Archive for November 11th, 2011

The Post Production Community and Industry Innovators Receive Honors in Gala Evening

(LOS ANGELES, CA) Tonight, during a gala evening of celebration at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, The Hollywood Post Alliance(r) – the professional organization for the post production community – presented the Sixth Annual HPA Awards to a sold out audience of industry insiders and luminaries. Individuals were honored in 12 creative categories as well as a number of special awards for Engineering Excellence, Lifetime Achievement and Creativity and Innovation, which had been announced earlier. The HPA Awards honor the best of the best talent working behind the scenes in motion pictures, television and commercials as well as the most innovative technologies in post.

The winners of the 2011 Hollywood Post Alliance Awards are:

Outstanding Color Grading using a DI process – Feature Film
“The Help”
Steven J. Scott // EFILM

Outstanding Color Grading – Television
“Mad Men – Blowing Smoke”
Tim Vincent // LaserPacific

Outstanding Color Grading – Commercial
Nissan “Zero”
Siggy Ferstl // Company 3

Outstanding Editing – Feature Film
“The Social Network”
Angus Wall, A.C.E. and Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.

Outstanding Editing – Television
“Downton Abbey – Series 1 Episode 1″
John Wilson, A.C.E. // Carnival Film & Television

Outstanding Editing – Commercial
American Express “Curtain”
Chris Franklin // Big Sky Editorial

Outstanding Sound – Feature Film
“Green Lantern”
John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Rick Kline // Warner Bros. Post Production Services
Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers // Soundelux

Outstanding Sound – Television
“House – Bombshells”
Brad North, Joe DeAngelis, Luis Galdames and Jackie Oster // Universal Studios Sound

Outstanding Sound – Commercial
Dream House “Trailer #1″
David Brolin // Universal Studios Sound
Bill Neil // Buddha Jones Trailers

Outstanding Compositing – Feature Film
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Jeff Sutherland, Jason Billington, Chris Balog and Ben O’Brien // Industrial Light & Magic

Outstanding Compositing – Television
“Boardwalk Empire – Boardwalk Empire”
Paul Graff, Brian Sales, Merysa Nichols and Jesse Siglow // Crazy Horse Effects, Inc.

Outstanding Compositing – Commercial
Jameson “Fire”
Dan Glass, Gabby Gourrier, Chris Bankoff and Jeff Willette // Method Studios

A number of special awards, which had been announced earlier, were bestowed during the evening including:

Lifetime Achievement Award
* Cyril Drabinsky, President and CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.

Engineering Excellence Award:
* Dolby Laboratories // Professional Reference Monitor
* Sony Professional Solutions of America // OLED Monitor
* Lightcraft Technology // Previzion
* IBM // Linear Tape File System

Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation
* Testronic Labs // File-Based QC Lab
* Steven J. Scott of EFILM // “Tree of Life” DI Environment

For further information about the Hollywood Post Alliance, contact: 213.614.0860, or visit hpaonline.com.

About the Hollywood Post Alliance(r)
Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content.

About the HPA(r) Awards
The HPA Awards were created to foster awareness of post production, promote creative and technical excellence, recognize the achievements of post production talent, and build involvement in the Hollywood Post Alliance. The HPA Awards will be presented with generous support from Premier Sponsor: NAB Show; Foundation Members: Avid Technology, Company 3, Deluxe, EFILM, Encore, Method Studios and Stereo D and Supporting Sponsors: Grass Valley, Light Iron Digital, Quantel and Xytech Systems.

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Media Contact:
For information, images, or interviews:
ignite strategic communications, ph: 818.303.8088
Christine Purse or Mimi Rossi
chris@ignite.bz / mimi@ignite.bz

3D Film Factory’s Successful 3D Workshops Now Offer 3D Certification.

Since 2008 the 3D Film Factory (3DFF) has successful taught more individuals how to prep, shoot and edit stereoscopic 3D than any other organization. Now for the first time, 3DFF is giving participants the opportunity to get Certified in Stereoscopic Filmmaking.

What does that mean to be certified in stereography? “For us it’s a lot more than just a piece of paper. It’s an assurance of superior training,” say Shawn Gilmore, the company’s manager of operations. “It means that program participants have undergone 2-days of intensive, quality instruction with a veteran stereographer. Certification means that participants not only have a comprehensive understanding of stereoscopic theory, but an actual working knowledge and skills to shoot and edit professional-quality 3D.”

