Goldcrest Helps Indie Filmmakers Overcome the Odds
Post-production can be challenging for independent filmmakers. Deadlines loom. Budgets are tight. A myriad of creative and technical decisions must be made, any of which can have a crucial impact on a project that’s been years in development.
Goldcrest Post makes it easier for content creators to bring their projects to the finish line by providing talent and resources encompassing every aspect of post. Consolidating editorial, visual effects, sound and picture finishing under one roof is not only convenient, it also facilitates communication between departments, promotes a consistent creative vision, and provides greater control over time and costs.
Currently, Goldcrest is providing post services for three indie projects—Breathe, Olde Boys and The Shade—that underscore both the passion filmmakers bring to their work…and the blood, sweat and tears needed to get their visions on the screen.
Breathe
Produced by Thunder Road Pictures, Breathe is a thriller set in a future Earth that has become uninhabitable due to a lack of oxygen. The film is directed by Indie Spirit Award winner Stefon Bristol, in his feature debut, and has an all-star cast led by Jennifer Hudson, Milla Jovovich, Quvenzhané Wallis and Common. Editorial for the film has been completed and visual effects production is underway, Goldcrest is handling sound and picture finishing.
Keeping the effects-heavy project on track and on budget requires tight management. Post Production Supervisor Zack Kirk-Singer says that things got hectic recently as the visual effects team worked to complete shots ahead of a holiday weekend. “Everyone wanted their elements all at once, clogging the pipeline,” he recalls. “I called Wade Rudolph, Head of Production at Goldcrest, who was managing the delivery of media, and asked for help. He was able to free up resources and get everyone what they needed to keep working. There are always bumps in the road—that’s how this industry works—what’s important is to work with vendors who understand that and are ready to step up when something unexpected occurs.”
Lisa Black is an award-winning producer whose company, Garnet Girl, has produced nearly a dozen films for domestic and international markets. Her current project, Olde Boys, is a comedy about a group of Americans who travel to England to compete in a soccer tournament. Black plans to bring the post work to Goldcrest, not only because it offers complete sound and picture services, but also because it can support the production in the UK, where it’s being shot, through its sister facility, Goldcrest Post Production, London.
Olde Boys
“When you’re producing a movie, who you bring to the table is as important as what you’re actually producing,” Black insists. “I need a post house with offices in London and New York, and experience with both studio and SVOD releases. Independent filmmakers don’t always consider deliverable checklists for SVODs and later must redo the budget because they need a 5.1 stereo mix and Dolby Atmos sound. When I approached Goldcrest, they immediately looped in every person who would be part of my team to ensure we had all our bases covered.”
The Shade is an independent horror film from director Tyler Chipman, producer David Purdy and associate producer Jack Ludden, based on their award-winning short of the same name. Goldcrest is providing sound design and mixing as well as color grading and editorial finishing for the film. Its sister company, Fancy House of Visual Effects, is delivering an extensive package of 2D and 3D VFX.
The Shade
“We have a lean model,” says Purdy. “Tyler is the writer-director, while Jack and I have taken on many of the production roles. We chose to consolidate everything at Goldcrest and are relying on their guidance to bring our film through post. You invest a lot of time and money in production, but the film still needs editorial, color, VFX and sound. We didn’t want to do one part well and not all of it. Everything had to hit the same high standard.”
Given the film’s supernatural subject matter, Chipman, Purdy and Ludden spent a lot of time with Fancy’s creative team in developing a VFX strategy that would fulfill the film’s story requirements without straining its budget. “They immediately put my mind at ease,” recalls Chipman. “They asked the right questions about the look and feel we wanted and how far to go with the effects. They told us what was possible and what we needed to give them to get best results.”
Chipman adds that he had particular concern for certain critical scenes that were effects heavy. “I was worried that there would be a stark contrast between what we captured in camera and the 3D models,” he says, “but I was very impressed with what Fancy was able to accomplish…actually it blew my mind.”
The filmmakers were similarly committed to producing a cinematic quality soundtrack and leaned on Goldcrest’s sound design and mix team to help them achieve it. “They weren’t simply focused on the soundtrack; they asked about the characters, plot points and the effect we hoped to create. That was very reassuring. I knew that their work was going to support the story.”
Ultimately, as with all independent films, Chipman, Purdy and Ludden are aiming to come away with a film on par with studio releases while working with limited financial resources. “David and I were the only producers., and we didn’t have a post-production supervisor or coordinator,” says Ludden. “That made it a little more difficult, but that’s where Goldcrest was most helpful. On countless occasions, they pointed us in the direction of other resources and connections. That is keeping us on track to produce the film we envisioned.”