Phasma Ex Machina - Behind The Scenes, Episode #1 from Phasma Ex Machina on Vimeo.

Phasma Ex Machina - More than a Ghost Story from Phasma Ex Machina on Vimeo.

The Science of Phasma Ex Machina from Phasma Ex Machina on Vimeo.

 

Post-production is the quiet kid in the back of the classroom of the filmmaking process.  Perhaps not as well known as the other kids (pre-production and production) post-production is an essential multi-faceted affair. Charged with the assembly and fine-tuning of a project, post-production takes many hands: editing, scoring, sound design, mixing, and the lesser known, color correction of a film.  Color correction is exactly what it sounds like: the manipulation and tweaking of a movie’s color to either correct for errors, or to bring new meaning to the footage.

“We always knew that we wanted to get professional post work done, but we weren’t sure if it would be after we locked picture or if/when we got accepted into a festival,” Phasma Ex Machina Director Matt Osterman says. Much of that post work ended up in the hands of CRASH+SUES, a full-service Minneapolis post-production company. The color correction process varies from project to project and ultimately comes down to collaboration with the client.

“It’s their movie,” says CRASH+SUES producer Amanda Burgland. “We just want to help them make it look as good as it can.”

“The look of Phasma was pretty clear-cut for us,” says Matt, “but SUE was able to add a level of consistency that’s pretty hard to accomplish.” For the color correcting process she currently works on a DaVinci 2K+, a hardware-based machine that allows the user to work in real time without the need to render any footage. The process can involve changing the overall darkness and contrast of a scene to targeting a specific color and changing it from others. She describes it as “tweaking a still in Photoshop, except you have to deal with motion as well.” Luckily, SUE knows her color correction.

“When I started, the video color correction industry was in its infancy and I grew with it,” she says. Because of this SUE has seen the color business evolve from having to literally shoot a film projector into a camera to the hardware and software based machines of today. It’s this experience that helped her when working with Matt and Phasma Cinematographer Adam Honzl, to develop some of the unique looks of Phasma. “Our main goal was to flip the traditional “scary movie “ convention. We figured as far as most of our characters go—these spirits they’re seeing are reminding them of better times, and therefore the audience should feel that happy nostalgia alongside them” Adam says. Where most movies of this genre (supernatural thriller) build atmosphere by keeping scenes colder and less saturated, the Phasma team took a unique approach. “They had a certain push with a red environment when the magic was happening,” says SUE. “A soft de-saturated look for the flashbacks, and a more colorful and realistic look during the balance of the film.” “She did some really cool tricks with some shots you’ll never notice in the film,” says Matt. “But they get me really excited when I see them.”

With the color correction done, and the rest of the Phasma post-production assets rolling in, it was time to piece everything together. Working on a finishing machine called Smoke, and Autodesk product (described to me as “Final Cut on Steroids”), Mark Anderson was in charge of reassembling all of the incoming parts: color, titles, sound and edit.  “Finishing is like a funnel, putting all the pieces together, lining things up,” Mark says. Finishing is definitely the unsung hero of the post-production game; meticulously combing through a project, searching for any hiccups that may have been overlooked. “My personality pretty much matches what a finish session involves,” says Mark, “I think it’s the A.D.D.; concentrating on bringing together an entire piece and making everything fit together really works for me.” After all the elements of the movie are in their proper place the film gets a final run through before it’s laid back off the 1080p SR master - a very high-end tape cassette.  Phasma is not the first movie to go through CRASH+SUES hands. Although primarily a commercial post house since 1990, Mark says they love to work on indie films. “Getting into an indie is a nice release.” This enjoyment led to CRASH+SUES opening CS Films - a division of the company created strictly to meet the needs of the increasing number of independent film projects in the Twin Cities. A major goal of CS Films is community: “We’ve a camaraderie like no other place you’ll go,” says Amanda, “We share our candy with all the kids on the playground.”