A partial list of workshops topics include; the guiding principles and overlying theory of stereoscopic 3D, how to make effective use of 3D, prepping for 3D, transforming your 2D ideas into working 3D images, camera and 3D rig selection, genlock issues, rig calibration, re-light for 3D, filming ratios demystified, gauging depth and pop, applying effective convergence, perfect image alignment, easy 3D post workflows, and all the other details you need to know to create superior quality 3D entertainment, that ultimately serves the story.

All classes are taught by expert stereographers with years of 3D filming and production experience. The goal is to teach participants as much as feasibly possible within the2-days, and therefore keep the focus on the students and their implicit 3D educational needs.

3D Training Workshops are held on an ongoing bi-monthly basis at our facility in San Diego, California. 3DFF supplies everything, including cameras, 3D rigs, 3D monitors, lighting and even lunch – all for a very affordable price. For scheduling and registration information call 619.384.4014 or visit at www.3DFilmFactory.com

About the 3D Film Factory
The 3D Film Factory is the leader in professional, affordable 3D camera systems and real-time 3D viewing solutions. In addition we provide a host of 3D production services for hire, including 3D camera rigs, 3D viewing systems, stereographers, and 3D post, as well as, monthly comprehensive 3D training workshops. Former clients include ESPN, NASA, DISNEY, HD CINEMA, PINEWOOD STUDIOS, and DISCOVERY. For more information visit www.3DFilmFactory.com

Nucoda Film Master Key to Innovative Color Pipeline for Mega VFX Movie

(LOS ANGELES, CA) Image Systems supported Paris-based Film Factory, a global post production company, in finishing Relativity Media’s The Immortals. The visual effects-heavy movie, releasing in 2D and 3D, required cutting-edge looks and the right tools to create a strong graphical vision for the story. To help bring the visually rich film to fruition, Film Factory Senior Colorist and Post-Production Supervisor Lionel Kopp collaborated with the filmmakers to create a unique dailies-to-DI process built around the Nucoda Film Master. The Nucoda grading and mastering solution provided Film Factory with the advanced toolset necessary to achieve the surreal look, and streamlined the workflow, which included some 12-plus VFX houses around the globe.

From the producers of 300 and director Tarsem Singh, The Immortals opens worldwide on Friday, November 11. It’s the mythical tale of a power-mad king (played by Mickey Rourke) who assails ancient Greece and threatens to destroy mankind, until a young villager (played by Henry Cavill) rises up against him. The movie was produced in Montreal, and photographed by cinematographer Brendan Galvin.

Film Factory established a workflow that centered around the Nucoda Film Master, which married a powerful on-set process to the final color pass. The Film Master system, which included a SAN and Nucoda Fuse assist station, were installed on set at Mel’s Studios in Montreal. On set, camera dailies from the Panavision Genesis HD camera were sent to the editing room in DNX 175 format with color settings. Those settings were carried through in dailies, with the raw camera data held for future changes and final color. Kopp graded every take from the first day of dailies through completion of the DI, helping to establish a look from the earliest point possible. In dailies, he could adjust the looks with notes from the director or cinematographer, and make ongoing changes to the images. As visual effects came in, they were graded and cut, creating a unified version.

Kopp states, “The Nucoda grading and mastering solution was the hub for everything, which was a powerful home base. Dailies settings, visual effects, and the DI were all managed in the Nucoda Film Master.”

Film Factory had made the decision to control the post production of the movie in-house. Film Factory’s Second Colorist Marc Boucrot comments, “A DI, especially one for a huge movie, is usually done in a big post production facility. But Film Factory saw value and flexibility in keeping the process in-house. Since most companies don’t have the expertise to build a fully functional and successful DI pipeline, we set out to make it happen. Film Factory built a screening environment and color timing areas right by the production offices. It was a risk, but it was a great success creatively and logistically.”

Kopp adds, “Our thoughts about how to bring the creative vision of the filmmakers to life was greatly helped by the Nucoda Film Master. It was extremely helpful to be able to start ‘grading’ the film from day one, incorporating color graded visual effects and easily moving elements between set, editorial, and DI. In addition to the logistical power of the Nucoda range, the color grading tools are superior.”

The Immortals is a 2D and 3D release, but 90% of the feature was shot in 2D. Kopp explains, “When we received the conform of the 3D material, we were able to go into the Nucoda and do a final pass of the stereoscopic material. We brought in the senior stereographer from the production to make sure everything was in order for the 3D, and the Nucoda helped make that process flawless.”

Martin Bennett, MD of Media for Image Systems, states, “The movie looks incredible; it’s a visual accomplishment, and we are honored to work with Lionel and our talented customers at Film Factory. We are excited to continue our relationship with them on Mirror Mirror, currently in post-production, and 10 other films in the pipeline.”

