Kinema Digital Adopts Discreet Lustre For Digital Grading

Spanish post-production facility Kinema Digital has chosen the Discreet Lustre system for the digital grading of feature films, commercials and broadcast projects.
It has also hired Pepe Cruz, a well-known colourist in Spain, who has worked on films dating back to 'El espíritu de la Colmena' in 1973 to 'Mar Adentro' in 2004. Lustre allows Kinema Digital’s artists to manipulate light and colour to enhance the overall cinematographic experience. This can help establish the tone of the story, and enhance characters’ emotions and the impact of climactic moments.
Lustre provides intuitive tools that allow directors to creatively control the appearance, environment, colour and light details of either a particular scene or the entire film. Before the digital grading revolution, photochemical grading was a non-reversible process used in specific parts of the film to avoid sudden changes in colour or to produce a desired look. Now the director can scan, store and colour grade the film in its entirety, which provides a wider range of creative possibilities. Lustre allows filmmakers to compare two shots out of sequence to ensure continuity of colour and lighting across the entire production. It allows artists to work interactively with clients to quickly create a look with maximum impact. As Lustre is non-destructive, work on both the look and mood can proceed in parallel with the editorial process. This streamlines the finishing of the film and increases the creative options available.
Founded in 2004 as a compositing and editing facility with Discreet Flame, Kinema Digital decided to double its staff and equipment after just a year by investing in Lustre and an ARRI scanner: “Among all the systems we saw at IBC in 2005, we decided to acquire Lustre because it’s the most standardised system and the most widely implemented on an international level,” said Chema Remacha, Chief Executive of Kinema Digital. “Our relationship with, and confidence in, Autodesk and our satisfaction with their services were also decisive factors. Furthermore, on a development level, Lustre is the pioneer.”
Lustre comprises two stations for greater efficiency. The Lustre Assistant station can be used for editing, creating edit decision lists (EDLs) and cleaning the images after they’re scanned, while the Lustre Master station is used for colour grading. This allows Kinema Digital to optimise the management of different projects.
(GB)