Post-production facility helps cinematographer William R. Nielsen Jr capture the underworld ambience of New York’s rock scene.
Technicolor PostWorks New York recently completed editorial finishing and color grading for the first season of the new FX comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. Slated to premiere July 16th, the show stars Denis Leary (who also wrote and directed) as Johnny Rock, an aging singer trying to reform his old band and make good on the unfulfilled dreams of his youth.
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is produced for FX by Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions; Leary and Jim Serpico are executive producers; Tom Sellitti and Kerry Orent are co-executive producers; Maria Cerretani is associate producer. Pat Kelleher was the finishing editor for Technicolor PostWorks.
Although unremittingly hilarious, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll does not have a classic comedy look. Cinematographer William R. Nielsen Jr., whose credits include an earlier Leary series, Sirens (also posted at Technicolor PostWorks), brilliantly captures the gritty atmosphere of the cramped apartments, dingy clubs and dungeon-like recording studios that make up Rock’s world. “The whole look of the show is dark and moody,” says colorist Bobbie Thomas. “It has the feel of a music video from the ‘90s. It’s a more sophisticated look than most TV comedies.”
The rich, urban underground imagery that Nielson recorded on the set went through further refinement and detailing during intensive grading sessions in Da Vinci Resolve at Technicolor PostWorks. There, the challenge was often to tease details out of monochromatic settings. “The actors spend a lot of time in recording studios that are by their nature dark places with lots of black soundproofing material and dark wood,” observes Thomas. “The characters, too, often wear black or silver clothing, including black leather pants.”
Thomas notes that Nielson made subtle use of accent lighting to illuminate backgrounds and bounce off walls. “That gave us a lot to play off,” Thomas says. “The finished look has a lot of depth and richness.”
Thomas and Nielson paid particular attention to the actors. “We wanted to be sure to see their faces…the nuances of their reactions,” Thomas adds. “This isn’t a murder mystery.”
The show features frequent flashback scenes, revealing Rock as the 25-year-old front-man of the punk band The Heathens. “We made those scenes feel like vintage film by muting the colors and using VFX to add grain and scanlines,” Thomas says. “It’s more washed out than the present day footage. We wanted viewers to immediately know we’ve moved back in time.”
Editorial conforming was performed by Pat Kelleher in Autodesk Flame. The Flame system allowed Kelleher to effortlessly share ProRes 4:4:4 files with Thomas, and apply last-minute visual effects. “Apostle does an excellent job of putting the show together,” Kelleher says. “We’ve developed a great workflow that allowed us to deliver ahead of schedule. It went flawlessly.”
About Technicolor PostWorks New York
Technicolor PostWorks New York is the East Coast’s most comprehensive digital motion picture and post-production facility, employing an exceptional team of artists, engineers and project managers to serve our clients through the film and TV finishing process.
Technicolor PostWorks New York offers one complete source for every post requirement, including data workflows, telecine/scanning, non-linear editorial and HD picture finishing, digital intermediate and film recording, high-volume encoding and high-speed data transmission, as well as comprehensive film and TV sound services on nine mix stages.
For more information, visit http://www.technicolorpwny.com
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“Ǝvolution” Comes Full Circle At The Chelsea Film Festival
The Chelsea Film Festival, running from October 16th through October 20th, 2024, at Regal Cinemas here in Union Square, is set to host the East Coast premiere of Ǝvolution, a thought-provoking experimental micro-short film that proves big ideas can come in small packages and in perfect circles.
In just 1 minute 16 seconds, this cinematic gem by Award-Winning Director Romina Schwedler, with original music by Argentine Composer Ignacio Montoya Carlotto, explores a cycle as old as time: life leads to progress, progress leads to destruction, and destruction, well, leads back to life. But is this vicious circle unbreakable? Ǝvolution suggests the answer is yes, unless we decide to open our eyes.
Inspired by the overwhelming number of recent events that threaten human existence, Ǝvolution, possibly the shortest film in this 12th edition of the festival, plays out entirely through the symbolism of circles, cleverly illustrating —in the blink of an eye— the repeating patterns of history, and confronting viewers with the uncomfortable truth that our so-called “progress” may, in fact, be guiding us to our own ruin.Premiering at the Regal 14 Union Square, New York City, on October 18, 2024, at 11 a.m., Romina Schwedler's micro-short, featuring Leah Young with cinematography by Alan J. Carmona, will be sure to spark conversations longer than the film itself! Forcing viewers to reconsider the true meaning of evolution, not just as a biological process, but as a reflection of our collective journey as humans.
With a string of festival appearances across the globe, including CineGlobe at CERN (Switzerland/France), Oscar®... Read More