Post production is heating up - Editor's Note

Post, Dec, 2003 by Randi Altman

Things are starting to get exciting. HD, digital intermediates, low-cost tools ... post production is heating up and so are the debates.

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While Apple and Adobe have made the cost of entry into the professional post world a non-issue, the concern has been raised about quality of the work. Some say the democratization of post will result in lower-quality projects and possibly the demise of the mid-level post house. Some say it's the talent and not the tools that make a difference. They say it's the people working out of their basements who could drive down budgets and in doing so take the quality in the same direction. Others say putting these tools into the hands of many will open up new ideas and bring us to places we've never been. A good example of the latter would be the evolving world of the independent filmmaker.

And what about the trend toward the digital intermediate? There are very few negatives relating to this process and D1 is likely to keep the big post house busy and healthy for years to come. The same could be said for HD work. But where's the middle ground?

Roy Harter of NYC's Editional Effects is from the "it's the talent that matters" camp. "The cheaper the gear gets, and the more accessible the equipment becomes, the more of a [hot] commodity your talent becomes. I used to worry that as workstations started appearing on producers' laptops, would there still be a need for an editor? I realize that our talent is more valuable now than it ever has been! We are still human, and successful creative collaborations are still the most rewarding aspects to this business. I think in the near future, successful editors and engineers will need to be more than the bridge between the technology and client. They will need to be able to provide valid creative insight into every project they do. Clients don't just seek creativity in an editor anymore, they demand it."

Tim King, president of Marina del Rey, CA's iPostini, is excited about HD. "Post is riding an incredibly steep ascent to HD 24p 2004 will see a huge upswing to 24p photography due to incredible camera and lens advances at companies like Panavision. And for me, in post, we love the enormous flexibility with visual effects and digital intermediates--it's fantastically efficient and the quality is spectacular."

This month, Post takes a look back at the industry in 2003 and looks ahead to 2004. Turn to our SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) stories in this issue. They start on page 26.

By

RANDI ALTMAN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

raltman@advanstar.com