Digital Motion Picture Center at Sony Pictures Studios
Sony’s Professional Solutions of America group (PSA) has unveiled its Digital Motion Picture Center (DMPC) at Sony Pictures Studios.
Officially opening May 1, the Center will offer hands-on training for directors, cinematographers and other professionals in the film and television production industries on the use of Sony’s F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera and the production workflows supporting this digital acquisition system.
In January 2012, Sony began worldwide deliveries of the F65 camera to meet the demand from production professionals. According to the company, approximately 400 units were pre-ordered, and several other productions are also planned to be shot with the F65. (Read: “After Earth” Film to Be Shot with Sony’s F65 Camera)
It’s not only Sony. Today, other players are also part of the digital transformation taking place in the global entertainment industry.
For example, “Cybergeddon” will engage Yahoo!’s worldwide audience through an immersive storytelling, social media and gaming experience. (Read: Will Cybergeddon Change the Film Distribution Model?)
And top retailer Walmart is partnering with Hollywood to increase the value of movie ownership with anytime access to DVDs. It is giving physical DVD/Blu-ray collections a second life by turning them into digital movies. (Read: Walmart Enters Hollywood with Disc-to-Digital Service)
“This will be a place for the Hollywood production community to share experiences with their peers and help make the transition from 35mm film to digital production as seamless as possible,” said Alec Shapiro, PSA senior vice president. “Here, on one stage, filmmakers and other content creators can shoot 4K pictures, process them through a 4K workflow on site at ColorWorks and view the results on a 4K projector.”
[ Also Read: Anime Series OZMA to be Released on Viki ]Sony said that several F65 projects are already underway across the industry. The first two movies being shot with the camera are Sony Pictures’ recently announced “After Earth,” the latest film from the production company Overbrook Entertainment and acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan, and the Universal movie “Oblivion.”
“We’re pleased that Sony is making this commitment to the filmmaking community and has chosen Stage 7 as its home,” said Gary Martin, president, Production Administration at Sony Pictures. “The Center offers professionals an opportunity to see this exceptional camera in action and learn the best practices for using it.”
[ Also Read: Madonna Going Live with Jimmy Fallon on Facebook ]In addition to the F65, the Center will offer training and education for film and television production on Sony’s range of Super 35mm digital systems, including the PMW-F3 camcorder and others.
Sony also plans to make the DMPC available to local rental companies and resellers to conduct training for their respective customers as well as third-party workflow partners including Assimilate, Avid, Blackmagic, Codex, ColorFront, FilmLight, MTI Film and YoYotta.
In the picture above: At the unveiling of Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Center (DMPC), from left: Alec Shapiro, president DMPC; Curtis Clark, chairman, ASC Technology Committee; Takao Yoshikawa, vice president, SGM, CCS, PSG, Sony Corporation; Spencer Stephens, Chief Technology Officer, Sony Pictures Technologies; Bill Baggelaar, SVP, Technologies, Colorworks, Sony Pictures Entertainment.