Lacking a big budget, indie films are often forced into “creative” solutions that a big budgeted movie might not normally consider. “We knew we had a solid film that we believed in and hoped our rough cut would allow people to see the potential,” says Matt.

CRASH+SUES saw that potential and made sure everything fit perfectly, helping to boost the cinematography and hide any minor imperfections created during production and editing.  “It’s those sort of little mistakes that bring the audience out of the movie,” says Matt. “It ultimately distracts them from becoming fully engaged in the narrative. We wanted the film to be perfect.”

Beyond covering flaws, the post process has an important role to play. Each element helps to add and enhance the overall narrative. Having a properly balanced and colored movie for example, is just as important as having a good musical score. “It elicits a certain response from the viewer aside from simply making the movie more cinematic,” says Amanda. “Color can tell the story as much as dialogue.” Post-production may not get all the glory, but there’s a certain honor in walking softly and carrying a big stick.

Thomas Edison is making things difficult. Despite his vast contributions to the world of cinema, Mr. Edison is now causing the indie film, Phasma Ex Machina some minor irritation. Mr. Edison makes a brief appearance in the movie, as a photo, and lawyer Mick Spence wants to make sure that the image has been cleared. The irony of a deceased man causing problems is not lost on the Phasma team.            

The world of film is certainly not a legal free zone. There are more rules and regulations than the public pool, and with good reason.  And it is important, both for artist and purveyor, to know who made what, and when. Things like having proper clearances and adhering to copyright laws is a must if you ever hope for your project to see the light of day. If you want, you can brave the thick legal bramble yourself.  Sometimes it’s nice to have a guide with a machete.

Mick Spence has been in the law game for 20 years, and is only one of a handful of entertainment lawyers in the Twin Cities. More importantly though, as a supporter of the arts for his entire life - and an artist himself, he understands why people don’t want to bother with the legal stuff. “They just want to create,” says Spence. “But the legal stuff is important, especially for the business minded artist. If people want to make a living at their art, its important they get into commerce in the correct way.”

Independent film often has the odds stacked against it. With low budgets, limited resources, and having to fight and scrape for public attention, the last thing an indie film needs are a bunch of legal problems. “You might have all the resources in the world but it might not see the light of day due to legal disputes,” says Spence.

When shooting a movie, everything that appears on screen or comes out of the speakers must be accounted for. Any face that you show, any music that you hear, or any image that wasn’t created by the production crew needs to have proper documentation.  Getting the copyright to an image or song “cleared” can be as simple as contacting the owner and asking for permission.  However, finding the owner is not always an easy process and even if you do, many copyright owners are very protective of their work.  “If you don’t own it or don’t already have contractual permission to use it, it’s almost always best to leave it out of the film” says Director Matt Osterman. 

That’s really the goal for Mick.  He wants to protect his client’s work and make sure they’re making smart choices.  “A lot of people come to me after a problem has arisen, hardly ever at the beginning - which would be easy,” says Spence. Getting a lawyer involved never sounds like a good thing, but it can save your independent project a lot of money – it’s far more cost effective, and the process is significantly easier to get a lawyer involved in the beginning. Producer Jennifer Kramer agrees. “It’s one of those things on an indie film’s list that you tend to want to put off. The smartest thing, though, is to get a solid attorney on board as soon as possible.”

Back to Thomas Edison.  He’s currently tacked to the wall in a giant photo collage in the lead character’s bedroom.  Spence pauses the DVD and immediately recognizes a potential red flag.  He’s keen to the fact that the production team probably found the image on the Internet and used it on the wall – with or without permission.  One quick conversation and he gets the answer he was looking for. Co-Producer Jon Thomas purchased and downloaded the image from a reputable website and he has the receipt to prove it. 

Crisis averted.  Thomas Edison can stay in the film.  He’ll finally get his fifteen minutes of fame.

 

Visit www.Copyright.gov to learn more about copyright and registering your own works.

You can also learn more about Mick Spence and what he does at http://www.spencelawfirm.com. 

 

Written by Dane Whitehead - Copyright 2010 Phasma Productions LLC