Local Hero 4K QC with Bluefish444 Epoch & Adobe Premiere Pro CC
01 November, 2018
Local Hero, a full-service post-production and visual effects boutique based in Santa Monica, have been supporting the feature film industry for over 10 years, with more than 200 feature DI credits to their name. They have been helping to push the digital revolution in Hollywood forward, working together with filmmakers to take a holistic view of production, post-production and VFX to deliver the highest quality content in today’s budget-challenged reality.
Local Hero use a number of software packages depending on which phase of the production they are working on, with Adobe® Premiere Pro® CC used regularly for quality control (QC) purposes. With its professional-grade video and audio monitoring tools, and the ability to view a wide range of file formats, Premiere Pro CC is the perfect tool to ensure the best possible outcome.
For two recent feature films, the independent “Foster Boy” and big-budget “Samurai Marathon”, Local Hero required a 4K-capable video I/O card for the conform, review, QC and mastering phases of production. The Bluefish444 Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ was a good fit for their needs, and having used it on previous productions for the likes of Netflix and HBO, they knew it would perform well and provide them with the best results.
Steve Bannerman, CEO of Local Hero, explains that movies are becoming more reliant on visual effects, with the high-action Samurai Marathon in particular having heavy use of VFX, and even the more drama-oriented Foster Boy having over 50 shots utilising some sort of effects. This leads to workflows such as colour correction and quality control being commoditised, and requiring a more comprehensive approach when looking at a project in terms of the post-production and mastering processes.
The Bluefish444 Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ gave Local Hero the full 10-bit 4K resolution through Quad Link 3G-SDI that their 2K workflow was lacking. Bluefish444 have worked with Adobe for many years, with their entire Epoch line fully compatible with all Adobe’s professional video and audio software. With Bluefish444, not only could Local Hero use their Adobe’s software package, they could also use their preferred IMF package (MXF) for mastering and utilise a 4K reference monitor supported by Bluefish444 SDI hardware. This ensured that their deliverable would exceed all specifications and requirements, and that with the benefit of Bluefish444’s 12-bit processing engine, the image they were seeing on-screen would match pixel for pixel to what it should be.
“With the high expectations that come from working with a company such as Bluefish444, you don’t want to ‘notice’ the card once it’s installed,” comments Bannerman. “If you can carry on with a project without having to think about the hardware, you know it’s doing its job. For that reason and many others, the Bluefish444 card was the best choice for our 4K productions, and it works perfectly.”
With more and more productions moving to 4K, Local Hero have fully integrated the Bluefish444 Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ into their regular DI process. “It used to be that we had a 4K ‘room’ when we were working on an ultra-high-resolution feature, but now every room is 4K!” Bannerman mentions, “Having the high quality and flexibility of the Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ available to our entire team means our quality control is done at full resolution, and we can produce pixel-perfect masters to our clients, which keeps everyone happy.”
Local Hero are currently working on two upcoming 4K HDR TV shows, one of which is for Netflix, on which they will be again utilising the Epoch | 4K Supernova S+ for their QC and mastering requirements. Having now used the Bluefish444 card on several projects, they know it will perform well and consistently provide results everyone is happy with.
