Professional Documents
Culture Documents
11
11
VOL 27 NO. 12
THE HOBBIT
departments
2
EDITORS LETTER
After the storm
By Randi Altman
14
THE MILL/OLD SPICE
STRENGTHS,
WEAKNESSES,
OPPORTUNITIES
AND THREATS,
along with an
POST SCRIPT
Workflow: Dallas, Longmire
By Marc Loftus
ONE ON ONE
Skywalkers Gary Rydstrom
By Marc Loftus
10
POST PARTY
Photos from our 27th birthday bash
14
COVER STORY
Wetas Joe Letteri talks about The
Hobbits VFX shots
By Iain Blair
16
EDIT THIS!
The Hobbit editor Jabez Olssen
By Christine Bunish
47
PEOPLE
Keeping tabs of the industrys movers
& shakers
48
REVIEW
Tiffen Dfx V.3 Creative Editing Suite
By Brady Betzel
18
DALLAS
22 DIRECTORS
By Iain Blair
26 FILM OFFICES
By Randi Altman
30 ON-SET DAILIES
By Marc Loftus
34 VISUAL EFFECTS
By Randi Altman
30
SOUND LOUNGE/FIAT
38 NEW MEDIA
By Marc Loftus
42 AUDIO
By Jennifer Walden
BUSINESS
How small studios can compete
By Gavin Greenwalt
GOING PRO Amanda Amalfi
ON OUR COVER
42
Peter Jacksons The Hobbit, which was shot in 3D on Red Epic
5K cameras at 48fps, features 2,000 visual shots supervised by
Joe Letteri from Wellington, New Zealands Weta Digital (www.
wetafx.co.nz). Their software is a mix of off-the-shelf and
custom-made gear, with Maya as the main 3D platform,
RenderMan for rendering and Nuke for compositing. The film,
which has enhanced sound via the Dolby Atmos format, was
edited on Avid Media Composer V.6 by Jabez Olssen. For details
on The Hobbits visual effects, turn to page 14. And to learn more
about the editing process, turn to page 16.
www.postmagazine.com
SWOT
Graphics By Drew Neujahr
Branding By Josh Norton
Find more on www.postmagazine.com
This Month In
PostDecember2012
editors note
Afterthestorm
hen Superstorm Sandy finally rolled
off the East Coast, it left devastation
behind. For those affected by the
storm, these questions became part of the vernacular: Do you have power yet? How much
damage? You found gas? How long were the lines?
By
RANDI
ALTMAN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
raltman@postmagazine.com
EDITORIAL
RANDI ALTMAN
Editor-in-Chief
(516) 797-0884
raltman@postmagazine.com
MARC LOFTUS
Senior Editor/Director of Web Content
(516) 376-1087
mloftus@postmagazine.com
CHRISTINE BUNISH
Film& Video
JENNIFER WALDEN
Audio
BOB PANK
European Correspondent
bob.pank@virgin.net
DANIEL RESTUCCIO
West Coast Bureau
dansweb451@aol.com
BARRY GOCH
West Coast Blogger/Reporter
IAIN BLAIR
Film
MICHAEL VIGGIANO
Art Director
mviggiano@postmagazine.com
A DV E RT I S I N G
NATASHA SWORDS
VP, Marketing
(818) 291-1112
nswords@copcomm.com
MARI KOHN
Director of Sales
(818) 291-1153 cell: (818) 472-1491
mkohn@postmagazine.com
GARY RHODES
Eastern & Intl Sales Manager
(631) 274-9530 cell (516)410-8638
grhodes@copcomm.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS
(818) 291-1158
P O S T
S C R I P T
Worklow:Dallas, Longmire
or Banyan Tree Productions Bryan J. Raber,
who is co-producer on both TNTs Dallas
and A&Es Longmire, the dailies process has
been designed to give the editing team as
much time as possible, as well as to leave as
much latitude in adjusting the imagery later on
in the workflow. Both shows are in their second season and take different approaches to
production. They do however benefit from the
expertise at MTI Film, which serves as the post
house for both programs.
Dallas is shot in Dallas using Arris Alexa,
while Longmire is shot in Santa Fe to resemble
Wyoming. The show draws on Reds Epic and
Scarlet cameras. Both series are edited using
Apples Final Cut Pro 7.
Dallas is shot in Log C, giving it a flat look
out of the camera, says Raber. Rather than
apply a look on-set, the DIT instead checks the
footage and makes sure they have everything
they need. He can alert them immediately if
they need to shoot a pick-up. The near-set
team will then pick up a drive with the camera
F
By
MARC
LOFTUS
SENIOR EDITOR
mloftus@postmagazine.com
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE
620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204
csr@postmagazine.com
(800) 280 6446
MIKE TABIZON
Account Manager
(818) 291-1180
mtabizon@copprints.com
REPRINTS
Reprints
(781) 255-0625 (818) 291-1153
LA SALES OFFICE:
620 West Elk Avenue,
Glendale, California 91204
(800) 280-6446
WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE
President / CEO
SEE US ON
NECdeliversnew2Kprojector
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) 2013 Filmmaker Award, which will be presented at the
60th MPSE Golden Reel Awards on February 17 in Los Angeles. Lee, whose latest
film Life of Pi is currently in theaters, was
selected for a body of work that has
demonstrated superlative artistry and
has advanced the craft of filmmaking.
Boston-based BORIS FX (www.borisfx.com) has released Boris Continuum
Complete 8 FxPlug (BCC 8 FxPlug). BCC 8
FxPlug delivers over 200 comprehensive
VFX filters to Apple Final Cut Pro 7, Apple
Final Cut Pro X and Apple Motion 5.
Enhanced lens flares, particles, glows and
lights, and new FxPlug 2 integration headline
the Version 8 release.
at a glance
UltraStudio 3D
995
right
now
International News
RenderLifelaunches3Dmarketplace
RenderLife
launches3Dmarketplace
MUSIC: Well, it
has finally happened. I have officially crossed over
to Spotify. As
someone who
loves collecting
music in digital
and physical formats, its been a
leap. I still purchase albums I really love, not
only to support the artist, but to have it in
my collection permanently. Call me old
fashioned, but I still dont equate cloud with
ownership, and I think files are a better
platform for curation. However, the access
to music Spotify provides is astonishing.
Lately Ive listened to M83, Fela Kudi, Gozales, Father John Misty, and Black Mountain.
Josh Norton
President/Executive CD
Big Star, NYC
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
Rethink editing
New Vegas Pro 12 simplifies broadcast production by providing one platform for complete video and audio development. With powerful
tools supporting a wide variety of formats for multi-screen distribution, Vegas Pro 12 continues to set the standard, by offering:
Project Interchange Exchange project data with other popular editing platforms
Smart Proxy Editing Automatically and dynamically replace clips on the timeline with high-quality, edit-friendly HD proxies
New format Support Edit Panasonic P2 AVC-Intra and DVCPRO clips natively, and master to HDCAM SR at up to 880 Mb/s
Comprehensive S-Log Workflow Leverage the wide dynamic range of your S-log footage with an integrated, end-to-end
ACES (Academy Color Encoding Specification) production workflow
Color Match OFX Plug-In Quickly and easily match the color characteristics of different video clips using the ultra-wide
L*a*b color space
Expanded Edit Mode Fine-tune the timing of your project interactively while the timeline is playing back
Project Media Tagging Fast, effective media searching using Quick Tags and Smart Bins
Updated Masking Tools New masking shapes and Effects Masking tool for quickly obscuring a face or logo
Stereoscopic Auto-Pairing Bulk pairing of stereoscopic subclips on the timeline for more efficient 3D editing
Fast, efficient, and affordable. Vegas Pro 12 delivers the features youre looking for. Isnt it time to rethink the way you edit?
To find out more about the entire set of new features and enhancements, or to download the free trial visit:
www.sonycreativesoftware.com/vegas12
Copyright 2012. Sony Creative Software Inc. All rights reserved. SONY and make.believe are trademarks of Sony.
one on one
SkywalkersGary Rydstrom
S
By
MARC LOFTUS
SeniorEditor
mloftus@postmagazine.com
This year he
tackled Lincoln,
Wreck-It Ralph
and Brave.
