What is DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE?
A brief overview of the DI process
A digital intermediate (DI) is a process in which film footage is scanned into a digital format and then manipulated, colour-corrected, and graded using digital tools before being output back to film or a digital master format. This allows for greater control and flexibility in the post-production process, as well as the ability to make changes and corrections more easily. The DI process is also used to create different versions of a film for different release formats, such as theatrical, home video, and international releases. Digital Intermediate enables the use of new technologies and techniques that were not available during the traditional film post-production process.
The process involves the following steps:
Film Scanning: The original film footage is scanned into a digital format, typically at a high resolution (4K or higher). This process captures all the visual information on the film and converts it into a digital format that can be manipulated using digital tools.
Colour Correction: Once the footage has been scanned, it is then colour-corrected to ensure that the colours are accurate and consistent throughout the film. This is done using a colour grading tool, which allows the colourist to adjust the brightness, contrast, saturation, and other colour attributes of the footage.
Image Manipulation: After colour correction, the image can be manipulated to achieve the desired look for the film. This can include removing unwanted artefacts, smoothing out skin tones, or adding special effects.
Film Restoration: If the film footage is older, it may require some restoration work to remove scratches, dust, and other damage. This step can also include stabilizing shots, removing unwanted elements and even adding new elements to the footage.
Output: After the final image has been achieved, the footage is then output to a digital master format, such as a high-resolution TIFF or DPX file, or back to film.
Versioning: Once the final output is done, the DI process can be used to create different versions of the film for different release formats, such as theatrical, home video, and international releases.
Digital Intermediate (DI) is a relatively new technique in the film industry and it has been developed and popularized by a number of individuals and companies over the years. Some of the pioneers of the DI process include:
Stefan Sonnenfeld: He is considered one of the early pioneers of the DI process. He was the first to use a digital intermediate on the film "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001) directed by Steven Spielberg. He has worked on many other films since then, including "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) and "Superman Returns" (2006).
Peter Doyle: He is another pioneer of the DI process who was one of the first to use a digital intermediate on the film "Road to Perdition" (2002) directed by Sam Mendes. He has worked on many other films since then, including "The Harry Potter series" and "The Dark Knight" (2008).
Michael Cioni: He is a leader in the field of high-resolution and high-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging and was one of the pioneers of 4K and 8K workflows. He is the founder of Light Iron, a company that specializes in digital intermediate and has worked on many major Hollywood productions.
John Bonta : He was one of the first to use a digital intermediate on the film "Jurassic Park" (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg. He has worked on many other films since then, including "The Matrix" (1999) and "Avatar" (2009).
These individuals, along with others, have helped to establish the DI process as a standard in the film industry and have played a major role in its development and popularization.