BLOG QUESTION ADV: USING A WAVEFORM FOR EXPOSURE

1. What is the IRE scale? What does it mean on the waveform?

2. What is crushing and clipping? What does it tell you when you see it happening on the waveform?
3. Why is the waveform monitor so important to the digital cinematographer?

The IRE scale is a standard measurement of exposure used in waveform monitors. Crushing is when the waveform is below 0% making the image underexposed. Clipping is when the waves are above 100% on the waveform monitor, making the image overexposed. This tells us whether or not our image is broadcast legal. The waveform monitor is important to the digital cinematographer because it allows them to tell the true exposure of an image. They can't rely on the external monitor since exposure levels appear differently in different lighting/settings, so being able to read a waveform monitor is vital, since it's also the standard scale for all types of cameras.