Technicolor Content Services recently announced what the company is calling a “strategic partnership” with Creative Bridge, a pioneer in location-based production services. As part of the deal, Creative Bridge’s Brian Gaffney and Dan Lion have joined Technicolor to oversee the company’s new Location Services group.Creative Bridge launched its Mobile Digital Lab and Theater (MDLT) at NAB 2006. Housed in a 36-foot long trailer, the MDLT is designed to offer “pre-post” services. The trailer is equipped to screen HD dailies, make color decisions, prep for editorial and oversee the archive and confidence duplication of original digital negative—all before you get to the post house. The MDLT has been used for theatrical, television and commercial projects and recently wrapped the ESPN miniseries, The Bronx is Burning.The trailer itself can be configured based on client requirements, offering S.Two or Codex digital storage, or Sony HDCam SR Tape. Internally, it features a 4:4:4 data pipeline with 6TB of redundant storage and offers Assimilate Scratch workflow and color correction tools along with either Avid or Apple Final Cut Studio editorial tools. It also includes such other amenities as a 1920 X 1080 native projector and calibrated monitors, allowing directors and cinematographers to instantly see full-resolution dailies on location. In addition, it will make for a perfect fit with Technicolor’s Digital Printer Lights system, which gives cinematographers an on-set color timing tool with traditional printer light controls. “That’s the idea,” said Gaffney. “They have their Digital Printer Lights system that, right now, is being hand-held by one of their most important color scientists, Josh Pines. Josh is a resource at Technicolor beyond Digital Printer Lights, so Dan and I can come onboard and extend Josh’s reach.” Digital Printer Lights allows cinematographers and directors to create and apply looks on set in a non-destructive fashion while preserving the original digital master. These looks are then brought back to Technicolor’s certified facilities for online finishing, a full digital intermediate process, VFX and final film-out and archiving.”We’ll also take their existing preview screening systems like the Technicolor media server,” added Gaffney. “We’ll take all these ancillary little businesses, put a wrapper around it and call it Technicolor Creative Bridge On-Location Services.”He added that the goal was to eventually build additional trucks as demand increases.Ahmad Ouri, president of Technicolor Content Services explained that “we’ve experienced a strong demand for location-based services. Clients want the efficiencies of making postproduction decisions earlier, during principal photography, and having these decisions carry through seamlessly during the final DI process. Creative Bridge has been a leader in look creation and pre-post workflows in this market.” Ironically, when Technicolor got its first major gig—The Gulf Between (1917), the company actually loaded up its film lab on a railroad car and took it on set in Jacksonville, Fla. (for much the same reason). “So when they said ‘that’s a great idea,’ I said, ‘well that’s how your company started,’” quipped Gaffney.
Written by Scott Lehane
