Broadcast Color Correction Guideline for C-TV Productions

Campus TV, short “C-TV” is the name of 30 minutes of TV program, which students of the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Media Technology produce every month. All work in C-TVs productions is done by students. Every year, the most experienced students leave
the C-TV team, because they have successfully finished the education at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Media Technology. As a result a lot of important knowledge leaves with these students. Every year a new team of students starts to work at C-TV and all
necessary things for producing 30 minutes of TV have to be learned again. Next to editing, or sound mixing which students learn during the education at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Media Technology the important part of color correction often stays behind. Unlike editing, shooting, sound mixing or recording, color correcting is not a subject at the St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences Media Technology. As a result most of CTVs productions since C-TV has started its productions, two years ago, did not have any color correction. Facing these facts, this work aims to be a color correction guide for Apples Final Cut Pro. The software Final Cut Pro is used for editing in C-TVs workflow. Final Cut Pro also offers inbuilt color correction software, which is powerful enough to fulfill all needs to make C-TVs productions suitable for broadcast. The work starts off with a brief overview of color science explaining color spaces and technical background knowledge on video formats. Then the author explains how to use Final Cut Pro`s color correction tools from a beginner level on. All necessary tools, buttons, and sliders, for color correction in Final Cut
Pro are explained. The author uses practical examples, illustrated with pictures how to use Final Cut Pros color correction tools. Based on examples the work shows common mistakes, during shooting and gives ideas to solve these with color correction. Using examples of different movies the work illustrates how to create different color looks.