Panavision has announced the opening of an expanded New Orleans location. The new 30,500-square-foot space will also house Light Iron’s first brick-and-mortar facility in Louisiana. The facility represents the first location occupied by the two companies since Panavision acquired Light Iron earlier this year.
The obvious difference between sound for the big screen, the small screen, and now, the tiny screen, may not seem that different. In many ways they are not. As sound designers and editors, we want the viewer to experience every gunshot and explosion as well as every word, whether listening in a theater, at home on a TV, or earbuds on the subway. Sound for the big screen on a movie like Trumbo means you can use 5, 7 or in the case of Dolby Atmos, unlimited channels, for panning. We also have a large dynamic range because of the room size and speaker size. This, in many ways, is the easiest for those of us creating the sound tracks.
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers have announced that the SMPTE Board of Governors has formally approved the creation of the SMPTE U.K. Region and appointed Bruce Devlin, chief media scientist at Dalet, to serve as its first governor.
Oblique FX created 123 visual effects shots for Sicario, the latest film from director Denis Villeneuve. Sicario tells the story of a young FBI agent (Emily Blunt) thrown into the violent and lawless world of the drug trade across the U.S.-Mexico border. A gritty, realistic drama, the story required subtle effects work to blend seamlessly with the cinematography of Roger Deakins.
K-Tek has extended its smart line of Stingray Audio bags, with the first made specifically for the Tascam DR-70D and DR-701D. The new KSTG70 incorporates Stingray’s hallmark big-bag features into a small, yet sturdy form factor to enhance the versatility and applications of Tascam’s compact package. The Stingray KSTG70 is ideal for audio and video professionals, documentarians, serious enthusiasts and musicians.
Iris, Archimedia’s suite of software applications designed to speed file workflow, can now play Interoperable Master Format complex files. These files are rapidly becoming a preferred format for motion pictures because they dramatically reduce the number of file versions film studios need to send out. Archimedia CEO Mark Gray said, “We are proud to introduce an upgrade to Iris that makes it the world’s first software media player for IMF complex files. Now that IMF is gaining traction in the OTT and video on demand television markets its use is sure to increase.”
Laika, the award-winning animation studio nestled in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, celebrates 10 years of bold and memorable filmmaking this month. For a company whose name means “little barker” in Russian, Portland, Oregon-based Laika has made quite a noise in the global film industry over a relatively short time. With its world-class filmmaking team, Laika pushes the boundaries of family entertainment and animated movies, redefining what stories can and should be told through the art form.
Nomad Editing Company has expanded its Facilis storage infrastructure with the installation of a new 64TB TerraBlock 24EX shared storage system in its New York facility.
Beginning with this week's Star Wars: The Force Awakens directed by J.J. Abrams, Deluxe's Stereo D, has been commissioned by Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Studios to create the stereoscopic editions for three upcoming releases in the iconic Star Wars franchise. The other two titles are Rogue One directed by Gareth Edwards and releasing on December 16, 2016, and Star Wars: Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson and releasing on May 26, 2017.
Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF, director Ron Howard's cinematographer on the 1970s Formula 1 adrenaline film Rush, was charged with creating the arresting visuals for In the Heart of the Sea. The logistics of the film, much of which involved the liberal use of water, were daunting. “Shooting a film outside, in English weather, and trying to break the film down into blocks where I could maintain continuity between exterior tanks, interior tanks and real locations – that was quite a big deal,” Dod Mantle says still with a sense of awe.
