[press release from Digital Pictures]
Digital Pictures has pushed aside concerns about the economy announcing its commitment to the growth and success of digital postproduction in Australia, by commissioning their sophisticated Blu-ray Authoring service and now launching their Digital Cinema Mastering service.
The service will be compliant with the internationally recognised DCI specification. Confirming the industries shift towards digital cinema, the suite already has several projects in the pipeline, including a major feature film which will be one of the first in Australia
For Digital Pictures, currently managing the RED camera feature The Loved Ones, adding digital cinema mastering and digital prints to it’s portfolio of services, means the facility can provide a complete end-to-end digital solution, in some cases, without the need for traditional film laboratories.
“Although we will continue to provide the comprehensive film recording and DI services used on such features as Not Quite Hollywood and The Bank Job, we believe the investment will help ensure Australia continues to offer world class postproduction services into the future.
"With the PDV sector accounting for 23 per cent of the total income for our film and video production industry and the Federal government’s 40% offset, this investment will help continue to generate work from the entertainment market”, Digital Pictures General Manager John Fleming said.
“It’s fair to say that the industry is experiencing some uncertainty at the moment and we have carefully assessed these market conditions in order to maintain our position as the leading postproduction facility in Australia, providing the best advice and services for our clients.
"Its clear to us that digital technologies are increasingly required and so we’ve made the necessary business decisions in order to provide solutions that cater to our wide client base; from the independent film makers all the way through to the large US studios”.
In addition to their investment in digital cinema capabilities, Digital Pictures launched their new Blu-ray service last month. The service which will provide the complete HD solution from re-mastering, design, encoding and authoring, boasts a creative and technical team with enormous experience working in all fields of disc production. Digital Pictures has also committed to BD-Live, an application that allows for an internet connection between the Blu-ray Disc, the productions website and database, providing a unique audience experience.
The final piece of the digital puzzle are the preparations Digital Pictures is making for 3D cinema projects, following the commitment by parent company Omnilab Media, to a major project that is looking to shoot in 2009.
This investment in the future adds a level of security to the Victorian industry and also enables Digital Pictures to realise its vision of creating an environment in which filmmakers are able to execute each point of the postproduction process in one location, using world-class technology and talented individuals; highly skilled in all elements of postproduction.