For the Film Timer

Reading the gray densities of the KODAK Gray Card / R27 provides an objective evaluation of film exposure.

Generally, you will time your dailies using a color analyzer. However, for those scenes where the Cinematographer used special lighting or intentionally altered exposure, the KODAK Gray Card / R27 provides a good reference to establish printer lights which best preserve the Cinematographer's intent.

Using the KODAK Gray Card / R27 to time special scenes

  1. Read the red, green, blue densities from the gray portion of each card on the film.
  2. Use these values to establish your initial timing for the scenes following the gray card reference.
  3. Verify your timing on a color analyzer based on the lights you have determined best for the gray card exposures.

Note: A normally exposed 18% grey card has RGB transfer points of 25-25-25. One t-stop is equal to about 7 printer points or 7 transfer points.