Lionel Kopp of Paris-based Film Factory used a temporary digital intermediate (DI) room at Wildfire Studios, a Los Angeles post-production facility
Kopp, a colorist and the founder of Film Factory, rented a Dolby® Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4200 because it was the only monitor to which he could entrust his color-grading efforts. He knew the monitor could be calibrated precisely to match the Christie projector and to deliver the most accurate color reproduction possible.
Partner profile
A post-production facility with 25 years of experience, Film Factory made the shift to all-digital work in 2009. The company offers customers complete service, including picture editing, sound editing, calibration, mixing, and visual effects. In 2010, Film Factory increased its international visibility by expanding to North America and opening a post-production facility in Montreal.
The challenge
Precise color grading was required to match director Tarsem Singh's vision for the vibrantly colorful costumes featured in Mirror, Mirror. In addition, extreme contrast was required to achieve the blacks and whites in the film's dramatic dark and snowy scenes.
To meet this challenge under a tight deadline, Kopp chose top-of-the-line tools for the DI room, including the Nucoda Film Master and the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor. With these technologies, Kopp was able to work closely with the project's creative visionaries from start to finish and ensure that the film maintained their original intent.
The Dolby solution
The Dolby Professional Reference Monitor helped Kopp accomplish two major tasks on this project: to match another display and to achieve fine detail in blacks and whites.
The team calibrated the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor's display emulation to match the Christie projector, using the two simultaneously in the short time frame. With the PRM-4200, the colorists were able to work in the same DCI P3 mode as on the projector.
The team achieved detail in the snowy scenes and night effects. The Dolby Professional Reference Monitor displays true black levels due to its wide color gamut, 12-bit input, and 1,500 RGB LED triads.
"Keeping the process in-house was important," Kopp said. "Helping Tarsem execute his vision for Mirror, Mirror was our first priority. Every project we undertake is an artistic and technical process, and we plan and execute how to do that in the best way, from day one to the final delivery. We want to be efficient, creative, and enable filmmakers to tell the story they set out to tell."
As a result of the team's experience with the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor on this project, Film Factory's Paris studio now has a Dolby Professional Reference Monitor of its own.
"The dynamic range looks incredible. The Dolby monitor is the only monitor I know that you can really entrust to work in the lowlights, night effects, and the color of the blacks."
LIONEL KOPP, COLORIST AND FOUNDER, FILM FACTORY
Benefits of the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor
- Delivers stability and accuracy — a consistent standard for evaluating images
- Provides precise color in the DCI P3 gamut, true blacks, and exceptional dark detail
- Renders consistent images on every Dolby monitor, with the confidence they will match the digital projector
- Offers the assurance of a true reference display
About the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4220
The Emmy® Award-winning Dolby Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4220 offers a new standard for critical viewing applications. It renders true black levels, highly accurate dark detail, and the most precise colors at all luminance levels and in all formats. It is the first monitor to accurately display the full latitude of today's high-end digital cameras.
No other display provides the high level of image detail, extreme accuracy, and creative confidence of the Dolby PRM-4220, making it the choice of leading content creators. Ask for the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor on your next project.
Dolby Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4220
True blacks, superb dark detail, and extended dynamic range make the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor the first viable CRT replacement solution for color-critical work.
Dolby Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4220
True blacks, superb dark detail, and extended dynamic range make the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor the first viable CRT replacement solution for color-critical work.