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EDITOR’S NOTE Greenscreen & DSLRs T By RANDI ALTMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF raltman@postmagazine.com here certainly is excitement surrounding the DSLR format, but we can’t forget that these cameras were a happy accident in terms of their professional use. While pros are taking advantage of their benefits, there are short- comings for which they have to find workarounds. Most everyone agrees that the picture quality of the format is gorgeous, but its compressed na- ture brings with it some hurdles that can be con- quered… if you go in with your eyes wide open and prepare ahead of time. Jim Geduldick, a NYC-based VFX artist, offers this tip:“Although your dealing with H.264 com- pression from the Canon 5D/7D, the best step is to transcode to something like ProRes before key- ing, and turning off any sharpening prior to the shoot. Obviously, lighting the subject evenly is ex- tremely important, but the DSLRs are very capa- ble of giving you a good image if shot correctly.” NYC’s Perception has embraced the format’s benefits.“Being able to capture beautiful footage on the current wave of DSLRs has aided our process in numerous ways,” reports associate CD John LePore.“At a recent greenscreen shoot for a series of watercolor-themed British Open promos for ESPN, we depended on the flexibility that can be found with a DSLR. After capturing some live- action shots,we were able to quickly arrange a few POST SCRIPT Expanding the business L ast month in this space, I mentioned what I perceived as a slight hiring trend throughout the industry.Another month has gone by, and we’ve come across numerous similar announce- ments. I call it:“good news.” The Mill hired nine team members in recent By MARC LOFTUS SENIOR EDITOR mloftus@postmagazine.com weeks.The Whitehouse and RingSide Creative both opened new production arms. Manhattan Born and Cause An Effect launched operations. And large multi-million-dollar production com- plexes broke ground in Pennsylvania and Georgia. Here in NYC, Mega Playground also expand- ed, adding 14,000-square feet to its existing 30,000-square-foot footprint. Eitan Hakami is president of Mega Playground and saw the expansion as a well-timed opportunity.The com- pany already offers editorial rentals, online DI services, color correction, telecine and audio post, but the expansion would increase its avail- able production space. Not stage space, but office space that can accommodate producers and coordinators who may already be using their post services.“Before people even start thinking about laboratories, they need a place to set up 2 Post • July 2010 different set-ups to capture additional elements for our compositing process.”The studio likes how the size of the cameras enables them to be flexible in the way they work.“We were able to place [the camera] underneath a plexiglass tabletop, shooting upwards while an artist comfortably painted across the surface of the glass. Just having the DSLR in the studio allows us to quickly capture el- ements on a whim, often saving time in trying to recreate complex organic elements digitally.” Fred Ruckel, CD/Inferno artist at NYC’s Stitch acknowledges that a lot of people are shooting nice work with DSLRs, but he did come across an issue on a recent spot.“I found the camera could- n’t handle the hard edge from white to red. It cre- ated a black line around the image.” But he is still impressed with the “amazing pictures made with that type of lensing.” Ruckel asks,“DSLRs are going to turn photogra- phers into filmmakers; will it make filmmakers into photographers?” He also wonders about its effect on commercial production.“For under 2K almost anyone can now make a high-end HD commercial. This will have an impact on production companies as agencies try do more for less money.” This brings up the “democratization of tools” debate: just because someone has access to a pro- type tool, does that make them a pro? EDIT ORIAL RANDI ALTMAN Editor-in-Chief (516) 797-0884 raltman@postmagazine.com MARC LOFTUS Senior Editor (516) 376-1087 mloftus@postmagazine.com KEN MCGORRY Consulting Editor mcgorry@optonline.net CHRISTINE BUNISH Film& Video RON DICESARE Audio BOB PANK European Correspondent bob.pank@virgin.net DAN RESTUCCIO West Coast Bureau dansweb451@aol.com IAIN BLAIR Film MICHAEL VIGGIANO Art Director mviggiano@postmagazine.com AD VER TISING MARI KOHN National Sales Manager (818) 291-1153 cell: (818) 472-1491 mkohn@postmagazine.com LISA BLACK Sales Manager 818-660-6323 lisab@postmagazine.com KEITH KNOPF Production Director (818) 291-1158 CHRIS SALCIDO Account Manager (818) 291-1144 csalcido@copprints.com CUSTOMER SERVICE 620 West Elk Ave, Glendale, CA 91204 csr@postmagazine.com (800) 280 6446 opt 2 (publishing), opt 1 (subscriptions) and start working,” he notes.“The proximity to the post gives us somewhat of an advantage, both in getting the initial call and [keeping] us close to the producers at a very early stage in production — before decisions are made.” Since opening at the end of March, following a complete gutting and rebuild, the production space has been booked to capacity.“We built it to spec to all of our needs and likings, and it is specifically designed to have both office space and editorial,” says Hakami, who cites HBO’s You Don’t Know Jack as one production that has taken advantage of Mega Playground’s services. “It started with office space, then dailies, then editorial,” he recalls. Something as simple as an office where clients can make a few phone calls holds a lot of value, he explains.“If you treat them properly and fair- ly, as we do, on something as mundane as office space, more than likely they will consider you. The trust factor is already there.We still com- pete on rates and services and quality, and all of the things that go into decision making, [but] we already have a relationship.” www.postmagazine.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 Post Magazine is published by Post, LLC,a COP communications company. Post does not verify any claims or other information appearing in any of the ad- vertisements contained in the publication, and cannot take any responsibility for any losses or other damages incurred by readers in reliance on such content. 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