Independent London post house Directors Cut Films, owned and operated by its creative staff, has invested in a Baselight TWO color grading workstation with a Blackboard 2 control panel. Directors Cut works primarily in premium long-form television, as well as drama series, documentaries and feature films, with increasing interest in 4K and HDR.
“Being owned and run by ex-editors, we know what is required to meet and exceed expectations in post,” said sr. colorist Andy Elliott. “We felt it was the right time to invest and embrace HDR and 4K workflows. HDR in particular produces much more of a positive visual impact, with real benefits in the immersive experience for the viewer.”
Recent projects graded by Elliott include biographies of Cher and Elton John, an investigation of the Bauhaus for BBC4, and Sir David Attenborough’s call to action Climate Change: The Facts.
Elliott pointed out that such programs frequently bring together footage shot on multiple different cameras and formats, often in less than ideal circumstances. The task for the colorist is to integrate all of the footage as well as create a coherent look that reflects the story the director wishes to tell. That makes the speed and power of the upgraded Baselight suite an important asset.
“The pace at which I can get through a film has improved, so I have more time to refine the look,” stated Elliott. “And with the AAF workflow, the grade is not ‘baked in,’ so it is infinitely tweakable if needed. If there is, say, an additional interview, the grade can be lifted from another shot and dropped onto the new one, straight on the editor’s timeline. This is really useful in current affairs, where we can be right up against tight transmission deadlines.”
Directors Cut, based just outside Soho, the traditional home of the London post industry, is built around the experience and creativity of its staff. More than 30 suites in the facility are all connected through central networks with over 256 terabytes of shared storage. The company continues to invest in new technology, today focusing on the growing importance of editing and delivering in 4K–a focus that led to the investment in Baselight.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More