Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 15, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
On June 10 and 11, 2010, “Digital Cinematography” invited visitors to the Forum at the Deutsches Museum for the eighth time; unfortunately, the venue will close its doors at the end of June. Despite tropical temperatures and a shortage of hotel rooms in and around Munich, more than 1,000 international visitors made their way to the Isar and were rewarded with a professional industry event by Digital Cinematography’s 53 exhibitors and
partners.
Even before Digital Cinematography, organisers Martin Ludwig (Ludwig Kameraverleih), Gerhard Baier (Band Pro Munich) and Martin Kreitl (MKMedia Production) were delighted by the strong response. More than 700 visitors had registered on the website. The exhibition by 53 international exhibitors and service providers, the practice-oriented workshop topics and, not least, the screenings for which Digital Cinematography has been known for years gave the organisers a full house.
The Workshops
On the first day, visitors could choose between 20 workshops. The topics of the
practice-oriented seminars by and for professionals from the digital film and television industry ranged from camera handling and quality control in the digital post-production workflow to the digital film laboratory and distribution. The renowned speakers illustrated the technical content instructively and placed the emphasis on interaction and hands-on work.
The exchange of experience with the experts was so stimulating that many participants no longer wanted to leave. Thus Michael Radeck’s (DVE GmbH) workshop on “Solutions to Everyday Problems with HD Monitoring and HD Workflows” lasted more than three and a half hours instead of the scheduled hour, without a single participant leaving the room. Philippe Ros, well-known DOP and sought-after Digital Cinematography speaker, was only released by the enthusiastic audience after more than two hours in his workshop on the long-term cinema documentary “Oceans.”
The following quotation from one visitor illustrates how highly Digital Cinematography’s practical relevance is valued: “Once again, these were two very interesting and instructive days in Munich. Above all, the fact that you are not dealing only with salespeople, but also hear reports from real production life in the workshops, makes Digital Cinematography more valuable than any major trade fair.”
SONY, once again the event’s main sponsor this year, sent renowned speaker Gisbert Hochgürtel to address the topic “1080P / 3D-HD / 4K / RGB – Challenges of the New Formats for Production Equipment.”
The second day, focusing on stereo 3D, offered eight workshops providing insight into the
fundamentals, theory and practice of 3D. The organisers themselves worked overtime. Thus the “Workflow and Costs of Digital Productions” workshop by Martin Ludwig (Ludwig Kameraverleih) continued into the late afternoon on the second day.
The Screenings
Major cinema was shown in the digitally equipped IMAX cinema with a screen measuring 300 square metres. Digital technology now makes it almost impossible to distinguish between television and cinema productions. The images are simply fantastic.
With “Jane’s Journey,” Richard Ladkani showed previously unpublished excerpts from the documentary coming to cinemas in 2010. The images by Roland Emmerich (“Anonymous”) and Tom Fährmann (including “Model,” “Flowers”), shot with the new ARRI ALEXA and presented as part of an ARRI showreel by Henning Rädlein, were also impressive.
Immediately afterwards, excerpts were shown from the television productions “Bis nichts mehr bleibt” (Arthur Ahrweiler), “Ihr Auftrag Pater Castell” and “Frühlingserwachen,” all shot on RED.
“The Servants of God” provided views into the innermost reaches of the Vatican. A flying camera (campilots), used in the Sistine Chapel, creates a completely new perspective and breathtaking images (Volker Tittel, Richard Ladkani).
With “Red Tails,” a Lucasfilm production, Fred Meyers, a production-engineering specialist from the USA now working for Band Pro Munich, and Markus Schmidle, Managing Director of FGV Schmidle, presented test-shooting material from the SONY F35.
A special full-length screening of “Oceans” took place in the well-attended cinema that evening.
Alongside the familiar wow effects, the 3D screenings on the second day also presented several challenges. Some 3D productions, for example, had been produced for a smaller screen size, illustrating the problems of “ghosting,” missing contrast and depth of field depending on the viewer’s distance, and sparking lively discussions.
P+S Technik conjured fantastic 3D images onto the screen with an SI-2K wildlife-film production that astonished even Digital Cinematography’s critical audience. The absolute highlight was Florian Rettich’s 3D PINA trailer, showing excerpts from Wim Wenders’ 3D documentary about the late choreographer Pina Bausch. The production exceeded the highest expectations, and many of the experts agreed “that they had never seen such a combination of the technology used and the content
before.”
Young Talent and Training
Salzburg University of Applied Sciences showed a showreel shot on XDCAM-EX with and without a P&S adapter and RED. The University of Television and Film Munich (HFF) was represented with a set and invited visitors to a workshop followed by a two-day event with Charles Poynton, the renowned specialist in “Steps, Stops, LUTs.”
In conclusion, Digital Cinematography once again presented itself in top form. Both the three organisers, Ludwig Kameraverleih, Band Pro Munich and MKMedia Production, and the partners were pleased with the consistently positive feedback.
One note of sadness remains, however: the Forum at the Deutsches Museum, for many years the optimum location for Digital Cinematography’s communicative character, will close its doors on June 30, 2010. Finding a new home will not be easy, but one thing is already certain today: See the Reality — Digital Cinematography 2011 will definitely take place.