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
$385
$995
$3,945
$4,245
$8,345
$19,995
On November 14, Post Magazine celebrated its 27th birthday with a party at Stitch Bar & Lounge
in New York City. The turnout and heartfelt good wishes were amazing. Once again we streamed
live from the party, talking to our sponsors about their gear and services, as well as industry trends.
We would like to thank those sponsors: Harmonic, NetApp, Altermedia, Assimilate, Adobe, Red Digital Cinema and Rohde & Schwarz. Abel Cine, who lent us the gear for our Webcast, also deserves a
shout-out. At Post, we have a great time doing what we do and hope that comes through in our
issues and on our Website. For a slideshow of all of our party pictures, visit www.postmagazine.com.
The Post staff: Natasha Swords, Michael Viggiano, owner William Rittwage, Randi
Altman, Marc Loftus, Mari Kohn and Gary Rhodes.
BigStars Josh Norton and Katie Tricot bookend CoPilot Audio & Musics
Ravi Krishnaswami.
Party sponsor Joel Stoner from Altermedia with Mark L. Pederson from
Offhollywood and Kevin Reagan from Adorama.
Goldcrests Stephanie Buhle and Michelle Ambruz on either side of Animal Planets
Mike Skalicky.
The Rohde & Schwarz team, who helped sponsor our party: Kenny Horn, Tony Fox,
Niklas Fabian, David Phillips and Erik Balladares.
.
2012 NVIDIA Corporation. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, Quadro are trademarks or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the United States and other countries. The PNY logo is a registered trademark of PNY Technologies, Inc.
Other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Copyright 2012 PNY Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
www.postmagazine.com
PostDecember2012
11
12
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
cover story
ReturntoMiddle-earth
W
By
IAIN BLAIR
The Hobbits
VFX efforts are
no small task.
14
PostDecember2012
Grinnah, a CG goblin: Wetas main 3D tool is Maya. They call on Nuke for compositing.
www.postmagazine.com
and wanted to do it. In fact, we briefly discussed doing King Kong in 3D. We met with
Jim Cameron and loved all the 3D rigs he had
developed, but we didnt have enough time to
really get into it, so he was very anxious to do
this in 3D because it brings that extra layer of
realism to the fantasy.
POST: Walk us through the workflow and
the whole process.
LETTERI: Normally what happens is well
look at what needs to be shot and well do a
breakdown ahead to see what set-ups we
need on the shot. Take the earlier Baggins
scenes In Lord of the Rings we used a lot of
forced perspective tricks to make Gandalf look
huge next to the hobbits, which worked great
but that doesnt work in stereo anymore.
So we had to create essentially a forced-perspective rig, and we did that by having two
stages set up simultaneously. So on one wed
have the dwarves performing on their fullydressed set and wed do a walk-through with
Ian McKellen so everyone knew where to
leave a path for him. Then hed go to our adjacent greenscreen stage set up with a motioncontrol camera that was slaved to our live set.
We used motion capture technology to
track the live camera, scaled it up to match
the appropriate size for human versus hobbit
or dwarf, and drove the motion-controlled
camera on the greenscreen stage around Ians
performance based on what the camera was
doing on the live set. He had to still be able
to act with everyone, so they all used earpieces, and we used markers on the green-
ing all the VFX, camera crews and all the cast.
Then we began on all the paint and roto and
detail work. Now were finishing up on this
one, were already starting VFX work on the
next two films.
POST: The film is edited on Avid Media Composer by Jabez Olssen, who cut The Lovely
Bones and worked on Lord of the Rings and
King Kong. Tell us about the editing process and
how closely you collaborated.
LETTERI: All of the post is done here at
Weta Digital, so were all together, and a lot of
it is him working with Peter on what material
is going into the cut and the direction of certain sequences, and then
us really breaking down
the detail of what needs
to happen both in the
frame and across it as
youre always trying to
build elements that will
work in the cut and editorially. So we talk a lot,
especially about motion
and dynamics and framing, as well as subtle
things about the intent of
a shot and how it relates
to other shots. As were
Director Peter Jackson chose to shoot this trilogy at 48fps, which
working digitally, we can
minimizes motion artifacts.
keep finessing stuff during
the edit. (For our interscreen stage for each dwarf that would light view with Olssen, turn to page 16.)
up when it was time for their dialogue, so he
POST: How many visual effects shots are
always had an eye-line and face to interact there, and what systems did you use?
LETTERI: Theres over 2,000 shots, about
with. So there was an elaborate amount of
planning just to get this shot on stage, involv- 800 crew on them, and weve been working
www.postmagazine.com
Thanks to enhancements
in performance capture,
Andy Serkiss CG Gollum
became even more
realistic and believable.
PostDecember2012
15
edit this!
The Hobbits fantastical journey
W
ByDANIEL
RESTUCCIO
dansweb451@aol.com
Jabez Olssen on
cutting Peter
Jacksons latest.
16
PostDecember2012
All Trades and Cleopatra 2525. The effectsheavy Cleopatra featured 200 to 400 effects
shots per episode, says Olssen. There was a
lot of greenscreens and CG characters to
deal with. After season 1, Olssen was promoted from assistant editor to main editor.
OLSSENS JOURNEY
When Cleopatra wound down, he wrote
letters to New Zealand-based Michael Horton (who edited the first and second LOTR)
and Jamie Selkirk (supervising editor on the
first two, editor on the third and co-producer
on all three LOTR). They were needing a new
operator for Mike, and I was recommended.
After meeting with Horton and Selkirk, he
was hired to drive the Avid for Horton on
the The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Because the Rings films overlapped quite a bit,
he did some work on all three movies.
After the second movie he moved to London for year to work on various productions.
While VFX editor on Wimbledon, he got a call
from Jackson to come back and work
with Selkirk on King Kong. Olssen
then worked on a number of smaller
projects, including previs for The
Adventures of Tintin, and editing Crossing The Line, the Red Digital Cinema
movie directed by Jackson and Neill
Blomkamp. Olssen was on deck to be
the main editor on Jacksons remake
of Dambusters, but that got delayed,
and he was hired as lead editor on
Jacksons The Lovely Bones in 09.
Later that year, Olssen started
previs work for Guillermo Del Toros
version of The Hobbit, as well as performing the role of additional editor
on The Adventures of Tintin. In May of
2010, De Toro left the project and
Olssen was tapped by Jackson to come
aboard as main editor. Peter didnt take over
immediately, says Olssen. He said, Look if I
wind up directing The Hobbit, will you cut it? I
told him Id be thrilled and honored.
THE HOBBIT
Olssen and Jackson continued the previs
process Jackson got local actors and
motion captured them as live action performances. The previs team would turn that data
into low-res CG characters, and then use
virtual cameras to get as many angles and
takes as any live-action film. That process
took them right up until actual shooting
www.postmagazine.com
BUSINESS
OUTLOOK
BY CH RI ST I N E BU N I SH
18
DIVERSIFICATION
The post production industry faces a
number of challenges today, including lower barriers to enter the post
business, increased competition on that front and from more clients
taking aspects of post in-house, and continuing cash-strapped budgets.
But the industry is buoyed by lighter investments in the technical
infrastructure and greater investments in talent, the globalization of the
business, the maturing of the Web, the arrival of 4K, and more demand
for content of all kinds.
AXEL ERICSON
Founder
Digital Arts
www.digital-arts.net
New York City
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
This visual album for artist Essie Jane got its DI via Resolve
in Digital Arts 4K theatre.It was mixed in 5.1 in Pro Tools.
ROBIN SHENFIELD
Co-Founder/CEO
The Mill
www.themill.com
London, New York, Los Angeles
CHRIS CLAEYS
Senior Editor/Senior Partner
Cutters Studios
www.cutters.com
Chicago
PostDecember2012
19
OUTLOOK
BUSINESS
our history. So, knock on wood, barring any economic or geopolitical
problems, business should continue to be healthy.
LOLA LOTT
President/Owner
Charlieuniformtango
www.charlieuniformtango.com
Dallas
Expansion!
Cutters Tokyo
location.
20
Budgets have been a challenge for a decade. With the diversification of projects theres the sense that a project that isnt a :30 commercial shouldnt cost as much it should be cheaper to produce.
But it costs the same to do a one-minute Webisode as a one-minute
Super Bowl commercial; you put the same amount of work and effort
into the project.
