Post Magazine

December 2013

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BUSINESS OUTLOOK SWOT: The Post Business Studios are seeing opportunities from new technology and an increased demand for content. While a myriad of technological and By M i c ha e l G o l d m an economic issues continue to challenge the post production industry, a refreshing note of optimism can be heard emanating from many post houses in various markets. A core reason for this is that many in the industry are finding ways to adjust or compensate for the most important lingering consequences of the economic downturn — lower budgets and more compact timelines. They are doing this by taking advantage of the corresponding changes that occurred over this same time period, which have revolutionized the technology they use and the ways they can collaborate with clients and deliver media content efficiently. Quite simply, there is rabid demand for more content generally, to be delivered across more platforms. The ongoing demand to process such high volumes of material has forced facilities to adjust to the new economic landscape. For instance, the need to modernize infrastructure and multi-task with more affordable technology has allowed them to increase their flexibility, mobility, and services. Following are thoughts from officials at five different facilities around the country as they segue into 2014. Joe Bierne CTO Technicolor-PostWorks New York New York City www.technicolorpwny.com Technicolor-PostWorks New York consolidated its position as the largest post facility in the Northeast when PostWorks acquired Technicolor New York in 2011 to provide dailies processing, editing, finishing, visual effects, audio, and DI services from one source. Technicolor-PostWorks New York continues to support Technicolor's studio and network projects in New York, as well as PostWorks' broad client base for scripted drama, unscripted, factual, and scientific television projects, and documentary and independent film projects. STRENGTHS: "A big source of strength is how our broad diversity has helped with accommodating new media platforms. We learn a lot from other 'big data' industries, and they learn from our experience with 36 Post • December 2013 www.postmagazine.com massive pools of data, as well. Our internal Test Lab at PostWorks always sees new camera types and new codecs very early, and we are constantly testing new workflows. We now bring deep experience with diverse acquisition to the explosion of new distribution channels." Technicolor-PostWorks New York offers services for both television and film projects. WEAKNESSES: "The biggest dilemma we are facing now is how to balance openness with the need for data security. We all want a fluid network, moving content friction-free from acquisition straight to exhibition. But, at the same time, we have a paramount need for high security throughout that process. Maintaining that level of data security and integrity while moving terabytes of data in and out of our facilities every day can be extremely challenging, and demands an ever-growing commitment from our engineering teams to both physical and network security." OPPORTUNITIES: "New York has been blessed with a lot of work in the last year. Feature starts and network pilots, including the non-traditional networks, such as Netflix and Amazon, get all the headlines, but one interesting thing we're finding is that the scale of the unscripted work is unprecedented and growing ever-more ambitious. Many reality productions are now starting to acquire in 4K, and in raw

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