{"id":2907,"date":"2016-08-02T07:31:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T14:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ww3.ambientskies.com\/when-and-when-not-to-use-a-dit-on-set\/"},"modified":"2023-02-24T12:50:24","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T19:50:24","slug":"when-and-when-not-to-use-a-dit-on-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ambientskies.com\/blog\/filmmaking\/when-and-when-not-to-use-a-dit-on-set\/","title":{"rendered":"When and when not to use a DIT on set"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today’s Digital Image Technician (DIT) should not<\/i> be a familiar face to most production crews making corporate videos, conducting live feeds, or working on any kind of production with a budget under 20k.<\/p>\n

Spending a lot of production money on a DIT in those cases gets you no better product and takes a big bite out of your budget on that kind of scale.<\/p>\n

On the other hand though, it is almost essential on productions that are upward of 50k + and becomes a risk factor to NOT include a DIT when large amounts of money are being thrown at a project.<\/p>\n

So when will you use a DIT?<\/p>\n

And why are they needed on sets with higher budgets?<\/p>\n

Let’s dive into the DIT details.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

When and when not to use a DIT on set<\/h2>\n

First things first, let’s ask the big question for our readers who might not know it.<\/p>\n

What is a DIT, Anyway?<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

DIT Definition<\/h3>\n

The DIT or digital image technician is the crew member of the camera department who works in collaboration with the cinematographer. They facilitate workflow, systemization, camera settings, signal integrity, and image manipulation. Their work helps to achieve the highest image quality and the vision of the cinematographer.<\/p>\n

Digital image technicians are not data wranglers, though both skilled workers handle digital video data.<\/p>\n

The DIT performs several critical steps on set during shooting and before post-production work:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Supervising data ingest on set and correctly distributing files<\/li>\n
  • Creating lookup tables (LUTs) and color decision lists (CDLs) for color grading\/ correction and calibration<\/li>\n
  • Monitoring exposure levels<\/li>\n
  • Troubleshooting camera problems<\/li>\n
  • Creating dailies for the producers to watch<\/li>\n
  • Managing signals for video villages<\/li>\n
  • Synchronizing audio when needed<\/li>\n
  • Maintaining integrity and security of files (often stipulated by the production’s insurance underwriters)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n