About Image Systems
Image Systems Media Unit, formerly Digital Vision, is a division of Image Systems AB, which specializes in high-resolution image processing, film scanning and motion analysis solutions. Headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, Image Systems has offices in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles. The company has three business units: Media, Defense and Motion, managed via a global network of qualified distributors. Its Nucoda and Phoenix image grading and restoration software solutions and Golden Eye range of scanners provide innovative tools to create and master media in HD, 2K/4K and stereoscopic 3D. The TEMA software platform provides a range of user friendly, high-speed motion analysis solutions for the automotive industry and other industrial test and design applications. The TrackEye system provides image analysis solutions for the military reconnaissance and testing markets. For additional information, visit www.imagesystems.tv.

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For information Contact:
Image Systems USA Marketing Contact:
Alexa Maza
Email: alexa.maza@imagesystems.se
Tel: +1 (818) 769-8111

Image Systems USA PR Contact:
Christine Purse
Ignite
Email: chris@ignite.bz
Tel: +1 818 303 8088
Mobile: +1 323 806 9696

Image Systems EMEA & Asia PR Contact:
Kate Ford
Jump PR
Email: kate@jumppr.tv
Tel: +44 (0) 1932 240001
Mobile: +44 (0)7740 948 065

Introducing the Do Devil, a high-flying, maniacal, yet business-oriented daredevil who never goes adventuring without his Lenovo ThinkPad or Business Pad at his side – after all, who wants to miss an important business meeting because you happen to be leaping off a skycrain with nothing more than a piece of rubber attached to your feet?

Pleasant Post, and postproduction arm, EP*Vision, teamed up with Saatchi & Saatchi NY and Limey LA Director Scott Weintraub to edit and finish the spots, which feature the Do Devil bungee jumping, taking a taxi through a demolition derby, and riding a dirt bike through an obstacle course while using his Lenovo tablets.

“Working on the Do Devil campaign is the best kind of challenge for us. Delivering across multiple media platforms, integrating different levels of graphics and design, and finding the right balance of anticipation, action and humor; to end up with something compelling and fun to watch,” noted Pleasant Post editor Will Znidaric. “In collaboration with a great team at Saatchi and top-notch direction from Scott, it was, dare I say, as pleasant an experience as it gets.”

Do Devil Bungee is a :60-plus spot that is typical of the campaign. After a furious introductory montage showing the Do Devil engaged in all sorts of dare-devilry, the spot focuses on a skycrane set among the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles. A narrator says it all when he intones, “To show how you can get work done outside the office, we gave the Do Devil a ThinkPad tablet to review a PowerPoint document, and shackled him to something other than a desk.” As the Do Devil’s answering machine ratchets over the action – “you’ve reached the Do Devil. Today I’ll be working out of the office” – our hero launches himself off the platform, toggling coolly through his tablet as he bounces up and down from his jump.

Do Devil Demolition takes us through a raucous demolition derby as the Do Devil sits calmly in the backseat, preparing for a job interview. In Do Devil Dirtbike, he plays a computer game while riding shotgun in a sidecar.

Visit Pleasant Post
View Media

Credits
Client: Lenovo
Spot Title(s): Do Devil Bungee :60, Do Devil Demolition :15, Do Devil Dirtbike :15
Air Date: October 2011

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, NY
CCO: Con Williamson
ECD: Brian Carley
CD: Justin Ebert
ACD(s): Subodh Samudre, David Ekholm
EP: Bruce Andreini
Director of Integrated Production: Kedma Brown
Producer: Daniel Miller

Prod Company: Limey, LA
Director: Scott Weintraub
DP: Morgan Susser
EP/Line Producer: Andrew Denyer

Editorial: Pleasant Post, NY
Editor: Will Znidaric
Assistant Editor: Dace Willmott
EP: Sarah Roebuck
Producer: Katie Montgomery

Design/Graphics: EP*Vision, NY
Creative Director/Designer: Maryam Parwana
Animator(s): Brian Walsh, Zachary Blumstein, Matt Vohlidka
Compositor: Kim Lee

Colorist: Tristan Kneshke
Mixer: Timothy Korn
Conform: Bill Saunders

Music Artist: Red Fang
Songs: Wires, Number 13, Hank is Dead

Licensed through Relapse Records and Domino Publishing
About Pleasant Post
We believe in doing things smarter and more efficiently. Harnessing individual talent, dedicated teamwork, and the latest advances in technology, we deliver top shelf work consistently across the globe. From LA to New York. From Mount Everest to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From creative editorial, to color correction, to audio mixing, we break down barriers and find innovative solutions to bring our clients the highest quality product possible.

