Author Archives: Dayna McCallum

Picture Shop acquires Vancouver-based Finalé

May 20, 2019

Picture Shop has acquired Finalé Post in Vancouver. Burbank-based Picture Shop, which provides finishing and VFX work for episodic television, including The Walking Dead, NCIS, Hawaii Five-0 and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, had been looking to make an expansion into the Vancouver market. The company will be branded Finalé, a Picture Shop company.

“Having a Vancouver-based location has always been a strategy of ours, but it was very important to find the right company,” says Picture Shop president Bill Romeo. “We are thrilled to incorporate Finalé into the Picture Shop family. With the amount of content being produced, our goal is to always have strategic locations that support our clients’ needs but still maintain our company’s philosophy — creating an experience with the highest level of service and a creative partnership with our clients.”

Launched in 1988 by Finalé CEO and industry veteran Don Thompson, Finalé is located in the center of Vancouver and has served most major studios. Finalé offers a host of post production services, ranging from digital dailies and color, through 4K HDR finishing and editorial. It also offers mobile dailies and editorial rentals in Toronto and other major Canadian production centers. Finalé’s credits include Descendants 3, iZombie, Tomorrowland and The Magicians.

Main Image: ( L-R) Picture Shop’s Tom Kendall and Robert Glass, Finalé’s Don Thompson, Picture Shop’s Bill Romeo and Finalé’s Andrew Jha.

ACE celebrates editing, names Eddie Award winners

February 6, 2019

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By Dayna McCallum

On Friday evening, the 69^th Annual ACE Eddie Awards were presented at the Beverly Hilton Hotel with over 1,000 in attendance. ACE president Stephen Rivkin, ACE, presided over the evening’s festivities with comedian Tom Kenny serving as the evening’s host (SpongeBob!).

(L-R) Director Peter Farrelly, Bohemian Rhapsody’s John Ottman, ACE

Bohemian Rhapsody, edited by John Ottman, ACE, and The Favourite, edited by Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE, won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) respectively. Ottman and Mavropsaridis, who are also nominated for the Oscar in film editing, were both first time Eddie winners.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, edited by Robert Fisher, Jr., won Best Edited Animated Feature Film and Free Solo, edited by Bob Eisenhardt, ACE, won Best Edited Documentary (Feature).

Television winners included Kyle Reiter for Atlanta – “Teddy Perkins” (Best Edited Comedy Series for Commercial Television), Kate Sanford, ACE for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – “Simone” (Best Edited Comedy Series for Non-Commercial Television), Gary Dollner, ACE for Killing Eve – “Nice Face” (Best Edited Drama Series for Commercial Television), Steve Singleton for Bodyguard – Episode 1 (Best Edited Drama Series for Non-Commercial Television), Malcolm Jamieson and Geoffrey Richman, ACE for Escape at Dannemora – Episode Seven (Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television), Greg Finton, ACE and Poppy Das, ACE for Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (Best Edited Documentary, Non-Theatrical), and Hunter Gross, ACE for Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – “West Virginia” (Best Edited Non-Scripted Series), who delivered a very moving acceptance speech in tribute to the late Bourdain.

The Anne V. Coates Student Editing Award went to Boston University’s Marco Gonzalez, who beat out hundreds of competitors from film schools and universities around the country. The Student Editing honor was re-named in honor of the legendary editor who passed away this past year. In another emotional moment, the award was presented by Coates daughter, Emma Hickox, ACE (What Men Want).

Jerrold Ludwig, ACE and Craig McKay, ACE received Career Achievement awards. Their work was highlighted with clip reels exhibiting their tremendous contributions to film and television throughout their careers.

(L-R) Octavia Spencer, Golden Eddie Honoree Guillermo del Toro

ACE’s prestigious Golden Eddie honor was presented to artist and Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. He received the award from his friend and collaborator Octavia Spencer, who starred in del Toro’s The Shape of Water last year.

