Eastman-kodak Company

Mitchell J Bogdanowicz

Charles P Hagmaier

Christopher L DuMont

Richard C Sehlin

Christian L Lurin

Gary Norman Barber

Patricia R Greco

James P Merrill

Martin E Oehlbeck

Carlo V Hume

Elizabeth L Kelly

Patrick J Parsons-Smith

Mary L Schmoeger

Nhon N Chu

James L Edwards

Paul T Hahm

Nestor M Rodriguez

Roger W Nelson

Leslie Gutierrez

David S Jones

Joseph E LaBarca

Bradley W VanSant

Vicky Sinn

Enid Muniz

Peter G Milson

John D Croft

Nhon N Y Chu

Rami Mina

Kyle J Alvut

A method for communicating and preserving creative intent within a motion picture production chain, including a production stage, and at least one of a subsequent laboratory or post production stage, including capturing an original image of a scene during the production stage; generating a look representative of a creative intent, wherein the look is a digital representation of a creative alteration of the captured original scene image; and applying the look to the captured original scene image and confirming approval of the look during the production stage. The digital representation of the look is stored as a recipe for generating the creative alteration, and communicated from the production stage to at least one of the subsequent laboratory and post-production stages for applying the look to the captured motion picture footage during subsequent laboratory and post-production stages.

Method and system for preserving the creative intent within a motion picture production chain

A method of transferring an image recorded on a photographic film to a digital signal, using a film scanning device that generates scan data representative of the digital signal, comprises the steps of calibrating the film scanning device in relation to printing densities and scanning the photographic film with the film scanning device to produce scan data that represents printing densities. Inasmuch as the digital signal is used to drive a film recorder that exposes an output film that is subsequently printed onto a target print material, the scan data represents printing densities which when written out to the film recorder will produce printing densities of the output film onto the target print material that are identical to the printing densities of the same photographic film optically transferred onto the target print material.

Full content film scanning on a film to data transfer device

A digital mastering system for processing digital image signals originating from scanned motion picture film includes a film scanner for scanning motion picture film and generating a stream of digital image signals corresponding to motion picture images, a color grading channel that pre-visualizes a certain 'look' that can be applied to the digital image signals and a digital rendering channel that renders the digital image signals pre-visualized for a certain 'look' into a digital master. The &#x201c;look&#x201d; includes the appearances produced by either a standard motion picture print film and/or adjustments applied to a standard appearance to obtain a creative effect. The color grading channel includes a parameter generator for storing parameters for a plurality of &#x201c;looks&#x201d;, a digital color grading processor for applying one or more selected parameters to impart a pre-visualized &#x201c;look&#x201d; to the digital image signals and a display device capable of reproducing the color graded signals. The digital rendering channel includes a digital rendering processor for applying one or more of the parameters selected by the parameter generator to the digital image signals in order to impart the rendered &#x201c;look&#x201d; into the digital image signals and a digital mastering device for producing a digital master from the rendered digital image signals.

System for optimizing the display and rendering of digital images for digital mastering

A method for processing a sequence of digital image signals in order to match the appearance of a particular display medium, such as a motion picture print film, includes the steps of (a) converting the digital image signals into signal values in an analytical dye amount space where the signal values are proportional to a dye set corresponding to the particular medium; and (b) converting the signal values in analytical dye amount space into output values suitable for a display device, such as a digital projector. Moreover, the signal values in analytical dye amount space may be corrected for viewing conditions, such as printing flare, gamma, contrast ratio or neutrality.

Method of digital processing for digital cinema projection of tone scale and color

A method for previewing a scene before actual capture by a motion-picture camera for permitting improved creative control of the scene ultimately captured by the motion-picture camera, the method comprises the steps of providing a digital representation of the scene; mapping the digital representation through a transfer function which maps the digital representation to image data representative of image data that a predetermined film will create; providing the mapped image data to a display; and displaying the image data on the display.

Method for previewing a scene before actual capture by a motion-picture

Telecine reference element, system, and method for providing scene

A silver halide light sensitive motion picture photographic print element is disclosed comprising a support bearing on one side thereof: a primarily yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith primary yellow dye-forming coupler and secondary cyan and magenta dye-forming couplers; a primarily cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith an effectively primary amount of cyan dye-forming coupler and effectively secondary amounts of magenta and yellow dye-forming couplers; and a primarily magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith an effectively primary amount of magenta dye-forming coupler and effectively secondary amounts of cyan and yellow dye-forming couplers; wherein the primary and secondary dye-forming couplers in each of the dye image-forming units are present in amounts effective to obtain a ratio of Equivalent Neutral Density for the dyes formed from each of the primary dye-forming couplers to each of the secondary dye-forming couplers in each dye-image forming unit of from 20:1 to 3:2 in the print film upon exposure and processing in the standard ECP-2B motion picture color print process, such ratios measured at an exposure resulting in an Equivalent Neutral Density of 1.0 for the primary image dye color of the respective unit. Color print film silver halide photographic elements with mixed color dye image-forming couplers in each of the dye image-forming units thereof enable the production of projected images having desired black densities and colored images having desired degrees of color saturation.

