David Long Headshot

David Long

Director of RIT MAGIC Center

MAGIC Center
Research
david.long@rit.edu
585-475-5724
Office Location
MSS-3169
Office Mailing Address
300 Lomb Memorial Drive MSS-3169 Rochester, NY 14623

David Long

Director of RIT MAGIC Center

MAGIC Center
Research

Education

BS, University of Texas at Austin; MS, University of Rochester; Ph.D., Rochester Institute of Technology

Bio

David Long is Director of the RIT Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction & Creativity (MAGIC) and MAGIC Spell Studios.  MAGIC is a university-wide research and development laboratory and a commercial production studio that assists in efforts to bring digital media creations up to marketplace standards and commercialization. 

Long joined the faculty of the School of Film and Animation at Rochester Institute of Technology in 2007, where he also serves as an Associate Professor for the motion picture science program.  His research interests at RIT include engineering multispectral video capture and display systems, studying variability in human color vision for artistic applications, and modeling sensory perception of motion media.

david.long@rit.edu
585-475-5724
Personal Links
Curriculum Vitae
Areas of Expertise
Motion Picture Science

Select Scholarship

Invited Keynote/Presentation
Long, David. "No Really, Color is Hard." 2018 Chowan University Academic Forum. Chowan University. Murfreesboro, NC. 16 Apr. 2018. Keynote Speech.
Long, David. "Modeling Observer Variability in Wide Gamut Electronic Displays." 2018 Chowan University Academic Forum. Chowan University. Murfreesboro, NC. 17 Apr. 2018. Lecture.
Long, David and Jim Ferwerda. "Fundamentals of Color Science." SIGGRAPH 2018. SIGGRAPH. Vancouver, BC. 13 Aug. 2018. Lecture.
Long, David. "Navigating Big Color." Technology Summit on Cinema. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Las Vegas, NV. 11 Apr. 2015. Conference Presentation.
Published Conference Proceedings
Canham, Trevor and David L Long. "Influence of Viewing Environment Chromaticity on Portable Display Color Appearance." Proceedings of the 2018 SMPTE Annual Technology Conference (October 2018, Los Angeles, CA). Ed. Dianne Purrier. Los Angeles, CA: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, 2018. Print.
Meininger, Catherine. "Defining Visibility Thresholds for Spatial and Spatiotemporal Chromatic Noise Sequences." Proceedings of the 2018 SMPTE Annual Technology Conference (October 2018, Los Angeles, CA). Ed. Dianne Purrier. Los Angeles, CA: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, 2018. Print.
Dining, Anna and David Long. "A User Study of Story Presence in an Immersive Narrative Experience tested with Variant Levels of Immersion." Proceedings of the SMPTE Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Dianne Purrier. Los Angeles, CA: n.p., 2017. Web.
DoVale, Elizabeth and David Long. "High Frame Rate Psychophysics: Experimentation to Determine a JND for Frame Rate." Proceedings of the SMPTE Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Dianne Purrier. Los Angeles, CA: n.p., 2017. Web.
Cooper, Sean, Elizabeth Pieri, and David Long. "Is There an Uncanny Valley in Frame Rate Perception." Proceedings of the 2016 SMPTE Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Joel Welch. Los Angeles, CA: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, 2016. Web.
Sriramachandramurthy, Rajendran, et al. "Second Screens: The Case of Distraction vs. Enhanced Engagement." Proceedings of the 2016 SMA Conference. Ed. Alvin J. Williams. Atlanta, GA: n.p., 2016. Web.
Long, David and Mark D Fairchild. "Observer Metamerism Models and Multiprimary Display Systems." Proceedings of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Diane Purrier. New York, NY: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Web.
Donato, Matthew and David Long. "The Calibration Conundrum: Towards Standardizing a Reference White Chromaticity for HDTV." Proceedings of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Diane Purrier. New York, NY: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Web.
Etienne, Alex. "Building a New Digital Archive Management Infrastructure for the RIT School of Film and Animation." Proceedings of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Diane Purrier. New York, NY: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Web.
Grant, Hollie. "Virtual Reality Cinema." Proceedings of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Annual Technology Conference. Ed. Diane Purrier. New York, NY: Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, Web.
Long, David and Mark D Fairchild. "Reducing Observer Metamerism in Wide-gamut Multiprimary Displays." Proceedings of the Human Vision and Electronic Imaging. Ed. IS&T/SPIE Electronic Imaging. San Francisco, CA: n.p., 2015. Web.
Scholl, Victoria M., et al. "Motion Picture Science: A Fully Integrated Fine Arts/STEM Degree Program." Proceedings of the IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference, Princeton, NJ March 2014. Ed. Ashutosh Dutta. Princeton, NJ: IEEE, Print.
Long, David. "Towards Higher Dimensionality in Cinema Color: Multispectral Video Systems." Proceedings of the 2012 SMPTE Annual Technical Conference. Ed. Dianne Purrier. New York, NY: n.p., Print.
Shows/Exhibits/Installations
Long, David. Future of Cinema. Dirs. David Long and Ricky Figueroa. 22 Apr. 2017. National Association of Broadcasters, Las Vegas, NV. Exhibit.
National/International Competition Award Winner
Long, David and Mark Fairchild. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. SMPTE Journal Certificate of Merit. Los Angeles, CA, 2017.
Long, David. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. SMPTE Fellow. Los Angeles, CA, 2017.
Long, David. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. Kodak Educational Award. Los Angeles, CA, 2015.
Journal Paper
Long, David and Mark D. Fairchild. "Observer Metamerism Models and Multiprimary Display Systems." SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal. April (2016): 18-29. Print.
Long, David L and Mark D Fairchild. "Modeling Observer Variability and Metamerism Failure in Electronic Color Displays." Journal of Imaging Science and Technology 58. 3 (2014): 030402 1-14. Print.

