Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/237968
Bling Digital's POD set-up allows pros to work on or near set. formats, and our ability to work with big data and our depth of experience with digital cinema has made us uniquely well-suited to help those clients." THREATS: "The biggest thing we have to worry about as an industry, for which we need a comprehensive solution, is the long-term archiving of digital media. People still use motion picture film and data tape, which is really the 'least-worst' digital backup format that we have. But we really need an archival medium that is fast, thermodynamically stable, and capable of holding millions of terabytes of media data, including the vast sea of media that still exists today in an analog form. And we need this archival medium to be invulnerable to systemic failure — what I call 'horizontal catastrophe.' " OUTLOOK FOR 2014: "This coming year portends growth in both the complexity and scale of production in all areas of our industry, greater diversity in distribution channels, greater demands on the contribution infrastructure, and mind-expanding projects from across the broad spectrum of clients that we serve. We have made a renewed investment in New York and in our global partnerships, and feel that this is a truly miraculous time for our industry." Chris Parker CTO Bling Digital/SIM Group Los Angeles www.blingdigital.com/index.html Bling Digital is a full service post facility with offices across North America that joined in 2009 with the SIM Digital group of companies to offer clients a wide range of digital workflow solutions, including on-set workflow management, dailies, editing, offline and final color. STRENGTHS: "One benefit of being a division of the SIM Group is the tie-in with camera rentals through SIM Digital. In today's world of digital cameras and file-based post, a strong link between what comes off the back of the camera and the post world is needed up front. So we are able to prep shows, and provide camera and work- flow engineers, and work it all tightly, as a unified system. "We offer services as so-called PODs, a moniker that stands for 'post on demand.' The idea is to bring post services to the set, or near set, and deliver them wherever the client needs it. So mobile services have become a big strength. You see shows shipping out to wherever they can get tax credits, but while many of them still post in Los Angeles, they need mobile dailies services wherever they are. Mobility and a more efficient process are big strengths you have to have in this kind of economic environment." WEAKNESSES: "An area where things need to improve in terms of efficiency is the finishing end of things. Some of the same opportunities exist with finishing that we have implemented with dailies, but there are some barriers to having it roll out to the producer's advantage as quickly as we'd like. There is a reluctance out there to change the paradigm for finishing, to offer it as a more mobile service or efficient service. But certainly, you can put finishing capabilities into editorial offices efficiently, and you can do coloring and editing there or just off the stage. "We have been doing that with TV shows, where we have finishing PODs in the editorial office, and producers get to spend more time on their shows. We can do the final color and online and output of the studio master from the editorial office, and we are looking to educate clients on doing even more of it that way." OPPORTUNITIES: "What the industry needs is a digital file standard that could eventually help us replace HDCAM-SR tape with a file-based format for working and finishing entirely in the data world for television. I see that eventually happening, and opening new areas for us to create and deliver for multiple platforms. We have been having discussions on doing [more versioning and file-conversion work] with all the Netflixes and Amazons out there. I certainly see post houses expanding horizons, and diving deeper into the world of file processing on the delivery end of things." THREATS: "In the near term, there is always concern about upcoming labor negotiations for the few unions that do not yet have things settled with the studios. If there were work stoppages in 2014, that would be bad for the entire industry. I also think there is a risk for www.postmagazine.com Post • December 2013 37