Basingstoke, UK — January 15, 2019 - EditShare a technology leader in intelligent scale-out storage, AQC and media management solutions, announced today that global energy brand BP, has invested in the XStream EFS scale-out storage platform and Flow media asset management to manage the commissioning, producing and publishing of BP-related media projects.

“In its 110-year history, BP has published more than 10,500 films, documentaries, commercials and corporate videos covering a diverse range of topics produced in a wide range of geographic locations all around the world. And until recently, nearly all of the filmmaking was done with external resources. In 2015-2016, the BP Communications and External Affairs team set out to build an internal state-of-the-art production and post-production department that would support the diverse project needs and fast-growing content catalog,” states Steven Croston, head of visual media for BP. “We outgrew our original storage and media management system. We needed a replacement that would give us both the room and production capabilities to allow a fluid workflow supporting both internal teams and external contributors dotted around the world. EditShare proved to be the media-centric platform we required. With embedded production tools and workflow automation, we are able to connect the many moving parts and players across BP’s very dynamic production flows.”

The move to in-house streamlined production processes and reduced budgets. Croston adds, “The net result of the move to internal productions was a 40% savings on budget with zero reduction in the number of projects we could achieve or the quality in which they are produced.” The BP-TV team produces around 80 films per year published inside and outside BP.

The EditShare XStream EFS, Flow and AirFlow provide BP an advanced, fault tolerant shared storage infrastructure with comprehensive media asset management tools that connect BP systems and support remote productions. Serving as the control layer for media, Flow tracks all assets from capture to playback with tools to search, retrieve and assemble content as well as automate processes including migration to and from the BP content archive. The XStream EFS 300 stores all BP content up to 8K resolution including rushes, work in progress and finished productions for distribution. With metadata tracked, assets can be easily searched and retrieved via Flow or AirFlow for production internally or externally.

The installation, which was supported by EditShare reseller gaselec.tv, alleviated multiple pain points for BP. “BP is pushing the envelope when it comes to the range of productions they need to manage and this requires immense versatility with their infrastructure,” comments Tara Montford, managing director, EditShare. “They are producing documentaries, promos, animations, and commercials, and require flexibility in how they manage these projects with potentially hundreds of users all over the planet. This is where EditShare shines; you can manage near endless amount of projects simultaneously, limit user access to only certain projects, and have editors step into a different editing suite in which they were working and pick up a project right where they left off. With automating transcoding, EditShare also gives BP a way to create a mezzanine format and standardize production codecs. This is critical when dealing with content volumes of this magnitude.”

For more information on EditShare XStream EFS, Flow media asset management and AirFlow, please visit www.editshare.com.

About EditShare

EditShare is a technology leader in networked shared storage and tapeless, end-to-end workflow solutions for the post-production, TV and film industries. Our groundbreaking products improve efficiency and workflow collaboration every step of the way. They include video capture and playout servers, high-performance EFS central shared storage, AQC, archiving and backup software, media asset management, and Lightworks – the world’s first three-platform (Windows/OS X/Linux) professional non-linear video editing application.

©2019 EditShare LLC. All rights reserved. EditShare is a registered trademark of EditShare.

Press Contact

Alex Molina
Zazil Media Group
(e) alex@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (617) 834-9600

Fremont, CA - September 5, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Los Angeles based distribution company Multicom Entertainment Group is using a Cintel Scanner, DaVinci Resolve Studio, UltraStudio 4K and DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel as part of its film restoration workflow.

As an independent distribution company, Multicom Entertainment Group owns more than 1,500 titles, with more than 200 of them on film. According to Executive Director Andrew Baritz, “When looking at our entire workflow it became obvious that building our own post workflow would be more time and cost effective than partnering with an outside post house to do it for us. The costs and wait times of using outside labs for HD and UHD film scans were too high, especially with a library of our size.”

Since purchasing the Cintel Scanner in mid 2017, Multicom Entertainment Group has completed more than 20 film restorations, including Academy Award winning documentary “The Long Way Home,” horror film “Slaughterhouse Rock," the classic tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio” and romantic biopic “The Whole Wide World,” which is slated for BluRay release in September 2018.

“We’ve already restored around two dozen films using the Cintel Scanner and currently have another five in progress. With most films using five reels, and occasionally capturing release prints along with original negatives (ON) for color reference, somewhere between 100 to 200 reels have already been captured, creating close to 100TB of RAW scanned data,” said Baritz.

Multicom Entertainment Group scans 35mm and 16mm film using a Cintel Scanner with a Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader, and then does its restoration work using DaVinci Resolve Studio and a DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel. Additionally, the team uses an UltraStudio 4K, Teranex 2D Processor and multiple DeckLink capture cards as part of its workflow.

“Once assets are scanned and move to our edit bay, we use DaVinci Resolve Studio for all color correction, grain removal, audio extraction and stabilization,” said Baritz.

