5D and Filmlight to showcase data pipeline at IBC

Post-production solutions developer 5D is linking up with FilmLight Limited at IBC 2002 to showcase an advanced data pipeline for the digital intermediate process.
5D’s stand (7.511) will feature the world’s first public demonstration of FilmLight’s 65mm Northlight film scanner integrated with 5D Commander, the data portal and playback system for digital film dailies.
The Northlight scanner, which is capable of scanning film at up to 6K resolution, is highly regarded in the film post production industry. The integration with 5D’s film technologies presages the next stage in processing film data at higher levels than the current 2K and 4K standards.
At this year’s IBC, 5D and FilmLight will also preview the Truelight film colour calibration system, which is being readied for 5D’s Cyborg visual effects compositor, 5D Colossus digital colour timing and 5D Commander record/review systems.
5D has positioned itself as a leading provider of high-end post production technologies. Its products, which simultaneously handle multiple resolutions and bit-depths, are now installed at visual effects studios around the world, including Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Pacific Title in the US, Mill Film in London, Éclair Labs in Paris and Das Werk in Munich.
The FilmLight team has been designing and building 35mm and 65mm scanners since 1984. Northlight represents the third major design revision brought about by the company’s continual research and development programme. Northlight was designed for the digital mastering of entire feature films, both 35mm and 65mm, for current release and back catalogue preservation.
5D comes to IBC following its dramatic success at NAB 2002 where demonstrations of a live workflow – from film scanning, simultaneous digital effects and grading on multiple systems, through to play-out to multiple sources including the web – met with huge attention. At IBC, data scans from the Northlight will be recorded by 5D Commander and distributed to 5D Cyborg and 5D Colossus in a similar live environment.
“5D is working more closely with leading film visual effects houses than any other manufacturer to make streamlined data pipelines a practical reality,” said Marc Dando, a director of 5D. ““Although 2K and 4K scanned data is acceptable, movie-makers want to work at higher and higher resolutions. Our collaboration with FilmLight to integrate their Northlight and Truelight products with 5D systems marks another milestone in the challenge to deliver even better quality and improved productivity.”
Steve Chapman, managing director of FilmLight Limited, commented: “The Northlight scanner was designed to produce the world’s highest quality digital images from the film. Full digital post production of feature films is now a reality, but demands the purest digital film mastering quality, the facility to accurately preview the images on a digital display system, and the ability to manage and distribute the data efficiently. We look forward to working closely with 5D to pioneering the next phase of the digital intermediate process.”
(GB)