Preparing for colour

[Zensteve]

Panic time!

I'm picking up an 18% graycard this morning... which got me thinking about that odd card with all the colour checker squares all over it. (The one Boo had in his avatar for a long time)

Is that something that is supposed to be slated, just ahead of the actual clapper-slate for each take? Or just once at the start of the cartridge? Does it help with the 'cine process? Is it needed at all?

...and what the heck is it actually called?

[Shaw]

MacBeth Color Chart is the name

I would personally get a shot of it before every take. It helps quite a bit with color correction and shot matching.

[Zensteve]

Thanks Shaw.

I was unable to find one today at any of the shops I visited, though they had everything else.

Are the colours on it "official" in any way, or could I just make a card of my own (so giving a standard to each take, of my own)?

[Shaw]

All the colors, I think (don't quote me on this), are representative of "pure" color. At least that would be my immediate assumption.

You could absolutely make your own though! What you can do is go down and get a handful of those color chips/papers that they have as paint color samples at many stores. Try to find a selection of colors - preferably as pure as possible. Also, be sure to get a 50% grey, a pure white and a pure black. These are VERY useful in post! You can match all your shots simply by telling the software (via whatever mechanism it uses - often an eyedropper) what pure black, white and grey are (from sampling the chart). As long as you get a shot of the color chart in the same lighting as the actors will be in, this will work without any trouble .

This is actually a much cheaper (and of course customizable!) way to get a chart! I'm not sure how much these go where you are but often they cost around 50-100 USD whereas paint samples are free .