Lead Editor Meni Philip described working with DaVinci Resolve Studio as exercising muscle memory, since he first worked with it more than 10 years ago in Berlin. Philip cited using multiple facets of both DaVinci Resolve Studio and the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, including how the knobs on the control panel, specifically RGB, keyboard and color wheels, have helped improve his workflow. “I rarely use the mouse as the panel makes post faster and more precise,” he said.

According to Philip, the system gives him the opportunity to go beyond correcting color and grain, since DaVinci Resolve Studio divides colors into RGB and Luminance separately with full individual control of each, which provides much more control in the overall restoration of a film’s color. Philip employed this exact technique to overcome grading issues in his recent restoration of the 1982 film, “The Retrievers.”

“Even if you have a very faded film, you can still achieve very high quality results with DaVinci Resolve Studio, tackling challenging footage with ease,” he noted. “We also work with the Cintel Scanner to create the stabilization and master files from the scans. The quality is great, especially with the cost of the machine, and the ability to scan in real time allows for fast replacements of scanned assets, creating fast and efficient scans."

“We have scanned film stock ranging all the way from 35mm ON, interpositives (IP), internegatives (IN) and release prints to 16mm ON, IP, IN and even A, B prints. Our films live in all formats from all years of production,” concluded Baritz. “Having the flexibility to capture most professional film in house has allowed us to bring back films from the past that could not afford to shoot on 35mm.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Cintel Scanner, DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader, UltraStudio 4K, Teranex 2D Processor, DeckLink and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Multicom Entertainment Group

Multicom Entertainment Group is an independent distribution company focusing on the worldwide television, digital media, publishing, licensing and merchandising marketplaces. With countless episodes of acclaimed classic television series, hundreds of movies and new theatrical films, Multicom's expansive catalog boasts a powerful portfolio of global superstars in every format and genre. Multicom has established itself as an industry leader, cultivating strong relationships with partners worldwide, delivering broadcast quality content wherever, whenever and however it is consumed. For more information, you can visit www.Multicom.tv, for blog updates, www.Multicom.tv/blogs, and to learn more about the library, www.Multicom.tv/Library/

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com

LAS VEGAS– Kodak is relaunching the Super 8 with an initiative aimed at putting the cameras into the hands of young filmmakers and big-timers who cut their teeth on the brick-shaped film cameras. Kodak is kicking off its Super 8 Revival Initiative with a an early prototype of the new Kodak Super 8 camera on display at CES.

The Kodak Super 8 Revival Initiative includes what Kodak depicts as a return to film.

“It is an ecosystem for film” said Jeff Clarke, Eastman Kodak CEO. “Following the 50th anniversary of Super 8, Kodak is providing new opportunities to enjoy and appreciate film as a medium.”

Kodak got the blessing of several big-name Hollywood directors.

E.g., Christopher Nolan began making short movies with his father’s Super 8 camera at age seven. “The news that Kodak is enabling the next generation of filmmakers with access to an upgraded and enhanced version of the same analog technology that first made me fall in love with cinematic storytelling is unbelievably exciting,” Nolan said.

Here’s Stephen Spielberg: “For me, 8mm was the beginning of everything. When I think of 8mm, I think of the movies.”

And “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director, J.J. Abrams: “While any technology that allows for visual storytelling must be embraced, nothing beats film. The fact that Kodak is building a brand new Super 8 camera is a dream come true. With a gorgeous new design, interchangeable lenses and a brilliant scheme for development and delivery of footage, this camera appears to be the perfect bridge between the efficiency of the digital world and the warmth and quality of analog.”

By launching its first Super 8 camera product in more than 30 years, Kodak said it is “demonstrating its resolve to ensure that film plays an important role in the future of filmmakers—both professionals and amateurs.”

Kodak has engaged with Yves Béhar, design entrepreneur and founder of Fuseproject, to ensure that the new Kodak Super 8 camera design echoes the look and feel of the original Kodak Super 8 camera, introduced in 1965, while adding a modern sensibility.

“Kodak has always represented innovation that is approachable while delivering the craft of filmmaking. Our design aspires to express both these ideals. We are designing the Kodak Super 8 camera with robust materials and new ergonomic features to serve the needs of Super 8 fans, whether shooting action or static scenes,” Béhar said.

Now in my 30th year writing this column, this has been a great opportunity to report on the latest editing technology, shine a spotlight on some of the most talented practitioners of our craft, and indulge in the dissection of the greatest examples of the art and craft of editing.

Over the years, my attempt to understand the aesthetics of the editing craft has provided the most challenging quest for this column. We know editors have three great tools at their disposal: context, contrast and rhythm. But whether the final cuts in a sequence are determined by the editor, director, writer or producer, in addition to appreciating the “hows” of editing, post-production, pros can also advance the discussion when editors gather around the ol’ campfire of discarded floppy discs by comprehending the “whys” of editing.

RHYTHM OF THE AUDIO

Alan Ladd (L) as Shane and Van Heflin as Joe Starrett in the movie “Shane”
Most of the time, experienced editors know that you usually cut to the rhythm of the audio. That can be either cutting (or cutting around) dialog or action, and the reason for this leads us to ask, “Why are we able to perceive an edited sequence at all?”