Other presenters at the show included Oscar nominated director Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman); Oscar nominated director and ACE Eddie Award nominee for Roma, Alfonso Cuarón; director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians); director Peter Farrelly (Green Book); D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place); Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish); Angela Sarafyan (Westworld); Harry Shum, Jr. (Crazy Rich Asians); Paul Walter Hauser (BlacKkKlansman); and film editor Carol Littleton, ACE.

Here is the full list of winners:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
Bohemian Rhapsody
John Ottman, ACE

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY):
The Favourite
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Robert Fisher, Jr.

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
Free Solo
Bob Eisenhardt, ACE

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (NON-THEATRICAL):
Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind
Greg Finton, ACE & Poppy Das, ACE

Killing Eve Editor Gary Dollner, ACE

BEST EDITED COMEDY SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Atlanta – “Teddy Perkins”
Kyle Reiter

BEST EDITED COMEDY SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – “Simone”
Kate Sanford, ACE

BEST EDITED DRAMA SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Killing Eve – “Nice Face”
Gary Dollner, ACE

BEST EDITED DRAMA SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Bodyguard – “Episode 1”
Steve Singleton

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
Escape at Dannemora – “Episode Seven”
Malcolm Jamieson & Geoffrey Richman ACE

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – “West Virginia”
Hunter Gross, ACE

STUDENT WINNER
Marco Gonzalez – Boston University

Main Image Caption: (L-R) Tatiana S. Riegel, ACE, The Favourite’s Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE, Paul Walter Hauser.

Quick Chat: Westwind Media president Doug Kent

October 30, 2018

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By Dayna McCallum

Doug Kent has joined Westwind Media as president. The move is a homecoming of sorts for the audio post vet, who worked as a sound editor and supervisor at the facility when they opened their doors in 1997 (with Miles O’ Fun). He comes to Westwind after a long-tenured position at Technicolor.

While primarily known as an audio post facility, Burbank-based Westwind has grown into a three-acre campus comprised of 10 buildings, which also house outposts for NBCUniversal and Technicolor, as well as media focused companies Keywords Headquarters and Film Solutions.

We reached out to Kent to find out a little bit more about what is happening over at Westwind, why he made the move and changes he has seen in the industry.

Why was now the right time to make this change, especially after being at one place for so long?
Well, 17 years is a really long time to stay at one place in this day and age! I worked with an amazing team, but Westwind presented a very unique opportunity for me. John Bidasio (managing partner) and Sunder Ramani (president of Westwind Properties) approached me with the role of heading up Westwind and teaming with them in shaping the growth of their media campus. It was literally an offer I couldn’t refuse. Because of the campus size and versatility of the buildings, I have always considered Westwind to have amazing potential to be one of the premier post production boutique destinations in the LA area. I’m very excited to be part of that growth.

You’ve worked at studios and facilities of all sizes in your career. What do you see as the benefit of a boutique facility like Westwind?
After 30 years in the post audio business — which seems crazy to say out loud — moving to a boutique facility allows me more flexibility. It also lets me be personally involved with the delivery of all work to our customers. Because of our relationships with other facilities, we are able to offer services to our customers all over the Los Angeles area. It’s all about drive time on Waze!

What does your new position at Westwind involve?
The size of our business allows me to actively participate with every service we offer, from business development to capital expenditures, while also working with our management team’s growth strategy for the campus. Our value proposition, as a nimble post audio provider, focuses on our high-quality brick and motor facility, while we continue to expand our editorial and mix talent working with many of the best mix facilities and sound designers in the LA area. Luckily, I now get to have a hand in all of it.

Westwind recently renovated two stages. Did Dolby Atmos certification drive that decision?
Netflix, Apple and Amazon all use Atmos materials for their original programming. It was time to move forward. These immersive technologies have changed the way filmmakers shape the overall experience for the consumer. These new object-based technologies enhance our ability to embellish and manipulate the soundscape of each production, creating a visceral experience for the audience that is more exciting and dynamic.

