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November/December 2022

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www.postmagazine.com 4 POST NOV/DEC 2022 BITS & PIECES DAYSHA BROADWAY CUTS NEW WHITNEY HOUSTON BIOPIC LOS ANGELES - Editor Daysha Broadway recently cut the new Whitney Houston biopic, I Wanna Dance with Somebody. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, the Sony Pictures film stars Naomi Ackie as the singer, along with Stanley Tucci and Ashton Sanders. Broadway was challenged with showcasing Whitney in a relatable and em- pathetic manner, with the goal of returning her dignity and respect. She also had to balance scenes of Whitney's on- and off-stage life, as well as ensure that all character arcs were completed to fully represent what motivated the singer throughout her life, her relationship with loved ones and her struggles. Broadway cut the feature in the 2.39 aspect ratio using Avid Media Composer, editing the offline at 1920- by-1080 with the DNxHR LB codec. "I've been edit- ing the film since October 2021," she explains. "I cut the (editor's cut) remote- ly in Los Angeles while the film was be- ing shot on the East Coast. Then I flew to Boston to work on the director's cut with Kasi for a little over three months. Then we came back to Los Angeles to work on the studio cut and lock the picture. It's been a little over a year from EC to the final mix." The fact that the subject matter was that of such a well-known star made things a bit nerve wracking, Broadway admits. "There's a lot of pressure to get the most iconic moments right, not to men- tion getting the essence and spirit of Whitney right," she explains. "So choos- ing performances and keeping a healthy balance between the spectacle and the more intimate nature of the film was a challenge. We were also presented with a lengthy script that needed to come down quite a bit. Part of the fun was figuring out creative ways to intercut scenes so that the audience gets the information they need, but the pace is kept up, and we feel like we're moving forward in the story. The scenes complement each other and add weight to one another. The 'Sometimes' interview scene is a good example of that." For Broadway, the most exciting sequence to cut was Houston's Super Bowl performance, where she sings the National Anthem. "There were many moving parts," the editor recalls. "Jets, crowds, VFX, etc. But then there was also the story. Whitney just wanted to be herself — to have things her way for once. I wanted to make sure we were selling that as well. Ultimately, it turned out to be a very moving piece in the film." I Wanna Dance with Somebody, which opens in theaters December 23rd, was Broadway's largest project to date. "It's huge in scale, has tons of VFX, involves many producing parties," she explains. "The estate was involved, and I was flying all over the country, trying to get it done. There was a lot of heavy lifting in post, and I'm proud we got it done. It's a great, big film befitting an icon." For Iain Blair's conversation with director Kasi Lemmons, turn to page 16. BLEAT POST PRODUCTION LAUNCHES LONDON — Based in Hackney's bustling Broadway Market, Bleat (www.bleat.tv) is a new, high- end post production finishing house. The studio is the brainchild of composer, producer and mixer Tristin Norwell, and offers theatrical and Dolby Atmos mixing, along with color grading, online and conform for scripted dramas and documentaries. The post house takes pride in its opulent interior, which includes a marble-top bar. At the heart of the boutique are two Dolby Atmos theatrical mix stages, with an additional four multi-functional hybrid suites that can be employed for grading, online and conform, and/ or Dolby Atmos HETV. The plush, living-room-like theatres are complemented with 4K HDR projection and Alcons speakers, while the four multi-function suites each employ ATC monitors. A marble bar serves drinks, while catering is handled by neighboring restaurant, Café Cecelia. Additional space at Kings Cross houses a dedicated 4K grading suite for 9.2.4 PMC HETV mixing and theatrical premixing. The Hackney site spans 4,000-square feet and was designed by Level Acoustic Design, with construction and technical design by Studio Creations. Additional features include a 10gb infra- structure, QSC's Q-Sys and gear from Blackmagic Design. "We began Bleat with the aim of creating a highly desirable finishing house that would lure people out of the post-COVID hamster-wheel of working from home and back into the creative joy of sharing a face-to-face, collaborative process," explains Norwell. "We are totally made up to have formed a world-class team of operatives who actually make this seamlessly happen." Technical operations are led in picture by Matt Edwards (Azimuth, Coda, Fifty Fifty) and in audio by Saxon Greenep (Splice, Jigsaw24). Sales is headed up by Dan Pagan. Max Norwell is executive management assistant, and operations and ADR management are run by Tatiana Shelbourne. Prior to its launch, Bleat had already accumulated a number of credits, including the final Dolby theatrical mix for the premiere of Amazon's Jungle. George Foulgham also mixed two feature documentaries that screened at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival. Ackie and Lemmons, on-set

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