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    SCRATCH Automates 2D and 3D VFX Dailies For “Thor”

    By aggie@assimilateinc.comUpdated:No Comments2218 Views

    SCRATCH Offers Real-Time Play Back of Any Media in the Same Timeline

    Santa Clara, CA -- (SPW) --

    www.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE (www.assimilateinc.com., the leading provider of powerful post-production tools for digital workflows, today revealed details of how its www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH® end-to-end digital cinema and broadcast imaging tools were used to streamline and automate the 2D and 3D stereo VFX dailies review processes during the post production of Marvel Entertainment / Paramount Pictures’ blockbuster motion picture “Thor.” nnwww.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH was selected for Thor because of its superior capabilities over other systems, including easy integration with database management software, and the real-time playback of media in different resolutions and formats in the same timeline.nnThe deployment of www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH for Thor was overseen by Danielle Costa, production manager for VFX, whose previous credits as digital production manager and VFX coordinator include 2012, Speed Racer, Spider Man 3, Alexander, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded and Scooby Doo. For “Thor,” her role involved developing a workflow and pipeline between the production team and many different outside contributors, including VFX vendors BUF, Digital Domain, Whiskytree, Evil Eye Pictures, Fuel Visual Effects, Luma Pictures; the DI house EFilm; and Stereo D, which handled the 2D-to-3D conversion.nnwww.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH was integrated with a FileMakerPro database to assemble each day’s playlists of all the media connected with a particular shot. This enabled the VFX team, lead by supervisor Wesley Sewell, to constantly ingest and review shots-in-progress every day. Sewell then prepared daily afternoon shot reviews for key production staff, including director Kenneth Branagh and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos BSC, as well as studio executives from Marvel and Paramount.nnOvernight, the various VFX vendors typically sent Costa’s team between 3,000 and 5,000 files – mostly image sequences. An individual playlist for one shot could reference upward of 1,000 different media clips in whatever format might be associated with that shot, such as EXR, DPX, QT and JPEG. Toward the end of post-production, between 200 and 300 shots per day, along with all the associated files, were reviewed in www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH, amounting to many thousands of image clips.nnMoreover, “Thor” was shot anamorphically, so www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH was automated to playback VFX shots in the correct aspect ratio, selectively applying LUTs to DPX frames while ignoring clips such as linear QT and JPEG files. www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH also automatically applied the correct frame-offsets, so that scanned VFX plates and on-going comps would line up accurately. nn”Thor” was post-converted from 2D to 3D by LA-based facility Stereo D, and www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH was the production’s sole way of reviewing stereo internally at Marvel. Playlist stacks for left and right eyes were created automatically, which could then be played back in dual mode for stereo review.nnLastly, www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH was also used to ingest, playback and prepare RED R3D footage, shot using RED MX cameras, for a teaser of the upcoming Marvel feature The Avengers that will appear after the credits of Thor.nn”What’s really appealing about www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH is that you get a product out-of-the-box that is super-simple to integrate with an existing database,” says Costa. “And the best thing about www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH is that it can play back, in real-time, any media that you throw at it – all on the same timeline – such as RED RAW footage, DPX, EXR files, QTs and JPEGs. I’m looking forward to the arrival of www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH Lab™, which will enable us to work with ARRI RAW files as well.”nnCosta adds, “www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH solved our greatest challenge on “Thor:” bringing different media together and being able to show them in the best possible quality. When you’re doing this as a VFX production department, you don’t have the same I/O and engineering resources as many independent facilities do. The coding that www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH required for ingest and automation was very straightforward, and did away with the need to spend time designing and developing the playback/review resource that other software packages require.”nnAccording to BoxOfficeMojo.com, “Thor” had taken in nearly $352 million at the box office worldwide as of May 16, 2011.nn

    nnwww.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH® Six Pricing and Availabilitynwww.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE is advancing its position of price-performance leadership, with www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH v6 for Mac and Windows at $17,995 USD. www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH V6 ships during Q2 2011.nnwww.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH Lab™ Pricing & Availabilitynwww.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE is advancing its position of price-performance leadership, with www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH Lab for Mac and Windows at $4,995 USD, and will ship in Q2 2011.nnAbout www.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATEnwww.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE is the premier provider of digital workflow and post-production tools, that have proven essential to the successful creation of thousands of studio and independent features, television shows, music videos and corporate video productions. The company’s www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH products, running on Windows and Mac OS® X, are the heartbeat of today’s most demanding digital post-production and dailies workflows for 2D and stereo 3D productions. They equip directors, DPs and artists with state-of-the-art, intuitive, data-centric solutions they need to meet the continual challenges of increased creativity and productivity amid ever-shrinking budgets. www.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE‘s www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH® data-centric DI system, is the most comprehensive, end-to-end cinema and broadcast imaging tool for playback, conform, editing, color grading, compositing and finishing of RED and other digital workflows. www.assimilateinc.com.“>SCRATCH Lab™ delivers a comprehensive toolset for the review, versioning, color correction, conform and output of on-set or VFX dailies. www.assimilateinc.com.>ASSIMILATE a privately held company, with headquarters in Santa Clara, California, USA, offices in London, UK, Groningen, NL and Beijing City, CN and markets its products worldwide via a global reseller network. To learn more please visit www.assimilateinc.com.

    Contact:

    Ron Prince, Prince PR M: +44 7802 447 484 T: +44 1225 789 200 Contact Ron via email

    SPW Category:Production and Post-Production Products and Services



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