https://jonnyelwyn.co.uk/workflow-for-post-production-film-editors/how-to-be-a-dit-part-12-from-the-sensor-to-the-screen/
A DIT’s (Digital Image Technician) responsibilities cover the entire journey an image will take from the camera sensor to the screen. Beginning with designing the entire workflow starting with ensuring that the cameras are set up correctly through to ensuring the foundations of the final projection a DIT has to be part artist, part technician, part digital workflow guru.
A DIT must be able to collaborate with the camera department, editorial and some of the most senior positions on set including the director and director of photography. It is an emerging and challenging role which requires a huge breadth of understanding of digital imaging and the gymnastics an image goes through to make it to the screen.
In the video above 4KLondon, a DIT agency and equipment house whose recent credits include Ex_Machina, Exodus Gods and Kings and Black Sea, delivers a primer on the fundamentals of being a DIT and what they should be able to do. It’s interesting to note that they create three levels of professional; Data Wrangler, DIT, Senior DIT. For a close look at the kind of equipment they supply (and therefore that working DIT’s use) check out their equipment list page.
The following list by Kwan Khan, quoted here from Robert Trim’s excellent ebook Digital Image Technician, (see 5 Books for DITs) gives you a fuller sense of the DIT’s job description.
– If you sit there dragging and dropping to transfer files, you are not a DIT. – If you don’t know color theory, you are not a DIT – If you cannot read a histogram, you are not a DIT. – If you can’t {do} setups like detail, noise reduction, secondary color correction in the camera in every scene, you are not a DIT – If you can’t match a whole material on-set instead of “fixing everything in post” you are not a DIT – If you can’t record the proper signal – so you could use as much information in post as you can, you are not a DIT. – If you never use a gray card…. and you don’t know why you should use a gray card, you are not a DIT. – If you can’t advise on exposure, you are not a DIT – If your DP does not respect your opinion, you are not a DIT – If you color on-set, yet don’t/can’t calibrate your own monitor, you are not a DIT – If you are not the consultant on-set for your camera crew, you are not a DIT – If producers are more excited over your rate that your work, you are not a DIT. – A DIT is a person who is competent in data management, look creation, and giving knowledgeable advice to the DP on ways to get the best image possible.
Admittedly it’s a bit overstated and everyone does have to start somewhere, but it helps to know what’s expected of you in a professional context. Kwan’s list was originally posted on a RED user forum.
If you want to learn how to become a DIT, there are plenty of great resources on this blog which will help you get there, tons of posts on colour grading and colour science, round ups of the best tools and gear for post production work, and interviews with working DITs.
That said sometimes what you really want is to know what a text book would say. For an emerging field there are only a few books available that are specifically aimed at DITs, the best of these I’ve brought together in a separate post – 5 Books on How To Be A DIT.
Thanks to the good people at Focal Press I’m happy to announce this blog’s first ever prize-winning competition! For a chance to win a set of three of the DIT books reviewed in the 5 Books on How To Be A DIT post, simply sign up for the blog’s email newsletter before the end of February and 3 lucky readers will be picked at random. If you’re already signed up (smart decision!) you’re auto-enrolled. You can unsubscribe at any time, but the best part is, you’ll never miss a post.
To enter the competition scroll to the top right of the blog’s side bar and enter your email address in the box and hit ‘Subscribe’…
The video above is a taster film from Blain Brown’s The Filmmakers Guide to Digital Imaging‘s companion website, which has a ton of excellent resources behind a password protected login, which you get access to when you buy the book. Find out all about them in my fuller review here, or pause at 3.30 minutes in the video above to see the list of video resources.
The other books in the post include: Digital Cinematography by David Stump, Modern Post – Workflows and Techniques by Scott Arundale and Tashi Trieu, Digital Imaging Technician – A Very Practical Guide by Robert L Trim and Data Management, Backup and Archive for Media Professionals by Marc M Batschkus.
One of the best resources online for camera assistants and DIT’s who need to master the intricacies of each and every professional level camera in use today is Evan Luzi’s The Black and Blue.com and specifically his excellent Camera Pocket Guides. There are 30 frequently updated guides that are formatted for easy use on iPhone, iPad or folded print out and cover cameras like the RED Epic, Arri Alexa, Sony F5, Canon C500 and many more. You can buy all of these for only $0.49 each when you buy all 30 for $14.85. A bargain.