In the last three years weve seen a seismic shift from film to digital
capture. When you shoot digitally, generally speaking, theres no additional cost in production to keep the camera rolling, so most projects
acquire a lot of footage, and running time relates to labor. We recently
edited a six-day shoot for a large national client and expected 10
hours of running time. We got 22 hours. When you double the footage, you the impact labor. Thats not an unusual situation today.
OPPORTUNITIES: There are opportunities with the Internet as
broadband gets faster and advertisers demand better quality in what
they put on the Web. Five or 10 years ago you could throw anything
on YouTube and be a sensation. I think were moving away from that,
and quality will be important.
There are opportunities in diversification by going outside your
home base. In the past two years weve gone into the Detroit market
by acquiring a 50 percent interest in RingSide Creative. We looked at
Detroit and the car industry and felt it had hit bottom and was on the
way back up, and thats been a wise decision. We also opened an office
in Tokyo in October 2012 after a two-year exploration. The Pacific Rim
covets Western-style creativity, and were convinced that Tokyo, and
perhaps Seoul and Shanghai, is the place to be.
We also see opportunities in the interactive arena. Another
opportunity we see is working direct with corporations on content
that doesnt originate with agencies.
THREATS: The biggest threat is agencies bringing post production in-house, including finishing and versioning commercials. Even
medium-size agencies have edit rooms and sometimes audio rooms.
The lines can sometimes blur between vendor and client.
The general volatility of the economy continues to be a threat.
Little things can spike sharp downturns quickly, so that makes it hard
to forecast. You have to be ready for a downturn at any time because
chances are one will come.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: My partners and I agree that you cant
really forecast in the commercial post production industry.There arent
many long-term contracts, so you work pretty much project by project. You can see your schedule two months out, but its hard to forecast. That said, the last couple of years have been some of the best in
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
kid down the street can do it for a thousand dollars? Dont they want
the experience of someone whos been down that road before for
their high-profile job? Or are they willing to risk it? You have to make
them aware they only have one chance to make a statement. If you
give it the time [it merits], it will pay off.
OPPORTUNITIES: We still have a very strong advertising agency
continued on page 46
DIRECTORS
OUTLOOK
BY I A IN B L AI R
22
Posts ROLE
Despite or because of the ongoing grim economic picture, 2012 was a pretty good year for Hollywood. Audiences,
happy to forget the recession and their financial woes for a couple of
hours, headed to the theatres in healthy numbers, especially to see
anything light and escapist.
Here, four top directors Barry Sonnenfeld, Len Wiseman,
Andrew Stanton and William Friedkin tackle Posts SWOT questions and air their views about the year ahead.
BARRY SONNENFELD
Director
Men In Black franchise, Addams Family, Get
Shorty, Wild Wild West
Sonnefeld started in this industry as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers (Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Millers Crossing) before turning to directing.
STRENGTHS: Its my favorite part of the whole filmmaking process, and the best part is its where you get to make the movie better
again. You almost become a writer again in the editing room, and find
out the stuff you thought you needed you
dont need. You find out that things you were
worried about having to explain to the audience work fine without any explanation.
Im not a big believer in establishing shots
or masters. Ill shoot them but often feel
theyre banal and just slow down the pace.
Im pretty different from a lot of directors.
Usually my first cut is too fast and I actually
have to go back and slow down the movie,
while most directors first cuts are way too
long. Mines always 15 minutes too short. Post
is where you find the rhythm and look of the
film. On Men in Black 3 we had over 1,200
visual effects shots, and its hard to convey the
scale and scope of some of the bigger set
pieces until youre quite far along in post. And
even though I know how theyll look, Im still
amazed and impressed when all the shots
come together!
WEAKNESSES: For me there are hardly any weaknesses in post. Maybe the only drawback is in a time-travel
movie like MIB3 where you start feeling you need to really guide the
audience in case you lose them. So you start adding lines of dialogue
to explain stuff, and then you run the movie and realize you dont need
it. Another pitfall in a comedy is not letting silent moments live silently.
You have to resist the urge to keep fiddling with things.
OPPORTUNITIES: So much has changed in post since I began
as a DP, like DI. Its overwhelmingly a good thing because you can go
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
in and darken skies, vignette corners, take down white shirts and all
selectively within a frame, which you cant do if youre doing a chemical
inter-negative.
THREATS: Its easy to be lazy in shooting since you can now fix
so much in post and the DI. For instance, I love the DSLRs I use for
my private photography, but I find that I dont spend the time framing
a shot exactly right and so on. In the same way, I think digital editorial
work has in some ways hurt comedy. When I began directing, I
worked with editor DeDe Allen, who cut on an upright Moviola; it
was such a pain to make a cut and find the trim and so on. But every
cut was thought about so much, and comedies used to play much
more in two-shots.
Look at old comedies like Bringing Up Baby. Youve got to have
action and reaction in the same frame. Today, most comedy directors
shoot with multiple cameras and ad-libbing, and because they can cut
so much faster on Avid, comedies have many more cuts, and you dont
have to think about it that much because its so easy. In the same way,
because you know you can clean up so much in the DI, it makes you
a little sloppier and lazier in how you frame and shoot.
Director Stantons
first live-action film
was the VFX-heavy
John Carter.
ANDREW STANTON
Writer/Director
Wall-E, Finding Nemo, John Carter
whos more comfortable with all the tools available, in that some
people are now not shooting so much for exactly the look they want
at the time of shooting. Now, theyre waiting until they get to post and
keeping their options open, and often coming up with something they
hadnt thought of during the shoot.
THREATS: The big problem now is the faster you work in post
and the less money you need, then everyone starts making that the
standard and the rule. Weve seen it happen with scoring and orchestration. All it takes is one fast composer who does the job a little faster
and cheaper, and suddenly everyone has to do it that fast, and then the
whole process starts to suffer for it.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: There are still problems with the economy affecting audience attendance, and ongoing things like exhibition
lagging so far behind in some places, but Ill still take those problems over
getting people to leave their homes and go see movies on the big
screen. Id rather people see movies under poor conditions in a theater
than staying home and watching them on their phones or computers.
WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
Writer/Producer/Director
The French Connection, The Exorcist,
Cruising, Killer Joe
PostDecember2012
23
OUTLOOK
DIRECTORS
eye. You have to see the film before you make it. At least I do. So I
always know exactly what Im going to shoot and how. But less than
half the time do I know how its going to all be edited together until
the editor and I get into the cutting room. So thats the great opportunity about post, that you can then take the original vision and hopefully improve on it in post.
THREATS: Its always the same: time and money. Ive been fortunate in that Ive always made the time to use post as a creative process,
but everyone wants it done faster and cheaper nowadays.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: Hollywoods making a lot of money, but
with fewer films. So many films today are just about superheroes, guys
in capes flying around and cleaning up the streets I just dont see
life that way. I know theyre very well made films and very popular, but
theyre just not for me. Its rare youll find something that will examine
the darker corners of life, like I like to do. So you have these huge
event films, and then the smaller independent films that are important
in terms of awards and acclaim, not box office, like The Hurt Locker,
which won the Oscar over Avatar, and The Artist.
Those films dont keep Hollywood alive. The ones that do are
based on comic books and videogames, and thats where its going.
Theyre all aimed at kids. Serious adults are watching cable TV now or
satellite. There are so few new films I want to see today, frankly. I just
dont understand why more films arent shot here in California. The
legislature just doesnt seem to see how thousands of people lose
work every time they move a production to a state that does give
generous tax credits. So thats very shortsighted. But Hollywoods
doing fine and the global markets expanding, so in terms of sheer box
office, the outlooks fairly healthy.
before directing his first feature, 1967s Good Times with Sonny and Cher.
STRENGTHS: For me, the whole shooting process is at best just
acquiring all the raw material for post. Thats where you really make
the film, and so much can be added by the use of sound and the addition of music. You dont even need to use a lot to be effective. Background sounds that are more like effects like the feel of a cold hand
on the back of your neck add so much to the magic spell of a film.
How you combine images and color with all the sound all that is
the real strength of post. Obviously, if you dont have the coverage and
footage the foundations youre not going to be able to build
something great. But all thats only effective in the way that you join all
the images and then underline them with music and sound, to emphasize certain things, the same way you do
with a lens.
