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Phil Squyres, SVP, Technical Operations Sony Pictures Television

How Digital Technology Impacts TV Production and Post – 2014 4 Examples of Recent 4K / TV Workflows that are affected by… or made possible by recent advancements in technology. Phil Squyres, SVP, Technical Operations Sony Pictures Television. Since 2013’s HPA Tech Retreat.

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Phil Squyres, SVP, Technical Operations Sony Pictures Television

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  1. How Digital Technology Impacts TV Production and Post – 20144 Examples of Recent 4K / TV Workflows that are affected by… or made possible by recent advancements in technology. Phil Squyres, SVP, Technical Operations Sony Pictures Television

  2. Since 2013’s HPA Tech Retreat... • Sony Pictures TV has shot the following shows in 4K • The Blacklist – NBC – pilot plus all episodes • Masters of Sex – Showtime - all episodes except for pilot • Rake – FOX – pilot plus all episodes • Michael J Fox Show – NBC – pilot plus all episodes • Bad Teacher – soon on CBS – all episodes • Welcome to the Family – NBC • Save Me – NBC • Justified – FX • TOTAL OF OVER 75 EPISODES IN 4K • MORE THAN HALF COMPLETED IN 4K • ANOTHER 70-80 PLANNED FOR 2014

  3. Today’s Featured Workflows • How the Delivery Specs for “a Netflix” - OTT vsNetwork/Cable impacts production and post • Workflow developed on The Blacklist – 4K plus HD • New 4K+HD workflow option for multicam sitcoms • Option for long distance editorial collaboration

  4. OTT Distribution vsTV/Cable How OTT delivery specs impact production and post

  5. Delivery Specs - OTT / TV Cable • Netflix now specs 4K delivery • Netflix and the other OTT services focus on supporting the binge-viewing subscriber • This requires access to ALL episodes at once…. • The streaming biz is world wide & 24/7

  6. Comparison Overview NetTV-Cable Productions OTT Productions View Anytime – All the time Binge viewing reveals all All episodes delivered Everyone is more aware of the entire story arc All Foreign Language versions must be completed • Scheduled Viewing (weekly) • You can bury weak episodes • Sequential Delivery • Tendency is to focus on 1 or 2 episodes at a time… • Foreign Language comes later IF the show sells

  7. Foreign Language Delivery • FOREIGN LANGUAGE DUBBING • - Neutral Spanish • - Brazilian Portuguese • - Parisian French • - German • CAPTIONS • English • Neutral Spanish • Brazilian Portuguese • Parisian French • German • Norwegian • Danish • Finnish • Swedish • Dutch • Luxembourgish

  8. Foreign Language Delivery • FOREIGN LANGUAGE DUBBING • - Neutral Spanish • - Brazilian Portuguese • - Parisian French • - German • CAPTIONS • English • Neutral Spanish • Brazilian Portuguese • Parisian French • German • Norwegian • Danish • Finnish • Swedish • Dutch • Luxembourgish + 21 days !!

  9. This impacts… • Schedule – shooting & post backed up from dubbing schedule prior to contract delivery – creates additional domino effects on these schedules • Budget – dubbing costs moved into production budget • Creative – entire arc must be locked prior to Post… • Production/Post – must be 4K – dictates camera and workflow for dailies and post production

  10. What does this suggest? Crafting these productions are maybe more like making movies…than traditional episodic television

  11. The Blacklist

  12. The Blacklist Last year I presented the workflow for the pilot of this 4K production

  13. The Blacklist We evolved a workflow to take advantage of unique options available on the Sony F55 to solve issues in post production

  14. The Blacklist – 4K Pilot • The pilot was shot in 4K on the F55 • Pilot was simul recorded on 4K and HD • 4K captured on AXS cards/R5 – HD on SxS/INT • 4K media cards were sent to LA…HD files were held on set as backup & for the DIT to apply color • Color info arrived LA via email before the 4K cards

  15. Shoot NYC – Dailies / Post LA • OCN moved by courier services using normal domestic flights • Breakoff late afternoon to make the next-to-last flight out to west coast • The after break-off material then goes out the next morning (2 shipments) or with the next days material (1 shipment per day) • Result – Editorial gets material in half-day increments – much later than shooting locally Monday PM footage arrives editorial Weds AM

  16. The Blacklist – 4K • Series adopted the same 4K + HD capture as pilot • Dailies Color is handled in the lab by a dailies colorist, instead of on set • The HD “proxy” captured on SxScards was held on set for backup in case of any issues w/4K • As soon as the 4K files were confirmed OK at the lab, the SxS cards were released for re-use.

