CineMontage

Spring 2015

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66 CINEMONTAGE / SPRING 2015 MAINTAINING AN OPEN-DOOR POLICY To head off potential problems, Boze says he needs to listen to his people. "After a while, you get a gut instinct — it's not going to be fine, so I need to have somebody to fix it. And you cannot always assume that everything will go right; you need to view the project through the eyes of the client and anticipate problems. I like to hear from the creatives what is going well, and I like to hear what is not going well." Johnston also seeks input from editors and mixers. "I search through the noise to see what is really happening," he explains. "Our creative talent is very technologically aware. As an independent post facility, we need to be lean and mean — to do more with less and find the unique, cost- effective solution while simultaneously delivering a better- quality product. "We are always looking for efficient solutions from editorial, pre-dubs and mix," Johnston continues. "For example, I have been taking a close look at Fortium Technologies' MediaSeal, a file encryption scheme for post- production [that authenticates authorized users through hardware keys]. "In this way, our QuickTime video files can be secured against unauthorized viewing and piracy. The file encryption works across Mac and Windows platforms; it should be employed by everybody!" Adds Collier, "My crew is pretty small for the amount of technology we oversee, so we all talk to one another to keep up with developments. We carefully monitor new releases of Avid Pro Tools; for the moment, we have decided to stay with X, rather than upgrade to XI. When we consider it safe, we move over to the new version; to ensure full compatibility of the whole facility, we will need to be updated." According to Novitch, Technicolor recently made the transition to Pro Tools XI on all the Paramount stages. "But plug-in compatibility is a major headache," he acknowledges. "Since we have two Toy Boxes on each stage for dialogue and effects, we need multiple licensed copies of each plug-in. Editorial is a little different, because we hold subsets of the plug-ins that are available on the dub stages." Boze is also sensitive to the needs of guest mixers using the facility's two stages. "We employ several dub stage engineers — including Andy Winderbaum, Ryan Stern and Dan Abrams — to be 'the Face of the Stage' and handle such matters as explaining the Crestron lighting-control panels and networks access. Local support from Avid for our Euphonix System 5 consoles is good, and we're pretty good at finding solutions to day-to-day problems." "My day is planned around lists of projects, including R&D into ways to complete specific jobs," Collier explains. "I operate an open-door policy so I can hear from anybody on the lot who needs our help; accessibility has always been my style." Agrees Norvitch, "I also try and call on each stage at least once a day to check on any problems and learn more about the workflow." "Our crews all share information with one another," Boze confirms. "Visiting editors also bring us news of software developments. Engineers are a community; we all know one another and keep in touch with developments." In terms of people skills, "We need to be able to calm clients down and exude confidence. Here at Disney, I have some of the best people to do the best job. After all, grandstanding is okay, but you have to deliver the goods!" CONNECTING EDITORIAL SUITES AND DUB STAGES Data networking remains a primary concern for Boze. "Keeping material flowing to the stages is our domain," he concedes. "We have a server on each stage, and use offline backup to other media. The server can be completely isolated if necessary for security, or linked in real time to Skywalker Sound," which is also owned by Walt Disney Studios. "We often handle editorial and pre-dubs at Skywalker in Marin County and then final here at Disney Steve Boze.

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