How to Get Away With Murder

Can you talk specifically about the gear you are using on the stages?
Currently, Westwind runs entirely on a Dante network design. We have four dub stages, including both of the Atmos stages, outfitted with Dante interfaces. The signal path from our Avid Pro Tools source machines — all the way to the speakers — is entirely in Dante and the BSS Blu link network. The monitor switching and stage are controlled through custom made panels designed in Harman’s Audio Architect. The Dante network allows us to route signals with complete flexibility across our network.

What about some of the projects you are currently working on?
We provide post sound services to the team at ShondaLand for all their productions, including Grey’s Anatomy, which is now in its 15^th year, Station 19, How to Get Away With Murder and For the People. We are also involved in the streaming content market, working on titles for Amazon, YouTube Red and Netflix.

Looking forward, what changes in technology and the industry do you see having the most impact on audio post?
The role of post production sound has greatly increased as technology has advanced. We have become an active part of the filmmaking process and have developed closer partnerships with the executive producers, showrunners and creative executives. Delivering great soundscapes to these filmmakers has become more critical as technology advances and audiences become more sophisticated.

The Atmos system creates an immersive audio experience for the listener and has become a foundation for future technology. The Atmos master contains all of the uncompressed audio and panning metadata, and can be updated by re-encoding whenever a new process is released. With streaming speeds becoming faster and storage becoming more easily available, home viewers will most likely soon be experiencing Atmos technology in their living room.

What haven’t I asked that is important?
Relationships are the most important part of any business and my favorite part of being in post production sound. I truly value my connections and deep friendships with film executives and studio owners all over the Los Angeles area, not to mention the incredible artists I’ve had the great pleasure of working with and claiming as friends. The technology is amazing, but the people are what make being in this business fulfilling and engaging.

We are in a remarkable time in film, but really an amazing time in what we still call “television.” There is growth and expansion and foundational change in every aspect of this industry. Being at Westwind gives me the flexibility and opportunity to be part of that change and to keep growing.

HPA opens call for entries for Engineering Excellence Award

April 18, 2018

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The HPA (Hollywood Professional Association) has opened its call for entries for the Engineering Excellence Award, which will be presented at the 2018 HPA Awards. Now in its 13^th year, the HPA Engineering Excellence Award spotlights companies and individuals who draw upon technical and creative ingenuity to develop breakthrough technologies.

Submissions for this year’s Engineering Excellence category will close on May 25, 2018.

2017 award winners with presenters Barbara Lange (left) and Joachim Zell (right).

Joachim Zell, who chairs the committee for this award, said, “Artistic vision is what drives the technical and engineering processes that bring that vision to life. Ultimately, our work is fundamentally about helping filmmakers realize their vision. The companies and individuals supporting creative storytellers face constant pressure to evolve and expand the creative palette. Their contribution to the entertainment industry cannot be overstated. The Engineering Excellence Award is a highly competitive honor, and the past winners have changed the course of entertainment technology. We encourage the submission of your significant technological achievements.”

Entrants for this peer-judged award may include products or processes, and must represent a significant step forward for its industry beneficiaries. Past winners have included Aspera, Canon, Colorfront, Dolby, The Foundry/Sony Pictures Imageworks, Macom, Nvidia, Panasonic, Quantel, and Red Digital Cinema.

Winners will be announced in advance and celebrated during the HPA Awards show on November 15, 2018 at the Skirball Cultural Center in LA.

The 54th annual CAS Award nominees

January 10, 2018

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The Cinema Audio Society announced the nominees for the 54th Annual CAS Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing. There are seven creative categories for 2017, and the Outstanding Product nominations were revealed as well.

