The Phelps Group, a Santa Monica-based integrated marketing communications agency, has added HD capabilities to the video and broadcast production services it offers to clients. The move coincides with the addition of 2,400 square feet of production space to the agency’s original building. This includes what is known as The Edit Bay, which will house the editing tools and an insert studio for in-house productions. "Industry sources tell us we’re the first agency in the U.S. with the ability to acquire and edit in HD," relates The Phelps Group’s CEO,
Joe Phelps. "As the world transitions to the HD format, we feel it’s important to remain ahead of the curve by offering in-house resources that allow us to deliver our clients’ projects faster, better and cheaper."
The Edit Bay offers several options for editing in hi-def and standard definition formats. For HD production in 1080i and 720P, the agency has invested in Pinnacle Systems’ CineWave HD Capture Board coupled with Apple’s Final Cut Pro software. For standard definition in 30i and 24P formats, editors can choose between these and the Avid Media Composer system.
Panasonic video and audio equipment is featured prominently throughout The Edit Bay. The machine room houses a Panasonic AJ-HD150 for up/down conversion of HD and standard definition material. Additionally, Panasonic’s DVCPRO-HD format is used to store and transfer video material. A 42-inch Panasonic flat panel plasma display hangs from the ceiling for monitoring of playback. Up to eight channels of digital audio can be mixed and routed using the 32-input Panasonic digital mixing console. A sound-isolated booth was added to the studio for recording voiceover material. Audio playback is through two mounted JBL Control 5 monitors.
Phelps says that the agency has been finding myriad uses for hi-def. One example is in the collection of stock footage for products, such as the natural fauna available at one of the agency’s clients– Monrovia Nursery, Monrovia, Calif. "If we shoot bougainvillea in hi-def, it is still going to look the same way five years from now," explains Phelps. "So, we would shoot in HD, down convert to standard definition for immediate use, and have the hi-def footage on hand for when HD becomes more prevalent."
Phelps expects that, initially, most demand for hi-def will be for industrial films and trade-show graphics. As the HD standard becomes more prevalent in the television and broadcast community, the agency will be fully capable of acquiring, editing and producing commercials in hi-def format.
Regarding the decision to make the investment in hi-def at such an early stage in the game, Phelps says that the agency has always believed in the value of investing in technology: "It really just makes things more efficient and consequently gives us a competitive advantage, positioning us as an agency that is looking into the future welfare of our clients. Also, there’s a certain pride factor that comes from being first."
Phelps acknowledges that some risk is involved in jumping in so soon. "I think HD is something that a lot of companies– especially in the broadcast capacity– are taking a wait-and-see attitude on. But there is a window of opportunity that allows our clients to look better than their competition at trade shows, and on industrial films and elements that have nothing to do with broadcast. And when you add to that the ability to archive hi-def footage, it justifies the added expense of going ahead and shooting hi-def now," he contends.
Sam Derloshon, editor, The Phelps Group, oversaw and managed the installation process for the HD upgrade. Derloshon expects demand to pick up as clients become more aware of hi-def’s benefits.
Each of the agency’s clients has been invited to The Phelps Group headquarters for a presentation on HD, and in some instances, this has been their first exposure to hi-def. To date, the most significant completed project has been a campaign consisting of three spots for Western Dental Services, which has 130 offices throughout California and Arizona. The ads were called "Ouch," "What’s a Smile Worth?" and "How Do We Know?" They were shot in hi-def, but finished in standard definition. "We used HD to play with the footage and give us a some added flexibility that we wouldn’t have had otherwise," notes Derloshon.
While The Phelps Group is stocked with postproduction equipment, it does outsource to production and postproduction companies for high-end projects. "There’s a reason that Discreet Logic’s Fire is worth around one million dollars, and there are appropriate places to bring in that kind of firepower," Derloshon points out. "I think the new products from Pinnacle are able to harness a lot of that HD power into our smaller, more compact system, but our system is not going to be as powerful or as fast as some of the more high-end systems."
Until the number of HD television sets in homes significantly increases, Derloshon expects that the strength of HD will be in increasing the resolution and therefore the clarity on video-based projects. "At the highest resolution of video– 1080i– you are almost at a film-like 2K resolution. With the right lens filters and with the right DP, hi-def is really beautiful," Derloshon concludes.
