How To Be A DIT Part 9 – Digital Dailies
This is the 9th instalment of a series of posts aimed at anyone wanting to know more about what it means to be a DIT, but would be well worth the time of any editor or DoP wanting to increase their skill and knowledge base. So hit the DIT Category for the rest.
DIT Workflows for Digital Dailies
Creating digital dailies is one of the main responsibilities of a DIT (Digital Imaging Technician), along with managing the entire workflow and protecting the integrity of the image and creative vision throughout that pipeline. In this round up of tutorials there’s quite a focus on getting that job done well.
The tutorial at the top of this post walks you through the basics of a RAW video and metadata workflow. This great article from Cinematographer Colton Davie provides a great overview for planning a workflow that will “safely carry your baby from set to screen.”
PostLab also has a good write up on the AICE’s recommend practices document for digital production and their perspective as a DI facility on how to shape a workflow for smooth results.
There is significant time and technical expertise required in proper digital dailies. It is a line-item to be budgeted and scheduled properly. While the marketing campaigns from the camera manufacturers make the process sound easy, consider these challenges below, all of which we deal with constantly as a DI company.
Conversation with DIT Duck Grossberg
Moviola.com has an excellent free webinar with DIT Duck Grossberg, which is only embedded on their site. So head over there for the free 50 minute webinar on the pros and cons of on-set vs near-set dailies creation. While you’re there be sure to check out these 3 little gems in which Duck and DP Doug Chamberlain discuss the role of a DIT, their relationship with the DP and Duck talks through his DIT cart.
In another free webinar Duck shares his on-set data management workflow, including how he uses the Microsoft Surface Pro and Assimilate Scratch to get the job done.
DIT Tools for Digital Dailies
QT Change batch adds timecode and reel numbers to folders of footage, very quickly. A very useful and affordable app from Video Tool Shed. In this short tutorial Chadwick Shoults walks you through how to use it.
Pomfort Cliphouse is Pomfort’s new RAW-only DIT tool, which allows your to copy and prepare graded dailies for an offline/online workflow when handling RAW footage. For more details and review-esque thoughts, I’ve blogged about it here on PremiumBeat, as has NoFilmSchool here.
In the video above Sean Safreed demo’s BulletProof at a recent LACPUG. Although (currently) completely lacking in camera format compatibility, Red Giant’s Bullet Proof is another similar tool to Pomfort’s ClipHouse, which I’ve previously blogged about here. Wolfcrow has a three part series on using it. Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Lastly, Assimilate Scratch and Scratch LAB are well worth considering as much more robust, and far more comprehensive, DIT tools. I’ve rounded up a whole load of Scratch related tutorials and webinars over on PremiumBeat.
Considerations for DITs
The Producer’s Guild of America hosts a weekend conference every summer and in these short clips you get their industry insight into the entire post production process as well as 4K and ACES workflows.
