremely effective in creating a look that is both traditional and opulent and yet palpable in the worldwide arena.
HD: High Definition has for long been touted as the next technology wave in Indian cinema. In addition to allowing filmmakers to shoot digitally and correct in real time, it also helps save the cost and time involved in converting film to digital format after which DI takes place.
VFX Outsourcing: A growing trend, VFX Outsourcing is pegged at about $550mn – $600mn according to industry estimates. With films like The Chronicles of Narnia, XXX 2 and Spiderman sending their visual effects to India, the Indian VFX industry has great potential
The South Indian film industry: A greatly understated part of the Indian film industry, South India has begun to ramp up its technology usage in films tremendously. Accounting for over 50% of the films created in India, DI is on the mind of every South Indian filmmaker currently. Facilities such as EFX Prasad Labs in Chennai and Spirit Media in Hyderabad are leading the charge in this respect.