Tim Lowry

Co-Producer and Post Production Supervisor 

Mother of Normandy

“Mother of Normandy” Documentary Project

In working with various documentary projects, many of the films we see use old archival footage in one form or another. In many cases, this archival footage is of poor quality with heavy flicker, dirt and scratches that can distract you from the story and doesn’t match the polished look of the film.

Roush Media’s latest project “Mother of Normandy” is an example of this type of issue. “Mother of Normandy” is the story of Madame Simone Renaud, the wife of the mayor of St. Mere Eglise, the first town liberated in the World War II D-Day invasion. Madame Renauld spent a lifetime tending to the graves of those American soldiers who died overseas, and corresponding with their loved ones back home.

With “Mother of Normandy” Keith Roush, senior colorist at Roush Media, was not only able to color grade beautiful images but was also able to greatly enhance the quality of these archival clips using our restoration tools. “When you truly want a no-compromise finish on your documentary, our technology allows for some amazing results. When you blend different types of footage, from YouTube to Film Scans, you get differences in frame rates and quality. Our Emmy award-winning algorithms were used for frame rate conversions, grain & noise reduction, sharpening for soft focus, dust and dirt removal, scratch removal, removal of film flickering, film weaving, high quality uprezzing, and adding grain to adjust and match the texture of images. Now try that on your desktop!”

Tim Lowry, Co-Producer and Post Production Supervisor for “Mother of Normandy”, had this to say: “It was truly a pleasure working with senior colorist Keith Roush at Roush Media. He’s skills surpass those of many in this business and he was an irreplaceable asset to our production. We chose Roush Media for the final coloring and processing of our film “Mother of Normandy” for several reasons, but the most important reason was for the amazing film restoration tools they have. We had lots of old war footage, PAL footage, 16mm, 4×3 and 16×9 formats that were badly damaged. Roush Media delivered everything they promised. Not only did they do an outstanding job of coloring our film, but they did an amazing job of restoring our film elements and in some case making them look even better than they were originally shot. It was well worth the price. So, if you want your film finished right, then you must use Roush Media…Period.”

Scheduling your Finishing and Color Grading?

It is always best to plan ahead. The usual procedure is to make a “pencil” booking as early as possible and then reschedule it if necessary. The pencil booking means that we can give advice before we start the finishing and grading sessions and if other bookings wish to confirm the same time, the pencil has the first refusal. More often than not, the initial dates change, but everyone works together to keep the schedule as tight as possible.

Getting a request to start a big job tomorrow implies bad planning, or an unforeseen problem-neither of which are good. We always recommend getting your finishing post house involved in the project as early as possible. Of course, post-production is often unpredictable and we are here to solve problems. A preventative measure like this can save you money in the long run!

The booking needs a start date and duration. Based on the project’s many details, we will help you determine the ideal workflow and schedule for finishing. The duration will depend on many, many things, but here are some guidelines:

• Feature Films: Typically 1-5 days conform, plus 1-3 weeks Color but ranging from 2 days to 6 months! The conform is faster than a Documentary but it takes longer for color grading.

• Documentary: Typically a 1-2 week conform, plus 3-7 days of color.

• Broadcast: Typically 30 minutes of material per day for grading plus the other services.

• Short Films: 1-3 days.

• Commercial Selects: Typically ½-2 days.

• Music Videos: Typically ½-2 days.

Be realistic about the length of time you need or would like. If you don’t have to rush it, you can put more time into making your project look the best it can. It also affects availability, rates, and final cost.

Factors of Cost

How long is the program?

This affects everything and is often one of the first things we ask to figure out the amount of time necessary for the conform and color grade. Make a note of how long the program lasts, how many reels or episodes it is made up of, and an estimate of the number of cuts. If we are conforming the project, be sure to mention the number of tracks as well.

Will the program contain vfx or animation?

If there are vfx or animated elements, how many shots? Do we have mattes for the composite? Mattes can save a great deal of time and give you much better control during grading. There are many ways to optimize these special effects elements. Working out the creative idea and workflow ahead of time is recommended.

How is it shot?

If it is shot on film, do we need to telecine or scan it? Do you want your DI in HD, 2K or 4K? If it is 16mm, it is more likely to need grain reduction than if it is super 35mm.

If it is shot on SD or HD video, the process is very straight forward, but the dynamic range is often limited and that will impact the color grading and possible look.

If it is shot with any of the newer data style cameras, it is important that we plan with you a suitable workflow to preserve any metadata, and manage the color space through the dailies to editorial and the finish. Cameras which have their own proprietary formats or characteristics include (but are not limited to) Viper, Genesis, D21, F35 Sony, and Red.

If the source material is available as log or other proprietary log-like images, we would prefer them. Images that are sourced as log and kept that way have a greater dynamic range, and we have more control over them in the color grade. I have often come across material that was shot in a proprietary log format but was then transferred to a more universal format such as .dpx and converted to linear in the process. There are other workflows that can compromise image quality even though sometimes that cannot be helped. It is never too early to discuss workflow, but it is often too late.

What format will be used to grade from?

Often this is determined by the previous question. (i.e. DPX, R3D, QuickTime Codec, MXF, HDCam-SR tape). With DI grading, the source material for color enhancement might depend on the editing system or another part of the post-production pipeline. The main reason for specifying the grading source is to check compatibility. Our Nucoda works with all of the above formats.

What format is the main deliverable?

Most jobs are primarily for a film, digital cinema or a video finish. This determines the monitoring setup or color space of what we work in. Video (and Blu-ray) jobs are quite simple and require our Sony BVM broadcast monitor set to Rec 709 calibration. Film or Digital Cinema jobs require our DI theater or the BVM and must be calibrated to the lab’s film recorders or P3 Digital Cinema specs. Calibrating a digital projector for film recording is a lengthy process, but once it is done the match can be remarkable.

