How Log Profiles Wrecked Cinema

A certified banger

Truly a vital public service announcement. Bring back contrast!

Why wouldn’t you just use a preview LUT on set? The iPhone can use preview LUT’s, as can every camera that offers a log profile. Doesn’t everyone know how to do this? In every BTS that I’ve seen, they typically discuss how they create a “show LUT” or a “look LUT” or sometimes even multiple, so that while shooting you are seeing the expected end result.

So, for every production, they would at the very least have a simple transform to be viewing the image correctly for the expected display, the better ones would actually pre-apply the creative look, I’ve never even heard of people on set viewing the log state as if it were the correctly displayed image.

I struggle to explain log and LUTs to my friends who aren’t in production. Now I can send them this instead. Thanks for getting the word out about this!

Wonderful work Devan

This is great. If you're ever struck with the urge to do a feature-length version of image theory and aesthetics in the digital age I will be all for it

I like this point. But I get annoyed by the clickbait of saying "Why LOG profiles ruined cinema". Yeah haha, like you still have the part in the video where you say "Well that's not true" But it's still annoying you have to appeal to the base appeal of the clickbait. I get it. The algorithm. But ... yeah. Good points though, and I agree with all the points.

So good. (But then, I knew it would be)

It’s a good compliment to your video on the holdovers, since a lot of what we think about what “film” looks like is not merely just an idealised construction but also the product of decades of chemical work. Somehow the work of colour scientists in making a pleasing image for professionals and consumers alike has been reinterpreted as “the real thing” and not just a mediated reproduction. Not to say that this is inherently bad obviously but it is something that should be interrogated (especially considering the infamous problems Kodak had with not testing their colour film on dark skin tones)

The best example is the video clip of Shakira´s song "La Bicicleta". I think the director got used to watching all the material in log. Colorist was found dead

To my understanding the reason why colourists didnt mess with the log too much is because they werent too familiar with CSTs and CSTs of different manufacturers resulted in mismatched image whereas the log looked more similar and then they would, by eye, try to match the image by adding contrast, saturation and adusting the gamma and then make minute adjustments from there.
But one thing though, while i do not like the look myself and fully understand it is the intermediate state of a cameras footage, i think it is as valid a creative look as bleach bypass film processing

I love seeing this. I have seen SO many movies, and to a lesser extent tv shows, in the past few years that have that washed out "log" look and I came to the same conclusion you did without the actual behind the scenes, insider evidence. I just figured people get used to seeing this type of footage in the edit and they sson feel like THAT'S their movie. And while many editors are very meticulous about their workflow they are ultimately trying to get a job done. And having to stop down to apply a lut/adjustment layer, etc to every new sequence they will often consider that the edit is what's important. They will think about picture later.

WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SO WELL MADE?

most of those original vice documentaries are just in C log. I swear they had a huge impact on the use of log as a final look

man i love exploratory videos like this. I always wondered why half the stuff shot in the 2010s always seemed 'ungrade' lol now i have an answer

Very well done, and I agree with your points. I feel like the same thing happened in the resurgence of analog film photography by people who didnt grow learning on and shooting film before digital. Somehow badly shot, underexposed and expired film became the "film look" and a photo shot on fresh professional film with a sharp lens would be criticized as "too digital". Everyone is entitled to their own aesthetic taste but I hate when something done "incorrectly" gets viewed as the norm.

Excellent video, glad to see this discussed in such great detail! Great work

Phenomenal introduction to the concept of colorimetry. Thanks!

After the shoot, this bloke rode off in his horse and cart...

I personally think they’re too lazy to color correct and color grade the log footage if they leave it in the Final Cut.

Most people use monitoring luts on sets and a cst or conversion lut as soon as they start to color anyways

As a colourist I will be sending this video to every new client before work begins.

“here darling have another logarithmic equation” - Graeme Garden talking to his computer -
the Goodies - BBC comedy

Brilliant

Under 2k subs with original topics and crisp edits.

i like what is being said here, editing is a bit distracting