Choosing The Right DIT Service

Choosing the right service for your production takes some time and consideration.

Choosing the right service for your production takes some time and consideration, there are often a lot of stakeholders involved and listening to their needs and concerns help to make sure that the workflow from shoot to post is efficient, reliable and accurate.

On Set DIT

Howard Colin working on-set during A Discovery of Witches

The DIT role is split into two categories. The first, the on-set DIT, is referred as the traditional interpretation of the DIT. In this role, the technicians primary concern would be to assist the cinematographer by keeping an eye on exposure, colour and other image issues from a live camera feed. They would be based on set with their equipment, working in a light controlled environment such as a blackout tent or EZ up.

The on-set DIT is involved quite early during a project’s pre-production. One of the main responsibilities during this phase is to assist in setting up and managing the over all image pipeline and data workflow. This is usually carried out in partnership with the post-production team and VFX departments, with consultation from the Director of Photography.

The Pomfort Livegrade software is used to manage colour pipelines on set. This is where the “Livegrade” DIT title comes from. The software is always running in the background, applying any image transforms shared in a LUT format or via ACES. The software also gives the option to add a creative “live” grade to the monitored camera feeds that would later be used by post production. By using the LiveGrade software, the DIT will also monitor the cameras log image, to ensure that the captured image is as best it can be. This is particularly useful if there are multiple deliveries of the project in different formats, for example HDR/SDR and P3.

An on set DIT is traditionally supported with an assistant and also a lab. The assistant is tasked with getting camera feeds and ensuring picture stays up. A data workstation may also be stored on the DIT truck to do a backup of camera cards before they are sent to the lab.

The lab help to share the workload of the on-set DIT and assistant, this enables the on-set team to work effectively and allow each crew member to focus their attention to the quality of the image and the daily running of the department. The lab will create additional backups of media to the studios specification, this is likely to include an LTO backup. They will also offer a digital dailies service and will deliver synced editorial media to the post production team.

Depending on the Director of Photography’s preferences when working with an on-set DIT. Some prefer to visit the DIT tent at the beginning of each setup, or when they are lighting to check the image before it is recorded. Others prefer to base themselves in the tent completely. Taking advantage of a good viewing environment and accurate colour reference monitors.

Near Set DIT

Will Cook working near set

As Netflix describe, the near set DIT is interpreted as a hybrid role between the on-set DIT and a Data Manager. The near set DIT would still be involved in the pre-production process in the same way as the on-set DIT. In both roles this is an important step to help design and implement a solid workflow that covers camera setup, data management and colour management.

The near set DIT is based, as the name suggests, near set. The technician would often be working from a van or truck. In comparison to the on-set DIT, the near set technician does not have a live grade capability, they will only work with the material after it has been recorded. The near-set DIT will manage a number of backups, apply any colour grading and then transcode the material to an editorial format for delivery to post production.

Often a near set DIT is not accompanied by a lab, however this largely depends on the shooting format of the show. If an intensive shooting format is chosen, a lab would traditionally be brought in to manage some of the workload of the DIT. In this scenario, it would be worth weighing up the access to the locations in order to determine if an on-set DIT could be viable with the added benefits that the role offers.

To Summarise

When choosing a service for your production, there are a lot of different variables to consider. If there are multiple deliverables and the camera formats are high end, then an on-set DIT with an assistant will probably be the most appropriate. Accurate on set colour pipelines and monitoring will help to ensure that what is seen on set matches later down the line in post production and finishing. However, there may be cases in which a near set DIT would be more appropriate. For example, when there is only one deliverable, locations are very tricky and the shooting formats are reasonable. It’s worth noting that tricky locations in most cases can be managed with a lightweight equipment package and smaller monitors so most challenges in this respect can be overcome.

Hopefully this has given an overview of the services that can be offered from DIT services and how we work, please do reach out via the contact form if there are any enquires or questions.

Minimal on set package to work in very tricky locations