copy written for Sohonet
Fans of CBS shows Dynasty and Bull would have been bereft were it not for the smart work of post producer Formosa Group. The latest seasons of the shows were finished during the pandemic using remote workflows only possible with ClearView Flex.
Formosa Group, with multiple locations throughout North
America and the UK, is a Streamland Media company and full-service
post-production sound facility comprised of award-winning creative
talent. Across its many divisions, Formosa Group engages with filmmakers
and content creators to tell stories through sound offers content creators
services including sound supervision and design, sound and music
editorial, re-recording mixing, integration and music for film,
broadcast, games and other platforms.
“We pride ourselves in accommodating client requests, one of
which was the need for remote playback,” says Danial Shimiaei, director,
Operations & Engineering, Formosa NoHo. “Interest in this service actually
began years ago.”
Long before anyone knew of Covid-19, Formosa was exploring
solutions for connecting clients remotely to its studio. They used techniques
like Source-Connect or dedicated hardware solutions to operate between
different studios with dedicated systems but with showrunners and EPs
increasingly short of time and wanting access from whichever office, hotel room
or overseas location they might be, a new solution was required. About
three years ago, various streaming systems were deployed for this niche
requirement.
“We played around with different tech, but they all relied
on some type of dedicated server to push the material out, or were not super
robust for all customers,” he says. “When the pandemic forced us to service
more clients working from home with higher demands on quality, we had to come
up with a different solution.”
For Shimiaei the main issue was finding a technology that
enabled smooth real-time streams with very low latency.
“Whether you are doing picture or audio post, the client has
to be able to interact with creative talent otherwise it’s just a totally
frustrating experience. Latency was a factor on the technologies we tried
to find the best quality. Also lack of a buffering mechanism with other systems
results in loss of dropped frames leading to a poor experience for customers.”
Then they tried ClearView Flex.
“The buffering capability that is serviced by Sohonet
through ClearView Flex provides a better experience for customers to review and
approve material and conduct session notes with our creative talent in
real-time environment providing a seamless process.”
Between its various divisions, Formosa Group has multiple
ClearView Flex units. In LA alone between Formosa, Picture Shop and Picture
Head, Streamland Media companies can draw on at least seventeen boxes as demand
dictates.
“The system is very easy to administer, and the service
provided by Sohonet is robust whether that’s from a sound stage, a picture
suite or offsite. It is really quite simple to setup and operate.”
Formosa uses ClearView principally for dubbing sessions and
final playback with Zoom open for interactive communication.
“We ingest a video signal from the final playback video file
into ClearView embedded with audio being mixed on the stage. Client receives a
real-time stream via a one-time use key to access their show which is superbly
secure.”
“To preserve as close to the audio fidelity of our mix as
possible, on recipient end we ideally don’t want them to listen with earbuds or
regular laptop speakers. There are too many unknowns and variables to the
quality of playback. Initially we had made specific headphone recommendations
and over time, as our clients have done more work remotely, everyone has
managed to find an environment with which they are comfortable. This could be
using professional headphones or streaming ClearView through a home theater
setup.”
CBS’ prime time episodic drama Dynasty was renewed
for a fourth season in January 2020 and premiered in May 2021 following a post
production pipeline that adhered to Covid-19 social distance rules. Similarly,
the fourth series of legal drama Bull aired in 2020 with a fifth
season now in production. Both dramas are using an audio mixing route reliant
on ClearView Flex for client-artist interaction.
The all-round experience has not only proved invaluable as a
temporary fix. Remote workflows will be a mainstay of post production going
forward.
“Our observation is that it is going to be equal and
concurrent ratio for in facility/remote workflows,” Shimiaei says.
“Clients are eager to return and enjoy the stage environment as before, yet
there are others who may be reluctant to do so or have discovered a new method
for their busy schedules. Many are now more comfortable with the remote
viewing experience. For that reason, we still need to have the ability to
stream a final product out to our clients whether they are in their office,
travelling, or at home.”
“I believe remote has become a natural part of our workflow.
Pandora’s Box has been opened and with content platforms launching and
production demand ramping up it’s not going to shut. Clients will want
flexibility to review material and work with our artists live using ClearView
simply because it will save them valuable time getting to the final product.
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