More info: TRUST 646 452 3388 (NY) 310 451 5153 (LA) trustcollective.com

Digital display entered a new age two years ago with the introduction of Christie® MicroTiles® on Nov. 11, 2009 and the industry responded, presenting Christie® and its revolutionary technology with 18 honors since launch day. The modular digital display tiles can be stacked and clustered like building blocks to create virtually any shape or scale of display walls using an optical design producing unmatched levels of brightness, contrast and color reproduction.
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Eight Awards in 2011
At InfoComm 2011, held in Orlando, Fla., Christie’s partners, using Christie MicroTiles, captured four ProAV Spotlight Awards. Sharing top spot in the Best Education AV Project were the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery by AVI Systems and the University of Pennsylvania Translation Research (Penn) installation. The 180 Christie MicroTiles (20 x 9 array) at Penn is the second largest public display of MicroTiles to date and a collaborative effort of Cerami & Associates, Advanced Audio Video, and Christie.
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The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (WID) installed two Christie MicroTiles video walls, one a 17 x 2 array and the other a 10 x 4 array, blended into their environment and, through touch and gesture-based interactivity, promote visitor participation.
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Versace Fifth Avenue, by McCann Systems, won the Best Retail AV award. Using 60 Christie MicroTiles in two 3 x 10 arrays in the Versace windows, McCann Systems created HD video walls to display fashion show videos as the backdrop for live models wearing the season’s hottest looks.
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Also at InfoComm, Nautilus Entertainment Design, using Christie MicroTiles, earned the Best Corporate AV Project award for Qualcomm’s 25th Anniversary Museum. The “Historical Timeline” display area contains eight Wave Walls of Christie MicroTiles of various configurations alongside Qualcomm artifacts.
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In April at Palme, Dubai, Christie MicroTiles earned the PALME Middle East Award for Most Innovative New AV Product of the Year. Also in April, at the Janus de l’Industrie Awards, Christie MicroTiles earned the 2011 Eco-Design honor from the French Institute of Design (IFD). The IFD designation promotes products and services with reduced environmental impact.
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In February, at ISE Amsterdam, Christie MicroTiles earned the Most InAVative Digital Signage Product title and, a month later, MicroTiles collected the 2011 Visual Innovation Award from Poland’s Vision Communication magazine.
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The Accolades Began in 2010
In February 2010, Christie MicroTiles won a Pick of ISE (Integrated Systems Europe) award. Spanning audio, video and lighting, the awards distinguish technologies providing clever solutions for particular niche applications or representing refinements or extensions of existing technologies.
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A month later, rAVe magazine presented two CHAMPS awards to Christie MicroTiles. The striking technology captured both the Most Innovative New Digital Signage Hardware Product award and the Best New Indoor Digital Signage Display title.
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On May 17, 2010, Christie MicroTiles earned the esteemed Janus de l’Industrie Award from the French Institute of Design (Institut Francais du Design) – France’s coveted design label – for outstanding creative products in the industrial design field. Introduced in 1953, the awards distinguish “products designed from the outset for practical value and true user benefit.”
“The jury loved this design, where each cube can be stacked, dismantled and locked in place with a time saving that conventional image walls can’t rival. Another advantage we particularly liked is how easy the image is to read and how faithfully the logos, diagrams and graphs are reproduced,” said Claude de Méneval, jury chairperson for the Janus de l’Industrie.
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At InfoComm 2010, Systems Contractor News and InfoComm International® presented Christie MicroTiles with the Most Innovative Video Display Product award. First seen in a whisper suite at InfoComm 2009, the 2010 show was the first time many in the ProAV industry had seen MicroTiles, and the broadcast set featuring the technology, was a show highlight. In August, rAVe handed out its own InfoComm Awards and the Best New Product honor went to Christie MicroTiles. Also in August, China’s BIRTV presented MicroTiles with the Most Innovative Product honor.
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The accolades didn’t stop there. In Paris, in October, Christie MicroTiles won the Satis-Le Radio award in the Display category. The judges at SATIS, a French media and audio video tradeshow, cited “the technological innovation, the quality of color reproduction, and the detailed image resolution provided by Christie MicroTiles.”
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Madrid in November 2010 was the setting for the Total Media Awards and Christie MicroTiles walked away with the Innovative Solution trophy. A month later, also in Madrid, Christie MicroTiles captured the Best AV Solution Award at the Producción Profesional Awards.
From broadcast, event production, rental/staging, large public venues, educational facilities and corporate environments, Christie MicroTiles are opening doors to designers, integrators and architects who require exceptional image quality for their client installations.