May 17, 2007

Vancouver's Only DI Service Provider Adopts FilmLight's Baselight One-S Color Grading System

Vancouver, British Columbia - Digital Film Central, Vancouver’s newest postproduction house, has selected Baselight One-S, FilmLight’s software-based 2K and HD color grading system, as the key component of its digital intermediate pipeline -- currently the only complete DI service in Vancouver.
Central, as the facility is commonly called, opened its doors this month and already has several film projects lined up for DI work. Central was founded by postproduction industry veteran Curtis Staples and cinematographer James Tocher, founder of Digital Film Group, Vancouver’s largest film recording service.
 
The new company is focused almost exclusively on digital intermediate work and, in addition to color grading via Baselight One-S, offers scanning (to 6K), Truelight color management, and film recording. The facility also provides I/O support services to Vancouver’s visual effects community. As part of an agreement with FilmLight, Central will be offering its visual effects clients access to FilmLight’s Truelight color management system as part of a collaborative workflow for visual effects and digital intermediate projects.
 
“We built this facility specifically to provide digital film services,” says Staples. “Vancouver is the third largest production market in North America, behind only Los Angeles and New York, and we expect to service both films produced locally and those shot outside our region.”
 
Staples pointed out that Digital Film Group has recorded more than 125 titles to 35mm film, many of which were not produced in Canada. “Digital Film Group has relationships outside Canada and the United States and has done film mastering for producers from Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, as well as from Europe and Asia. We just happen to be located in Vancouver.”
 
Central selected Baselight for its DI pipeline after reviewing and testing various color grading options. Although cost, reliability, efficiency, and ease of use were important considerations, quality was the crucial factor in Central’s choice.
 
“Color management was among our top priorities and we felt that Truelight was well conceived and far ahead of the curve in development,” Tocher notes. “We also had our colorists evaluate the hardware from performance and ergonomic standpoints and also from the perspective of the client. Baselight outperformed other systems in those areas as well.” Support was also critically important to Central.
 
Baselight is a grading and finishing system for film and video, providing real-time operation at resolutions of up to 4K. All systems incorporate FilmLight’s Truelight 3D color management system, ensuring accurate emulation of the deliverable on the grading display. Baselight utilizes centralized grade database architecture, supporting enterprise-wide collaborative working.