Barbara Clark - The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV, and Digital Distribution: Managing the Process

The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV and Digital Distribution

The updated third edition of this popular book offers a clear and detailed overview of the postproduction process, showing readers how to manage each step in taking a film, TV or media project from production to final delivery, from scheduling and budgeting through editing, sound, visual effects and more.

Accessibly written for producers, post supervisors, filmmakers and students, and extensively updated to address current digital and file-based industry practices, The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV and Digital Distribution helps the reader to understand the new worlds of accessibility, deliverables, license requirements, legal considerations and acquisitions involved in postproduction, including the ins and outs of piracy management and archiving. This edition addresses the standards for theatrical and digital distribution, network, cable and pay TV, as well as spotlighting internet streaming and various delivery methods for specialty screenings, premium large format, and formats including 3D, virtual reality and augmented reality.

Susan J. Spohr has over 30 years experience as an associate producer/postproduction supervisor. As a producer at Technicolor, Susan worked directly with both filmmakers and studios. She is credited on series, pilots, mini-series, features and more than 35 TV movies, and taught summer courses at USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Barbara Clark is former Executive Director of Technical Services at 20th Century Fox, where she was responsible for the creation of all international and domestic syndication versions for TV and feature product. She has worked in TV and feature film postproduction for 25 years.

Dawn Higginbotham is a writer and director of numerous award-winning short films, features and TV shows. Her short film The Usual was featured in the 2014 Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival. She also worked as a postproduction supervisor for Dolby Laboratories and Lucasfilm on films such as Star Wars: Episodes IIII, Saving Private Ryan and Avatar, among others. Dawn also oversaw business and creative affairs as Chief Creative Officer of Carl Laemmle Studios.

Kumari Bakhru, Director of Strategic Planning and Project Management for Walt Disney Studios Worldwide Motion Pictures Theatrical Distribution, works on bringing virtual reality, augmented reality, immersive cinema and interactive projects to theaters. She was selected to relocate to Singapore for two years to manage the development of digital cinema operations for the Asia-Pacific territory. Prior to Disney, Kumari worked in postproduction and distribution for KPBS, Warner Bros., Lucasfilm Ltd. and Dolby Laboratories. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MA in Film and Television from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kumari has been a guest speaker for the National Association of Broadcasters, the Producers Guild of America and at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

The Guide to Managing Postproduction for Film, TV and Digital Distribution

Third edition

Susan J. Spohr

Barbara Clark

Dawn Higginbotham

Kumari Bakhru

First published 2019

by Routledge

52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

and by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2019 Taylor & Francis

The right of Susan J. Spohr, Barbara Clark, Dawn Higginbotham and Kumari Bakhru to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book has been requested

ISBN: 978-1-138-48277-7 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-48281-4 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-351-05674-8 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo

by Newgen Publishing UK

Contents

Since the second edition of our book, technology has changed the way we capture, edit and exhibit motion pictures and TV. We have also gained a venue, streaming, which requires a different set of deliverables. The shift from analog to digital has opened up a world of possibilities, with several paths to delivery, and with it come complex workflows, multiple digital formats and new rules. Each type of exhibition stream has become a specialty, and it has become increasingly difficult to become an expert in all things postproduction. This, the third edition to our book, would not have been complete without the following experts and facilities, who gave so generously of their time and knowledge. Sometimes, thank you just doesnt seem like enough.

FotoKem and its sister company Margarita Mix allowed us to call and visit anytime we had questions or needed a reference chart or guidance. They were kind enough to read chapters and provided additional material. We thank you all for your interest and help to get it right. Our gratitude extends to our friends at FotoKem Mark Van Horn, Andrew Oran, Tom Ennis, Bastien Minniti and Tom Vice; and at Margarita Mix, Veneta Butler and Brian Thornally.

We received invaluable guidance from our friends who are studio executives, facility owners, Academy Award winners and industry professionals:

Graef Allen, Dolby Laboratories

George Artope, Editor

Stephanie Austin, Producer

Becca Berry, Editor

Rick Boggs, Founder and GM, Audio Eyes

Sarah Borjorquez

Monica Borne

Marc Bovee

Gary Chambers, since retired from Warner Bros. Sound

Jenifer Camp Pine

Annie Chang, VP Creative Technologies, Universal Pictures

Natalie Ebnet, Editor

Arnie Geher

Wes Irwin, Executive Director Postproduction, Fox 21 Television Studios

Justin Janowitz, Director of Photography

Jon Johnson, Supervising Sound Editor, King Soundworks

Craig Kuehne, VFX

Valerie Lettera-Spletzer

Dave Lockwood, VFX

David Christopher Loya, CEO, Renegade Lens

Howard Lukk, VP Engineering, Nitrate

Ed Premetz, Director Marketing and Sales, Captions Inc.

Vidya Prakash

Neil Rothschild

Phelicia Sperrazzo

Paul Springer

Narbeh Tartoussian

Special thanks to our publishers John Makowski and Simon Jacobs for their unending accommodations, assistance and encouragement throughout the process.

For many, many months our time was occupied with group sessions of updates, research and interviews. We are indebted to our families, David Orr, Louis Eales, Trillian Eales, William Gragg Higginbotham and Susan Higginbotham for supporting us, feeding us, helping to make charts and cheering us on. It would not have been possible without all your support, sacrifice and belief in our quest. We love you.

We would be remiss if we didnt mention the wonderful artwork and concept cover design William Gragg Higginbotham II so kindly created.