Here are this year’s nominees:

Baby Driver

Motion Picture – Live Action

Baby Driver

Production Mixer – Mary H. Ellis, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Julian Slater, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Tim Cavagin

Scoring Mixer – Gareth Cousins, CAS

ADR Mixer – Mark Appleby

Foley Mixer – Glen Gathard

Dunkirk

Production Mixer – Mark Weingarten, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Gregg Landaker

Re-recording Mixer – Gary Rizzo, CAS

Scoring Mixer – Alan Meyerson, CAS

ADR Mixer – Thomas J. O’Connell

Foley Mixer – Scott Curtis

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Production Mixer – Stuart Wilson, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – David Parker

Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick

Re-recording Mixer – Ren Klyce

Scoring Mixer – Shawn Murphy

ADR Mixer – Doc Kane, CAS

Foley Mixer – Frank Rinella

The Shape of Water

Production Mixer – Glen Gauthier

Re-recording Mixer – Christian T. Cooke, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Brad Zoern, CAS

Scoring Mixer – Peter Cobbin

ADR Mixer – Chris Navarro, CAS

Foley Mixer – Peter Persaud, CAS

Wonder Woman

Production Mixer – Chris Munro, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Chris Burdon

Re-recording Mixer – Gilbert Lake, CAS

Scoring Mixer – Alan Meyerson, CAS

ADR Mixer – Nick Kray

Foley Mixer – Glen Gathard

Motion Picture Animated

The Lego Batman Movie

Cars 3

Original Dialogue Mixer – Doc Kane, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Tom Meyers

Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick

Re-recording Mixer – Nathan Nance

Scoring Mixer – David Boucher

Foley Mixer – Blake Collins

Coco

Original Dialogue Mixer – Vince Caro

Re-recording Mixer – Christopher Boyes

Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick

Scoring Mixer – Joel Iwataki

Foley Mixer – Blake Collins

Despicable Me 3

Original Dialogue Mixer – Carlos Sotolongo

Re-recording Mixer – Randy Thom, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Tim Nielson

Re-recording Mixer – Brandon Proctor

Scoring Mixer – Greg Hayes

Foley Mixer – Scott Curtis

Ferdinand

Original Dialogue Mixer – Bill Higley, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Randy Thom, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Lora Hirschberg

Re-recording Mixer – Leff Lefferts

Scoring Mixer – Shawn Murphy

Foley Mixer – Scott Curtis

The Lego Batman Movie

Original Dialogue Mixer – Jason Oliver

Re-recording Mixer – Michael Semanick

Re-recording Mixer – Gregg Landaker

Re-recording Mixer – Wayne Pashley

Scoring Mixer – Stephen Lipson

Foley Mixer – Lisa Simpson

Motion Picture – Documentary

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

Production Mixer – Gabriel Monts

Re-recording Mixer – Kent Sparling

Re-recording Mixer – Gary Rizzo, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Zach Martin

Scoring Mixer – Jeff Beal

Foley Mixer – Jason Butler

Long Strange Trip

Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars

Re-recording Mixer – Tim Cavagin

Re-recording Mixer – William Miller

ADR Mixer – Adam Mendez, CAS

Gaga: Five Feet Two

Re-recording Mixer – Jonathan Wales, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Jason Dotts

Jane

Production Mixer – Lee Smith

Re-recording Mixer – David E. Fluhr, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Warren Shaw

Scoring Mixer – Derek Lee

ADR Mixer – Chris Navarro, CAS

Foley Mixer – Ryan Maguire

Long Strange Trip

Production Mixer – David Silberberg

Re-recording Mixer – Bob Chefalas

Re-recording Mixer – Jacob Ribicoff

Television Movie Or Mini-Series

Big Little Lies: “You Get What You Need”

Production Mixer – Brendan Beebe, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Gavin Fernandes, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Louis Gignac

Black Mirror: “USS Callister”

Production Mixer – John Rodda, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Tim Cavagin

Fargo

Re-recording Mixer – Dafydd Archard

Re-recording Mixer – Will Miller

ADR Mixer – Nick Baldock

Foley Mixer – Sophia Hardman

Fargo: ”The Narrow Escape Problem”

Production Mixer – Michael Playfair, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Kirk Lynds, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Martin Lee

Scoring Mixer – Michael Perfitt

Sherlock: “The Lying Detective”

Production Mixer –John Mooney, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Howard Bargroff

Scoring Mixer – Nick Wollage

ADR Mixer – Peter Gleaves, CAS

Foley Mixer – Jamie Talbutt

Twin Peaks: “Gotta Light?”

