FOR PROPERLY EQUIPPED postproduction companies, the world surrounding high-definition television is as inspiring a business development as digital effects for movies was when it burst onto the scene nine or ten years ago.
You’re saying, "So why am I not excited?" Probably because of all the false dawns we’ve had during many years of waiting for HD. But make no mistake that HD is finally with us—and it’s going to be significant, soon.
At Sunset Digital Studios, we’re deep into HD. We recently concluded a series of tests remastering a well-known, well-loved TV series to HD. Obviously the studios believe there’s more mileage in certain programs of theirs, and there will be much more where that came from. The series was originally shot on 35mm and was naturally postproduced in regular NTSC, with no thought of protecting for a wider aspect ratio at the time of shooting.
We’ve developed a "secret sauce" for up-rezzing and adjusting the picture to 16:9, which gives a fascinating new look to old favorites. (I only wish it could do something similar for me.) It makes a tried-and-tested TV series look like it was meant for the movies.
Along the way, we’ve stumbled across a means of producing a kind of poor-man’s HD: super-sharp pictures in 16:9, so good you have to look twice to tell the difference when identical pictures posted in different resolutions are played on adjacent HD and standard definition monitors.
These days, studios have HD in mind when shooting new series. Interestingly however, some of the programs shot on tape are produced in HD, while some are still shot in standard definition. This must be an indicator of confidence in the longevity of different series. Of course, material shot on 35mm film covers all eventualities.
What about commercials? Almost all are shot on film, but how long before they are regularly telecined, post produced and/or stored onto HD tape? It’s a simple matter of economics, of course—the cost of HD versus how long a campaign will run, versus how many people have HD TV sets (almost none—at the moment).
However, in Europe, and especially in the U.K., 16:9 PAL TV sets have been selling quietly, but consistently, for some years. Over that time, a fashionable wide-screen look has developed among certain spots. Knowing ad agencies as I do, it’s typical that one will soon jump into HD and the rest will follow.
Of course for the right kind of spot, which will probably be a high-profile international ad, the economic argument for posting in HD can easily be made, especially if the commercial is also intended for theatrical release. Mastering onto an HD 1080/24 progressive scan allows any movie to be stored in a handy common denominator format.
From there it is easy to go either up to 35mm film, sideways to HD television or down to either PAL or NTSC. And anyone can demonstrate how this is money well-spent.
Jury Presidents Named For The One Show 2025
The One Club for Creativity has announced the global creatives from around the world who will serve as jury presidents for The One Show 2025.
These creatives will lead judging for each discipline, and have a vote on the work.
Confirmed One Show 2025 Jury presidents, by discipline, are as follows:
--Brand-Side/In-House: David Lee, CCO, Squarespace, New York
--Branded Entertainment: Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil Worldwide, London
--Creative Use of Data, Creative Use of Technology: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, CCO, FCB Canada, Toronto
--Cultural Driver: Bianca Guimaraes, partner, ECD, Mischief, New York
--Design: Liza Enebeis, creative director, partner, Studio Dumbar/DEPT®, Rotterdam
--Direct Marketing: Vicki Maguire, CCO, Havas London
--Film & Video: Javier Campopiano, global CCO, McCann Worldgroup & McCann Global, Madrid
--Gaming: Taj Reid, global chief experience officer, US CCO, Edelman, New York
--Integrated, Experiential & Immersive: Chris Beresford-Hill, worldwide CCO, BBDO New York
--Fusion Pencil: Walter T. Geer III, CCO, Innovation North America, VML, New York
--Green Pencil: Barbara Humphries, ECD, The Monkeys, Sydney
--Health & Wellness, Pharma: Wendy Lund, chief client officer, WPP, New York
--IP & Product Design: Ronald Ng, global CCO, MRM, New York
--Moving Image Craft & Production: Irene Kugelmann, chief creative officer, DDB Group of Companies Germany, Berlin
--Music & Sound Craft: Joel Simon, CCO, JSM Music, New York
--Out of Home, Print & Promotional: Kainaz Karmakar, CCO, Ogilvy India, Mumbai
--Public Relations: Patricia Ávila, regional director for Latin America, Ágora, São Paulo
--Radio... Read More