  17. The Blacklist – 4K • This workflow was not ideal for Blacklist…due to adjustments in the scripts that required pickups • Wanted ALL of the footage shot each day to be available next morning in editorial – just like local • Since we were already capturing an HD proxy…there was an easy and fast solution • Push the HD proxy via Aspera to the LA Lab for dailies creation

  18. BLACKLIST DAILIES WORKFLOW SHOOT DAY NEXT DAY ALL OCN (AXS + SXS) + SOUND FILES, ANCILARY CAM FOOTAGE ARRIVES POSTWORKS NYC AXS CARDS WITH 4K OCN PUT ASIDE TO GO OUT NEXT DAY AXS CARDS VIA COURIER TO LA LAB NYC HD PROXY FILES FROM SXS CARDS + SOUND FILES, AND ANCILARY CAM FOOTAGE PUSHED VIA ASPERA TO LAB SERVER IN LA AXS CARDS WITH 4K FOOTAGE PLUS - CF CARDS WITH SOUND & ANY ANCILARY CAM CARDS SHIPPED TO LAB NEXT DAY VIA ASPERA LATER THAT DAY – 4K OCN ARRIVES LAB TO BE COPIED TO ARCHIVE (FOR LTO) AND LAB SAN (FOR PUSHING TO COLORWORKS) – 4K FTG VERIFIED TO MATCH SXS FTG RECEIVED & PROCESSED AS EDITORIAL DAILIES THE NIGHT BEFORE FILES ARE TRANSFERRED FROM LAB SAN TO WORK RAID ON CORTEX DAILIES SYSTEM DOWNLOAD TO DAILIES LAB SAN AS SOON AS PUSH IS COMPLETE LA LAB TO TV POST BACKBONE FOR CONFORM/COLOR LAB SAN COLOR INFO EDITORIAL DNX PLUS DELIVERABLES AS USUAL HD FOOTAGE IS COLOR GRADED FOR DAILIES – CDLS GENERATED ARCHIVE RAID TO BE ARCHIVED ONTO LTO PROXY FOOTAGE ARRIVES DAILIES LAB IN LA BY MIDNIGHT ON SHOOT DAY (PST) FOR PROCESSING

  19. BLACKLIST DAILIES WORKFLOW SHOOT DAY NEXT DAY ALL OCN (AXS + SXS) + SOUND FILES, ANCILARY CAM FOOTAGE ARRIVES POSTWORKS NYC AXS CARDS WITH 4K OCN PUT ASIDE TO GO OUT NEXT DAY FILES TO LAB VIA 10-GIGE CONNECT ? NYC HD PROXY FILES FROM SXS CARDS + SOUND FILES, AND ANCILARY CAM FOOTAGE PUSHED VIA ASPERA TO LAB SERVER IN LA AXS CARDS WITH 4K FOOTAGE PLUS - CF CARDS WITH SOUND & ANY ANCILARY CAM CARDS SHIPPED TO LAB NEXT DAY VIA ASPERA LATER THAT DAY – 4K OCN ARRIVES LAB TO BE COPIED TO ARCHIVE (FOR LTO) AND LAB SAN (FOR PUSHING TO COLORWORKS) – 4K FTG VERIFIED TO MATCH SXS FTG RECEIVED & PROCESSED AS EDITORIAL DAILIES THE NIGHT BEFORE FILES ARE TRANSFERRED FROM LAB SAN TO WORK RAID ON CORTEX DAILIES SYSTEM DOWNLOAD TO DAILIES LAB SAN AS SOON AS PUSH IS COMPLETE LA LAB TO TV POST BACKBONE FOR CONFORM/COLOR LAB SAN COLOR INFO EDITORIAL DNX PLUS DELIVERABLES AS USUAL HD FOOTAGE IS COLOR GRADED FOR DAILIES – CDLS GENERATED ARCHIVE RAID TO BE ARCHIVED ONTO LTO PROXY FOOTAGE ARRIVES DAILIES LAB IN LA BY MIDNIGHT ON SHOOT DAY (PST) FOR PROCESSING

