Creative Planet Network - Managing Monster 8K Media: Everything You Wanted to Know But were Afraid to Ask

There's no escaping the fact that 8K is four times as many pixels as 4K but recording 8K is easier and less expensive than you think.

Adrian Pennington, Creative Planet Network

Published: April 14, 2020

For many, the idea of recording 8K video understandably conjures up images of unmanageable files sizes, long transfer times, huge piles of hard drives, and slow proxy workflows not to mention a black hole in the budget.

What's more, with the biggest showcase for 8K TV-the Tokyo Olympics-delayed, the demand for content delivered in 8K is likely to stay in the bottle a little longer.

Leaving aside for one moment the fact that HDR and HFR are far more valuable than resolution to the consumer's eye, there are benefits to an 8K production which an increasing number of projects are taking advantage of.

Mank, directed by David Fincher and lensed by Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, was acquired 8K using the RED Monstro in monochrome; and Money Heist, the Netflix drama which in season 4 is shot at 7K to accommodate HDR in a 4K deliverable, are just two of the most recent.

You can't sell productions made in less than 4K to Netflix and other streaming services now. One day soon, some will mandate 8K to begin with and Netflix will have its fair share in the bank.

Even if the final output is only going to be 4K/UHD, shooting in 8K gives you many options in post that you do not have when starting in 4K. These include downscaling, cut/crop (pan/scan) or headroom for VFX.

Before making the decision to capture a project in 8K, producers and cinematographers need to consider the project's long-term goals, says Bryce Button, director of product marketing, AJA Video Systems. For instance, capturing in 8K makes a lot of sense if there will be future use for the material.

And even if not currently working in 8K nor planning to move to 8K in the future, 8K acquisition can also be hugely beneficial for capturing background plates for VFX and for virtual sets in live broadcast, Button continues. Having a larger raster for the background gives producers the confidence that as they zoom, pan and tilt around the background video plate or set, they'll be delivering the cleanest possible imagery.

When selling your shots, for example to stock footage outlets, 8K still manages to command considerably higher prices and is much rarer, so there is a chance to sell more and make more money at the same time. 8K is still a unique selling point and as Barry Bassett, the MD at London-based camera rental house VMI puts it, That means bragging rights.

Acquisition Options

If you can acquire in 8K, there is no good reason not to do it, urges Jan Weigner, Co-Founder & CTO at broadcast and post software developer Cinegy. This is the same question that we were supposed to ponder when the switch to 4K happened. Currently camera rental cost for 8K can be higher, but in terms of total production costs, your budget would have to be seriously constrained or require many simultaneous cameras to not be able to shoot in 8K.

Producing in 8K is no different to 4K: The availability of hardware to capture, edit and store 8K makes the high-resolution format unavoidable. There are also now tools to answer the demand from HD SDR to 8K HDR, and everything in between.

All the necessary parts of the 8K puzzle are in place, says Atomos CMO Dan Chung.

All current NLEs handle 8K, at least if you are using the latest version.

The main cost that will hit your pocket are camera rental/purchase and the proper lenses to go with it. RED cameras are pretty much the only option for an 8K TV or feature workflow but there should be healthy competition at the rental houses. Other options, such as Sony, Ikegami and Sharp 8K TV cameras might use the latest 8K Canon lenses and that can be costly.

Canon's announcement, in February, of an 8K DSLR was a game-changer in that respect. Not so long ago if you wanted to shoot 8K anywhere near affordably you had to shoot RED, Chung remarks. Now you can do so on a prosumer camera. Canon has clearly laid down a marker that others are sure to follow.

Details including price, release date and even sensor are sparse but Canon says the full-frame EOS R5 will feature a blistering 20fps electronic shutter, dual memory card slots, and a Body Image Stabilization function to provide shake-free movies.

There's a misconception that 8K is vastly more expensive than it actually is, says Button. Generally, moving to 8K is an incremental cost, especially if you're already working in 4K or have worked in stereo 3D. The biggest expense often comes with storage and moving large volumes of data, but the strides made by the industry to support 4K and S3D have provided a strong foundation to support the data needs that 8K workflows require.

Recording and Monitoring Options

By nature, 8K is a massive format and is therefore inherently data-intensive. As such, in certain circumstances, it may be advantageous to avoid shooting a fully uncompressed 8K video and instead seek out codecs that keep data sizes manageable where the balance between data size and perceived quality is preserved.

As with any project, it's crucial to always start with the end in mind, advises Button. If uncompressed footage is a necessity for everything from video effects needs to deep color work, uncompressed will always offer a range of advantages.

However, he notes, many projects - whether for broadcast or other delivery methods - may be better served using codecs specially designed for editing and grading, where media and workload savings on workstations can be incredibly advantageous.

Apple ProRes, for example, has been tuned to specifically provide resolution details and color depth that are more than acceptable while providing the appropriate media bandwidth storage and minimizing CPU strain.

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