Production Mixer – Douglas Axtell

Re-recording Mixer –Dean Hurley

Re-recording Mixer – Ron Eng

Television Series – 1-Hour

Better Call Saul: “Lantern”

Production Mixer – Phillip W. Palmer, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Larry B. Benjamin, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Kevin Valentine

ADR Mixer – Matt Hovland

Foley Mixer – David Michael Torres, CAS

Game of Thrones: “Beyond the Wall”

Game of Thrones

Production Mixer – Ronan Hill, CAS

Production Mixer – Richard Dyer, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Onnalee Blank, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Mathew Waters, CAS

Foley Mixer – Brett Voss, CAS

Stranger Things: “The Mind Flayer”

Production Mixer – Michael P. Clark, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Joe Barnett

Re-recording Mixer – Adam Jenkins

ADR Mixer – Bill Higley, CAS

Foley Mixer – Anthony Zeller, CAS

The Crown: “Misadventure”

Production Mixer – Chris Ashworth

Re-recording Mixer – Lee Walpole

Re-recording Mixer – Stuart Hilliker

Re-recording Mixer – Martin Jensen

ADR Mixer – Rory de Carteret

Foley Mixer – Philip Clements

The Handmaid’s Tale: “Offred”

Production Mixer – John J. Thomson, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Lou Solakofski

Re-recording Mixer – Joe Morrow

Foley Mixer – Don White

Television Series – 1/2 Hour

Ballers: “Yay Area”

Production Mixer – Scott Harber, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Richard Weingart, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Michael Colomby, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Mitch Dorf

Black-ish: “Juneteenth, The Musical”

Production Mixer – Tom N. Stasinis, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Peter J. Nusbaum, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Whitney Purple

Modern Family: “Lake Life”

Production Mixer – Stephen A. Tibbo, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Dean Okrand, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Brian R. Harman, CAS

Silicon Valley: “Hooli-Con”

Production Mixer – Benjamin A. Patrick, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Elmo Ponsdomenech

Re-recording Mixer – Todd Beckett

Veep: “Omaha”

Production Mixer – William MacPherson, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – John W. Cook II, CAS

Re-recording Mixer – Bill Freesh, CAS

Television Non-Fiction, Variety Or Music Series Or Specials

American Experience: “The Great War – Part 3”

Production Mixer – John Jenkins

Re-Recording Mixer – Ken Hahn

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: “Oman”

Re-Recording Mixer – Benny Mouthon, CAS

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Deadliest Catch: “Last Damn Arctic Storm”

Re-Recording Mixer – John Warrin

Rolling Stone: “Stories from the Edge”

Production Mixer – David Hocs

Production Mixer – Tom Tierney

Re-Recording Mixer – Tom Fleischman, CAS

Who Killed Tupac?: “Murder in Vegas”

Production Mixer – Steve Birchmeier

Re-Recording Mixer – John Reese

Nominations For Outstanding Product – Production

DPA – DPA Slim

Lectrosonics – Duet Digital Wireless Monitor System

Sonosax – SX-R4+

Sound Devices – Mix Pre- 10T Recorder

Zaxcom – ZMT3-Phantom

Nominations For Outstanding Product – Post Production

Dolby – Dolby Atmos Content Creation Tools

FabFilter – Pro Q2 Equalizer

Exponential Audio – R4 Reverb

iZotope – RX 6 Advanced

Todd-AO – Absentia DX

The Awards will be presented at a ceremony on February 24 at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza. This year’s CAS Career Achievement Award will be presented to re-recording mixer Anna Behlmer, the CAS Filmmaker Award will be given to Joe Wright and the Edward J. Greene Award for the Advancement of Sound will be presented to Tomlinson Holman, CAS. The Student Recognition Award winner will also be named and will receive a cash prize.

