Managing Multiple Frame Rates on FrackNation

Bookmark and Share

Wed, 06/12/2013 - 12:33 -- Nick Dager

FrackNation, a new documentary about frackingMixed frame rate media has become a common headache in the post-production profession. With the abundance of affordable cameras now available on the market, and more filmmakers producing their own content using a variety of methods, post-production facilities must not only stay relevant, but also stay flexible to the clients needs when delivering projects.  All of this was top of mind when Burbank based AlphaDogs Post Production recently completed post on the feature documentary FrackNation.

Despite those challenges, filmmakers Phelim McAleer, Magdalena Segieda, and Ann McElhinney were pleased with how smoothly their edit went.

“We generally had very few issues during post-production,” said co-director Segieda. “The team at AlphaDogs came highly recommended. Their expertise and knowledge helped us make the film we wanted to make.”

Offline was completed using one of AlphaDogs Avid Media Composer 6.0 editing suites, with large volumes of mixed formats, including AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) being easily separated, and then converted into a single timeline in preparation for color correction and audio mixing.

Multi-camera sources ranging from professional cameras to cell phones, and stock footage made color correcting no easy task.  AlphaDogs prides itself on their skilled team of artists that have a technical acumen for helping clients through the tedious process of working with mixed format footage during post-production.

A scene from the documentary FrackNationTerence Curren, president and lead colorist at AlphaDogs said, “Fortunately our extensive experience in working with mixed format programming allowed us to quickly assess the project and find the best approach in finishing the film. On the surface post-production can seem intimidating to most people. It’s our job to not only offer smart solutions, but make the process go as smooth as possible for the clients.”

Vice president of design Sean Williams and senior animator Russell Frazier designed and animated the cartoon sequence within the film that answers the question “What is Fracking?”

The goal was to create and informative but entertaining piece that avoided the feel of a technical presentation.  Additional graphics created by the AlphaDogs design team included animated documents, charts, headlines and maps, and an image of George Washington in a swamp.  

Segieda said, “We were extremely happy with the quality of their work and would definitely use AlphaDogs again for our next project because of their broad skill base. We were able to source talent such as graphic artists and animators in addition to the other post services we required. I trust AlphaDogs in that they will deliver the vision we have for our projects.”

FrackNation takes a closer look at hydraulic fracturing, or more commonly known as “fracking.” To learn more visithttp://fracknation.com/