The <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.media-bu/products/nucoda.aspx”>Nucoda Film Master was the system of choice for Final Frame in finishing Academy Award® documentary contenders Hell and Back Again and If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front. Located in Chelsea, New York, Final Frame is a full service post production facility with a history of helping filmmakers create Oscar winning projects, including Inside Job and The Cove as well as a number of high profile docs including Murder Ball, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, Sons of Perdition and more.
Director Marshall Curry returns to Final Frame with If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front, after working on Sundance competitor Racing Dreams at the facility. The Oscar nominated If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of an activist cell of the Earth Liberation Front, the environmental activists whose radical tactics are considered domestic terrorism by the US government. The film featured diverse elements including archival footage, digitally acquired shots, and graphical elements. "The DVO image restoration and enhancement tools along with the <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.media-bu/products/nucoda.aspx”>Nucoda Film Master were invaluable in helping us achieve the look and images that Marshall was hoping to get," said Will Cox, senior colorist and founder of Final Frame. "It made a crucial contribution to the film and our ability to deliver a beautiful image, flawlessly." Charlie Rokosny was the colorist on this project.
Hell and Back Again is the feature debut of filmmaker and photojournalist Danfung Dennis. The film is up for the documentary Oscar and is the winner of the Sundance Grand Jury prize among many other accolades. From his embed with the U.S. Marine’s Echo Company in Afghanistan, Dennis reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25 year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris. "It’s simply one of the most compelling visual stories I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on," noted Cox. The colorist for this project was Stewart Griffin.
To tell the story in the midst of war-torn Afghanistan and back in the States with Harris, Dennis built his own rig for a Canon 5D. Production took place before the firmware update for the camera, which meant that post production was the place to manage the issues arising from the complex production. "The footage was challenging. There was very fast action, a rolling shutter in a war zone, missiles blasting around Danfung, rapid movement by the unit and more," explained Cox. "That made frame rate conversion absolutely crucial. DVO’s Twister made it happen and the complete set of DVO tools proved once again to be the very best. Another powerful feature in Nucoda is the ability for the conforming of picture to stay live during the whole grade. That meant that if we needed to adjust the conversion, we could conform and grade at the same time. That’s not possible with other tools, and that functionality helped us get where we needed to go, in the time that we had to finish." Cox considers Hell and Back Again a visual accomplishment. "There are shots out of the back of military helicopters that any DP, working at any budget would be extremely proud of. So much of this movie is stunning, especially when you consider what Danfung was working with, in the environment where he was shooting."
Cox believes he is witnessing an evolution in storytelling, impacted by improved tools in production and post. "It is staggering to me how critically the tools of acquiring and finishing are impacting the creative process. The production value of the films and documentaries we are working on is getting better and better. That impacts us and it impacts everyone who works in the industry. More than just image quality, we are seeing a fundamental change in the way stories are told. When a filmmaker is free to stay on shots longer and longer, shooting uncompressed, high quality, raw imagery, it naturally affects the way he tells his story. When filmmakers have the ability to work with images in a system like Nucoda, they start to incorporate that into their thinking. In the documentary world, which is often very stretched by budget, they can shoot on a reduced budget but end up with world class visuals. We’re delighted to be part of the process and appreciate the work that Nucoda does to support the powerful imagery of documentary filmmakers. "
Martin Bennett, Head of the Media Business Unit of <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.“>Image Systems commented, "We are honored to support the work of Final Frame, Danfung Dennis, and Marshall Curry. They are telling important stories and we are dedicated to helping them to create images that will change the world. It is and has been for many years, our distinct pleasure to work with Will and the team at Final Frame as they continue to push the envelope for their clients."
About <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.“>Image Systems
<a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.“>Image Systems Media Unit, formerly Digital Vision, is a division of <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.“>Image Systems AB, which specializes in high-resolution image processing, film scanning and motion analysis solutions. Headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, <a href="http://www.imagesystems.tv.“>Image Systems has offices in Stockholm, London and Los Angeles. The company has three business units: Media, Defense and Motion, managed via a global network of qualified distributors. Its Nucoda and Phoenix image grading and restoration software solutions and Golden Eye range of scanners provide innovative tools to create and master media in HD, 2K/4K and stereoscopic 3D. The TEMA software platform provides a range of user friendly, high-speed motion analysis solutions for the automotive industry and other industrial test and design applications. The TrackEye system provides image analysis solutions for the military reconnaissance and testing markets. For additional information, visit www.imagesystems.tv.
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