THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE DIT - PART TWO

Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs) are on the front lines in the battle to keep film sets working smoothly with the latest technology. For a long time, it seemed like the wheel had to be reinvented for each project. Today, some degree of standardisation has made the toolset less volatile. However, the role and responsibilities of the DIT seem to be changing faster than ever, as directors of photography depend on their DITs as creative partners and trusted liaisons to post and other collaborators, in addition to the original assignment: keeping the workflow flowing.

"I’M THERE WORKING DIRECTLY WITH RIDLEY"

Ryan Nguyen

It’s safe to say that Ryan Nguyen has the DIT role figured out. Nguyen has worked with master cinematographer Dariusz Wolski on more than two dozen films, including every Ridley Scott film since 2012’s Prometheus. And along the way, he has also overseen the on-set workflow for demanding directors of photography like John Toll (Iron Man 3), Trent Opaloch (Captain America: Winter Soldier), Peter Deming (Oz the Great and Powerful) and Newton Thomas Sigel (Drive) – the last film often cited as a turning point in the creative use of unapologetically digital image creation. 

Wolski calls Nguyen “my brain.” 

“Ryan creates the files and the editor sees exactly what we saw, and everything else goes to Stefan Sonnenfeld and Company 3,” says Wolski. “It’s quick, and everything happens automatically. The final colour is fast and pleasant.”

Wolski and Scott entrust Nguyen with a degree of control over the image far beyond that afforded DITs in the early days of digital cinematography, when the position was invented. An eye for colour and expert-level facility with the tools is now a requirement for the DIT. 

“The three of us usually work it out together in the video trailer,” says Nguyen. “We’re pretty dialled in. If Dariusz needs to go out and finesse some lighting, I’m there working directly with Ridley, who is very technical and very into colour grading, and he wants to see it perfect as we’re shooting it. So, he and Dariusz talk it through as we’re live grading every shot. I’m basically colouring the entire time, roughing things in and then making the CDLs once it’s set. On Napoleon, for example, we had as many as 14 cameras sending us shots on the biggest battle. We did that for two or three weeks straight. Because we’ve done it so many times, I knew what to expect – I was prepared.” 

"THE TRANSFER DRIVE TECHNOLOGY HAS REALLY HELPED SPEED AND DEPENDABILITY"

Nguyen uses a system that Panavision helped design to control the iris through the fibre-optic network. “I’ll manage seven or eight cameras, and set a couple more, and Dariusz will control one or two. It becomes like a game – I need to adjust exposure on this camera as it comes out of a ditch, and this person is coming out of a tent, but it’s cloudy. Ridley often edits things together along the way, and that’s when I can really see if I’ve done a good job. It’s creative.”

Nguyen, who uses CODEX tools all along the image path, says that the technology continues to improve. “Things are easier, smaller, and more affordable,” he says. “It’s still a physical job, but as I get older, I’m glad things are getting more compact. The Transfer Drive technology has really helped with speed and dependability, and now we’re getting into 4K and HDR. And that enables me to do more and give Ridley and Dariusz the fine control they need. It has come a long way.”

"WE CAN STRIKE THE SETS SOONER"

Julie Garceau

In a high-tech world that is constantly evolving, DIT Julie Garceau prizes consistency. “I work pretty much the same way all the time,” she says. “It’s tried and true. Of course, things change, and you adapt – for example, these days you can just connect wirelessly without extensive expertise in networking. You can change the colour temperature remotely. We do the downloads and make copies at my station. We can cycle the cards through much faster, and since editorial can access the footage faster, we can strike the sets sooner. And another DIT comes in at lunchtime and starts the process of the dailies colour work.”

That efficiency adds up, especially on a behemoth production like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Garceau started more than 25 years ago in video assist and transitioned into DIT work about ten years later. Her resumé includes everything from the X-Men films to Bad Santa 2. On Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, complexity was added by the company who did a rough composite of the eventual Transformers into the live camera images for a rough idea of framing, composition, lighting and action.

“Everything moves as if it were really there, which is a big help to the camera operators,” says Garceau. “It’s also very important to know if we can move a piece of machinery that’s in the shot. You can take ten minutes and save a huge amount of money in post by not having to erase it.” 

"TECHNOLOGY IS ACTUALLY THE EASY PART"

Garceau says that her responsibilities grew by leaps and bounds on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – well beyond the DIT job description. The producers relied on her to run meetings with the post team and trusted her with responsibility for securing the footage. She also played a key role in communication throughout the shoot. When Company 3’s Stephen Nakamura provided an update to the show LUT, she was able to deconstruct it and identify the differences between that and the LUT used on photography up to that point.

“It sounds complicated, but when you see the images, you say, ‘Wow!’” she says. “The colour is super nice. It’s so important to have a good rapport and good communication. We’re all working together, and the nicer everyone is, the better the show’s going to look in the end. Technology is actually the easy part. What’s good about the DITs and the companies who support them, like CODEX and LiveGrade, is that, since we’re a small group, we can always talk directly to the engineers and the software writers. They’ll work double-time to fix any issues. Everyone involved, including DITs, takes on the responsibility of getting things done in the best possible way.”

"DON’S APPROACH WAS TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN-CAMERA"

Jason Bauer

Jason Bauer recently finished his widely varied contribution to Here, the forthcoming feature film by director Robert Zemeckis, actor Tom Hanks and director of photography Don Burgess – reuniting the team behind Forrest Gump and Cast Away. The film takes a look through a single, static camera angle at a single place on the planet and the humans who inhabit it over the millennia. 

On a previous assignment with Burgess, Aquaman, Bauer saw the role of the DIT expanding and evolving, not least due to the exponentially greater amounts of data. That project maintained 4K resolution throughout – requiring the very latest in tools and techniques. At that time, high resolution was just beginning to change digital photography, making it easier to shoot in a way closer to that of the old film emulsion model – something cinematographers embraced with relief. 

Also, today’s widespread IMAX release model was just finding its way.

“Working at higher resolution created an even more visually stunning final product,” says Bauer. “Don’s approach was to do as much as possible in-camera, and to create a digital negative as close to the desired final product as possible. His goal was to keep the manipulation of the image simple, since the camera media was going through so many different VFX vendors and stages.”

“MY MAIN GOAL AS A DIT IS TO BE A SUPPORTER AND COLLABORATOR TO THE DP”

In addition to facilitating Burgess’ vision through the workflow, Bauer expanded the DIT role by serving as technical liaison to FotoKem and to the various shooting units, ensuring consistency. He worked directly with the A Camera First AC to monitor exposure, colour, flicker, frame rate and shutter angle. Meanwhile, he was also dealing with the VFX data wranglers on a daily basis, providing focal distance info, T-stops and shooting specs for every single shot, from every camera

“We also had a large second unit and several splinter units that shot simultaneously with main unit,” says Bauer. “I was providing shooting specs and reference images for what they were shooting. On all jobs, I created a shared folder that contained relevant technical information for each scene, and every unit had access to it, which really helped streamline everything. 

“I find that, on some jobs, the DIT becomes the point of contact for any technical camera/workflow questions,” says Bauer. “DITs should also be the liaison from post production to set, answering as many questions as possible to relieve the DP of that burden. My main goal as a DIT is to be a supporter and collaborator to the DP to help achieve the goal of making a creative and visually stunning film.”

Watch this space for more reports from Bauer regarding the Zemeckis film, Here, which is set to be released in November 2024.