Is Photography And Filmmaking Converging?

In our opinion, the answer is 'yes', says Dave Mobbs, Digital Marketing Manager at XP Distribution.

At X-Rite, we work in an industry where photography and filmmaking are converging at a rapid pace. Photographers are picking up video, and filmmakers are choosing to pick up photography. Therefore, the separation between the two is becoming much smaller.

In recent years, there's been a rise in commercial demand for moving images; we're literally seeing them everywhere – on the underground, buses and even billboards. From this, we can make the assumption that savvy photographers will make the move to learn and incorporate video in order to fulfil commercial or client demands.

Although the industry is moving forward and new tools are being brought to market, this convergence is forcing people to develop their creative skillsets and push themselves out of their comfort zones. The tools used by professionals and hobbyists will also need to be developed to meet their changing creative needs. The photography and filmmaking tools available on the market are being adapted to respond to the requirements of photographers and filmmakers. Most new high-end imaging devices will capture both still and motion picture at a professional level quality. As a result of this, photographers and filmmakers are spending less time adjusting the technical aspects of their chosen tools, and therefore have more time to be creative.

With this in mind, the factors that distinguish a filmmaker and photographer is not the kit that they use, but instead their technique and how the imaging device is configured. A factor that can be used to distinguish the two creatives is shutter speed. Photographers will usually use fast shutter speeds to capture sharp images of moving objects, whereas filmmakers will choose to use a slower shutter speed. Another difference relates to the way that filmmakers operate their cameras compared to the way that photographers handle their still cameras. Filmmakers remain relatively motionless, or move very slowly, which allows for action to develop. In contrast, photographers will move quickly to compose their frame in a single image.

With all of this in mind, X-Rite has evolved and developed video products after over 50 years in the photography space. The company has developed its ColorChecker targets to bring its renowned unique colour science to the world of video, delivering versatility onset and improved productivity in editing. The ColorChecker Video is available in two forms to deliver consistent, predictable and repeatable results, frame to frame and camera to camera. These targets allow the photographer or filmmaker to quickly dial in an exposure and as a result, the editor or colourist will be able to easily match cameras or lighting conditions in post-production.

Most cameras have variations in the way that they reproduce colour, X-Rite have ensured that both professionals can evaluate how their camera will capture colour in any given scene and adjust accordingly. X-Rite have also recently launched the new i1 Filmmaker Kit, a convenient kit for filmmakers with two essential colour tools: i1 Display Pro and ColorChecker Passport Video. The kit helps filmmakers and photographers alike to achieve fast and efficient colour balancing for video productions. This kit also comes with a cashback offer of £25 available on purchase until the 30th April 2017.

www.xpdistribution.com

(JP/LM)