Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1256765
REMOTE WORKFLOWS www.postmagazine.com 27 POST MAY/JUNE 2020 SimpleCloud enabling remote workf lows MADRID, SPAIN — SimpleCloud (simplecloud.io) is a cloud-based platform that provides management and setup of a virtual studio. Based in Madrid, with representation in Los Angeles, the company's platform allows users to be connected to a virtual workstation from anywhere, through any thin client or HTML 5-supported browser. As the COVID-19 crisis began, SimpleCloud worked with its integration partner CineSys-Oceana to help companies that had closed their offices quickly transition to working remotely. When ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, decided to close its campus, they needed a solution to help students work remotely, and to have it in place within a few days. Their en- tertainment design program required access to workstations with powerful GPUs given the software used for their classes. Professor Christophe Gomez was already familiar with SimpleCloud, and the school chose the solution after testing various options. By using SimpleCloud, the ArtCenter was able to transition within a few days, and the students could keep working on their projects from home, with only a thin client and internet connection. Lucky Post, the full-service post production studio — with locations in Dallas and Austin — offers creative editorial, color, VFX, finishing, motion graphics and sound design. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down most of the nation, the studio was looking for a way to keep its employees working. Media systems integrator CineSys-Oceana (www.cinesysinc.com) introduced them to SimpleCloud. The studio needed a collaboration solution that would offer speed and efficiency with the tools, while also connecting 16 remote locations. "We found that SimpleCloud, combined with our Evercast streaming solu- tion, was the most efficient way to move forward with active projects and spin up new projects in a virtual environment," explains Lucky Post's senior Flame artist, Tim Nagle. "We have had a long relationship with CineSys- Oceana and we know and trust them to jump in and help us find a solution whenever we need one." SimpleCloud had been helping customers work remotely well before the pandemic began. GTB in Dearborn, MI, had an offshore initiative that was two months behind. Post production operations director Dean Dolce was introduced to SimpleCloud and had one week to prove it capable. In one day, CineSys had helped them create their account and virtual studio. VFX Legion gets jump on remote VFX pipeline LOS ANGELES — VFX Legion (www. VFXLegion.com) has a collective of more than 100 artists that are working from the safety of their homes. The LA-based company, which has a satellite studio in British Columbia, has been using remote workflow technology for years while providing feature films and episodic series with high-quality, cost-effective visual effects. Founder James David Hattin is the architect of the studio's next generation remote pipeline. Launched in 2013, the company brings together a diverse team of specialized home-based talent in a transparent virtual work environment. "I don't think most of our clients are even aware of our remote approach," says Hattin. "What keeps them coming back is the trust we've earned. They know they can rely on our ability to deliver large shot counts of photoreal vi- sual effects on tight budgets and consistently meet deadlines while elevating production value with sheer technical ingenuity." Since opening, the studio has contributed work for Madam Secretary, Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder — all shows that have returned to work with the company season after season, right through their finales. When the coronavirus came out of left-field, there was no time to prepare. Almost overnight, remote capability became the only option for enabling projects to move forward safely. "Working remotely to produce visual effects presents unique challenges," says Hattin. "It takes large teams of artists with specialized disciples to create multiple components for a shot that fit together seamlessly in composite, blend into a computer-generated environment, and produce the mix of effects that augment footage." It took Hattin over a year to develop and build a remote pipeline that could meet the challenges that complex visual effects present. "The time we invested upfront, developing the structure, methodology, procedures, and other essential elements, was well spent," says Hattin. "It allowed us to build a ground-breaking, state-of-the-art remote pipeline and hone our approach and workflows while vetting talent and growing a large and diverse collective of experienced artists." Lucky Post's Elizabeth V. Moore and her SimpleCloud-enabled WFH setup. James David Hattin Scandal