THE IMAGE FORUM |
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The Image Forum is an association of representatives from a broad range of film industry companies and professions. Its function is to address issues relating to the image quality of both British and international film and television productions. Though several of them compete directly with each other in day-to-day business, the Forum members come together out of a shared belief that the entire industry would benefit from a greater degree of clarity on various technical subjects. Delegates from key organisations such as The European Federation of Cinematographers (Imago), the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), the Production Guild and the Guild of British Camera Technicians (GBCT) are among those on the membership roster. |
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| Concerns | |
The current focus of the Image Forum, indeed the catalyst for its inception, is the question of how and why different camera formats are selected for different productions. There exists a common concern that, despite the ever increasing variety of image acquisition tools on the market, decisions about which formats to use for which projects are being made without full consideration of the issues involved. |
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Misinformation and confusion are rife in today's film and television industry. The sheer quantity of inflammatory hype surrounding the coexistence of digital and film technologies makes it difficult to plot clear workflows through to broadcast or exhibition. With the rapid advance of HD broadcasting and huge investment in HD channels, fears about possible inconsistencies in the visual quality of HD output have prompted sweeping dictates regarding acceptable acquisition tools. These dictates close the door on a vast array of cameras, lenses and film stocks that many cinematographers, not to mention directors and producers, value highly. |
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| ACtion | |
Image technology is progressing apace, with new products hitting the market continuously. The fact that improvements to individual links in the production chain can drastically alter the viability of tools at other points in that chain makes it all the more important for decision makers to be aware of the latest developments. |
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The Image Forum aims to be a source of balanced, reliable information that will help producers and broadcasters make informed decisions about camera formats and postproduction pipelines. As an ongoing symposium comprising a broad cross section of the industry, the Forum is in a position to ensure that issues and innovations relevant to image quality are immediately brought to the attention of the right people. Target audiences will be identified through workshops and seminars, while presentations at film festivals and film schools will take action through education. |
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A reference site will be established with the goals of prompting and hosting discussion, disseminating information and making the combined knowledge of forum members openly available. The Image Forum will conduct tests to establish how new workflows combining analogue and digital processes can maximize the choice of tools available to film and program makers without undermining final output quality. It will also support other companies and organizations undertaking similar tests, such as the BSC, by making the results accessible and understandable to as wide an audience as possible. |
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“The Image Forum gives the industry a platform to have a collective voice. It will benefit us all to exchange information to dispel the confusion and hype we all live with. The cinematographer is not just a technician but is, to coin the old phrase, an artist "painting with light" and long may that continue in the most creative way possible, with all the tools at his disposal, and a choice of "image acquisition." |
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Director of Photography, Sue Gibson BSC, President of the BSC |
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“The impact of this issue is felt all the way through to postproduction. Post facilities strive to equip for every option, but with over 11 different acquisition formats, it is all too easy to decide to shoot on something that may ultimately create a stressful workflow that jeopardises the budget or compromises the value of the finished asset.” |
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Shane Warden, Managing Director, Pepper Post |
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“With the myriad of camera types and the different ways they can be used, we see from the numbers of calls we get and the visits to our facility how confusing it can be for producers, directors, DoPs & assistants. Having a central, neutral source of information can go some way to providing qualitative information without feeling pressured or facing a particular bias." |
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Jeff Allen, Managing Director, Panavision |
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“With technology moving at such a swift pace, it is becoming increasingly difficult for film and programme makers to navigate their way through all the messages that are communicated to them on a daily basis. The members of the Image Forum form a highly motivated team of industry professionals working to give a clear, balanced, unbiased view, and membership numbers are growing by the day.” |
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