The BSC format test has shown us the importance of the Digital Intermediate (DI) phase when defining the look of the material. DoP´s Dante Spinotti , ASC/AIC (movie old-timer who switched to digital shooting) and Brunel Delbonnel, ASC/AFC (who swears by film) speak out about the impact that this DI influence has had on them. The fragments are taken from interviews we had with them last winter during Camerimage, for the NSC book about imagery, due to be published later on this year.

Spinotti (the movie old-timer who switched to digital recording) explains how qualifying the DI creates the look of the (digitally played) film: "You have to go straight ahead and get the best possible look in your digital technology."

Dante Spinotti: "I think it’s wrong to try to imitate film. And the way I shoot it, which I learned from Michael Mann, is that once you go in the DI, you try to achieve the best possible look for your film in the digital files. Then, after that, you will have film match the digital files. But you have to go straight ahead and get the best possible look in your digital technology.

When I saw "Festen" that was sort of an eye-opener. The fact you can have this small camera moving around so quickly. You have the actors that don’t go back to their trailer but stay there. And the ingenuity of this camera. (But) we still need to construct images. So, it’s still a lot of work. In the end it is about what you want to do for that particular story. I am chasing the image and not chasing the technology."

Dante Spinotti (photo: Bart van Broekhoven)

Delbonnel (who swears by film) states sharply the importance of being in charge over the imagery process and the choices to be made: "I want to see every, every visual effect. And I want to approve them."

Bruno Delbonnel: "Basically the movie is mine. It’s my light. It’s my frame. It’s my choice. It’s my taste. I don’t want nobody just to say ‘Okay we’re gonna put a 180’. I said: ‘I don’t like using a 180. I don’t like long lenses. I don’t want to work like that’. So, it’s not only about light. The whole image, it’s mine. Even on "Potter", where I was the DP. I discussed with the post-production supervisor, I said ‘I want to see every, every visual effect. And I want to approve them’. Because, there is a guy in Los Angeles doing the visual effect, who is basically a guy who listens to techno music every single minute. He doesn’t even understand what I’m doing. He doesn’t care. So he is going to ruin my works. I spent a year and a half on "Potter". And you have this one single man who can ruin everything. It’s my light. It’s my work. And I decide."

The collaboration with his colorist eventually resulted in an Oscar nomination (for "Harry Potter and the halfblood prince")

Bruno Delbonnel (photo: Bart van Broekhoven)

Translation: Martijn Kraal