In a major expansion of its commercial postproduction resources, Encore Santa Monica has added a Discreet Logic Fire suite for commercial finishing and digital effects generation. Senior editor Brian Reid will man the new suite, while Tom Sing, formerly of Hollywood Digital, comes on board to assume Reids former post in the facilitys online bay.
Additionally, Encore Santa Monica has added a digital telecine suite, its fourth, and hired colorist Mark Griff Griffith, formerly a senior colorist at POP, Santa Monica. He joins a telecine staff that also includes Bob Festa, Jais Lamaire and Mark Wilkins.
The new Fire suite combines nonlinear, uncompressed video editing with a full palette of digital video effects tools in a single platform. It offers real-time interactivity and supports resolutions ranging from D-l to HDTV. Its effects capabilities-which include extensive paint, tracking and keying functions-occur in a true 3-D environment. The system also integrates seamlessly with Encore Santa Monicas Flame.
From an editors standpoint, it is a superb system because it is flexible, easy to use and has a complete tool set, said Reid. It broadens my capabilities. It allows me to do everything I have been doing while picking up a lot of the effects work that cannot be done in a conventional online environment. I can now do that work perfectly, seamlessly.
Meanwhile, the edit bay where Sing will reside is equipped to function as either a D-1 or D-2 environment and includes such features as an Accom Axial 2020 edit controller, Sony switcher, a Quantel V Series Paintbox and an Accom RTD for slow-motion effects.
Sing has more than 15 years experience as an online editor and specializes in finishing commercials and compositing visual effects. During a four-year tenure at Hollywood Digital, his credits included national campaigns for Shell, Sprint, Mattel, Toyota and GTE. Previously, he spent five years on staff at Editel/LA, where he edited commercials and long-form work.
Griffith has been a commercial colorist for more than 10 years. Among his POP spot endeavors were Saturns Infrequent Flyer, Picket Fences and Donut via Hal Riney & Partners (now Publicis & Hal Riney), San Francisco, as well as ads for Sprint, FedEx and Discover Card. Earlier in his career, Griffith worked at such shops as Editel/LA; Post Logic, Hollywood; Planet Blue, Hollywood (now Santa Monica); and Optimus, Chicago.
Reid began his career as an editor with Access, an educational television producer in his native Canada. He later worked at VTR, Toronto, where he edited and created visual effects for The Jim Henson Hour, and at Magnetic North, Toronto, where he specialized in visual effects and commercials. Reid moved to the U.S. in 1991 to become senior editor in the commercial division of The Post Group, Hollywood. He joined Encore Santa Monica when it opened in 1996.
