Toolbox

Studios Hint and Nice Shoes have partnered, connecting colorists in New York, Chicago and Minneapolis with artists and creatives in Kansas City. The addition of Nice Shoes’ color grading team complements Hint’s full suite of creative production and postproduction offerings.

“The area that Hint covers is impressive. Beyond Kansas City and other cities within the bi-state region of Kansas and Missouri, they have clients in San Francisco, Washington DC, Des Moines, Omaha, and Lincoln. We’re looking forward to collaborating with them throughout the region,” said Nice Shoes EP Tara Holmes. “They’re producing a variety of fantastic work with top agencies and brands, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”

Nice Shoes Remote Services offer the same level of quality and convenience that has come to be expected from the company’s home base in New York, as well as newly launched locations in Chicago and Minneapolis. Kansas City clients will have the ability to collaborate seamlessly with Nice Shoes colorists Phil Choe, Gene Curley, Sal Malfitano, Lenny Mastrandrea, Oscar Oboza, Chris Ryan, Lez Rudge, and Ron Sudul as if they were working in the studio with them.

“Technology has made it possible -- and we believe that the needs of our clients will be better served if they can have quality color grading and other finishing services right here in KC, without the costs and disruption of traveling. Now, the artists at Nice Shoes will become an integrated part of their total post production experience with the benefits of lower costs and a broader talent pool,” said Hint CEO Teri Rogers.

“When we launched this service, it was to meet the needs of clients who previously would travel to New York to work with us. We’ve built a great foothold with that starting point, but now we have the exciting opportunity to collaborate with those clients as well as with new ones,” said Nice Shoes managing director Justin Pandolfino. “This partnership is not just about convenience, but about uniting talent that has never worked together before, which I hope will spark new creativity between both companies.”

The two companies will be meeting with local agencies in KC the week of March 21st and will celebrate the launch of their partnership on March 24th, with a kickoff celebration at Hint’s studio.

ARRI Inc. is opening a new subsidiary in São Paulo, Brazil. Centrally located on Avenida Ibirapuera in Moema, São Paulo, the facility will offer camera maintenance, technical support, software upgrades, as well as training and workshops for the ARRI cameras and Pro Camera Accessories.

Said ARRI Inc.’s director of Latin America sales, Wilson Zeferino: “Latin America is a growing market for ARRI. We’re committed to this region and we hope to continue the success of our ALEXA XT, ALEXA Mini and AMIRA cameras here. By opening a service facility in São Paulo we are closer to our customers, so it’s much easier to offer training, warranty service, maintenance and general support to Brazil and all other countries in the region.”

Mario Jannini, ARRI Brazil technical service director noted, “ARRI Brazil will be the mark of a new era.”

Through the launch of this facility, ARRI continues to show support and commitment to the Latin American region. Repairs can now be performed in São Paulo by trained ARRI technicians with no need to ship equipment abroad. This added convenience keeps costs down and provides speedy resolution for camera performance issues not only for Brazilian customers, but also for customers in neighboring countries.  

Blackmagic Design announced that DaVinci Resolve Studio was used to complete postproduction, including the final DI and online edit, on this year’s French Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, “Mustang.”

Set in a remote village in northern Turkey, “Mustang” tells a gripping coming of age story about five young sisters fighting a conservative upbringing when some innocent fun in the sea with male classmates has life changing repercussions, including being taken out of school, imprisoned in their own home and prepared for an arranged marriage.

“I was instantly interested in working on a story about women’s issues, especially one told from a female perspective as everything is seen through the eyes of the youngest sister, Lale,” said Yov Moor, the independent colorist on the feature. In addition to using DaVinci Resolve Studio on the final grade with tools including Grouping, the tracker, and masks, Moor also made use of Resolve’s editing capabilities to ensure he completed all his post production work on “Mustang” within just five days.

“A very useful aspect of working with DaVinci Resolve was the fact that we could use both it’s editing and grading toolsets, all from the same application,” Moor explained. “I was able to quickly and easily do things like correct fading on a shot, or even simply test new ideas, all without wasting precious time sending scenes to be reedited and waiting to receive the new results.”

When it came to grading, Moor began not with a traditional brief, but instructions on what sensations director of photography David Chizallet and the director, Deniz Gamze Ergüven were aiming to achieve within each shot.

