Gamma & Density Co.

About Gamma & Density Co.

Gamma & Density Co. develops tools that enable cinematographers to maintain artistic and technical control over their images during the film and digital transfer
processes.

Cinematographer Yuri Neyman (Liquid Sky, D.O.A., and many more) and Bob Currier, (creator of the Color Finesse color correction system) are the developers of the 3cP system.

The Los Angeles-based company’s innovative 3cP on-set color correction system helps cinematographers arrive at their desired look during a telecine and DI session by relying on a system of patented color charts and the proprietary software that functions as a common language between DP’s, DIT’s and telecine/DI colorists.

3cp also calibrates monitors and transfers images quickly and without losses between different digital color imaging systems used in film, television, HD, and Digital Cinematography.

The 3cP system has been used, or is currently being used, on films including 10,000 BC, Babel, Iron Man, The Kite Runner, Quantum of Solace, State of Play, and TV shows including The Tudors, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Low Life, and many other projects.

Gamma & Density Concepts

Gamma and Density Co. created tools for cinematographers to help to maintain artistic and technical control over their images during the transfer session.

The final look of any show, motion picture or TV, is a result of many technological operations. One of the most important procedure is called Color Correction, Interpretations of color is one of the most difficult tasks, artistically and technically.

For many years film technology perfected the process of color correction, thanks to rigorous standards and precise chemical and electronic procedures.

In the traditional negative-positive process cinematographers and timers in the film lab deal with very tightly regulated, controlled and measured characteristics of film images.

The situation changed in the last decade and continues to change. This is the age of digital and electronic images. Almost 80% of processed negatives in the film and TV industries are not printed on film anymore, as it was until a few years ago.

While the negative-positive process utilizes tightly regulated, controlled, interdependent and measured parameters, the film-to-tape transfer process has somewhere between 12 and 43 different non-standardized parameters.

IRE, chrominance level, PEC, tele-cine GAMMA, gain, enhancement, etc.

These are a few of the many parameters which affect quality of the transfer and images on tape.

The frustration of Directors of Photography who unable to see results of their work properly is understandable

Gamma & Density Co., designed the "Thorough Control System" (T.C.S.) to help cinematographers arrive at the "look" they desire during a film-to-tape transfer session thereby maintaining artistic and technical control over their images. The system begins on the set and establishes standards of communication with the telecine colorist in the film-to-tape transfer process.

The key element of the system is our Cinematographer's Control Charts. Now, instead of subjective and debatable opinions regarding images, the cameraman and telecine colorists are speaking a common language.

The chart has one distinguished feature that sets this aside from other charts: the idea of connecting brightness of the scene with the IRE unit, F-stops and zone system. This chart creates a proper connection between the brightness of the scene and luminance of the electronically converted film signal. The system also introduces Easily Recognizable Colors - skin tone, blue sky and greenery.

With the use of the system, the telecine colorist is able to transfer dailies with accurate and consistent contrast, color, and tone renditions. This continuity in dailies takes the guesswork out of the transfer set-up process.

Our "Thorough Control System" (T.C.S.) provided a major technical breakthrough by virtue of the original and innovative engineering approach to the problem. The "Thorough Control System" (T.C.S.) is successfully working in 30 countries worldwide.

Since 1997 Gamma & Density Company has focused on the next stage of research and development of color management system for film and TV industries called 3cP - Cinematographer's Color Correction Post.

The Gamma & Density Chart plays important role of uniting old and new systems.

The result is the creation of leading-edge technology that transfers images, i. e. ability to transfer images fast and without losses, between different digital color imaging systems used in film, television, Hi-Def Television and Digital Cinematography. All those processes and systems are currently not based on any common color reproduction system.

Gamma & Density Co. designed the proprietary computer program and special hardware to create new opportunities for DP's and Directors. It give them the ability to control lighting of the scene with the help of workstation on set, then immediately color correct it, and then output high quality digital images to any facility in the world.

3cP system allows one to emulate practically any conditions on the set: laboratory's printing lights, type of film stock, processing filters. printing processes or video and special effects.

The system is based on two kinds of inputs from both a motion picture camera and a digital still camera. One of the most important elements is the calibration of monitors which is achieved by technology developed by Gamma & Density. Now cinematographer on the set is able to communicate his creative vision to the laboratory's timer.

One of the most important features of 3cP is the ability to communicate not only with printing lab but with telecine colorist as well. Using the chart and standard bars we have been able to find the correlation between printing lights and video data

The information for telecine can easily be transferred to any facilities in the world via the Internet. This insures that the colorist lays down images according to creative ideas of the DP and Director. The 3cP system also permits us to work with digital images by transforming photographic and video information into the language understood by the computer. Gamma & Density Co. sees the creation of 3cP as sophisticated color management tools. Moreover, 3cP system will create a completely new technological approach to exposing, visualizing results and processing in motion pictures ,television, and computer images. Gamma and Density. will continue to support the leading role of DP in the charge of creating images in the new millennium.

Here's what some DP 3cP users say about it:

"Every scene was transferred accurately. The final timing sessions took less than half the allotted time to complete. That is remarkable.."
- Ousama Rawi (BSC, CSC)

"I've found 3cP is very simple to use. It helps me to connect with DP vision quickly and accurately, on any color correction platform I may be using."
- Doug Delaney (DI colorist)

"Overall the program worked very well for me. Both myself and director were consistently happy with the results, and I could relax and watch video dailies without fretting about how the colorist would interpret the images."
- Rodrigo Prieto (ASC, AMC)

"When you can show to your colorist a picture and vectorscope image of exactly what you want your film to look like, then you've got it made. 3cP gives me that tool."
- Roberto Schaefer (ASC)

"3cP as a system is a complete visual guide. From dailies, telecine, VFX's through the entire editing period and DI sessions. The software is very simple, and results represent the original intentions of the cinematographer."
-Theo van de Sande (ASC)

"I knew I would need a way to keep the dailies calibrated to my specifications, and 3cP gives me that level of control."
- Jerzy Zielinsky (ASC)

"3cP is the best tool I've ever used! It replaces the guessing associated with video dailies with calibrated and consistent images – it's simple and precise."
- Checco Varese (AMC)

"3CP allows you to communicate with confidence. It was very easy to learn… (and) it is something you need to know to do DI."
- John C. Rosenlund (NSC)