Seeking to capitalise on the current boom in Dutch film and television production, Amsterdam-based post-house Filmmore has purchased three new Baselight colour grading systems from FilmLight.

In 2002, Filmmore, then known as 50 FPS, became the first company to purchase a Baselight colour grading system worldwide, and have used the system enroute to becoming the dominant provider of post services for features, television dramas and documentaries in Holland. The new systems will enable the company to serve its Dutch clients more efficiently and to pursue work elsewhere in Europe. Filmmore’s new purchase includes a Baselight HD, a Baselight ONE and a Baselight Setup system. Additionally, the facility is upgrading its existing Baselight ONE to a Baselight HD.

Filmmore has found success by pursuing a maverick course, both as an early adopter of Baselight and through its concentration on film and television post-production. “In Amsterdam, most post-houses focus on commercials and only do feature work at night and on weekends,” explains Filmmore Managing Director Remco Mastwijk. “Everyone told us we couldn’t be profitable by specialising in long-form work, but we have proved them wrong. In the past two years, our turnover has grown by 60%.”

Filmmore’s recent film projects include Director Ben Sombogaart’s Bride Flight, about a 1953 air race from Amsterdam to Auckland, Director Threes Anna’s arthouse film The Bird Can’t Fly with Barbara Hershey, and War in Wintertime from Director Martin Koolhoven about the last year of German occupation in Holland in 1945. It also works on the popular Dutch television dramas Gooische Vrouwen, Stellenbosch and ‘t Schaep Met De Vijf Poten.

According to Mastwijk, Baselight has been an important contributor to Filmmore’s success, allowing the company to deliver a product at the very highest level of quality. “Baselight is superior to anything else,” he says. “We have clients that come back to us because we have Baselight. Nothing compares to Baselight for film work, and we have recently found that it is also a great tool for our video work, especially with the new QuickTime implementation.”

Mastwijk added that the chief advocate of Baselight at Filmmore is Wim van Slooten, the company’s Chief Technology Officer. Van Slooten evaluated Baselight before Filmmore’s initial purchase, and again rated Baselight the best colour grading choice for its current needs. “One thing that I originally liked about Baselight is that it is an open-ended system, which makes it very easy to incorporate upgrades,” he said. “That has certainly proven true as the system has made great strides in performance, workflow and image quality since we took delivery of our first system—and the future looks even brighter.”

Filmmore has come to rely on FilmLight to support Baselight with timely service and support, and for the rapid implementation of upgrades. As Baselight is software-based and employs commodity hardware, the new systems purchased by Filmmore can be upgraded easily and at relatively little cost, should the facility’s needs grow or change.

Baselight HD has become the most popular grading system worldwide since its introduction in 2006. The system is resolution and format independent and is proving to be the creative work-horse of choice for SD to 2K projects, in film, commercials and long-form productions.

“Baselight is the Rolls Royce of grading systems,” Van Slooten concludes. “When people walk into our room and see Baselight, they inevitably say, ‘Wow!'”

Contact – Deepa Parbhoo ([email protected]) +44 20 7292 0400

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