A Nonlinear DI System conform vs. FCP or Avid Conform

Working from a timeline conformed in the grading system has many big advantages, but it usually takes a bit longer for the conform to translate some of the metadata from the offline edit (i.e. Flops, and other effects and filters). Ideally, the editor/director would check the conform and sign off on that before the actual coloring begins, but that is not always practical.
Grading from a flattened onlined timeline from FCP or Avid is quicker and safer, but the accuracy and latitude of the color correction is sometimes compromised, particularly over transitions and composites. What we choose is based on the project details.

Color grading adds fantastic production value; everything looks better no matter how small the budget is. The principal benefits are:
• To correct continuity
• To stylize the images
• To match or add effects
All projects involve all three of the above goals, but it helps to know which is the main concern. It probably will not affect the quote much, but it helps to have an understanding of what is expected.

If you would like further advice or need a quote, please contact keith@roush-media.com or call (818) 559-8648.

Our talent= Creative Excellence

Technology = Quality

Service = Superior Value & Satisfaction

Experience = Time and Cost Savings

Rates are Negotiable

Roush Media was the post facility on ” Tales of an Ancient Empire ” and as such we have in our possession the “negative” and various other materials of the film.

All the raw footage original camera masters and various other files, a blu-Ray disk, and original script notes used by the editor of the film are for sale from Roush Media Inc. as part of a default in payment and the lien we hold on the film.

For any investors, fans or any others, please contact us to purchase these items.

More information on TALES OF AN ANCIENT EMPIRE

KIPP DOWING presents
with CURNAN PICTURES & TONY RIPARETTI
A SAZZY CALHOUN Production
TALES OF AN ANCIENT EMPIRE
An ALBERT PYUN Film

Screenplay: Cynthia Curnan
Executive Producer: Kipp Downing
Producer: Sazzy Calhoun
Director: Albert Pyun (“Cyborg”, “Nemesis”, “Mean Guns”, “The Sword and the Sorcerer”) http://www.albertpyunmovies.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136688/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roush-Media-Inc/84280229464
http://twitter.com/roushmedia

Training for Colorists by Colorists

The International Colorist Academy will be providing Training in Los Angeles at Roush Media on the following courses the week of May 24th. The instructor will be Kevin Shaw. We are limiting the class size so enroll early. For more information and registration, contact us.

May 24        1 day           Colorist Introduction Day 

May 25-27   3 days         Colorist Strategies    

May 28-29   2 days         Popular Looks      

May 31        1 day           Film Master 2009 Updater

Colorist Introduction Day  (May 24) ONLY $99    Register NOW

For people interested in color correction either as a colorist or with a colorist, or just interested. This is a low level beginners day. It will be fun with lots of practical examples, basic grading advice, and a quick look at the history and workflows of color grading. There will also be an overview of the professional grading theatre and equipment that the class is held in.

Colorist Strategies  (May 25-27   3 days)           Register NOW

For industry professionals, assistant colorists and newer colorists. This is an intermediate level class, that covers some basic color theory and an in depth look at color tools. It also suggests grading strategies, and session management. There will be a Digital Vision Film Master to demonstrate, but the course content is not system specific and is useful for using and comparing all grading devices. Laptop systems are welcome in the class.

ICA certificate and 12 month web placement

Popular Looks  (May 28-29   2 days)            Register NOW

For anyone with access to or experience with grading equipment. This is an intermediate level class, that covers Popular Looks and an in depth discussion on how and why to create them. Each technique finishes with variations and ideas to explore. There will be a Digital Vision Film Master for demonstration and hands on, but colorists of all systems are welcome. Laptop systems are also welcome in the class.

ICA certificate and 12 month web placement

Film Master 2009 Updater (May 31  1 day)    Register NOW

For Film Master colorists. This course looks at new tools and features in 2009.0 and 2009.1 software. Emphasis will be on practical use and benefits of the new color tools. There will be a Digital Vision Film Master system running on the latest hardware  for hands on, and class size will be limited to allow practice time.

ICA certificate and 12 month web placement

Kevin’s 25 years of colorist experience will greatly benefit the clients and add to our roster of great talent available at Roush Media.  Kevin, who is a founding member of the International Colorist Academy (ICA), is a recognized instructor for Digital Vision, da Vinci, and Thomson. His experience with DI on the Nucoda Film Master, 2K Plus, and Spirit 4K systems makes him a great asset to the Roush Media’s creative team. To request Kevin Shaw on your next DI, contact Roush Media at request@roush-media.com or call 818-559-8648.

• Link to reel
• Creative Team of Roush Media

Thursday March 18, 2010

To Learn more or Register

Also meet Keith Roush, Senior Colorist and Founder of Roush Media, who has been working with these innovative end-to-end workflows on a variety of exciting projects at their Burbank post production boutique facility.

• How to create & carry color grading decisions from “on set” to “Digital Dailies” and then ready for Avid Media Composer in native MFX/DNXHD format

• New features in Avid Media Composer v4 to help increase productivity and revenue

• How to conform the Avid AAF timeline side of Film Master to the high resolution DNxHD, DPX, R3D, RED Files, ARRI files and other formats while viewing the media directly from the Unity 

• Apply advanced color grading tools to deliver the best possible image for unprecedented development looks

• Apply advanced image restoration tools such as grain, de-grain, scratch and dust removal and optical effects
• How to manage the difficult task of tracking color grading decisions across complex editorial changes
•  Lock picture and deliver directly to tape master, file master for film out or back to Avid for mastering

click here: http://www.productionhub.com/directory/view.aspx?item=189800