DIT Agency

A Digital Imaging Technician, or DIT, is an on set RED camera expert. 4K London offer two tiers of DIT service.

Premium Service - Digital Assistant Camera

A DAC is a highly trained and experienced Digital Imaging Technician, the Director of Photography's right hand.

We recommend a DAC for longform projects - feature films, TV dramas, broadcast documentaries - and high end commercial or promo work where image quality is paramount.

In addition to the responsibilities of a standard DIT (outlined below) a DAC will:

Establish a rapport with the DP and an understanding of his/her desired look. Advise on achieving the look from a technical point of view.
Understand the relationship between sensor settings, the RAW image, and the look achievable in a colour grading suite.
Discuss the look with the DP prior to shooting and apply that look on set, providing a LUT (Look Up Table) and reference stills for post-production.
Study each take for sensor performance and, in accordance with the pre-discussed look, flag up any visual anomalies to the DP.
Oversee the data workflow.
Assist the Director in terms of coverage by performing basic edits and half-mixes, or by pulling simple green screen keys.

Standard Service - Digital Imaging Technician

Our DITs are comprehensively trained in 4K's best practice. Typically they have worked in the Camera Department and are familiar with set etiquette.

A DIT will:

Help test equipment in advance of the shoot.
Build and strip the camera.
Clean the sensor.
Set up the camera for the shoot – including the frame rate, aspect ratio, audio settings, frame guides and colour space for monitoring.
Consult with the Workflow Supervisor and/or Post House on compatibility with the chosen post-production route.
Set up monitoring for the Director Of Photography, Director, production, camera crew, audio dept.
Securely back up the Data (rushes) and cross check it against the camera notes. Make file size comparisons.
Check that the files and folders are correctly labelled and structured to ensure a successful path through post-production (offline, extraction, grade and deliverables).
Back up the rushes to a transit drive for delivery to Editorial.
Fill out mag report sheets for Production and Editorial.
Check for clip integrity – examine each shot to ensure that it plays correctly from beginning to end. Flag up errors to the Camera Department.
Work with the 1st and 2nd ACs to ensure the smooth running of the shoot.
Provide a point of communication for the Workflow Supervisor and Editorial department.
Transcode Red footage on set to other file formats for offline editing.

Please note that a DIT is not a substitute for a 2nd Camera Assistant in the majority of shooting scenarios, but an additional role. You will need a full shooting crew including a Focus Puller and Second AC in all but the simplest situations.

Training

Be trained by the best! We offer expert training in all areas, including working on set as a Digital Imaging Technician, editing Red footage and understanding Red post production workflows. Email us for more details of our current training courses.