Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/511209
www.postmagazine.com 42 POST MAY 2015 "We believe in futureproofing," says Worley. "We can do high frame rates and even 8K." Morlano likens the transition to 4K to the industry's migration from SD to HD and says PFT is "already ahead of the curve with expanded 4K post and finishing." The company recently finished its first 4K reality series: four parts of Animal Planet's Too Cute franchise. The company worked closely with the client and equipment vendors to create a 4K workflow that best suited the project. "True Entertainment cut the shows on Avid and brought them to us for the 4K conform and color correction in Resolve," says Morlano. "We went to Blackmagic Design for some proprietary patches for Resolve; we also worked with Adobe Pre- miere — it was the only system capable of handling Discovery Networks' specific 4K codec. It was exciting to figure out." WorleyWorks has had inquiries about virtual reality, "from a narrative story- telling standpoint," says Reynolds, but there's been no direct VR work yet. Stereo 3D projects, though, have come to a standstill. "We had two projects last year that cancelled, but there's not even a sniff this year," he reports. Morlano believes that PFT is well positioned to become "one of the big players" on the New York post scene. It's his job to ensure that PFT has "a bigger presence in New York," and to support its growth, the company had made addi- tional executive hires: Tris Baer as vice president of business solutions and Rick Crosta as vice president of sales. "After we get post humming we want to integrate CLEAR, our Hybrid Cloud-enabled Media ERP Suite and cloud media services, including Dax, our production workflow application and digital dailies service, into the facility," says Morlano. "Eighty percent of scripted content in the US is delivered by Dax to networks; we could [increase] that if real- ity programming also took advantage." WorleyWorks defines itself "as very niche" market and plans "to remain small," says Reynolds. The company also offers creative production packages to filmmakers and has an inventory of Sony F55 cameras, Steadicams, Cooke and Fujinon lenses, and lights. "We're buying a pair of Arri Alexas," says Worley. "We also have Briese and Arri flicker-free lights for high frame rates. We want to outfit filmmakers with the best technology for the highest quality production and post. New York's produc- tion and post tax incentives both apply to us, so it's a real win-win situation." COMMERCIAL POST EVOLVES ON MADISON AVENUE Commercial advertising does not qualify for New York post tax incentives so stu- dios specializing in the spot market hav- en't experienced the boom that facilities catering to film and television have seen. The 21st century ad business is healthy but changing. Traditional :30 broadcast spots still play a central role in many ad campaigns, but marketers are also cre- ating online spots, messages for social media and longer-form online content. There's a shift of budgets, too, as ad platforms broaden. This isn't exclusive to New York: It's happening nationwide. In the transition from broadcast to digital, commercial post houses are seeing a wider scope of clients than just ad agencies: PR and branding compa- nies, small marketers direct and even production companies tasked with doing turnkey projects. To facilitate efficiency and possibly cut costs across all platforms some of these clients seek post houses with under- one-roof services, either from a single company or a collective of specialist partners. They're looking for more bang for the buck: Campaigns may start with a :30 broadcast spot then add social media pieces, a behind-the-scenes film, and maybe longer-form content that resides on a Website. From this "360" perspective, one shoot yields a host of deliverables. Napoleon Group (www.napo leongroup.com) has been a factor on New York's advertising scene since 1985, when it was known for its previs work. "We were a formidable force in previs for high-end test commercials," says director of business development, Paul Johnson. "Then clients began coming to us with other problems to solve. We grew our services and pipeline, and now we have a turnkey facility with all the bells and whistles. But we're the only post house in New York with an in-house art studio; character development and storyboard- ing are in our DNA." Brooklyn-based audio post studio Fall On Your Sword (www. fallonyoursword.com) recently opened a new 700-square-foot mix room it calls "The Foundry." The Dolby-certified studio can handle 5.1 and 7.1 projects, and is based around Avid's Pro Tools 11 HD and an S6 M40 control surface. Since opening, the room has been used to mix Queen of Earth; It's Me, Hilary; Contra; Muckland; and Bodies at War. Greg and Minah Worley say they've seen a difference in the quality of work coming through their Brooklyn-based studio, Worleyworks, thanks to tax incentives. NEW YORK POST HOUSES