  20. BLACKLIST DAILIES WORKFLOW AXS FILES SxS FILES TO TV POST BACKBONE FOR CONFORM/COLOR COLOR INFO TO BE ARCHIVED ONTO LTO PROXY FOOTAGE ARRIVES DAILIES LAB IN LA BY MIDNIGHT ON SHOOT DAY (PST) FOR PROCESSING

  21. F55 Dual Recording Capability • Creates identical files in two different resolutions • File names are identical but w/ different extensions – simplifies final conform of the 4K material • Similar concept was leveraged for another application = >> • MULTI-CAMERA SITCOMS

  22. 4K Raw vs. 4K XAVC • 4K Raw - RGB data directly from the sensor + metadata • 4K XAVC – Image data encoded and compressed • 4K Raw – offers the closest thing to a film negative…giving the greatest latitude in post, but requiring an external attached R5 recorder • 4K XAVC – 10bit, 422, 240mbs, recorded interally on SxS • Dramas = 4K Raw gives us comfort w/ challenging exposure issues encountered on drama schedules • ½ hr Comedies = tend to shoot in controlled setups on stages and limited location settings – 4K XAVC is safe

  23. Bad Teacher • ½ hr. comedy for CBS • Shot 12 episodes – yet to air • SPT wanted to protect the show for 4K • After testing and consultation with the DP and Post Producer – went XAVC 4K • Experience was positive…so based on that…

  24. The McCarthy’s Pilot II in 4K • Redo of pilot shot spring, 2013…but now written as a multi-cam to be shot in front of a live audience • Again SPT wanted to protect for a 4K future • Shot using 4 F55s configured in a traditional multicam digital package (ie., w/remote iris & video control) • Because it was a pilot AND because most sitcoms are used to conforming their shows in the AVID….

  25. We used a different dual recording approach for this pilot shoot… • Unlike Blacklist – this comedy was shot using 4K XAVC + HD instead of 4K Raw + HD • F55 is able to capture 4K-XAVC and HD simultaneously on the internal SxS recorder on the same media card • Plan is to complete the pilot in HD (on Avid)…then if picked up, we’ll remaster in 4K using the 4K-XAVC files • And likely continue shooting with this approach

  26. Potentially… ideal workflow for multicam sitcoms • Shoot dual format…cut in HD on Avid / conform the 4K for release and archival • Maintains all currentinfrastructure on stage and in show editorial, which has all been based on HD • Allows for scene preshoots and audience PB – common practice • Keeps total data load inline with HD only 1 hrProRes = 128 GB45 minutes XAVC-4K + HD = 128 GB

  27. Concept Could be Employed on Other Programming Genres • Reality Shows • Documentaries • Live Concerts • Any events you might want to protect for historical reasons

  28. Case Study # 4 LONG DISTANCE COLLABORATIVE EDITING

  29. Another Pilot – Another Challenge • Shooting in NYC – Posting in LA • Talent/EP lives and works in NYC • NYC has a limited numbers of comedy editors • Solution – edit in LA – use technology to connect the talent/EP to the live edit sessions • Technology => PCOIP

  30. PCOIP • SATA card installed in the Avid • Very thin client – ZERO client at viewing end • Supports 2 HD monitoring streams, plus sound and usb Avid • Connectivity requirements 100-120 mbs • Plus an H.264 feed of the “Client Viewing Monitor Feed” • SPE has a 10gigE connection between our lot and 550 Madison – Sony Headquarters NYC • Edit “viewing” arrangement setup in an office

  31. Speaking of Connectivity • The original intent was to leverage that 10gigE connectivity to move Blacklist 4K files to LA • That application was postponed when the pilot project needed to happen as soon as possible • Current plan is to start moving those 4K files via 10gigE to our dailies lab each day starting next week • Besides leveraging capacity of the line – this avoids potential shipping delays due to weather

  32. That’s it…thank you… • This presentation will be made available to the attendees here… • Please DO NOT reproduce or publish these slides without further permission from me and Sony Pictures Television. • And if you want or need more details based on this information, please contact me at phil_squyres@spe.sony.com

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