DMC Digital Adds Second Smoke

SYDNEY

Sydney’s DMC Digital has boosted its ability to tackle a range of projects, from TVCs through to longform, with the addition of a second Discreet smoke online editing and finishing system. The purchase follows DMC’s original smoke installation nearly three years ago – a move that saw DMC become the first facility in Australia to install smoke. The company has also upgraded its original smoke to version 5 software.
“The fact that we already had another smoke made the installation an easy choice,” said Paul Meredith, Operations Manager, DMC Digital. – “smoke has proven itself, it works, and the clients like it. In addition, the fact that version 5 of the smoke software accepts OMFI enables interaction with our offline and lower-end systems.”
The smoke is the premier finishing suite at DMC, and Meredith says that while it is often used to finish imported offline EDLs, it is also used to add effects to projects that have already been conformed.
“These days every client demands a certain level of effects – gone are the days of ‘cut-cut’ commercials, you generally need to do at least some compositing and colour correction,” said Meredith. “That’s why smoke is such a good online tool, it’s a comprehensive suite and you feel confident tackling any job. “Editors like to use Discreet products. Although there is only a small pool of operators out there due to the advanced nature of the products, a lot of editors are keen to learn – anyone who gets on the machine really likes it,” he said.
The second smoke will be running on the new SGI Octane 2 platform, which enables an easy upgrade path to HD. “Every product we’ve bought recently has HD in mind,” continued Meredith. “Although we didn’t want to go to HD straight away, we wanted the option to go to HD without having to spend too much money. We’re getting tentative enquiries about HD at the moment – but with the market uncertainty nobody really knows if they want HD or not. Most of the requirement for HD is likely to come from high end documentaries and digital film."
The flexibility offered by the new smoke system will also be crucial for DMC in enabling the company to handle an array of projects.
“We can spend a month working on a longform series, and the next month working just on TVCs, so the flexibility is important. That’s one reason why smoke is such a good tool – especially with the way the advertising market is fluctuating,” said Meredith. “DMC is expanding and the Discreet tools are part of that expansion. We’d like to increase our TVC work, and we’re establishing relationships with the agencies and directors. Another reason we chose a Discreet product is because client recognition is an important factor and Discreet has a very good name in the industry,” he said.

Return to Industry News Archive