Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1518753
www.postmagazine.com 4 POST MAR/APR 2024 BITS & PIECES 424 & HARBOR PARTNER TO LAUNCH CULVER POST LOS ANGELES — 424 Post (www.424post.com) and Harbor (https://harborpic- turecompany.com) have entered into a collaboration that resulted in the launch of Culver Post, a full-service post production studio with future-centric 4K theatrical HDR mastering capabilities. The partnership was announced by 424 Post's VP of operations Richard Burnette and Harbor's CEO Zak Tucker, and combines the two companies' decades of industry expertise and talent across picture and sound post for cinema, streaming, broadcast and advertising. The new Culver Post (9500 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232) offers five stages for theatrical color grading and sound mixing. According to Harbor color scientist Matthew Tomlinson, one stage features a 34-foot, 8K Samsung IWA LED cinema display and a Meyer Sound Ultra Reflex cinema sound system with Dolby Atmos for mastering projects in 4K HDR in a theatrical setting. Able to accommodate more than 50 people, the stage provides a true cinema-style environment for HDR or SDR color grading and immersive sound mixing. A second theater, also with seating for 50-plus, features a DCI-certified 4K Samsung Onyx LED display and a Meyer Sound Ultra Reflex cinema sound system with Dolby Atmos. Both LED displays are well suited for HDR color grading and mastering, as they far exceed standard digital cinema projection systems for detail, contrast and brightness. The IWA display peaks at 1,000 nits, while the Onyx display peaks at 300 nits. Both stages are supported by Sony BVM-HX310 HDR reference displays. The facility's three other stages feature Christie 4K CP4420-XE cinema projec- tion systems and Dolby Atmos sound. Culver Post is integrated into the existing network of 424 Post Hollywood stages and Harbor's studios across New York, Santa Monica, Chicago, Atlanta and London, enabling multi-geography and cross-discipline collaboration, granting clients total creative control. The studio's LED stages are designed to support emerging demand for HDR cinema and streaming content while pro- viding a true cinematic working environment for directors, cinematographers, editors, colorists and other professionals. "The size of the displays and the theaters themselves greatly enhance the color grading and review experience," explains 424 Post's Burnette. "The entire production and post production team can be part of the process and watch the same image. It turns mastering into a communal creative experience." "Samsung is committed to using innovative display technology to revolution- ize the way that content is both created and consumed," adds David Phelps, head of the display division at Samsung Electronics America. "The new Culver Post post production studio marks a tangible milestone in the future of cinema and post production. Filmmakers and creators can now edit and experience video content as it would be seen and heard on the big screen to enable im- mersive storytelling that leaves a lasting impact on audiences." RODEO FX EXPANDS INTO COLOR GRADING TORONTO — Rodeo FX (https://www.rodeofx.com) has expanded its offer- ings into color grading with the recent opening a new FilmLight Baselight (www.filmlight.ltd.uk) grading suite, which will be led by senior colorist Ana Escorse. By adding color, Rodeo FX can now serve its clients' projects from start to finish. Rodeo's new color suite includes a Baselight Two and Blackboard Classic control panel running on Baselight 6.0. Escorse, who has been using Baselight for a number of years, will work either remotely or on-site in the newly-built suite in Toronto. "Adding color to our services was a natural move forward for Rodeo FX," explains Connie Dercho, executive producer at Rodeo FX Advertising and Experiences. "Providing our clients premium color grading with an elite colorist like Ana Escorse, and a state-of-the-art color suite equipped with Baselight, perfectly complements what we do. We're excited to be broadening our offer- ings and servicing our clients locally and internationally with color grading of the highest level." Rodeo FX already has a well-established VFX pipeline, but Baselight inte- grates several mechanisms that will help streamline the workflow between color and other departments. The compatibility with OpenEXR and the seam- less ability to transfer BLG files from Baselight to various applications means sharing, viewing and applying color decisions directly in VFX software can be completed with ease. Escorse's work on Rachel Reis' Lovezinho earned her the Music Video award at the 2022 FilmLight Colour Awards, presented at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival in Poland, and she joined the 2023 jury panel alongside leading creatives and DPs, such as Lawrence Sher, ASC; Greg Fraser, ACS, ASC; and Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF. "Baselight is widely recognized and respected in the film and television in- dustry, and allows me to offer our clients and collaborators the most advanced features and highest-quality image processing available in post," explains Escorse. "FilmLight's commitment to continuously developing new technol- ogies and features, as well as Baselight's customization and control make it a very-efficient and reliable tool, allowing me to focus on the creative process and client collaboration.