Jonny Elwyn on Matching 2 different Cameras Using Cinematch

Jonny Elwyn has an excellent article on using Cinematch to match 2 different Cameras. And you can use his Promo Code at Cinematch for the $125 Plug in (for either Premiere, DaVinci or FCP or $174 as a Bundle).

This is another extensive article and well worth a read.

I would love this tech, since the company I have been working for seems to use 2 different cameras always, and different settings every time, but getting info is like pulling teeth, and the EXIF route seems more difficult than just throwing it in Resolve and fixing it by eye, maybe not as well matched, but visually matched.

I do really like the idea of this match, but also they don’t have my DJI Pocket 2 in here, which would be my second camera most of the time.

The wrong aspect ratio of The Sandman TV Series is much like Game of Thrones being too Dark

I have been slowly watching the The Sandman TV series on Netflix, and while I do enjoy the show, as it is nothing like any other show on TV, in that it doesn’t follow normal structure at all, as it is a comic book adaption, but the biggest annoyance is the strange aspect ratio.

This show looks like it is in scope, but it is strangely stretched tall. So many people are talking about this, that Netflix has had to respond and say it is how it is intended.

Actually Reddit seems to have the best info on what it actually is.

Image from the show
The 2.35:1 image compressed to 2.65:1 where it looks correct

It is made even worse by the extreme close ups of so much of the show, and really gets obvious in pans and camera moves that become super distracting.

If they wanted to make the image look ethereal I would have rather had a true FX done to the show, like having made The Sandman seem taller and stretched out, instead of making everything stretched out.

Once again this is a distracting decision that ruins much of the hard work of the show, much like Game of Thrones color correcting for a darkened Theater with a 4K laser projector instead of for home TV with lights on. And they didn’t learn their lesson with Game of Thrones and have done the same damn thing on Game of Thrones: House of Dragon, making it too dark for many people to see.

When making a creative choice that is either distracting or hard to see for enough people to complain you are likely making a mistake.

No Film School Was ‘House of Dragon’ Too Dark, or Is the Problem Your TV?

The Article by Alyssa Miller goes into the issue which is similiar to the one on the big battle at the end of game of thrones. And honestly we didn’t see it too much, but I have my TV properly calibrated or at least as well as it can be, and we have overhead canned lighting and can do it dimmer over us, so likely the room is darker than for the last season of Game of Thrones, but we do see this more and more. They are color correcting way too dark for TV.

And I think the problem is obvious. Color bays are too dark and they use too good screens in the dark. That is absolutely fine for films which are meant to be seen in a darkened room, but homes have light, and most people don’t watch television in the dark.

Honestly there should be a higher level of ambient light in editing bays for TV, to take account people have lights on in their house. And have a consumer display to finish to as well, to check how it looks.

I know on these signature shows they want you to turn off the lights and only pay attention to it, but that isn’t an option for everyone.

And if there are significant complaints, you are doing the grade wrong. You need to remember this is going to be viewed by people at home, not in a darkened theater!