WEAKNESSES: Because its so easy
Wisemans Total Recall remake.
now to try infinite versions of a film, you
have to be ruthless about what works and
what doesnt. For me, in post the film is
talking to you in a symbolic way. Its saying, I
am this, not that. You try to cut two shots
or scenes together, and it just doesnt work.
The film immediately tells you it doesnt
work. For The French Connection, I ended up
cutting out nine scenes wed shot, because
they just didnt work. They were like scaffolding on a building, which you have to get
rid of when constructions finished. Id
thought they were absolutely necessary to
tell the story, but when I got in the cutting
room, the film just rejected those scenes.
OPPORTUNITIES: For me, when
youre shooting a film, you have to be able
to envision the entire film in your minds
24
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
LEN WISEMAN
Writer/Producer/Director
Total Recall, Live Free or Die Hard, Underworld
franchise
XVM-245W
XVM-325W
XVM-175W
1-855-TVLOGIC (1-855-885-6442)
sales@tvlogicusa.com
www.tvlogicusa.com
FILM OFFICES
OUTLOOK
BY RA N D I ALT MA N
26
SHOOT HERE!
Film and TV production is no longer only
happening in Hollywood. Thanks to many states stepping up and offering tax incentives for production and post production, television shows
and feature films have been taking advantage of not only a cost savings,
but locations they might not have considered before.
A couple of TVs hottest new shows Showtimes Homeland and
NBCs Revolution are currently being shot in North Carolina. New
York City doubles for The Good Wifes Chicago and also hosts CBSs
Person of Interest. New Mexico, where much of the The Avengers was
shot, is currently hosting Breaking Bads final season as well as the
western Longmire. Quentin Tarantinos Django Unchained was shot in
Louisiana, along with two HBO series, True Blood and Treme. Its up to
the film offices to make their state or city inviting enough for productions to come, and stay.
the future of where everything is going, and I want New Mexico to have
its piece of the pie. I am hiring someone full-time to deal with emerging
media and to help create an environment where these companies can
thrive. Its another way to incentivize companies to start up or expand
here. This is where the opportunities exist in all states.
THREATS: One is, how is your economy? Is your state in a deficit
or surplus? Then its just the temperature of the legislature and gover-
NICK MANIATIS
Director
New Mexico Film Office
www.nmfilm.com
Santa Fe
The New Mexico film office offers a 25 percent incentive (which includes post) with a 50-million-dollar rolling cap. Projects shot in the
state include Breaking Bad, The Lone Ranger,Two Guns and Longmire.
STRENGTHS: In addition to our 25 percent rebate we have
other incentives, like our Film Crew Advancement program and our
Pre-Employment Training program, that are helpful to the film industry.
Additionally, when you have a script that you might want to shoot in
New Mexico, well break it down for locations and send you packages
of photos of suitable locations in the state. We have other advantages
that some states dont, for instance, we are an 1.45 hour flight to Los
Angeles. We have a huge number of sunny days here as well as areas
where you can shoot 360-degree shots without getting telephone
poles and buildings in your shot.
For states that have incentives, a film office is crucial. There is a
whole process that productions have to go through, and you need
someone who can guide you through that process. In our state, the
Department of Taxation and Revenue is the final arbiter of what
amount you get, but you need to have a point of contact that can help
you wade through processes involved.
WEAKNESSES: The weakness is, we dont have a vote. We are
administering a law that the legislature votes on and the governor
approves. We do our best to make the incentives better and can make
processes easier, and we do that, but ultimately its up to the legislature.
If I lose something to Georgia or another state, well get it the next time.
We show ourselves in the best possible light and let them make the
decision based on what is best for their production.
OPPORTUNITIES: For our film office, the initiative I am pushing is
emerging media app creation, videogame creation. All of that falls
under our purview, and can qualify for the tax credit. We havent pushed
in that area because we have been focused on film and TV, but I think thats
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
nor, and how they feel about tax incentives in general. The issue we
and other states have, and this is fairly universal, is there are some that
are philosophically against tax incentives for any industry. We are in a
state where tax incentives are important. The issue is how high do you
go, how far does this race take you? In Vancouver you can get up to
50 percent back on post production on certain talent. There is no way
we could do that. So whats the number that hits the sweet spot?
Where you are getting the economic benefit back to the to the state,
but not giving away so much that the cost for that benefit is too high.
I dont know where that number is, but I hope were close.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: Im always loath to make predictions, but
we feel like we are looking good for 2013. We have had a lot of scouts
on the ground and people in talks with our office. But these things
change quickly, we just never know. I do think that 2013 will be better
than 2012 and I think that will be the case for other states as well.
AARON SYRETT
Director
North Carolina Film Office
www.ncfilm.com
Raleigh
The North Carolina Film Office was formed to create high-quality jobs for North Carolina film professionals. They offer an
established infrastructure, trained crews, incentives (which includes post
production) and varied locations.
CHRISTOPHER STELLY
Executive Director
Louisiana Entertainment
Louisiana Economic Development
www.louisianaentertainment.gov
Baton Rouge
line salaries at all. They will qualify the entire salary to a highly compensated individual.
OPPORTUNITIES: For us, its our new television series. Right
now we have Homeland, Revolution and Cinemaxs new series, Banshee.
Our incentive is really geared to those types of television productions,
and its a strong opportunity for us.
This year we got into the superhero movies with Iron Man 3 and
built up a strong relationship with Marvel in the process. Though we
have a cap on highly compensated individuals who make more than
PostDecember2012
27
OUTLOOK
FILM OFFICES
to Lake Charles to Monroe and New Orleans.
We also have a forward-thinking director of economic development, Stephen Morris. His focus is on the digital media industries and
film fits firmly into that. Our motion picture program has been a catalyst for other parts of the industry.
WEAKNESSES: As an industry, the weakness is that everyone
involved in this industry is tied to the ups and downs of the industry
as a whole as well as the economy. Whenever the industry dips, the
business in each area of the world dips.
OPPORTUNITIES: We are starting to see major companies
looking to expand into our market. That creates job opportunities for
Louisiana residents. I look at it from a fathers point of view; we are
setting forth a path for the future, so my kids will have opportunities
that I never had. Expatriates who may have moved away to work in this
industry in other states can now come back. We are reversing the brain
drain and creating opportunities for those around the world who are
looking for a fresh start because there are job opportunities.
THREATS: There is always a threat that someone comes and looks
at incentives in general and decides to do away with the office.The current
administration under Governor Jindal has supported this industry fully, but
the threat is that the program could go away and that everything we have
built up to this point will go away as well. We have to make sure what we
are doing is showing a good return to the state. That we are creating job
opportunities for Louisiana residents, making sure the program is efficient
and administered tightly.
As an industry, the biggest threat is how do you capitalize on the
current emerging trends in technology. Box office receipts are coming
in less, even though the movies are coming in bigger and bigger. How
do you appeal to those whose attention span has been reduced by
YouTube and videogames? They dont necessarily want to go out to a
three-hour movie.
Another big threat to the film industry is increasing piracy. There
are some countries in the underdeveloped world where their government hasnt taken piracy seriously. It affects everyone.
OUTLOOK 2013: For Louisiana, weve seen increases in production, plus increases in the number of companies that want to move
into our market. People have recognized the opportunities in what we
are doing and are relocating families and companies. As an industry,
well always have the movie industry in some way shape or form.There
will always be a subset of population that will enjoy escaping reality and
go to movies. That will never go away and that will work itself out.
KATHERINE OLIVER
Commissioner
New York City Mayors Office of Media and
Entertainment
www.nyc.gov/mome
New York
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
lasting economic benefits, not just while theyre filming, but also into the
future when tourists visit because of what theyve seen on screen. We
see all of the films and TV shows that film here in New York as postcards
to the world.
If a production has a good experience here in NYC, theyll be
more likely to return for future projects. We have an experienced staff
that coordinates with productions on all aspects of their shoot
from location requests to special permissions, and well come up with
creative solutions for filming elaborate sequences.
We also liaison with community boards, business improvement districts and local elected officials. We host community appreciation screenings in the neighborhood where a film was shot and hold free panels
under the umbrella of our Made in NY Industry Series so that interested New Yorkers can learn more about career opportunities in film
and television. We also created the Made in NY Discount Card Program
so that local businesses could connect with productions.