Currently Teaching

SOFA-263
Virtual Production II
3 Credits
Virtual Production II addresses advanced topics in the evolving field of virtual cinematic and television production and serves as a practical film workshop following successful completion of Virtual Production I. Students will develop mastery of the techniques and workflows associated with virtual production and previsualization using current and future hardware and software, computer graphics, immersive technology, real-time rendering, game engines, and practical filmmaking. Students will use project management techniques and work in teams to produce short fiction projects using virtual production technologies. Students specializing in a cinematic craft or engineering will contribute their role-specific skills to the projects. Intensive pre-production protocol and documentation are followed. VFX, editing and sound design will be completed through post-production workflows as well. Students will complete projects for screening at the end of the semester.
SOFA-311
Image Capture and Production Technology
3 Credits
This course offers a full investigation of image capture technologies used in contemporary motion picture production. Historical image generation techniques will be provided as an introduction to modern media and equipment. Fundamental characteristics of silver halide photochemical imaging systems will be explored with emphasis on typical metrology and imaging properties. Electronic image capture will also be presented in the context of fundamental imaging properties. Standard film and video workspaces and workflows will be examined as a direct introduction to post-production technologies to be presented in subsequent motion picture science courses.
SOFA-312
Digital Post Production Technology
3 Credits
This course will focus on the specific technologies of motion picture post-production and imaging science. Motion content generated via film or electronic technologies on set are ingested into the post-production chain utilizing various optical, opto-mechanical, and electronic systems. Topics will include video standards, telecine transfer, digital color spaces, digital intermediate, special effects, color correction, and image processing. Motion content mastering will be explored as an introduction to exhibition technologies to be presented in the final motion picture science course. Particular emphasis will be placed on production equipment testing, data acquisition and image analyses.
SOFA-399
Film and Animation Part-Time Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide School of Film and Animation students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
SOFA-499
Film and Animation Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide Film and Animation students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
SOFA-517
IT Fundamentals for Digital Media
3 Credits
This course will provide an overview of IT and networking fundamentals critical in emerging digital media workflows. Emphasis will be placed on the architecture of modern digital media production and post-production facilities. Media industry technology standards for cinema, television, internet and mobile consumption will be introduced. This course is designed for students in the College of Art and Design and the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences who are interested in mastering the basic principles of IT and networking infrastructures used in digital media and broadcast applications.
SOFA-599
SOFA Independent Study
1 - 6 Credits
SOFA Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-698
Film And Video Graduate Internship
1 - 6 Credits
Provides the student with on-the-job experience in the field of film/video/animation. The student seeks and acquires a school approved internship position in a business or industry. The working environment provides the forum for learning more about the student's chosen career. A final interview with the internship coordinator assists the student in evaluating the experience. The coordinator should be the faculty member most familiar with the student's internship field.
SOFA-699
Film and Animation Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide Film and Animation students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
SOFA-790
Research and Thesis I
4 Credits
This is the first of two courses designed to advance a student towards completion of their thesis. Students will work independently on their approved plan of work for their thesis while meeting on a regular basis with their committee chair. They are required to meet at least twice with their full committee during the semester.
SOFA-799
Film and Animation Graduate Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
Film and Animation Graduate Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-887
Film and Animation Part-Time Co-op
0 Credits
Cooperative Education will provide Film and Animation students with hands-on experience in their field, directly related to a student’s major with an established studio or related business. Students will need to apply for co-ops, and interview as part of the selection process, based on available positions posted by the Co-op and Career Services Office, or found through the students’ own research. In programs where co-op is a degree requirement, students must obtain permission of their program or graduate director prior to enrollment. Co-ops are typically paid work experience, and can be part-time (150-479 total hours within the term), or full-time (480+ hours within the term). Co-ops may be one or two consecutive terms - fall, spring, or summer – with department permission.
SOFA-890
Research and Thesis II
4 Credits
This is the second of two courses designed to advance a student towards completion of their thesis. Students will work independently on their approved plan of work for their thesis while meeting on a regular basis with their committee chair. They are required to meet at least twice with their full committee during the semester as well as present a final screening of their thesis.

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Featured Work

Man sitting at a desk, using a computer.

Assessing Visual Sensitivity to Video Framerate

Elizabeth DoVale

In past research at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), a temporal texture space was defined. It was used to classify what attributes contribute to the perceived motion quality of stroboscopic...

View More about Assessing Visual Sensitivity to Video Framerate

Standardizing Reference White for HD Displays

Matt Donato

Emerging high definition displays exhibit great spectral variance with respect to their unique illuminant technologies. As a result, their spectral power distributions differ. When calibrating these...

View More about Standardizing Reference White for HD Displays
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