CineD Asks Question Answered A Decade Ago

CineD's piece, "Has RAW Video Finally Gone Mainstream?,” is baffling: did they just wake up from a coma? RED introduced the RED ONE, which recorded their proprietary REDCODE RAW format, back in 2007. Canon's been offering raw in their cinema camera lineup for nearly a decade. Blackmagic defined affordable raw cinema cameras starting in... 2012!... Continue Reading →

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The HDR Contradiction: A Colorist’s Confession

The Cover-Up “Steve Yedlin's masterclass 'Debunking HDR' reshaped my mental model [...] It showed me [...] the struggles we've faced weren't personal failures. They were expected outcomes of a system oversold as a revolution. We've been told HDR is the future [...] But what if much of that is just marketing dressed as innovation? According... Continue Reading →

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Open Challenge: Clarifying Color Spec Terminology

🏆 OPEN CHALLENGE: Clarifying Color Spec Terminology (A good-faith effort to align our industry with standards) From “Don't repeat these mistakes about color spaces and HDR: insights from the demo "Debunking HDR" by Steve Yedlin (Part 2),” by Daniel Bañuelos Cuéllar. I’m offering 2 hours of 1:1 consultation (HDR workflows, color science, or post strategy)... Continue Reading →

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Supplement To “HDR Myths” Post

Spatial Contrast: Spatial contrast refers to the difference in brightness between adjacent areas in an image.  Why it matters: HDR’s superpower isn’t extreme nits—it’s faithfully reproducing spatial contrast relationships that SDR compresses.  Supplement to: HDR Myths, Terminology-Driven Workflow Errors + Practices, Etc. The Path Forward   Expose for highlight retention (ETTR)   Grade for local,... Continue Reading →

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HDR Myths, Terminology-Driven Workflow Errors + Practices

HDR in Practice: Separating Technical Reality from Cinematic Mythology Persistent misconceptions about High Dynamic Range imaging—from exposure dogma to creative workflows—continue to undermine its potential. This critique dismantles a dozen pervasive fallacies using empirical research and industry evidence. Practically each myth violates fundamental vision science, a theme that will be developed further in our upcoming... Continue Reading →

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Why We Can’t Stay Silent

Estamos cansados—tired of the gaslighting. But silence lets misinformation win. This breakdown helps you recognize manipulation tactics corrupting our industry. Naming them is professional accountability, not personal attack. Tactic: Scapegoating Tools “Ideally, standard naming should make communication simpler. But I get how challenging it is to maintain clarity while evolving the standards themselves. What I... Continue Reading →

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Secretly A Demo

Listening to a celebrated DP explain HDR to revered colleagues on a popular podcast the other day was like overhearing a 17th-century explorer describing fantastical beasts to their monarch:  “And you won’t believe this, but this “so-called HDR” actually has TWO color spaces! But sometimes they use the smaller one - a “hybrid”, so to... Continue Reading →

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Gaslighting: How ‘Anti-Gatekeeping’ Rhetoric Shields Misinformation

“Those of us in post-production live at the crossroads between artistic and technical. I've noticed a troubling trend: using technical knowledge as gatekeeping - ridiculing those who don't use 'right' terms instead of fostering collaboration." - Daniel Bañuelos Cuéllar| LinkedIn (July 2025) Spread  Inaccuracies —> Play The Victim  Bañuelos’ “anti-gatekeeping” plea is damage control for... Continue Reading →

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Resolve’s Bundling vs. Yedlin’s Conflation

Steve Yedlin claims ITU-R BT.2100 = SMPTE ST 2084. A DaVinci Resolve certified trainer messaged me, remarking that DaVinci Resolve uses the same terminology as Steve Yedlin does in his anti-HDR presentation: “Hi Jon! I think this kind of labels in Davinci Resolve, also referred as "display color space" as Yedlin use in the image... Continue Reading →

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Revisiting the HDR vs. SDR Debate: Preserving Creative Intent in Display Tech

Steve Yedlin’s presentation “Debunking HDR" makes a bold claim: “Only SDR can faithfully reproduce relative contrast as authored by filmmakers." This argument underpins his entire critique of HDR workflows. During a Technical Webinar, Dolby’s Samuel Bilodeau directly challenged Yedlin’s core premise. https://youtu.be/gT8Arb7xp3I?si=AYH0Y6IWXLK2B56d&t=1745 Bilodeau argues (29:00): We don't broadcast BT.1886; we broadcast Rec.709. When combined, Rec.709... Continue Reading →

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Weaponizing History To Defend LDR

A prominent display calibration company portrays color scientist Josh Pines as a rebel challenging industry norms. But Pines’ rhetoric reveals a deeply reactionary mindset. Worse, companies like Portrait Displays platform his anti-HDR views while selling HDR tools - a paradox exposing industry-wide dissonance. "For eons, as a species, we've been obsessed with taking real world... Continue Reading →

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The HDR Misinformation Dossier

Compiled by Jon Pais/Daejeon Chronicles | Supporting the upcoming manifesto: The HDR Creator’s Companion 🎉 The Problem High Dynamic Range (HDR) video is plagued by persistent myths, technical misunderstandings, and pedagogical malpractice. Worse, when confronted with evidence, prominent figures and organizations consistently double down on their errors rather than correct them. This stifles creativity, misleads... Continue Reading →

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The HDR Rebel Who Never Was

“This is really about hitting the audience in the head with a tremendous amount of light that you get in HDR. You know, which is kind of an unappreciated advantage of the format, because you can use it for dramatic effect. It’s not about detail. You can actually use it as a storytelling tool, which... Continue Reading →

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