Broadcast post facility integrates grading for a more efficient premium television workflow

3sixtymedia, which provides post-production, creative services and studio crewing for broadcast productions in the north of England, has added a Baselight TWO colour grading system with Blackboard control panel. To integrate grading into the entire post workflow even more closely, the company has also installed 20 Baselight for Avid seats for its Avid editing stations and Protools dubbing theatres.

As television production is continually under time pressure, when looking for a grading system 3sixtymedia placed seamless workflows as a priority alongside distinctive creative capabilities. The ability to integrate and collaborate – in real-time – using plugins in the editing suites and audio dubbing was a huge advantage for the FilmLight solution, as it ensures that producers always see the latest graded images simultaneously across departments.

“Producers and directors have always expected to see the best pictures wherever they are,” said Neil Parker, senior colourist at 3sixtymedia. “If they see something in one room, they expect to be able to see it across the entire facility. The Baselight workflow means we can achieve this – a director or producer can be in one of our three dubbing theatres or six finishing suites and see the latest grade, without waiting for projects to be transferred or pictures to be rendered.

“It also means when we set a grade in Baselight it isn’t locked down,” he added. “If the shot gets re-edited – which it often does – they can see the changes to the grade in the edit suite. If they extend a shot, for instance, the grade will follow. The producer does not need to wait for the grading suite to be available to finish it. That is a great bonus and a huge time saver.”

Part of the 3sixtymedia service is advising producers on how to achieve their creative aims, which includes recommending the use of the best cameras for the job. In turn, this means their finishing facilities have to be able to handle any format, including very high-resolution images from cameras like ARRI and RED. Baselight – just like all the FilmLight tools for dailies, editorial and VFX – can handle virtually every format in use today, and its engineers ensure that any new formats that come along are added to the capabilities.

The facility has just delivered the second series of Robson Green’s Tales from Northumberland, a personal travelogue documentary largely shot using the Canon C300 camera, plus helicopter footage and more. The series aims to make audiences aware of the natural beauty of the area, and the Baselight grading suite helps to achieve this ambition by creating the highest possible quality in pictures.

“The beautiful landscapes and sweeping vistas of Northumberland are a vital part of the success of ‘Tales From Northumberland,” commented Stuart Ramsay, producer/director of the series. “I was delighted with the Baselight colour grade achieved by Neil Parker, which took our footage to a whole new level.”

The Baselight and Baselight Editions installation at 3sixtymedia follows a similar implementation at ITV Studio’s new Coronation Street production base close to MediaCityUK. Both use Avid ISIS as the central shared storage, with editors and grading workstations accessing common data and colour and effects information stored as metadata, making for a very fast, efficient and renderless workflow.