WEAKNESSES: Until last year, our permits were signed by hand,
and a production would have to come into our office to pick up the
approved permit. So that could have been considered a weakness.
Now the system is computerized so productions can apply for permits
from any computer, and approved permits can be emailed directly to
the production office. The computerized system also allows our staff
to quickly and efficiently spot conflicts when more than one production requests to be at a specific location.
OPPORTUNITIES: Originally tasked with issuing permits to productions, weve also grown to run the citys television stations and coordinate the citys digital communications to better engage with local residents. We also think theres opportunity for collaboration and community-building in the media and entertainment industries, and with that in
mind weve announced the Made in NY Media Center. The center
which will be located in DUMBO, Brooklyn, and developed and operated by IFP, the Independent Feature Project will be a centralized hub
that will provide affordable workspace for emerging media entrepreneurs and companies as well as space for educational programs and
networking events. The goal of the Made in NY Media Center is to
connect filmmakers and producers with digital companies who can
design apps and social media games that will expand the original contents reach and make it even more accessible. It will also include confercontinued on page 46
RED +
Incredible images. Seamless workow.
Scene from Glowing Man, a film from Jacob Sutton. Watch it at vimeo.com/36979569.
ON-SET
OUTLOOK
Digital
DAILIES
BY M AR C LOFTUS
BRYAN RABER
Co-Producer
Banyan Tree Productions
banyantreeproductions.com
Los Angeles
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
Automation, and any way you can eliminate a step is a way to save
money and speed the process up. My primary goal is to see [where
there is] a slow down and find another way to attack it. Thats the fun
part for me. How do we use new technology to make [things] better,
faster and more cost effective, and stronger without sacrificing anything
to save time and money?
THREATS: As you get reduced and further automated, you need
to have a post house or very tech savvy group of individuals that you
are working with. If one day you bring it all in-house, you need to have
people who understand the process and what if something goes
wrong, and something does every time. There are plenty of times that
our DIT or dailies assistant has to call the post house at 4am to say
something is not working. These files are coming out black. What am I
doing wrong? If I dont have someone knowledgable on the back-end
to troubleshoot and fix that problem, I am a day behind again.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: The world is changing every day. We are
going to test a new system on Dallas, and perhaps the suitcase system
for Longmire. Its going to give us fully-automated syncing and the ability
if we choose to provide on-set to editorial dailies without the
need to go through the post house. The suitcase system will allow you
to be on-set We could have colored synced dailies right off the
stages without the need to go through a colorist or a post house
right to editorial. Ill probably never do that because I like to have
someone properly coloring our footage every night. Never the less,
the capability will be there.
RYAN SHERIDAN
VP of Digital Cinema
Otto Nemenz International
http://ottonemenz.com
Los Angeles
PostDecember2012
31
OUTLOOK
ON SET
Besides cameras, Otto
Nemenz provides on-set
archiving solutions, most
recently for the upcoming
feature The Last Stand .
Theres been a rapid change from tape and film right to digital workflows. Questions about security have made people think. Are dailies
secure? Are the archives secure? What about backing up on-set? Is the
transportation secure? Do I have to QC every clip? The more you talk
about it, the more people question each option. I would say more than
one piece of equipment, the person who educates correctly the DP,
the data manager that is the person who will be valuable.
THREATS: The biggest threat is unfounded personal greed. The
person who is trying to get a rental for something as opposed to doing
the job as best they can. Proprietary things become more of a detriment. Cultivation of talent is a threat. Were watching it happen. Solutions that dont require human talent.Were watching people look for pure
automation. The biggest opportunity is also a liability education.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: I think 4K is still a growth segment the
F65 and Raw in an economical sense. Red, Arri and Canon there
are 4K offerings that will push limits of what post can handle.
RICHARD WINNIE
VP of Post Production
Universal Television, Universal
Television Cable
www.nbcuni.com
Universal City, CA
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
Small Tree
MICHAEL CIONI
CEO
Light Iron
www.lightiron.com
Hollywood
business is fear. In baseball, if a conservative base runner never takes a lead for fear of being picked off, hell
never make it to home plate. In business, you also
have to take risks, despite fear of leaving the comfortable space of legacy techniques.
Its hard to understand now, but in four years, onset will seem as common as using the Internet to
read articles like this one. But 10 years ago, the Internet being the best resource for information wasnt a
slam-dunk concept. People are addicted to legacy
tools and techniques, and the talent behind them
because familiarity breeds comfort. Admittedly, those
legacy systems have and will get the work done, but
the goals of better, faster and cheaper are not achievable with legacy tools. When something shrinks, it is
usually less expensive, and when something is less
expensive and small, it is likely to be treated as portable.This combination: size, cost and portability is the
VFX
OUTLOOK
GLOBAL
BY RA ND I A LTMA N
EFFECTS
Fluctuating pay scales, tighter deadlines
and increased competition from a worldwide marketplace have made
working in visual effects production, lets say, interesting. But the
work has never been better, and the cost of entry is getting lower
each year. While there are challenges, the talent is plentiful, as is artists
love of the process.
CHRIS HEALER
Founder
The Molecule
www.themolecule.net
New York
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
than it used to be, and that leads to an exciting opportunity for people
to grow. Its now not crazy to have a VFX company with five or eight
people doing a lot of stuff. You dont need 500 people working in a
warehouse or a half-million-dollar Flame system. If you are unhappy
with the way the industry is going, you have a tremendous opportunity
to start your own VFX shop and contribute to the VFX industry in a
different way.
Also, thanks to fast Internet speeds and regular computers you can
perform work quickly. In the past that was a moat that kept the small
guys out, and now that moat has dried up.
THREATS: I wouldnt say outsourcing is a problem in the sense
of, dont let it happen, but there is a threat. For example, with us being
in New York, I cant compete with India, China and Singapore. Thats
why all these other companies open offices out there it might as
well be their company than someone elses. That is happening more
and more, and its a severe threat.
Another is that people arent being paid a fixed rate. Its not measured, like it is for a doctor or a lawyer or a banker. Its whatever town
youre in, the people you know, the budget, and getting paid what you
can negotiate. Another problem is there are lots of degree programs
now, and they are putting out kids with tremendous school loan debts.
I am afraid for them because I have people coming with virtually no
experience asking for $700-800 a day for VFX work. There is a break-
ERIC ROTH
Executive Director
Visual Effects Society
www.visualeffectssociety.com
Sherman Oaks, CA
technology have changed the rules everyone learned over the last
20-30 years so that anybody can now do anything, anywhere, at any
time. Global competition will grow ever more brutal, and the technology will grow ever more sophisticated, which will allow competition to
get even more intense. If you want to rest on yesterdays laurels, the
threat is you are gone tomorrow. If you are staying ahead of the curve
and looking at possibilities for the future and investing time and money
in resources and training on the next-generation of sophisticated software, you are going to be ahead of the game.
The current business model in Hollywood is to have a key presence in Southern California and have satellite offices in Vancouver, Asia,
Europe or in states that are offering great tax incentives. The absolute
number of working visual effects artists in California is shrinking, and in
five years from now it will be even smaller. Why? Because California
doesnt offer the kind of competitive incentives that other locations do.
Unless that is addressed, you will see a further migration away from
The VES Awards draw big talent like Marty Scorsese, and
the awards themselves are coveted.
PostDecember2012
35
OUTLOOK
VFX
work on visual effects and get them as good as they could be, irrespective of resources. There is never enough time, and that is a big threat.
But we always rise to the challenge, and that is pretty much true of
everyone in the visual effects industry, and this goes back to what I
mean about the resilience of the companies. There are some really
great companies out there doing really great work, but it would be
great to have more time. The compressed schedules mean you have
longer hours and dont necessarily get the time to refine the work.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: I am optimistic. The industry is used to
dealing with the issues, and while we have seen companies go under,
there are still a lot of companies out there. I feel like we will continue
to see great visual effects work, but there will be some sort of attrition
on the way there.
JONI JACOBSON
Executive Producer
Pixomondo
www.pixomondo.com
Santa Monica
Methods
commercial work
includes these hip
hamsters for
Kias Soul.
PATRICK DAVENPORT
VP of Creative Operations
Method Studios
www.methodstudios.com
Santa Monica
Method Studios, a visual effects company with studios in the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, provides a full range of services to film and spot clients.
