Technicolor-white-224x102Canon and cinema mainstay Technicolor have announced a "strategic alliance" designed to improve cinema-style shooting on HDSLRs. After reportedly working with professional cinematographers and colorists over the past year, the two companies will jointly unveil a new CineStyle picture profile on Canon DSLRs at NAB, along with a new suite of creative tools designed to "give post-production professionals image files with much greater latitude and versatility when color grading EOS footage."

This looks to be a standardized "flat" picture style, which to date have been user-generated (as covered in the DSLR guide). Beyond the new picture style, however, one wonders what this suite of creative tools will include, especially considering the press release mentions Technicolor's Digital Printer Lights. We'll find out more at NAB; press release below.


Press Release

PARIS & HOLLYWOOD -- Technicolor today announced it has formed a strategic alliance with Canon USA, Inc. to leverage Technicolor’s color-science in the development of a suite of creative tools for cinematographers to facilitate greater usability and integration of Canon EOS DSLR cameras into the motion picture and television production pipeline.

The new suite of creative tools will be inaugurated with Technicolor’s CineStyle, that coupled with Technicolor’s Digital Printer Lights, will provide a more seamless pipeline, from principal photography into editorial, for projects filmed using Canon EOS DSLR cameras. Technical tests have been conducted with various camera-lens configurations under the supervision of Technicolor color-scientists with a number of renowned cinematographers.

“Technicolor, once again, is taking an innovative leadership position by their very forward-looking development of tools and workflows to support the deployment of Canon’s EOS DSLR’s into motion picture production,” stated cinematographer, and past ASC president, Daryn Okada.

“Having shot a theatrical feature using Canon’s EOS DSLR’s (1-D Mark IV, 5D Mark II and the 7D),” stated Tom Stern, AFC, ASC, “I am very supportive of Technicolor and Canon working together to develop the ‘CineStyle’ profile. This can only help to serve greater utility of the EOS DSLR’s in production cinematography. I applaud this effort.”

The cooperation between Technicolor and Canon USA, Inc. took place over the last year and was prompted by key professional cinematographers eager to incorporate Canon EOS DSLR cameras into their creative palettes.

Technicolor CineStyle provides cinematographers with a look that allows for the greatest image latitude as production photography moves into editorial and ultimately digital intermediate color-grading and delivery. The new CineStyle will be unveiled at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada April 11-14 as part of the display in the Canon booth (Central Hall #C4325).

“Technicolor has closely followed the adoption of Canon EOS DSLR cameras into the ranks of professional productions,” stated Technicolor’s chief marketing officer, Ahmad Ouri. “We remain committed to cinematographers as they adopt new tools and techniques, and, based on the requests we’ve received from many of our creative clients, we have worked with Canon to provide a stable path, originating with these cameras and flowing effortlessly into our post pipeline.”

“We are astounded at how well Canon EOS DSLR products have been received by the broadcast and film community, and very pleased with the beautiful and creative results that have been produced using our equipment,” said Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon USA, Inc. “We are excited about Technicolor’s development of their new CineStyle for Canon EOS DSLR cameras, giving post-production professionals image files with much greater latitude and versatility when color grading EOS footage.”
Technicolor remains an industry leader in guiding new means of digital cinematography into the post-production pipeline. Technicolor will also demonstrate at NAB its newest iteration of its industry-leading on-set system, DP Lights as part of the CineStyle demonstrations.

[via planet5D]