(Hollywood, California--August 27, 2008) Encore Hollywood is currently providing final post production services for Swingtown, the new CBS drama about life in suburban America during the 1970s.
The facility is handling dailies processing, editorial finishing, visual effects, titling and final color correction for 13 episodes of the show, which is shot with the Viper FilmStream digital cinema camera. Delivery requirements include two masters for each episode in 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios to accommodate standard definition and high definition broadcasts by the network.
Swingtown, from Executive Producers Mike Kelly (Creator) and Alan Poul (director of Big Love and Rome), traces two generations of friends and neighbors as they forge intimate connections and explore new freedoms during the culturally transformative decade of the 1970s. It portrays the ever-shifting "swing" of the pendulum that reflected the change in America's collective value system -- morally, politically and socially.
One way the show evokes the atmosphere of the '70s is through color. Encore Hollywood Colorist Gareth Cook worked with the series Director of Photography Joaquin Sedillo and Post Production Supervisor Jennifer Davis to sculpt a subtly nuanced look that is reminiscent of films of the era. "It's a very low contrast, soft look," observes Cook. "That distinguishes Swingtown from most shows today, which tend to have a high contrast look."
"The color supports the whole production design of the show," adds Davis. "The wardrobes take you back. The music takes you back. We also use period title treatments for the opening and end credits. We capture, in every way, the look and feel of the '70s."
Cook said that the producers of the show elected to use the Viper camera in large part due to its ability to deliver the look that they wanted. "The depth of field is excellent and the way it renders the edges of characters and highlights is very good for a low contrast look," he says. "We all fell in love with it." Cook added that Encore Hollywood has done post work for a number of television shows and films shot with digital cameras and has developed a smooth workflow for managing digital image files.
Although the look of Swingtown isn't showy, perfecting it requires a subtle touch. "When we find over saturated colors in wardrobe or sets, we bring it down to stay within the desaturated look, but we don't use a lot of windows or other tricks," Cook observes. "It's all about keeping it natural and letting it fall where it falls within the context of the low contrast look and mood."
Brett Truett performs final editing on Avid Nitris DS and Symphony platforms and prepares the required two masters. To accommodate the different aspect ratios, he often has to rebuild visual effects segments created by the show's editorial team. That is particularly true of the complex transitions that are a signature part of the show's visual style.
"The editors have artfully manipulated each transition, but they are working in a 4:3 environment, so it doesn't always translate beautifully to 16:9," notes Davis. "Brett and I then have to recreate the effect in the Symphony to avoid blanking issues (which would cause negative space to appear at the sides of the frame). It sometimes takes a little creativity to resolve issues related to the editors' lists."
Truett observes that having two high-end editorial and compositing platforms at his disposal provides him with the tools to handle even the most intricately layered effects. "The dissolves are effects-based with different parts of the picture dissolving at different times," he recalls. "Because we do an Avid finish, we are able to deal with the complex effects in a more straightforward manner than you could in a traditional, linear edit bay."
Post work is expected to wrap up at Encore by the end of summer. "A lot of us have worked with Encore before; it's my favorite place to work," Davis says.
About Ascent Media Group
Santa Monica, California-based Ascent Media Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), which, through its Creative Services and Network Services divisions, provides creative and technical media services to the media and entertainment industries. Through more than 50 facilities in California, New York, London, Singapore and other locations throughout the world, Ascent Media Group provides effective solutions for the creation, management and distribution of content to major motion picture studios, independent producers, broadcast networks, cable channels, advertising agencies and other companies that produce, own and/or distribute entertainment, news, sports, corporate, educational, industrial and advertising content. More information about Ascent Media Group is available at www.ascentmedia.com
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