Matthew Cowan, Chief Scientific Officer

Matt Cowan is respected in the post production community for his knowledge and application of human perception to color, 3D systems, and transfer functions in digital cinema. He was co-founder of Entertainment Technology Consultants, where he developed models of the visual system and applied them to digital projection. His work at ETC was instrumental in the adoption of digital projection technologies by the Hollywood studios. He has worked with some of the best cinematographers in the business, determining the best ways to make digital images look like film. He has provided in-depth technical training sessions on digital image representation and mastering processes to many companies involved in digital cinema. Mr. Cowan developed and refined the system used for the 3D projection of Disney’s Chicken Little movie.

He has been a featured speaker at SMPTE, IBC, NAB and HPA conferences, as well as numerous film festivals. His paper on bitdepth requirements for digital cinema won the SMPTE “Journal award” in 2004. He chairs the SMPTE working group on Stereoscopic digital cinema, where the objective is to write standards to codify the implementation of 3D digital cinema. He is a contributor to the ASC committee on advanced technology.

He has published numerous white papers discussing important topics such as white point standardization, dynamic range implementation, image resolution and perceived sharpness, perception of contrast, and its application to digital projection systems. His film credits include digital mastering for Star Wars Episode 1 and the ASC’s STEM test film.

In his spare time, he sails, skis, bicycles, and climbs real and virtual mountains.