STRENGTHS: Its a very resilient industry, given the economic pressures on it. The industry has been very adaptable and inventive in coming
up with ways to do more with less. And its not just less money, but less
time too. We are also seeing new levels of artistry, and the level of
creativity is getting ever more sophisticated. There is a still a huge
demand for visual effects, so thats a strength.
WEAKNESSES: The margins are razor thin, so the threat is having the necessary money to keep reinvesting in people, technology and
equipment. That could ultimately hamper the continued development
of the industry.
Also, we are always needing more artists, and its often a challenge
to find the right teams for certain shows. Weve always been able to
figure it out, but its an ongoing challenge.
OPPORTUNITIES: Its very much a global business, and companies like Method Studios are hoping to take advantage of having offices
in different locations to service our client needs. We hope to become
greater than the sum of our parts.
Even in the current economic climate, weve had success here in
LA this year working on features; doing a lot of highly-creative work. I
still feel that LA has a great part to play in the world of features, even
when work is heading to areas with tax incentives.
There is also continuing high demand for visual effects in features,
commercials and games, and that is an opportunity.
THREATS: These threats go back to not being able to make
decent enough margins to keep investing in the business. I think we will
see a few more companies go under; thats probably inevitable in 2013.
Another threat is getting less and less time to do the work. The
industry works on such fast turnaround times and being always willing
to pull off the impossible, we become our own worst enemies!
Tighter schedules also mean you dont get enough time to really
36
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
Pixomondo is an international visual effects company that specializes in VFX production and supervision, CG character
creation, 3D animation and previsualization, and stereo 3D production for
the feature film, television and commercial industries.
STRENGTHS: With visual effects, the strengths are always artists
and talent. Its great that a movie like Hugo (Pixomondo won the VFX
Oscar for this one) was recognized for VFX because it tells me that
the Academy is looking not just at technical achievement, but also the
art. 2012 has shown some amazing work across the board. From John
Carter of Mars to The Avengers, artists continue to prove that VFX can
do anything, and thats a wonderful power to have.
In addition, the Internet is starting to provide some interesting
opportunities in technology. Much like artistry that can be accessed
worldwide, companies are starting to embrace the concept of the
cloud. Many facilities, including Pixomondo, are now running servers
and rendering remotely, meaning in datacenters as opposed to in the
facility. I see this type of opportunity expanding in the future, including
cloud-based rendering services that are much more accessible than
current models, increasing connectivity around the world.
WEAKNESSES: The sad truth is visual effects artists garner little
respect in the industry, regardless of the quality of the work. This has
been as evident as ever in 2012, where there has been much heated
argument about unionization and globalization. Artists lack a significant
voice in all aspects of the industry, regardless of the fact that the most
successful films rely heavily on visual effects for their success. This
became grossly evident as well when Digital Domain was forced to
close its doors in Florida, stranding artists who thought their jobs were
safe. Events like this show us just how precarious the VFX industry is.
OPPORTUNITIES: As clich as it sounds, our industry is in a
place where it seems like we can do anything. 2012 has opened the
doors for new approaches to the spectacle of movie making and in
the experiential world. Though stereo seems to have leveled off, it
continues to develop as a new business, though perhaps in more sparing use. The Hobbit will show us the value, or the downfall, of 48 frames
per second, and the pending need for 4K film projection, along with 4K
VFX, looms. This could be seen as a threat to many, and will certainly
continued on page 46
Autodesk Celebrates
20 Years of Flame with a
Special Anniversary Edition
See what two decades of Flame development has brought to the party!
Autodesk Flame Premium 2013 20th Anniversary Edition software is a major redesign and a natural
evolution of what has made Flame a leader in high-end inishing. The 20th Anniversary Edition of Flame
and Flame Premium software takes inishing to a whole new level by integrating the powerful visual effects
toolset of Flame 2013 with the full set of story-driven editorial tools of Autodesk Smoke Advanced 2013
software. To help artists work faster when tackling todays tough creative 3D inishing challenges, the new
release features:
New creative workspace
Faster access to creative tools
Redesigned timeline worklow
Faster compositing and visual effects development
New media management tools
NEW MEDIA
OUTLOOK
BY M AR C L O F T US
38
ANYTIME,
anywhere!
Start a conversation about new media
and it could quickly become a discussion about mobile devices. Smart
phones and tablets, too are helping to drive content consumption and are opening up opportunities for traditional broadcasters and
cable networks, as well as to independents and those who may not
already have a footing in the entertainment space.
While mobile devices are helping to create new opportunities, they
also present challenges to those looking to ride the anytime, anywhere wave.
HANS DEUTMEYER
Vice President
HBO Go & Max Go
www.hbogo.com; www.maxgo.com
New York
www.postmagazine.com
phone screen to a very large, big-screen TV. When you think of all of
the operating systems, its a very broad ecosystem. Designing an experience across all of these platforms, maintaining it, producing content
for it day in and day out, thats a challenge.
OPPORTUNITIES: We are always looking at a road map. There
will be more ways for consumers to experience HBO Go. That will
naturally occur as we expand to more platforms. Beyond the platforms, which allow us to reach more consumers, we also with the
new platforms have the opportunity to provide different experiences. So, how do we offer new and interactive content experiences?
We started to touch on that with some of our bigger shows with
interactive experiences on the iPad, and also through our Website.
Well continue to do so more into next near and years to come. How
do you enhance the viewing experience even further? Fans of these
shows are looking for more and more content. How do we do that in
conjunction with the video itself? Whether its second screen experiences or interactive experiences, there definitely is an opportunity to
do more on the content side. We have done Web-focused shorts and
ISMAEL OBREGON
Founder
Oishii Creative
www.oishiicreative.com
Los Angeles
PostDecember2012
39
OUTLOOK
NEW MEDIA
GABRIEL CARMONA
Co-Founder
Nac Film Theory
www.nacfilmtheory.com
Nacogdoches, TX
Examples of
Utopics online
work.
40
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: The quality on the phones can get better,
and I think were starting to see that. I also think about the space in
which to watch a movie. The bathroom? People seem to have time for
two-minute or three-minute episodes.
JAN MAITLAND
it was hard to get that kind of equipment. But now, there are phones
out there that are able to meet high standards of quality. And [you
can] produce things really fast. What new media allows us to do is
make the film and post it. Sometimes people send us pointers about
where they believe the story is going. It allows people to see our
work, be intrigued and keep coming back. Some send me messages
like, This would be a good idea to see. It helps us to whittle down
the story. You have a relationship with a lot of people you dont
really know.
WEAKNESSES: The weaknesses would be that people think its
easy. People talk my ear off about how I should shoot a scene, or how
it should have gone. You know what, when you can get three or four
people and have your schedules aligned and find a camera and microphone and editor, you can shoot that movie. Right now we are shooting this one. The one short film a month idea happens really fast and
what people dont realize is its a lot of work. Theres that one thing
that you cant buy or download, and thats desire. You have to have
that passion.
OPPORTUNITIES: The opportunity I see are with people. Robert Rodriguezs book, Rebel Without a Crew was a big inspiration.
After I read it, and my friends read it, we said, If he can do it, so can
we. I see opportunities with the cameras that we are able to use now.
It opens up [filmmaking] to a broader audience.
THREATS: YouTube is flooded with videos. We have a tag that
mentions The Twilight Zone. People were clicking on it thinking its a
vampire movie. Thats a disadvantage. Anyone can make a movie but
whether or not its good is another thing.
post, audio, Web, design, mobile and interactive production. The company
has worked with clients that include Allstate, Advil, Kelloggs, McDonalds,
Nintendo, Samsung and HP.
STRENGTHS: JAN MAITLAND: What I hear and experience
the most is clients being able to quantify the impact of that particular
media. There is realtime engagement with their consumer base that
they just cant get with broadcast.
HEATHER MITCHELL: I think reach and number of people can
be similar. But the way that you can target your market is much
more [efficient] in the online world, where on TV its just people
who might watch a type of show. When its online, you can really
reach your target much more efficiently. Theres no telling how
many people are going to see it.
MAITLAND: I think the device is a gateway for interaction with a
brand or consumer less so than a viewing platform. I hear a lot about
dual screens, where youve got your television on, but youre also
engaging in social media, so you have two screens in front of you.