Color motion picture print film with desaturated color space

A silver halide light sensitive motion picture photographic color print element is disclosed comprising a support bearing on one side thereof: a primary blue sensitive and secondary green and red sensitive yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith yellow dye-forming coupler; a primary red sensitive and secondary green and blue sensitive cyan dye image-forming unit comprising at least one light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith cyan dye-forming coupler; and a primary green sensitive and secondary blue and red sensitive magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one light sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith magenta dye-forming coupler; wherein the primary and secondary light sensitivities in each of the dye image-forming units result in ratios of the primary color linear sensitivity of the unit to the same color secondary linear sensitivity of each of the other dye image-forming units of from 30:1 to 3:2. Color print film silver halide photographic elements with crossed blue, green and red sensitization in each of the yellow, magenta and cyan dye image-forming units thereof enable the production of projected images having desired black densities and colored images having desired degrees of color saturation.

A motion picture sound recording chromogenic photographic film element for forming non-neutral images is disclosed comprising a film support bearing at least one silver halide emulsion layer comprising at least one dye-forming coupler which forms a dye which absorbs primarily in the green or red light region of the electromagnetic spectrum upon processing with color negative developer, wherein the element does not comprise a neutral-balanced combination of cyan, magenta, and yellow dye-forming couplers. A method for forming a soundtrack image in a motion picture print film is also disclosed, comprising recording a soundtrack negative in a chromogenic soundtrack recording film as described above by exposing said film and processing said exposed film with a color developer process to form a dye soundtrack negative, and printing a soundtrack onto a negative-working motion picture print film by exposing the motion picture print film through the dye soundtrack negative and processing the exposed print film to form a positive soundtrack. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, the light-sensitive emulsion layer of the sound recording film comprises green or red light-sensitive silver halide emulsion grains and a cyan or magenta dye-forming coupler in the substantial absence of yellow dye-forming coupler. In accordance with most preferred embodiments, the light-sensitive emulsion layer of the sound recording film comprises green and red light-sensitive silver halide emulsion grains and cyan and magenta dye-forming couplers in the substantial absence of yellow dye-forming coupler.

Chromogenic sound recording film

A process and system for forming a video image with a telecine transfer device is disclosed, the process comprising converting a photographic film image into video signals representative of the image with a telecine transfer device which uses a cathode ray tube flying spot scanner in combination with at least one dichroic beam splitting mirror to separate the light from the cathode ray tube into component spectral segments which are then detected by a light detector, wherein a filter is positioned between the dichroic mirror and the light detector to compensate for an inconsistent spectral distribution of light in at least one component spectral segment resulting from a varying angle of incidence of light originating from various positions of the cathode ray tube onto the dichroic mirrors, said filter reducing the magnitude of the range of spectral change due to the varying angle of incidence. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the light from the cathode ray tube is separated into red, green and blue component segments. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a properly designed filter is used such that the spectral distribution of light that reaches the green component light detector results in a substantially consistent side-to-side contrast detection with various photographic film stocks. The instant invention differs from previous methods of shading correction in that the correction is being done optically instead of electronically. The optical correction is substantially film independent.

Shading correction on a CRT telecine

Silver halide light sensitive photographic print elements are disclosed comprising a support bearing on one side thereof: a blue color sensitive record comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion yellow-image forming layer, a red color sensitive record comprising at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion cyan-image forming layer, and a green color sensitive record comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion magenta-image forming layer; wherein at least one of the color records has a fixed best fit contrast less than or equal to 2.2, wherein the fixed best fit contrast for a color record is defined as the slope of a straight line connecting a point B and a point C on the characteristic curve of Status A density versus log Exposure for the color record, where points B and C are located by defining a point A on the characteristic curve at the log Exposure required to attain a density level of 1.0, and points B and C are located on the characteristic curve at exposure values -0.40 log Exposure and +0.65 log Exposure with respect to point A, respectively. In preferred embodiments, the fixed best fit contrast (FBFC) values of at least two color records and most preferably of each of the blue, red, and green color records are less than 2.2. Such FBFC values are below the typical contrast limitations of conventional color print films designed for direct projection viewing, and enable the production of especially pleasing images in telecine transfers compared to print elements with higher FBFC values.

Color motion picture print films for telecine transfer applications

A process for exposing dye imbibition printing matrix films is disclosed comprising imagewise exposing a matrix film comprising a visible light sensitive silver halide emulsion containing colloid layer on a support to blue, green or red light, wherein the visible light sensitive emulsion is also sensitive to UV light and the toe contrast of the imaged matrix film is controlled by (i) incorporating a UV absorber in the colloid layer of the matrix film, and (ii) flash exposing the matrix film with UV light in the substantial absence of light having a wavelength above 410 nm, wherein the UV absorber provides sufficiently low absorption above 410 nm such that it does not substantially alter the effective photographic speed of the matrix film during the imagewise exposure or the mid scale contrast of the imaged matrix film, and sufficiently high absorption to the UV light to decrease the resulting toe contrast of the imaged matrix film. In accordance with preferred embodiments of the invention, the above contrast control process is performed for each of the blue, green and red matrix films to be used in an imbibition printing process. The invention achieves desired toe contrast control of all three matrix films in the same manner. No longer does the blue matrix film require to be treated differently. This allows use of identical matrix films having blue, green and red sensitivity (e.g., a panchromatic sensitive film) in forming the separate blue, green and red exposed relief images if desired.

Growing community of inventors

Spencerport, NY, United States of America

Mitchell J Bogdanowicz