“The girls in Mustang are always moving, bursting with energy. My grading work was really to enhance this vibrancy and life through color,” Moor added. "Five days to work on any film is challenging, but it’s especially difficult when you’re dealing with a topic as delicate as in ‘Mustang.’ Luckily, the whole creative workflow offered by DaVinci Resolve was completely seamless.”

Procam, a leading cinematography and broadcast hire company in the UK, is continuing its expansion plans with the acquisition of Take 2, a supplier of professional digital and motion picture production equipment. The takeover of one of London’s best-known rental houses increases Procam’s footprint in supplying UK features and high-end episodic dramas, and is the next step in a long-term strategy to extend Procam’s reach into the US, following the company’s successful expansion into New York last year.

Procam has purchased the complete camera and grip inventory of Take 2’s business for an undisclosed amount, and is also taking on all of the company’s camera and grip staff, while maintaining and investing in the Take 2 brand. Take 2’s sister company, Take 2 Lighting, is not part of the acquisition and will be rebranded.

The acquisition of Take 2 by Procam ushers in a new phase of development for the West London company, beginning immediately with a recruitment drive to support several areas of Take 2’s business. Procam will also finance a substantial investment in new camera equipment for Take 2 and is spearheading plans to launch the Take 2 brand in Los Angeles. Additionally, Take 2 and Procam Group company True Lens Services (TLS) are collaborating on the development of a new lens family supporting 4K, 6K and 8K high-resolution sensors, due for release at the end of 2016.

Established in 1999, Take 2 provides top-tier digital and film camera equipment, advice and support to high-profile motion picture and episodic TV series, including US shows shot in the UK. Take 2’s movie credits encompass The King’s Speech (Weinstein Co/UK Film Council), The Imitation Game (Weinstein Co), Paddington (Weinstein Co/Canal+/Heyday Films) and Pride (Pathé/BBC Films/Canal+). Among Take 2’s TV credits are the multiple award-winning Wolf Hall (Company Pictures/BBC), plus the well-received productions of Undercover (Baby Cow), Stan Lee’s Lucky Man (Carnival Film & TV), River (Kudos/BBC), Humans (Kudos/Channel 4/AMC), You, Me And The Apocalypse (Working Title/Sky/NBC Universal), London Spy (Working Title/BBC America/NBC Universal), The Tunnel (Canal+/Kudos/Sky Atlantic) and the forthcoming third series of Peaky Blinders (Tiger Aspect/BBC).

Over the next six months Procam plans to considerably augment Take 2’s inventory, which already comprises a large portfolio of the latest ARRI, RED, Sony and high-speed Phantom digital cinematography cameras, ARRI and Aaton 35mm/16mm cameras, an extensive stock of vintage and bespoke anamorphic, spherical, macro, telephoto and specialist lenses, plus accessories. Take 2 also offers a grip, crane and remote head facility, providing cranes, jibs, remote heads, camera dollies, tripods and grip accessories, as well as a digital post production lab and grading suite.

The strategic purchase of Take 2 was led by Procam’s Group CEO, John Brennan, supported by Group CFO Helen Cardrick. Procam has promoted Cardrick to chief commercial officer and Nicholas Marsden from head of finance to group finance director.

Brennan said of Take 2, “It is a well-established brand and its highly-respected team now have the additional infrastructure and resources to move the company forward to the next stage, at home and abroad. Procam has successfully taken root in New York, and following the recent extension of tax credits enabling cost-efficient filming in California, we’re looking at taking the Take 2 brand to the US West Coast.”

Brennan added: “The addition of Take 2 also delivers many benefits for Procam’s existing customers, including impeccable production expertise, along with access to some of the rarest film lenses and the best camera and grip equipment in the industry – strengths and technical assets you won’t readily find elsewhere in the global market.”

Vince Wild, director of Take 2, said: “The acquisition by the Procam Group brings many advantages to Take 2 and our clients can rest assured it is very much business as usual. The combined knowledge of the two companies will benefit producers working in all genres of production. Across the group, they can access the widest range of cameras, lenses and production equipment in the rental market, as well as the latest and greatest technology as it is released. With features and TV dramas being shot in multiple locations throughout the UK, Procam’s regional presence is also of significant added value to Take 2’s clientele.”