Atlantic Productions improves Avid workflow for 3-D post

London-based production and post house Atlantic Productions has purchased two Avid Media Composer Nitris DX systems to support both 2-D and 3-D projects across the facility’s Avid Unity network, which connects all of its edit suites and enables a collaborative workflow.

These new systems provide Atlantic Productions with high-quality DNxHD offline pictures, resulting in much improved storage efficiency and the highest-quality picture playback. The production company has also invested in HP Z800 workstations to further accelerate 3-D production.

Atlantic Productions has worked with Avid editing systems for many years as a platform to create the high-end documentaries it is renowned for. In 2010, Atlantic begin working on 3-D production for “Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough,” which looked into how giant pterosaurs took to the skies 220 million years ago.

The production company has announced another major project using groundbreaking 3-D technology, “Penguins 3D,” in collaboration with Sky 3D and David Attenborough, which will provide a dramatic look into the world of king penguins on the uninhabited island of South Georgia.

The new stereoscopic features in Avid Media Composer enable editing in stereoscopic 3-D direct from the timeline, without the need for specialized 3-D editorial tools. The Media Composer Nitris DX hardware also provides stereo 3-D monitoring while the editor/director edits and previews in 2-D.