There are tons of analytics out there on tablet usage. I think the last
thing I heard was that 62 percent of tablet users are on the couch
with the TV on.
WEAKNESSES: MAITLAND: It seems that a couple of years ago,
there was so much static and so much content being rushed out to
the Web, that [saturation] might have been the case. Whats happened
now is that marketing dollars that are behind that content helps to
separate the weak [content]. There is a better-educated consumer
base. Were at an interesting point in time for marketers or advertisers
where, when someone doesnt skip their ad on YouTube, that is far
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
President
HEATHER MITCHELL
Executive Producer, Post
Utopic
www.utopic.net
Chicago
more meaningful than getting in front of lots of people who may not
engage after the fact, whether its thousands or millions of people.
MITCHELL: I think the consumer is much more savvy. When a
campaign goes viral, its because its amazing. That doesnt happen with
shitty stuff. Campaigns go viral, not because the marketer makes them
go viral, but because the consumer makes them go viral.
OPPORTUNITIES: MAITLAND: We [are seeing] more and
more that we are able to open eyes more easily. Clients come in for
one thing and realize, Wow, we can do other things. Not because we
have the power or structure to do it, but because it aids their narrative
and their message. For the coming year, I see a greater drive toward
new media and messaging. Its not just the Fortune 100 companies.
John Q. Law Firm can do it, as well as Coca-Cola. For us, its about
wherever there is a screen, we can put a story on that screen.
MITCHELL: The way technology is going these days clients
come in with these grandiose ideas we can figure out how to do
it. There is almost no ceiling as to how or where you can get message
out. Its as big as you can dream.
THREATS: MAITLAND: I dont see threats. IP is always a consideration, but at the level we are engaged, so far its not been an issue.
Outside of the usual thing thats been stated for years now budgets
the bottom line is a concern.
MITCHELL: A lot of clients are still under the impression that its
cheaper to do because its online and not broadcast. I think they are
getting more educated knowing what that money is going to get
you: there are designers and coders. We are from the mindset here
that if you have awesome idea well do whatever it takes to get it done,
within reason.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: MAITLAND: Next year, traditional work
not withstanding, I think theres a lot to be done in the mobile space.
Motion content for devices but not in a static way and content
associated and embedded within the application. As an app developer,
I would love to see less fragmentation in the Android space, but I love
the competition between the Android OS and the Apples iOS. I
would love to see Research In Motion come back strong. I would love
Windows Phone 8 to come on strong. I would love to see the Windows ecosystem catch on because there are a billion installed seats. Its
better for the marketer and for us.
MITCHELL: Because of the recent election, theres going to be a
lot more participation in the healthcare space when it comes to
apps. I think thats exciting. I agree with Jan about the patent wars: it
makes more work for us because we have to develop on different
platforms, but if it makes it more universally acceptable in the end,
then we will do it.
AUDIO
OUTLOOK
Sounds
GOOD
There have been some exciting changes in
BY JE NNIFE R WALDE N
KRISTEN QUEBE
Sound Supervisor
Microsoft Game Studios
www.microsoft.com/en-us/
productionstudios
Redmond, WA
Microsoft Game Studios creates games and interactive content for Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles, and for
Windows PCs and Windows phone platforms. Recent
work is Fable III, and past projects include Condemned
2, F.E.A.R. and Fable II.
STRENGTHS: I think theres a lot of opportunity in game audio, particularly because its such an
interactive media. We are continually developing
technology in ways to build systems in games. There
is still a lot of room for growth in that area. I feel like
the better technology gets, the more we can do. We
used to have more limitations put on us, and now I
feel like were starting to be able to build bigger and think bigger.
WEAKNESSES: The games industry is still one of the newer
ones, if you look at the history of it. We are still building on how we
build games, and we are still learning how to schedule and plan.
Because games involve such a dynamic group of people building something together, there are a lot of dependencies. There is a lot of time
crunch in the games industry and we end up working long and hard
hours. In terms of game audio, a challenge would be the mix.
In doing more linear audio production work, and other media like
film, they can preemptively plan for things and have a lot more control over their mix than we do. That is a huge challenge that we are
learning to overcome. In games, we dont know when things are
about to happen. In film, you know when a moment is going to be
big so you can build in a quiet moment before that event happens.
That doesnt always happen with games. We dont always have that
granular level of control.
42
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
able to markets that are changing, or looking at new markets, say, casual
games, for instance, that is a threat. We need to be adaptable in what
were building, and who we are building for. As long as the industry as
a whole is constantly looking at that, then I think well be ok.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: We go through the usual cycles, where
our summer is crunched to hit holidays, because holidays are when the
majority of big titles come out. I think youre going to see a lot of big
titles come out. Were seeing new areas in media expansion in consoles,
and a lot more applications on consoles. I wouldnt be surprised if that
provides a lot of opportunity in the future. We work on a lot of console
games, but we are also focusing on smaller mobile games, and tablet
games. For games in general, I think youre going to see them spread
out to a wider audience. I think youll see more growth for games
across the various devices.
MARSHALL GRUPP
COO/Managing Partner/Sound Designer
Sound Lounge
www.soundlounge.com
New York City
David Raines and the mix team for Hell on Wheels work
out of Larson Studios in Hollywood.
DAVID RAINES
Re-recording Mixer
Los Angeles
Sound Lounge
designed and
mixed this Cadillac
ATS vs. The World
commercial.
PostDecember2012
43
OUTLOOK
AUDIO
Websites, its everywhere. Its on your mobile phone. The most important thing is that you have to maintain the quality, and thats always
going to be the challenge, whether its on a 36-inch screen or a mobile
phone. The quality is still going to be important.
THREATS: People putting more money toward interactive, and
moving away from the :30 TV spot.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: Im very optimistic as long as Obama
creates jobs. If people can go back to work, then they can spend
money. If they can spend money, then advertisers are going to create
advertising to market their products. You can see whats happened
over the last three months. The industry took a dive because no one
knew what was going to happen with the election. If jobs are created,
then I think everything is going to be great.
KIM WAUGH
Senior VP of Post Production Services
Warner Bros.
http://wbpostproduction.warnerbros.com
Burbank
Ben Afflecks
Argo was
mixed at Warner
Bros. Post.
44
nurtured over the last decade, and its really at a great point. You can
just hear the quality of work thats being delivered to the screen
from independent films to tentpoles.
WEAKNESSES: There is a weakness in that the marketplace has
changed.There is an increase in independent films, and that has put pressure on the resources that arent necessarily used to working on different scopes of films. However, its not a sign of production softness; its
really a window into the globalization of production and post production. Its a change. Its not a decrease; its a change in how the market is
perceived. Speaking from a West Coast perspective, its a weakness, but
in other markets, they may see it very differently.
PostDecember2012
www.postmagazine.com
800-323-2325
Like us at www.facebook.com/videoguys
or follow us at www.twitter.com/videoguys
1,299
999
NEW! SONY
Vegas Pro 12
675
599
59900
exp 12/31/12
1,39500
Matrox MXO2 LE MAX
AJA T-TAP
Thunderbolt
Powered SDI &
HDMI Output
Avid Nitris DX
$
29900
4,89900
1,49500
AJA IoXT Thunderbolt I/O
Videoguys.com is your source for video storage solutions, GPU and other add-on hardware
G-TECH
G-SPEED
es PRO
with ATTO
R680 RAID
Controller
This bundle
includes
the new G-Tech
G-SPEED eS PRO with Hitachi
Enterprise-class hard drives and the
ATTO ExpressSAS R680 RAID adapter
PCIe x8 RAID controller card for PC or
Mac.Available in sizes starting at 4TB at
2,08900
Pioneer
BDR-XD04
$
12995
Slim, Portable
Blu-ray Disc & BDXL Writer
This USB 2.0 Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD writer
allows you to watch standard & 3D Blu-ray
Disc titles, author high-definition Blu-ray
Disc content while also delivering the ability
for high-capacity data storage
79900
1,39900
Avid Artist Color
719
995
ATTN Avid Editors: Call for special upgrade price on BCC AVX
1,19900
1,495
49000
00
49500
29900
299
699
Samson ZOOM
H4n Audio
Recorder
Azden
SMX-20
Stereo Mic for DSLR
13900
499
B U S I N E S S
[ Cont.from 20 ] clientele that produces traditional
advertising and a ton of Web content, which acts as
commercials too you can play full-stream, high-end
concept motion video on the Web now. We produce
quite a bit of Web content, which may start as a TV
concept and expand onto the Web or vice-versa.
