IO Film Completes DI For Resident Evil: Extinction

Digital Colorist Michael Mintz Helps Create a New Look for the Third Installment with Film Master

October 9, 2007

Digital Vision, the premier supplier of picture enhancement systems for film and television post-production announced today that Los Angeles-based iO Film recently completed the DI for Screen Gems’ Resident Evil: Extinction using the Film Master grading and finishing system. The film, starring Milla Jovovitch, topped the box office in its opening weekend. Initially, iO Film was brought in solely to provide scanning and base color grading for VFX plates prior to delivering them to lead FX house Mr. X. However, after producer Paul W.S. Anderson spent time with colorist Michael Mintz testing out potential new looks in the digital realm, the studio awarded iO Film the full DI. Said Mintz, “Since the third installment takes place in the desert versus urban environments like the previous films, Paul wanted to develop a very different look. We experimented on the Film Master with a lot of options and finally came up with a really high-contrast look for the exterior shots that has a slight cyan tint in the shadow areas and a desaturated overall palette. ” Mintz also contributed creative look development to the interior shots, enhancing the imagery with a cool, desaturated steely-blue look grade on scenes that take place in the evil Umbrella Corporation’s underground lab environment. In addition to overall look creation, Mintz applied the Film Master’s grading and image enhancement tools to create skin tones and digital effects that made live-action-shot people appear to be holograms, that blended CG elements into scenes smoothly, and to salvage shots with exposure issues by applying the Emmy-winning DVO Grain toolset. As the look of the film was altered fairly dramatically in the digital grade, Mintz also provided continual color references to the VFX house, so they could see and work on shots in proper color context when revising shots per Anderson’s notes. “It was incredibly reassuring to know that whatever look I could think of – even if it would require multiple layers and complex tracking—I could achieve it with the Film Master,” said Mintz. “The ability to draw and track shapes quickly, label multiple layers and find them easily, having really specific tools like the overlay option in the router, all help you execute on any idea on the spot. And that, to me, is what’s most important in a grading system.” Digital Vision President and COO Simon Cuff said, ”iO Film was one of the first Film Master users in L.A., and a key reason for their initial choice was the software’s ability to fit into their existing pipeline and share media on their SAN. This choice is really paying dividends for them now as they were able to produce the theatrical trailers, HD masters and H264 Quicktime versions all from the same timeline. It’s a workflow that allows the artists to work right up until the 11th hour.” Digital Vision provides innovative image restoration, enhancement, colour correction and data conforming systems that major movie studios, television networks and post-production facilities use to produce and enhance feature films, TV programs and commercials. The company’s Nucoda product line provides a strong suite of products for tapeless and non linear grading for SD & HD broadcast and 2k/4k digital intermediate productions. The company’s award-winning products are a standard of the media and entertainment industry and are deployed at top facilities and broadcasters around the world.

Read More: