Because video doesn t have the latitude of film it can t handle wide contrast ratios. A shot of a man driving a car is a good example. For the ever-changing light playing on his face, the colorist would program a series of corrections that can be activated in concert with the changing light. These manipulations are so precisely orchestrated that the viewer is unable to perceive them. We use the same technique to handle fades, dissolves or any other kind of transitional effect.
Color correction is a word that is often misunderstood.
If you take it literally, as is usually the way it s used in video, it means the correction of bad color. If, for instance, you forgot to white balance your camera the editor could bring a device on-line that would correct the problem. In the film world, however, the word has a totally different meaning. The film camera, unlike its video counterpart, has no way of achieving white balance. Therefore, the negative requires a great deal of manipulation when it is printed in the lab or when it s transferred to video.