Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/110591
Dneg partners for production L ONDON — Visual effects company Double Negative (www.dneg.com), here, has partnered with Apollo Productions and Pinewood Shepperton, to develop its range of film production activities. At the same time, Double Nega- the British film industry," explains Alex Hope, Double Negative's managing director. Double Negative was formed in 1998 and has worked on big VFX films such as Inception, The Dark Knight, the Bourne franchise, Iron Man and the Harr y Potter series, as well as on indie films that include Shaun of The Dead, Attack The Block, The Debt, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, In Bruges and Billy Elliott. "Our collaboration with Steve Norris and Pinewood Studios will allow us to build on this heritage and enhance the service that we're able to offer to the independent film industry," Hope adds. "We firmly believe that we could not have found a more perfect partnership to further our ambition than with Apollo." "We are delighted that Double Negative has come on board Alex Hope: The collaboration allows Dneg to build on its heritage and enhance the services they can offer to independent filmmakers. to help drive forward this venture," says Pinewood's chief tive Films has been created to allow the company to executive, Ivan Dunleavy. "With Pinewood's reputatake a greater creative and financial position in some tion in the studio sector, Double Negative's in the of the films that they want to be involved in. post sector and Steve Norris' experience gained Apollo Productions was created in 2011 by pro- from both sides of the Atlantic, I am confident we ducer Steve Norris to provide filmmakers from will be able to help productions make first class across the world with production support. Apollo is content in the UK." based in both London and at Pinewood Studios. Already underway is Ron Howard's Rush, where "With VFX being such a vital storytelling partner Double Negative are working with Cross Creek, in so many of today's movies, production is a very Exclusive, Revolution Films and Working Title on the logical next step in furthering our lead role within Formula One biopic due for release later this year. International News International News Bits & Pieces Luca plug-in creates 'Lo-Fi' look L ONDON — Luca Visual Fx (www.lucavisualfx. com) is a two-year-old company that got its start creating plug-ins using FCP 6 and 7 native FXscript code before moving to Quartz Composer and Fx Factory. Today, the company offers plug-ins for FCP, Motion, After Effects, Premiere Pro and Avid Media Composer. One of Luca's most recent releases is Lo-Fi Look for Final Cut Pro X. The plug-in is designed for creating moody and surreal looks for video footage. Twelve different gradient presets are included, and on-screen controls allow for users to adjust intensity, radius and other variations. By changing luminosity and frequency, users can achieve an old, damaged-footage look.Threshold adjustments allow for the highlighting of grain and noise. The Image Well tool allows for users to implement their own textures and videos clips as overlays. The Vintage Frame feature allows for the creation of a slightly consumed or aged edge. See our feature on page 26 for more Plug-In news. Artistry in Sound christens new suite H OLLYWOOD — Audio post house Artistry in Sound (www.artistryinsound.com) recently opened a new mixing suite featuring dual Avid ICON mixing consoles, full HD projection, Avid Pro Tools 10 and JBL Cinema Sound loud speakers. On the heels of the expansion, the studio completed work on the Lifetime movies Ring of Fire and An Amish Murder. Ring of Fire tells the story of June Carter Cash, and according to studio owner and founder Kenneth Johnson (pictured), was a complex project. Johnson brought Rick Ash on board as the re-recording mixer, handling dialogue and music for the project. "I have worked with Rick on many HBO projects previously and always appreciated his talent and work ethic," says Johnson. Part of the challenge for Ring of Fire was integrating the production dialogue as it transitioned into song. "It was important not to allow music to feel like pre-records," notes Ash. In addition, crowds and atmospheres were integral to creating a natural space for the music to live, so extra care was required creating reverbs, delays and atmospheres. The music was richer sonically than much of the production sound, so in some instances it needed to be degraded to create a uniform sound field. In An Amish Murder, the production dialogue was very challenging, Ash adds. "Canadian exteriors in late fall made for brittle footsteps and production debris." The Amish interiors were exclusively old wood floors, littered with pops and creaks, accompanied by room slap and echo. Rain and weather also posed challenges. All in all, it was a challenging production mix, especially due to the restricted mix schedule of three days. 8 Post • February 2013 Pos0213_006, 8-9-BitsRAV4finalread.indd 8 www.postmagazine.com 1/24/13 7:28 PM