FEATURE | F I LM V D IG I TAL
Technicolor London has expanding its front-end operations to support film productions by partnering TECHNICOLOR AND CINELAB infrastructure with Technicolor’s digital solutions, under one roof, Technicolor is able to completely service film-based productions – inclusive of dailies, private cloud storage and Technicolor’s VFX and asset management system, Pulse. “Technicolor has worked hard to develop workflows and new technologies to ensure we are providing filmmakers with all of the tools to deliver the highest-quality imagery to audiences worldwide, whether it is shooting on digital or film,” says John Fleming, VP of Post Production & Digital Services at Technicolor London. “Cinelab has established itself very quickly in becoming an important part of the international film ecosystem and by developing this closer working relationship, we are underscoring our commitment to providing filmmakers with the best technology and tools, regardless of which format they shoot on.” Adrian Bull, CEO and co- founder at Cinelab London, says: “I am delighted that Technicolor has chosen Cinelab to set up this new hub. “We have worked with Technicolor on a number of projects in the past and I believe this partnership will be beneficial for clients going forward. The expertise that its front-end team can bring from a digital perspective and our experience with film processing will complement and enhance with Cinelab. By combining Cinelab’s film processing and scanning services and
happened over the last two to three years is that people have started to see and look more closely at the difference between film and digital and they’ve started to recognise that film does look different and it’s not just about resolution and dynamic range. “I have no doubt one of the biggest attractions of going back to shooting on film has is the technical requirements of delivery of 4K and HDR, which suits most multi- platform content delivery requirements.” CLIENT LIST In conclusion, what the new type of film labs like Cinelab has changed is the preconception that you can’t afford film. They have returned the option of shooting this way and are always looking to make the process more efficient using the latest technology surrounding one of the oldest. Movies and commercials have made up most of Cinelab’s client list – and what great movies and award-winning commercials, too: The Last Jedi , Mission Impossible: Fallout , Phantom Thread , Wonder Woman 1984 . Having said that, Bull has had ongoing discussions with Netflix and other streaming companies who are known to design and adhere to extremely tight production guidelines. Shooting on film is not out of the question for them. NEXT ISSUE: WE LOOK AT THE IMPACT THAT KODAK’S NEW FILM LAB IN PINEWOOD HAS HAD ON THE BUSINESS.
ABOVE Wonder Woman 1984 was processed through Cinelab
exactly is that we’ve seen a doubling of business year on year since then in terms of film processing.” In any business, this represents an extraordinary turnaround. Bull’s initial pitch was based on showing clients the different between film and digital and, in his own words, “they had their eyes shut and weren’t interested”. Most of this reaction was based on budgets. You may have the cinematographer and director wanting the film option, but line producers would say no as they thought it would be too expensive; everyone knew that right? “For the first few years, we were constantly being challenged with digital capture budgets while we were trying to make film look comparable to digital budgets. Normally this was around controlling the shooting ratio, how much a film project’s cost is directly proportionate to how much film you shoot. The cameras are relatively cheap, so if you can control that shooting ratio and you’ve got a really good script and team with actors who know what they’re doing, then you can control that ratio and make something that at 10:1 or 12:1 on 35mm 3-perf looks comparable to the cost of shooting digital. Film depends on the discipline of shooting, because every time you pull the trigger, it’s costing you money,” Bull explains. “I think what’s
our respective offerings to independent, theatrical and streaming studios.”
We’ve seen a doubling of business, year on year in terms of film processing
54 DEF I N I T ION | APR I L 20 1 9
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