I worked in camera department on a low budget feature and one of my contributions was using a ColorChecker. The DP was concerned it would take too much time, and the director echoed those concerns. We compromised by only using the chart on the first take of each new setup. Nobody complained about how long it took to slate/chart once we got into production. I did get a message of appreciation from the director once they went to post. The editor/colorist sung the praise of having that data available.
The ColorChecker is one of those things that once you know its power, you'll never want to not use it again. Of course, you'll not use it for everything unless you're trying to impress. It's just one of those things that have fallen out of favor with digital. Things like light meters, chip charts, etc are just things younger people never working in film seem to not learn about any more
The DP was concerned it would take too much time, and the director echoed those concerns. We compromised by only using the chart on the first take of each new setup.
How long does it take to hold up a rectangle? It's not like something like a Passport is very big or bulky:
Your link is about the smaller "pocket" version. I would use that for the close up shots for inserts or whatever where the framing is too tight for the full size chart. The full size chart[0] is closer to the size of a slate. So after slating, I'd just move the chart from behind the slate to the front.
It was the first feature length for both the DP and director, and it was just one of the learning things for them from the experience. Maybe they thought it needed to be on screen for longer than necessary?? Either way, neither complain about using one again.
Comments
I worked in camera department on a low budget feature and one of my contributions was using a ColorChecker. The DP was concerned it would take too much time, and the director echoed those concerns. We compromised by only using the chart on the first take of each new setup. Nobody complained about how long it took to slate/chart once we got into production. I did get a message of appreciation from the director once they went to post. The editor/colorist sung the praise of having that data available.
The ColorChecker is one of those things that once you know its power, you'll never want to not use it again. Of course, you'll not use it for everything unless you're trying to impress. It's just one of those things that have fallen out of favor with digital. Things like light meters, chip charts, etc are just things younger people never working in film seem to not learn about any more
How long does it take to hold up a rectangle? It's not like something like a Passport is very big or bulky:
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noCxKKB5hCI
Your link is about the smaller "pocket" version. I would use that for the close up shots for inserts or whatever where the framing is too tight for the full size chart. The full size chart[0] is closer to the size of a slate. So after slating, I'd just move the chart from behind the slate to the front.
It was the first feature length for both the DP and director, and it was just one of the learning things for them from the experience. Maybe they thought it needed to be on screen for longer than necessary?? Either way, neither complain about using one again.
[0] https://www.datacolor.com/spyder/products/spyder-checkr-24/