Newly Launched Post House Also Targets High-End Commercials
NoloDigitalFilm, Chicago’s newest post production facility, has chosen Baselight HD, the nonlinear, resolution independent colour grading system from FilmLight, as the centrepiece of its newly-built Digital Intermediate Theatre—the first such resource in the Windy City. The company plans to use Baselight, including FilmLight’s complementary Truelight colour management system, to perform colour grading for feature films, commercials and other media.
NoloDigitalFilm, which opened its doors in June, was founded by DI colourist Mike Matusek, engineer Boris Seagraves and producer Joe Flanagan. Matusek and Seagraves were formerly with the Chicago post house i-cubed; Flanagan formerly headed the post service Long Cut. Their intent is to capitalize on the growing number of independent and studio features being produced in the Chicago area and to provide state-of-the-art colour grading service to the city’s well-established advertising industry. DI services include colour grading, 2K, 4K and 6K film scanning, data conforming, digital opticals and visual effects integration. The studio already has several feature film projects lined up, and recently finished their first advertising project with BVK in Milwaukee, a new campaign for Citgo.
Matusek, whose film credits include Kubuku Rides (This Is It) and Drunkboat, the first two films to go through the DI process in Chicago, said that the city has a lot of great resources to support film production, but lacked a true DI facility. “We are the only facility in this market where you can grade off of a calibrated projection screen,” Matusek said. “Our ability and experience in doing full DI work distinguishes us from other post houses in Chicago and the Midwest.”
After carefully evaluating their options, Matusek and his partners selected Baselight HD as their grading system due in large part to its flexibility. “Our DI theatre is set up for dual purpose,” Matusek explained. “It has a digital projector for film work, but if we are doing a commercial that needs to be graded on a video monitor, we can quickly set the room up for that.”
“Baselight was an ideal solution for our hybrid workflow because it’s resolution independent, and performs exceptionally well in both data and video applications. The colour toolset within Baselight also allows me to offer my clients more creative freedom in creating unique looks, and because everything is completely non-linear we can be free to work on any shot, at any time, and in any order.”
Matusek also sees Truelight as crucial to Nolo’s work for feature films. “Truelight allows us to calibrate our displays and manage our colour space with complete confidence. We can be sure that everything downstream will match what we see in the DI theatre,” he said. “It is a great system and is the standard for DI work.”
For the company’s advertising work, Baselight offers the creative and practical advantages of colouring in cut order. “The workflow was perfect for the Citgo commercials we coloured,” Matusek said. “We scanned from super 35mm in 2K and conformed the selects in the timeline, with an EDL supplied by the editor. As a result, the client didn’t have to wait around for an assistant to throw a new reel on the telecine; it was full speed ahead.” By scanning and colouring in 2K, Matusek was also able to reposition frames without degrading the quality of the imagery ultimately to be formatted for the video deliverables.
Contact – Deepa Parbhoo ([email protected]) +44 20 7292 0400
About NoloDigitalFilm
NoloDigitalFilm is a post-production facility specializing in digital intermediates and creative colour grading. The company’s philosophy is to provide the exceptional people and tools necessary to bring a client’s creative vision to fruition. It can do this by tailoring its flexible workflow to each specific project, allowing for much greater efficiency. This then frees the client’s focus to fall on the creative part process rather than the technical. Whether it’s a 35mm feature film, television spot, video documentary, broadcast show, or a digital short, they are able to put together a package that will fit within your budget, while never compromising quality. For more information about NoloDigitalFilm, call (312) 243-8650 or visit www.nolodigitalfilm.com