Main Photo: Wonder Woman

ASC celebrates cinematographers with annual award noms

January 9, 2018

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The nominees for the 32nd Annual ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement were revealed in all categories at a special event staged at the ASC Clubhouse.

In an announcement that drew cheers, Mudbound cinematographer Rachel Morrison became the first woman to be nominated in the feature category. Joining her in the Theatrical Release category were Roger Deakins for Blade Runner 2049, Bruno Delbonnel for Darkest Hour, Hoyte Van Hoytema for Dunkirk and Dan Laustsen for The Shape of Water.

Laustsen was the other first-time nominee for his work on Guillermo del Toro’s magical The Shape of Water. Deakins, a previous winner of the ASC’s Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrated his 15th nomination in the category. Delbonnel scored his fourth nomination, while Van Hoytema’s work was recognized for the second time.

In the television categories, HBO’s Game of Thrones and Syfy’s 12 Monkeys both received two nominations.

Here’s the complete list of this year’s nominees:

Dunkirk

Theatrical Release

Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC for Blade Runner 2049
Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC for Darkest Hour
Hoyte van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, NSC for Dunkirk
Dan Laustsen, ASC, DFF for The Shape of Water
Rachel Morrison, ASC for Mudbound

Spotlight Award
(Recognizing outstanding cinematography in feature-length projects that are screened at festivals, internationally or in limited theatrical release.)

Máté Herbai, HSC for On Body and Soul
Mikhail Krichman, RGC for Loveless
Mart Taniel for November
The Crown

Episode of a Series for Non-Commercial Television

Gonzalo Amat for The Man in the High Castle (“Land O’ Smiles”) on Amazon
Adriano Goldman, ASC, ABC for The Crown (“Smoke and Mirrors”) on Netflix
Robert McLachlan, ASC, CSC for Game of Thrones (“The Spoils of War”) on HBO
Gregory Middleton, ASC, CSC for Game of Thrones (“Dragonstone”) on HBO
Alasdair Walker for Outlander (“The Battle Joined”) on Starz

Episode of a Series for Commercial Television

Dana Gonzales, ASC for Legion (“Chapter 1”) on FX
David Greene, ASC, CSC for 12 Monkeys (“Mother”) on Syfy
Kurt Jones for The Originals (“Bag of Cobras”) on The CW
Boris Mojsovski, CSC for 12 Monkeys (“Thief”) on Syfy
Crescenzo Notarile, ASC for Gotham (“The Executioner”) on Fox

Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television

Pepe Avila del Pino for The Deuce pilot on HBO
Serge Desrosiers, CSC for Sometimes the Good Kill on Lifetime
Mathias Herndl, AAC for Genius (“Chapter 1”) on National Geographic
Shelly Johnson, ASC for the Training Day pilot (“Apocalypse Now”) on CBS
Christopher Probst, ASC for the Mindhunter pilot on Netflix

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 17 in Hollywood, emceed this year by Ben Mankiewicz, a longtime host on Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

Main Photo: The Shape of Water

VFX company Kevin launches in LA

October 4, 2017

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VFX vets Tim Davies, Sue Troyan and Darcy Parsons have partnered to open the Los Angeles-based VFX house, Kevin. The company is currently up and running in a temp studio in Venice, while construction is underway on Kevin’s permanent Culver City location, scheduled to open early next year.

When asked about the name, as none of the partners are actually named Kevin, Davies said, “Well, Kevin is always there for you! He’s your best mate and will always have your back. He’s the kind of guy you want to have a beer with whenever he’s in town. Kevin knows his stuff and works his ass off to make sure you get what you need and then some!” Troyan added, “Kevin is a state of mind.”

Davies is on board as executive creative director, overseeing the collective creative output of the company. Having led teams of artists for over 25 years, he was formerly at Asylum Visual Effects and The Mill as creative director and head of 2D. Among his works are multiple Cannes Gold Lion-winning commercials, including HBO’s “Voyeur” campaign for Jake Scott, Nike Golf’s Ripple for Steve Rogers, Old Spice’s Momsong for Steve Ayson, Old Spice’s Dadsong for Andreas Nilsson, and Old Spice’s Whale and Rocket Car for Steve Rogers.

