In Broadcast September 2012 - 40

WWW.INBROADCAST.COM | ISSUE 12 - SEPTEMBER 2012

InSTUDIO
Post-Production Studios Development Update
Jim Evans rounds up some of the latest developments, technical upgrades and more in the European post-production studio sector
Competition in the audio and video post-production sector has never been keener than it is today as new-build facilities join the fray and established operations keep abreast of the latest technologies. One of the most interesting additions to the UK post facilities sector is to be found not in London’s Soho, but at a noted seat of learning – The University of York. Following the development of its Heslington East campus, York’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television is probably the most lavishly equipped faculty in the land. And the facilities are not just for the use of the students. Heslington Studios was ofﬁcially launched at the Broadcast Video Expo 2012 in London earlier this year and attracted considerable interest from the visiting broadcast, recording and post-production communities. Wholly owned by the University of York, Heslington Studios offers “outstanding facilities for commercial hire and brings industry and academia together in a seamless manner”. The commercial arm of the University’s new £30 million Department of Theatre, Film and Television aims to promote Yorkshire as a major ﬁlm and TV broadcast production region with facilities to rank with the industry’s best. The new complex was designed following extensive consultation with industry professionals, academics and students. It boasts two HD broadcast TV studios, a 140-seat preview cinema, a multi-purpose sound stage, as well as top of the range audio and video postproduction facilities. There are three separate audio ﬁnishing areas, served by an Evo SAN and running Pro Tools HD and Logic Pro. There are two
Jim Evans

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Heslington Studios by night

The Euphonix room at Heslington Studios

surround dubbing theatres, one with Avid Command 24 and one with a Euphonix System 5 Fusion, two multi-purpose surround sound recording suites (up to 7.1) using Avid C24; and a large associated live room with adjustable acoustics. A dedicated Foley/ADR suite has eleven surfaces and adjustable monitoring. One of the key players in the creation and present operation of of Heslington Studios is John Mateer who says: “The budget for the studios project was daunting, but what we have tried to do – in both the audio and video/ﬁlm areas – is go for the equipment that is not only top of the range – Euphonix, Avid, Pro Tools for example – but also on a par with what you would expect to ﬁnd in leading operations in post houses in Soho or major ﬁlm studios such as Pinewood. We are conﬁdent we have established facilities that compare favourably with established industry facilities.” Commercial clients who have already benefited from York’s facilities include Al Jazeera who carried out post-production work for the seven part series – Slavery: A 21st Century Evil – at the University. Three episodes of the series were shot on location in India, Pakistan and Haiti by David Hickman, a senior lecturer at York.

Green Screen Productions are using RED camera shooting kit and audio and video post-production facilities for their feature ﬁlm The Knife that Killed Me, which is being distributed in the UK by Universal Pictures. Back down south In London, Scrub, HHB Communications’ Soho-based post-production ofﬁce, has equipped The Farm Group, one of London’s leading television post production facilities, with the UK’s largest installation of AVID Pro Tools HDX and Pro Tools 10 HD software. Scrub recently completed the installation of 12 HDX systems across three of The Farm’s Soho

post houses. The Farm is now benefitting from the increased speeds and enhanced mixing capabilities of the new technology. The Farm’s dubbing mixers are also enjoying the beneﬁts of the new Avid Channel Strip plugin included with Pro Tools 10. Available in the new AAX plugin format and featuring the same EQ, Dynamics, Filter, and Gain algorithms found in the Euphonix System 5 console, the Avid Channel Strip is an intuitive plugin that provides high-resolution audio processing from 44.1 kHz to 192kHz, and from mono to
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The Farm Group boasts the UK’s largest installation of AVID Pro Tools HDX and Pro Tools 10 HD software

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