Continuing to build its post production services for feature films, Chainsaw has hired John Persichetti as Senior DI Colorist. Persichetti brings more than 20 years of experience as a feature film colorist, most recently at Colorworks, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s digital intermediate facility. His credits there included This Is the End, The Amazing Spider-Man, 21 Jump Street and Hotel Transylvania. At Chainsaw, Persichetti will operate out of the company’s new, 4K digital intermediate theater. His first project will be A Haunted House 2 for Wayan Bros. Entertainment.
“John’s arrival is part of our commitment to be the premier, independent provider of post services for feature films in Hollywood,” said Chainsaw General Manager Steve Purcell. “He brings experience at the industry’s highest level and a passion for his craft. We are very pleased to welcome him to the Chainsaw family.”
Annalise Kurinsky, Chainsaw’s Director of Feature Film Services, notes that she had previously worked with Persichetti and immediately thought of him for the role of Senior DI Colorist. “John has worked with many top directors and DPs and is expert in interpreting their visions,” she noted. “We are providing him with an environment where he can continue to grow as an artist while working on diverse projects in a facility with first-class resources.”
Persichetti, who holds a master’s degree in film from NYU, began his career with the post house AME in Hollywood and later worked at CIS, Post Logic Studios, Technicolor and Sony Pictures High Definition Center. He joined the then new Colorworks facility in 2009 and graded its first feature, the 3D animated hit Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Other notable credits include Samsara, Bad Teacher, Mamma Mia!, Superbad and Sin City.
Persichetti is enthusiastic about joining an independent shop where he’ll have an opportunity to work on a broad range of projects. “I’m excited about the quality of independent films being produced today,” he observed. “Chainsaw has built a beautiful facility with great resources for both independents and studio releases. I look forward to helping it grow.”
In a related move, Chainsaw has forged a strategic alliance with Creative Science, a specialist in on-set and near-set dailies and other mobile post services. Creative Science has taken up residence at Chainsaw’s Hollywood facility and the two companies plan to co-venture on film and television projects. Creative Science will support productions with on-set and near-set dailies services; Chainsaw will service them through each stage of post: picture and sound editorial, visual effects, DI color grading and editorial finishing.
Creative Science’s dailies service is based on Colorfront dailies technology as well as its own proprietary software for metadata and digital asset management. The software streamlines workflows and integrates easily with Chainsaw’s Avid editorial systems and Baselight color grading systems. “Data flows smoothly from our systems through editorial and finishing,” observed Creative Science co-founder Marco Bario. “Film projects that we stay engaged with from the set through finishing will enjoy seamless access to all that data.”
The agreement furthers Chainsaw’s goal of offering a seamless workflow for feature post production in the same way that it does for television post. “We want to provide our clients with a complete post production experience,” explained Purcell. “It’s the same formula that has made us a leader in television post for more than 17 years.”
Chainsaw was founded by Emmy-winning editors Bill DeRonde and Mike Polito and originally established itself as a premiere independent provider of editorial and post-production services for scripted and unscripted television series, television specials and other television content.
Chainsaw is located at 940 N. Orange Dr., 2nd floor, Hollywood, CA 90038. For more information, call 323.785.1550 or visit www.chainsawedit.com.
