At the end of a long night shoot, a memory card holds the only copy of a stunt that cannot be repeated. In a small tent next to the set, the DIT copies it to two drives, checks every clip and only then lets the card be wiped. The digital imaging technician is the person who makes sure the day's work exists, looks right and safely reaches post-production.

What a DIT does

The DIT works for the director of photography and is the link between the camera department and post-production. In pre-production they join camera tests and agree with the DoP and the post-production supervisor how footage is recorded, named, copied and delivered.

On set the DIT works from a cart or a small station with monitors and computers. They check exposure and focus on a calibrated monitor, apply a viewing look so the director sees roughly the intended colour, and copy cards from the second assistant camera. At the end of the day they make dailies (quick viewing copies of the day's footage) and send the files to the editing team.

Responsibilities

  • Agree the workflow for recording, naming and copying footage before the shoot
  • Back up every card to at least two drives and verify the copies
  • Check image quality, exposure and focus on a calibrated monitor
  • Manage camera settings across several cameras so they match
  • Apply viewing looks agreed with the DoP and pass them on to the colourist
  • Create dailies and proxy files for the editor
  • Log problems and report them to the DoP and the production office

How the role touches the budget

Indirectly. The DIT cart, the hard drives and the storage for dailies are budget lines, and the DIT helps decide how much storage a shoot needs. A shoot on several high resolution cameras fills drives fast, so the DIT's estimate feeds the line for media and storage. Their own pay often includes a rental for their own cart and kit.

How people get into the role

DITs often come from the camera department, post-production or a technical background in video and colour. Some start as data wrangler, the person who only copies and checks the footage, and grow into the full role. Knowledge of cameras, colour science and file formats matters more than any formal qualification.

On smaller productions

Many smaller shoots have a data wrangler instead of a full DIT, or the 2nd AC copies the cards. In commercials the DIT often also runs the live grade that the client and agency watch on set.