Apocalypse Now, 4K Remastering for Blu-ray

 

To retain the iconic look of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now in its 4K remastering for Blu-ray™, iO Film turned to the Dolby® Professional Reference Monitor PRM-4200 for its consistency, accuracy, and ability to reproduce all of the film’s exceptionally dark details. 

Senior Lead Colorist Doug Delaney, part of the iO Film team responsible for remastering Apocalypse Now for Blu-ray, appreciated the challenges of restoring a great American film classic. Specifically, Delaney knew that Coppola wanted to maintain a filmic quality to the remaster, preserving the original saturated texture.

For Delaney, the benefits of using the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor in this process were clear:

Its stability and accuracy; a consistent day-to-day standard with which to evaluate images

The ability to see low-end detail, creating dark, lush, deep images with shadow separation

Its accurate color reproduction and very solid, strong blacks

The ability to work in multiple standards: DCI P3, Rec. 709, or SMPTE C

Its native 12-bit format for pixel-for-pixel reproduction of very fine detail

"With the Dolby [Professional] Reference Monitor, we're able to see pixel for pixel the differences, in terms of grain structure, and use modern color correction tools and grain reduction tools to evaluate and massage those scenes accurately on the display." 

Doug Delaney
Senior Lead Colorist, iO Film

True blacks, superb dark detail, and extended dynamic range make the Dolby Professional Reference Monitor the first viable CRT replacement solution for color-critical work. For the first time, users see exactly what was shot. Emulation versatility and a wide range of color gamuts add to its value in improving the production process.

Support for the DCI P3 color space allows critical cinema color grading without a digital cinema projector. The Dolby Professional Reference Monitor also supports all HD formats over HD-SDI, along with SD and 2K content. Color accuracy exceeds the published and widely recognized Grade 1 guidelines.

 

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