Troyan will serve as senior executive producer of Kevin, having previously worked on campaigns at The Mill and Method. Parsons, owner and partner of Kevin, has enjoyed a career covering multiple disciplines, including producer, VFX producer and executive producer.

Launch projects for Kevin include recent spots for Wieden + Kennedy Portland, The Martin Agency and Spark44.

Main Image: L-R: Darcy Parsons, Sue Troyan, Tim Davies

Axle Video rebrands as Axle AI

September 18, 2017

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Media management company Axle Video has rebranded as Axle AI. The company has also launched their new Axle AI software, allowing users to automatically index and search large amounts of video, image and audio content.

Axle AI is available either as software, which runs on standard Mac hardware, or as a self-contained software/hardware appliance. Both options provide integrations with leading cloud AI engines. The appliance also includes embedded processing power that supports direct visual search for thousands of hours of footage with no cloud connectivity required. Axle AI has an open architecture, so new third-party capabilities can be added at any time.

Axle has also launched Axle Media Cloud with Wasabi, a 100% cloud-based option for simple media management. The offering is available now and is priced at $400 per month for 10 terabytes of managed storage, 10 user accounts and up to 10 terabytes of downloaded media per month.

In addition, Axle Embedded is a new version of axle software that can be run directly on storage solutions from a range of industry partners, including, G-Technology and Panasas. As with Axle Media Cloud, all of Axle AI’s automated tagging and search capabilities are simple add-ons to the system.

Blackmagic’s new Ultimatte 12 keyer with one-touch keying

September 16, 2017

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Building on the 40-year heritage of its Ultimatte keyer, Blackmagic Design has introduced the Ultimatte 12 realtime hardware compositing processor for broadcast-quality keying, adding augmented reality elements into shots, working with virtual sets and more. The Ultimatte 12 features new algorithms and color science, enhanced edge handling, greater color separation and color fidelity and better spill suppression.

The 12G-SDI design gives Ultimatte 12 users the flexibility to work in HD and switch to Ultra HD when they are ready. Sub-pixel processing is said to boost image quality and textures in both HD and Ultra HD. The Ultimatte 12 is also compatible with most SD, HD and Ultra HD equipment, so it can be used with existing cameras.

With Ultimatte 12, users can create lifelike composites and place talent into any scene, working with both fixed cameras and static backgrounds or automated virtual set systems. It also enables on-set previs in television and film production, letting actors and directors see the virtual sets they’re interacting with while shooting against a green screen.

Here are a few more Ultimatte 12 features:

For augmented reality, on-air talent typically interacts with glass-like computer-generated charts, graphs, displays and other objects with colored translucency. Adding tinted, translucent objects is very difficult with a traditional keyer, and the results don’t look realistic. Ultimatte 12 addresses this with a new “realistic” layer compositing mode that can add tinted objects on top of the foreground image and key them correctly.
One-touch keying technology analyzes a scene and automatically sets more than 100 parameters, simplifying keying as long as the scene is well-lit and the cameras are properly white-balanced. With one-touch keying, operators can pull a key accurately and with minimum effort, freeing them to focus on the program with fewer distractions.
Ultimatte 12’s new image processing algorithms, large internal color space, and automatic internal matte generation lets users work on different parts of the image separately with a single keyer.
For color handling, Ultimatte 12 has new flare, edge and transition processing to remove backgrounds without affecting other colors. The improved flare algorithms can remove green tinting and spill from any object — even dark shadow areas or through transparent objects.
Ultimatte 12 is controlled via Ultimatte Smart Remote 4, a touch-screen remote device that connects via Ethernet. Up to eight Ultimatte 12 units can be daisy-chained together and connected to the same Smart Remote, with physical buttons for switching and controlling any attached Ultimatte 12.

Ultimatte 12 is now available from Blackmagic Design resellers.