We are collaborating on a live action/CG film for a client. A CG character will be composited into many of the shots, sometimes interacting with actors/physical environment.
I’m looking for advice in terms of Color Grading workflow.
We’re shooting our plates on the RED Scarlet, using Maya/Vray for the CG, and compositing with either After Effects or Nuke.
[B]Options:
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Send the VFX team raw R3D files (log footage) to composite with. Send a LUT/CDL along with the footage so that they can preview and match the final grade.
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Send a Tech Grade. Linearize the footage first, (Log C -> rec709 conversion) then send to VFX team. (ProRes 444? DPX sequence?)
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Send a final Look Grade. Linearize the footage first, create a final look, then send to VFX team. (ProRes 444? DPX sequence?)
[/B]
As I understand, option 1 allows more flexibility with the final grade (the settings are not burnt into the footage). However, I assume EFX will be harder to see when using Log footage.
We have tight time constraints, so we don’t have the luxury of doing option 2 or 3 and re-doing the tech/final grade if we run into problems later.
I understand there’s no one answer, but any thoughts would be much appreciated!