Colorist Society Hollywood members recently participated in a lively panel discussion sponsored by SMPTE on the subjective and quantifiable nature of brightness. Colorists John Daro, CSI, Lou Levinson, CSI and Sheri Eisenberg explored topics including “Is there such a thing as ‘Too Bright?’ and ‘How do we find out?’ The discussion, moderated by Colorist Society board member Sarah Priestnall, occurred May 27th at the Culver Theater in Culver City, California.
Although brightness can be measured in NITS, perceptions of brightness are subjective and unquantifiable. The panelists described how colorists use transforms and trim passes to translate HDR images to different platform and display deliveries for broadcast, streaming, theatrical, and social media. They also discussed how brightness relates to the creative intent of filmmakers. Just because a colorist can produce X number of NITS it doesn't necessarily mean that she should or that it serves the narrative.
