The second series of National Geographic’s popular series Genius focuses on the extraordinary life of painter Pablo Picasso. Colorist Pankaj Bajpai at Encore in Hollywood was charged with creating the look that evoked the time and place as well as the art.
Terence Curren founded AlphaDogs in 2002 when he envisioned a future that would have a demand for more than just a conventional post-production facility. Sixteen years ago, the traditional business model was just beginning to show cracks as the falling costs of equipment led some producers to invest in their own. Curren believed talent would be the key ingredient to thrive in the technological world of the 21st Century. A veteran editor and colorist by trade, Curren assembled an elite team of like-minded post-production professionals that brought the perfect balance of creativity and technical know-how to the table. Sixteen years later, AlphaDogs continues to evolve with the ever-changing technology and needs of their clients.
Independent post-production company Pace Pictures has opened a new sound and picture finishing facility in Hollywood. The 20,000 square foot site offers editorial finishing, color grading, visual effects, titling, sound editorial and sound mixing services. Key resources include a 20-seat, 4K color grading theater, two additional HDR color-grading suites and ten editorial finishing suites. It also features a Dolby Atmos mix stage designed by three-time Academy Award-winning re-recording mixer Michael Minkler, who is a partner in the company’s sound division.
Editorial equipment rental and services provider Pacific Post has expanded with the opening of a new 10,000 square-foot facility in Sherman Oaks. The new location offers 25 Avid suites with 24/7 technical support, alongside a writer’s room and several production offices.
FotoKem was the facility of choice for providing comprehensive creative and technical services from pre-production through final deliverables on the critically acclaimed Star Wars: The Last Jedi from Disney/Lucasfilm. The facility built technically advanced solutions that supported the creative team through their interplanetary production from dailies to color grade.
Are we alone in the universe is a question that human beings have pondered likely since the dawn of time. The new documentary film ET Contact: They Are Here documents the jaw-dropping stories of individuals from around the world who share similar accounts of extraterrestrial otherworldly encounters. Written, directed and produced by Caroline Cory, the film takes viewers on an extraordinary journey to uncover whether these seemingly independent yet parallel reports may actually be scientific evidence of a greater phenomenon at work.
FireFly Cinema’s FireDay digital dailies management application is available for just $249 a year instead of the usual $999, now through October 21.
EditFest, the day long celebration of the art and craft of editing, returns to the Frank Wells Theater at Walt Disney Studios August 12. Presented by American Cinema Editors, EditFest 2017 presents top-level film and television editors sharing their experiences and insights. Featuring panels, clips, and conversation, EditFest offers a unique opportunity for attendees to engage with panelists and colleagues throughout the day and during a lively post-event reception.
Hare Krishna! The Mantra, The Movement and the Swami Who Started It All is a documentary film on the life of Srila Prabhupada—the 70-year-old Indian Swami who arrived in America without support or money in the turbulent 1960s and ignited a worldwide spiritual phenomenon with only his unflinching determination and faith. The film posted at AlphaDogs in Burbank. As with most historical documentaries, the biggest hurdle the team had to overcome were the technical challenges inherent in working with multiple source formats.
For Nissan’s Return of the Snowman spot, visual effects specialists The Embassy in Vancouver banded together with post house Alter Ego in Toronto. The Embassy is well known for its photo-realistic, hard surface VFX work, from creating the digital Iron Man suits for all three films to building massive drop ship hangers for The Hunger Games trilogy. Having worked on countless commercials with Alter Ego, The Embassy made the decision to become part of the creative process for grading, to improve the efficiency and precision of their VFX work and present a consistent preview to their clients.