Another opportunity is the turnkey model we
have. People come to us for production and see great
value in post done in tandem. That has opened up
other post production opportunities, including longformat feature film work.
THREATS: Threats come from clients with lower
budgets who want much more in return. They see that
the technology costs less, so why cant they get services
for less? It is tempting to say we will do a particular job
for the smaller budget in the hopes they realize the
budget should be larger for the next job. Unfortunately,
business rarely works that way. In the end, you look for
realistic solutions within a budget, and if they dont fit,
F I L M
V F X
[ Cont.from 36 ]
be daunting with regards to bandwidth, rendering and storage, but it should also increase
opportunity and work, which is always a good thing.
Opportunities have also arisen in other display formats. The Internet is growing, as is its appetite for content. With NFC (Near Field Communication) technology being built into smart phones, there is a growing
business in this type of mobile computing. Secondscreen media is also rising, which all needs to be
designed and implemented. Who better to create the
graphics, the 3D animation or the media than us!
THREATS: I rarely see true threats, but instead try to
see these types of challenges as opportunities. Globalization has seriously remapped the framework of visual
effects, and continues to do so. But regardless of how
much we argue that the world is stealing our jobs away, it
isnt simply an issue of incentives or aggressive pricing.
We have to face the fact that we live in a global village,
PostDecember2012
C O M M I S I O N
[ Cont.from 26 ]
ence rooms, an event space, a screening room, a meeting area, and the ability to have flexible
workspace to accommodate post and other film services.
The center is also going to help smaller digital firms get
on their feet by providing them with affordable workspace and access to a network of creative New Yorkers.
Weve remain committed to our workforce development initiatives. For example, the Made in NY Production Assistant Training Program has helped hundreds
of New Yorkers who were unemployed or underemployed and who are now certified Made in NY PAs.The
program provides free training that prepares participants for entry-level positions on film sets and in production offices. We developed this program in partnership with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations.
THREATS: New York State offers a 30 percent
refundable tax credit for productions that shoot here as
well as a post credit, so New York remains a competitive
option for producers. We cant control what tax credits
46
SWOT
Classifieds
HELP WANTED
ADVERTISING SALES REP.
Ad Sales Rep needed for advertising sales in Post
Magazine and Computer Graphics World. The purpose
of the position is to generate classified advertising sales for
the publications CGW & Post Magazine in the areas of Rapid
Prototyping (3D printing), Camera, Displays/monitors/projectors, Workstations (mobile, desktop), GPUs/CPUs, Input
devices (mice, scanners, etc), Motion-capture, Storage,
Service provider, Education/training, 2D modeling, 3D
modeling, 3D animation, Compositing, Rendering, Lighting, Editing, CAD/CAM/CAE/CAA, AI/VR (including headmounted displays), Game engines, Middleware, Texturing,
Simulation, Plug-ins, Web content tools, Music Libraries,
Stock Footage, Large File Transfer companies , Studios.
Full-time position. Operates from office when not traveling.
SWOT
SWOT
and as the moments go by, artists around the world are
gaining knowledge and experience that will soon, if not
already, match that of our best in the United States, Canada and England. So instead of fighting outsourcing, I feel we
need to start embracing it. Companies need to be able to
offer a staff local to productions, such as around the Hollywood studios or networks, but also seek out partnerships, relationships and offices in other countries. Embrace
the fact that we will all need to work as one world, and
find ways to keep work at home, while still embracing the
world around us.
OUTLOOK FOR 2013: I see more blurring of the
lines between new and traditional media. More projects will
be written to take advantage of the interactivity available
through smart devices. More projects planned to be equally
distributed through multiple platforms and in general, so a
huge increase in content. Both good and not so good as the
cost of creating media continues to be so low.
www.postmagazine.com
people
JAMES ALVICH
MAS (Music and strategy), specializing in creative
solutions for brands and agencies, has promoted
founding partner/EP James Alvich to the role
of managing director. Alvich created MAS along
with music vets Gabe Hilfer and Jim Black. The
studio recently completed a comprehensive
music partnership with Kate Spade New York
featuring the Vivian Girls. It included talent procurement, Facebook development, a battle of the
bands campaign/contest and film production.
ALVICH
FERGUSON
BUTLER
SUZETTE FERGUSON
NYCs Cinedeck, makers mobile capture systems for film and broadcast, has named Suzette
Ferguson senior VP of sales for North America.
Based in LA, Ferguson was most recently with
Assimilate, where she was director of North
American sales. She brings over 30 years of
experience to Cinedeck. She has worked in consultative sales at Universal Studios/NBC, Disney
Studios, Deluxe, EFilm, Technicolor, Ascent and
Laser Pacific/Kodak.
MEGAN MELOTH
Santa Monica VFX studio A52 has promoted
Megan Meloth to executive producer after
helping sister studio Elastic more than double in
size since 2008. Meloth has worked in agency,
production and post, and has been involved in
Nikes Puppets, P&Gs Olympic work and spots for
Hondas Crosstour vehicle. She has also worked
on campaigns for Volvo, Intel, Mercedes, Target,
Microsoft, Acura and Lexus.
EAMONN BUTLER
Cinesite, a London-based VFX studio, has named
Eamonn Butler animation director. He will head
up the studios growing animation division. Butler
joins from Double Negative, where he was head
of animation and supervised such films as Iron Man
2, John Carter, Hellboy 2 and Harry Potter and the
Order of the Phoenix. He also joins the companys
board. Prior to Dneg, Butler spent 10 years at
Walt Disney Feature Animation in Burbank.
CRONIN
PRYOR
PURCELL
TOM CRONIN
Foundation Content, an indie advertising and
production collective, has named Tom Cronin
senior VP/executive producer for the companys
Chicago Office. Prior to joining Foundation
Content, Cronin had been VP/executive producer at DraftFCB in Chicago. Other agency
experience includes time at Chicagos Element79 Partners, with accounts such as Aquafina, Quaker Oats, Gatorade and Supercuts.
Cronin holds a BS Degree in Mass Communications from Illinois State University.
KATHLEEN PRYOR
Integrated media company Utopic has signed
editor Katherine Pryor to its post division.
Pryor has edited commercials and campaigns for
agencies such as Leo Burnett, McGarryBowen,
Ogilvy & Mather, DDB, Y&R, Downtown Partners and Walton Isaacson. A native of the Kansas
City area, Pryor received her BA in Film at
Columbia College Chicago and began working
in post almost 13 years ago.
STEVE PURCELL
KRYSTLE TESORIERO
Chainsaw, a Hollywood-based post and editorial rental house, has named Steve Purcell as
its GM. Purcell is a two-time Emmy winner with
over 25 years of experience as a director, editor
and producer. In his new role, he will oversee all
Chainsaw operations. He was previously president of his own company SLP Productions.
Purcell began his career at The Post Group
where he was lead editor for 10 years. He won
two Emmy Awards for his work, including one in
1986 for Pee-wees Playhouse.
Chainsaw has also hired KrystleTesoriero
as operations manager. Tesoriero comes from a
similar position with editorial systems provider
Runway. She began her career with Matchframe Video.
tions Mail Agreement Number 40017597. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2012 POST, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including by photocopy,
recording or information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy
items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by is granted by POST, LLC for
libraries and other users registered with the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr. Danvers, MA 01923 phone: 978750-8400 fax 978-750-4470; call for copying beyond that permitted by Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. For
those not registered with the CCC, send permission request in writing to Permissions Dept. POST, LLC 620 West Elk Avenue,
Glendale, California 91204.
www.postmagazine.com
PostDecember2012
47
review
Tiffen Dfx V.3 CreativeEditingSuite
By
BRADY BETZEL
AssistantEditor
BunimMurray
Productions
VanNuys,CA
bradybetzel@gmail.com
A great idea
inspiration tool.
PostDecember2012
VITAL STATS
www.postmagazine.com
www.aja.com
Ki Pro Quad
T-TAP
Ki Pro Rack
B e c a u s e
i t
m a t t e r s .
Autodesk
Smoke 2013
Autodesk and Smoke are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or aliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services oerings, and
specications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document. 2012 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.