Production and postproduction companies in Boston, New Englands commercial production hub, have been seeing work escape to places like New York and Los Angeles for years. The lack of state of the art film to tape capabilities is consistently cited as a prime reason by production and post houses, as well as the agencies themselves.
As 98 came to a close, Boston-based Finish Editorial took an enormous risk and invested in Cintels URSA Diamond telecine system with bells and whistles such as Twigi, Scandal as well as a da Vinci Renaissance 8:8:8 color correction system. It also hired veteran colorist Greg Dildine, who joined the Boston house following eight years at Skyview Studios in Chicago (see sidebar page 16).
The rationale was that if quality film to tape capabilities were available in Beantown, the agencies would stay in town for post, and local production and postproduction companies would all benefit.
In its first months offering the new service, it appears that Finishs line of reasoning is sound. Finish COO/editor Don Packer reports that the room has been busy. And Finishs initial clients say they intend to continue to book the room and in turn keep more postproduction in town. They cite efficiencies such as time and cost savings, and add that it is triggering a second look at local talent. If this excitement continues and builds, the new service has the potential to spark the most dramatic change the Boston commercial making community has seen in recent years.
Id be lying if I didnt say its been one of the most well received additions to the community since Ive been in Boston, says Packer, who has been working in the Boston spot community for 17 years. Weve [handled] a number of jobs that would have previously gone to New York for film to tape and likely finishing.
At Finish, Dildine has already worked for such clients as Dunkin Donuts, Humana Healthcare, Spalding, McDonalds and Citizens Bank as well as Boston-based agencies such as Arnold Communications; Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos; Ingalls; and Smash Advertising.
It has also attracted some first-time collaborators. For instance, Packer says a recent Boston Globe spot titled You Looking? via Holland Mark Martin Edmund, Boston, introduced Finish to Cognito Films, Santa Monica. Gary Weis directed. Post remained in Boston, with Dildine as colorist, Packer handling the Avid edit and Tim Kane onlining the spot in Finishs Fire suite.
Repeat Business
Matthew Charde, executive producer at Boston-based Olive Jar Studios, has used Finish for telecine multiple times since the room opened. We are a self-contained animation and effects production company, he explains. Until they made this commitment, we were taking our production to New York, Chicago or the West Coast for postproduction. It was hard. We were traveling for [almost] every spot.
[Finishs telecine service] allows us to transfer and pull all the pieces together near home and at home, he says, noting that Olive Jar has compositing, CG, cel and stop motion animation capabilities in-house. The only thing forcing travel was telecine, he comments.
Charde does still travel, but now we have the option to run our production closer to home. He says, having telecine in town allows us to transfer as we get film back. It allows us to be more efficient with our time. The time we spend traveling is spent on the production.
He also believes creativity will get a boost. I think we all benefit from the experiences of others. If we transfer at Finish and Greg becomes used to the type of work we do, he will use those experiences with other clients, and vice versa.
Some believe the service may also give local talent a closer look. When film to tape went to New York, everything seemed to go with it, Packer explains. There seems to be a rediscovery of the talent here in town. It may be the tail wagging the dog, but it seems to have worked.
It did help introduce Charde to some local talent. For example, Olive Jar recently produced Walking for K-Mart/Thom McCann via Campbell Mithun Esty, Minneapolis, using Finish for film to tape. Olive Jar kept the project in town with Packer as the creative editor and View Point Studios, Boston and Needham, Mass., handling the finishing.
Rod Smith, senior VP/associate creative director at Arnold, recently went to Finish for film to tape on Chasing Trends for Talbots clothing stores, and he too intends to become repeat business. Smith believes that having a talent like Dildine is what really makes Finish competitive. Its great for Boston. Up until now, there hasnt been anything [or anyone] of this quality, he asserts. [Finish] is growing along with the needs of the community so we dont have to go to New York or L.A. for this quality. … We get really good quality without the expense of travel and hotels.
As someone with a family in Boston, Smith comments, in post its nice to be in your backyard. A lot of us dont want to be in L.A. an extra couple weeks. Id rather work here in town.
But editing and finishing, he believes, will remain a variable. Smith points out that often directors recommend the editor but sometimes you dont want to go with their editor.
Mark Hankey, executive producer at Boston-based Picture Park, is another Finish client. Picture Park has already used the company for film to tape services on First Night, a Providence New Years Eve promo via RDW Group, Providence, R.I. Hankey says the production company intends to continue to book Finish for film to tape, noting time and costs savings compared to traveling to New York or other production hubs.
Generally, he believes the Boston-based industry is happy that the room is available, and he suspects it will have a positive impact on the city as a whole. A lot of people are staying here to transfer. It was the one thing missing greatly in Boston. … [Now] there is no need to go to New York unless youre looking for very specific things.
This is not Packers first go at telecine operations. During the 80s, a then-state of the art telecine bay was housed at now-defunct VideocraftaPackers former roostawhich was among the Boston-based post houses that closed during the early 90s when the city was hit hard by the recession. Videocraft, he says, attracted clients from cities such as Cleveland, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh that would otherwise have traveled to New York for film to tape. Packer intends to target those and other new markets again.
Packer maintains the key to success is in finding the right colorist. I did extensive research to find a great colorist, he says, complimenting Dildines understanding of his craft as both technical and aesthetic.
Of course, despite the initial excitement being generated by the new service, the system has only been up and running for a few months and the long-term impact on Finish and the Boston commercial making community still remains to be seen.
For instance Mark Fish, president of Boston-based Pisces Productions and president of ITS New England chapter, declined to speculate on the telecines impact on Pisces and other local postproduction houses, noting that its just too soon to make a call. But he is hopeful that it will have positive impact on all in the local market.
Cintels Diamond accommodates standard definition imagery. Packer explains that it was too costly to jump out in front of the curve immediately with HD capabilities. He points out that new technologies from Innovation TK, however, are scheduled for unveiling in the coming months as a Diamond upgrade accommodating HDTV imagery. ITK promises the HD board for September availability. Packer says he will upgrade the system to HD when clients begin to ask for the capability.4
