Blackmagic Forum

Flanders Scientific has announced monitors and firmware designed to, with a push of a button, convert the BMCC "Film" mode from it's flat raw look to what they call a "normal"" mode.

This function solves the complaint that some have had about trying to explain to folks onset who don't understand the unappealing raw look onset and what is really in the images. There are 2 log display modes for the BMCC.

John Richard wrote:Flanders Scientific has announced monitors and firmware designed to, with a push of a button, convert the BMCC "Film" mode from it's flat raw look to what they call a "normal"" mode.

This function solves the complaint that some have had about trying to explain to folks onset who don't understand the unappealing raw look onset and what is really in the images. There are 2 log display modes for the BMCC.

Cant you just set the display mode on the BMCC to Video? That way you still record with whatever mode you want, but a non log image is displayed on screen?

I believe the complaint has to do that whatever is sent out the HD-SDI port of the BMCC is the same as the recording mode you are in. The "Display" mode setup only sets the mode for the LCD on the back of the BMCC only. (Please chime in if this is not correct).

So when people are recording full raw 'Film" mode that is also the same raw flat look they are sending out to the external director's monitor. And of course those deceptively flat looking raw images raise the hackles on the back of the necks of the uninitiated who don't know all the goodness that is really lurking in there. So now with the push of a button on a Flanders monitor you can make the choice of 1 of 2 log "normalizations" to display on the director's monitor to end the consternation.

Tom wrote:

John Richard wrote:Flanders Scientific has announced monitors and firmware designed to, with a push of a button, convert the BMCC "Film" mode from it's flat raw look to what they call a "normal"" mode.

This function solves the complaint that some have had about trying to explain to folks onset who don't understand the unappealing raw look onset and what is really in the images. There are 2 log display modes for the BMCC.

Cant you just set the display mode on the BMCC to Video? That way you still record with whatever mode you want, but a non log image is displayed on screen?

I believe that is correct, but i'm not sure if the "video" look is sent out via HD-SDI. havent tried that yet

or, you know, educate your client....

I'm just slightly confused on all of this? we've had monitors able to throw a display LUT for sometime now, as well as LUT generators?

I think the only difference is that the BMCC LUT is built-in, without having to externally load it. Right now I just educate my clients on it, and A/B the Video/Film mode for them before we start shooting Film if the monitor doesn't have LUT capabilities. This should be addressed in a firmware fix by BM, so I wouldn't make too big of a deal about it now.

Tom wrote:Cant you just set the display mode on the BMCC to Video?

Yes

John Richard wrote:I believe the complaint has to do that whatever is sent out the HD-SDI port of the BMCC is the same as the recording mode you are in. The "Display" mode setup only sets the mode for the LCD on the back of the BMCC only. (Please chime in if this is not correct).

* edit: That is correct. .

Theodore Prentice wrote:That is not correct. You can set the display mode (which is sent out via HD-SDI as well) independently of the record mode.

The display mode is not sent out the SDI output.. The SDI currently follows the record mode. What i've done is set up my monitor with extra contrast/saturation in a preset to try look better when displaying BMDFilm.

If you only use the back screen of the BMCC, the other problem is if you record to BMDFilm in say Prores then playing back the files for review will show the flat 'log' image on the BMCC display which you can't do anything about - so an external monitor is helpful here in that at least during recording and playback you get the same image on screen.

thanks for the correction captainhook, I erroneously posted!!
Shot monitored in pro-res last night and honestly thought I had switched between video and film (monitoring)
...long night

I'm all for built in LUTs, but any decent SDI monitor should have some image controls. Crank up the contrast and the saturation and log starts to look good, even to a client who just doesn't get it. I'm able to get a pretty decent look from a standard Panasonic LCD.

And even with a LUT, the image still may look funky. If you're exposing for highlights with the intention of recovering dark mids in post, the LUT image will actually look like crap. I can see this causing more complication on set than it's worth.

cheezweezl wrote:And even with a LUT, the image still may look funky. If you're exposing for highlights with the intention of recovering dark mids in post, the LUT image will actually look like crap. I can see this causing more complication on set than it's worth.

I've made my own LUT to deal with this in resolve which is why i'd love it if we could put our own viewing LUTs onto the BMCC to enable/disable at will. I could then shoot seeing a 'darker' image (with my colour choices as well of course) on screen that looked more 'normal' while watching zebras for any clipping.

blackmagic, are you listening?

make a monitor that has basic 3-way color correction tools built in (touch screen or some sort of jog wheel remote). make it node based. it would have the ability to store several different user created LUTs made with the monitor on set or imported from resolve (or wherever). and have the settings created on set be exportable as a multi-node resolve preset or a simple 3d LUT that could transfer to a USB stick to hand off with the footage at the end of the shoot. combine that with metadata entry on the camera to designate the appropriate LUT to each scene, and the director and DP's vision goes straight into the color suite.

then make the price point unbelievably low and rock the industry...again.

+1 to that. The Odyssey7 looks interesting as apparently you can (or will be able to) load your own LUTs and it's a decent price. Not shipping until 'hopefully' July tho.