Instead of a coherent stream of images, why don’t our brains simply receive a succession of disparate shots? After all, in music, the notes, percussions, harmonies and counterpoints enter the brain as a continuous flow. So why does our vision permit, in fact yearn for, a continuity imposed on visual sequences derived from the sum of their whole?

That’s because ears don’t blink.

Watch a person’s eyes and you will see them darting from one angle to another—up, down, left, right—constantly in motion. Yet our brains do not receive “image-black-image” or “image-swish-image.” It constructs a coherent appreciation of our perceived surroundings by discarding the visual information that falls below a threshold of comprehensibility during the instant of either a blink or an accelerated whip/pan. Sometimes this is called the “suppression of vision” to correlate with the “retention of vision” concept that creates moving images out of a sequence of stills presented in rapid succession.

As a result, thanks to the suppression of vision our brains are continually melding a smooth flow of impressions from the jumbled mess our visual acuity either blends together or rejects unnoticed.

Audio, on the other hand, washes over an audience continually, undaunted by whether they actually want to hear a specific sound or not. The result is that we are very comfortable cutting to audio. But what would happen if we cut to picture? What if the images alone determined the pacing? Can that work at all?

Acknowledging we are stepping into the realm of the subjective I’ll be using as examples some classic sequences that have historically entered our legacy from a wide enough spectrum of audiences to allow us to advocate the “work.” But cutting to picture, i.e. letting the content of the visuals determine the pacing, can be a tricky proposition.

ICONIC PUNCTUATION

These days, about the only time we see pure images dominate the construction of an edited sequence is during PG-rated lovemaking scenes where editors dissolve away just before revealing the good parts. But they are in a titillating class of themselves.

One of the earliest examples of intentionally cutting to picture in a film that had international impact comes in the first segment of Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent classic “The Battleship Potemkin.” The opening chapter “People and Worms” depicts the flashpoint behind the maritime mutiny during the revolution of 1905.

Sailors are complaining their meat is rife with maggots. In the mess hall we see dining tables suspended on rope from the ceiling. Uniformed attendants pull them down into position, but Eisenstein is not satisfied in showing this with a single shot. Instead, the tables are yanked into position in a succession of four rapid, overlapping cuts. This editing technique, never seen before in silent cinema, must have left an unsettling impression on audiences of the day. But Eisenstein is only sowing the ground for a subsequent harvest.

He pays it off when later one of the galley boys picks up the dinner plate he is washing and reads the inscription, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Enraged, he raises the plate over his head and, in a quick series of seven or eight again over-lapping shots (I think one cut is caused by a broken negative), smashes it down on the table.

There is no soundtrack to cadence the rhythm, but this cutting to picture slams home the sailors’ disgust with the food they are forced to eat, and capped by a quick fade out, provides an iconic punctuation to end the first part of this archetypal paean to the art of editing.

UNDERSTANDING THE POWER OF EDITING

Alan Ladd and Van Heflin in the scene chopping away at the stump.
Take as another example two contrapuntal scenes from the classic western, George Steven’s 1953 “Shane,” edited by William Hornbeck and Tom McAdoo.

After being offered a fine evening meal, the wandering gunslinger, Shane (Alan Ladd) notices a tree stump outside the window that the homesteader, Joe Starrett (Van Heflin) has been trying to clear from his land. In gratitude to the wife Marian’s (Jean Arthur) cooking, he takes up an axe and starts chopping away at the stump’s base.

Joe joins him and we are treated to a visual sequence of two men, whacking away side-by-side, helping to fulfill the dream of one while ennobling the other. Left/right, left/right, the axes tear into the wood in a succession of 20 or so edits, with the men pausing after the 16th shot to grin at each other in a moment we would now call male bonding.

This sequence is accompanied by Victor Young’s driving orchestral score, but watch it one time without audio and you will see that the juxtaposition of images compels the scene forward solely by the power of the alternating pictures, creating an impact that almost lets you feel the steel blades attack the obstinate wood. And once again seeds are being planted to be reaped in a subsequent scene.

Later, Shane is accosted by a scruff of range hands in Grafton’s Saloon being urged on by the grizzled cattle rancher Rufus Ryker (Emile Meyer) who wants to steal Starrett’s land. Outnumbered, Shane is about to be beaten to a pulp when Joe Starrett, seeing the melee from the General Store, grabs a wooden bat and joins the fray. Again, fists fly left/right, left/right until Shane and Starrett find themselves back-to-back circled by the cowboys. They look at each other with triumph on their faces and the audience suddenly understands the symbolic significance of that lowly stump the two had previously conquered.

This time, Victor Young’s music only comes in toward the end and just as before, you can best appreciate the power of this pivotal scene with the sound turned completely off. The rhythm of the visuals demonstrates how effective cutting to picture can be in the hands of someone who truly understands the power of editing.

Jay Ankeney is a freelance editor and post-production consultant based in Los Angeles. Write him atJayAnkeney@mac.com.