TORMENTED
Tormented, a teen horror comedy produced by Slingshot Films, Forward Films, BBC Films, Pathe and Screen West Midlands, is due to be released by Pathe and Warner Brothers on May 22nd. It was directed by Jon Wright, a founder member of the 4K team, with Matt Platts-Mills, 4K London’s MD, on board as film editor. It is the first film to be green lit by the BBC to be shot on RED.
Workflow
The 4K London team devised a tailor-made RED workflow solution for the project. Nye Jones and Dan Carling formed our on-set DIT (Digital Imaging Technician) team, storing and checking the images and assisting the DOP, Trevor Forrest, with shooting.
At the end of each day the data was handed over to an edit assistant to be backed up, loaded into Final Cut Pro and logged. For Matt, this meant he could be cutting the footage within hours of it being shot. For Jon this meant that if there was any doubts concerning coverage, the assembled scene in question could be reviewed by lunchtime the following day. This is a huge bonus for low-budget features because it means additional shots can be picked up before the location is wrapped.
Last September, with shooting completed, Jon and Matt returned to 4K's FCP suite in Soho, London where they maximised the benefits of working with RED data. For producers' and financiers' screenings, Matt rendered out sequences which could simply be played using a Macbook Pro connected to a digital projector in Soho Screening rooms. There was no need to do any special play-outs or prints, greatly reducing costs.
Once the edit was locked and approved the RED footage was transcoded to DPX files and graded at Molinare before being written via an Arri Laser Film Recorder to 35mm film. 250 prints have been struck for a release in the UK on May 22nd, with an international release to follow.
"Working with the RED was transformative in two key respects. First it allowed us to edit in near-real-time. Having an assembly of the morning's shoot in the evening gave us the ability to make decisions about re-shoots, pick-ups, set-striking with a precision and confidence that would simply be impossible in traditional film-making. Secondly, the ability to view back footage in high res gave us an immediate sense of what the finished film would look like - instead of having to make the visual guesses from a video or low res file. The Red, as expertly supported by 4K London, gives the proof to Slingshot's strategic premise: that digital transforms the film industry."
Arvind Ethan David, Producer, Slingshot
"Taking the decision to shoot Tormented on the RED One was a pretty nerve-racking one. However, from the off, 4K London supported us in defining the workflow for the project and talking us through every stage of the process up to and including the post-production. By the time we came to shoot Tormented, the preparation on the workflow and the experience of 4K's DITs meant that we had a seamless system that allowed us to make our schedule and ensure that the footage was securely backed up.
Shooting on the Red turned out to be a totally enjoyable experience, not only in terms of the results, which were fantastic, but also in the ability to produce assemblies on location. This allowed us to instantly assess whether we needed to re-shoot a scene or pick up a vital shot. Shooting Red gives low budget films access to great production values and 4K London are a vital ingredient in making sure that you maximise the camera's full potential."
Jim Spencer, Line Producer
Director of Photography Trevor Forrest
Credits:
Starring: Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson
Production Company: Forward Films/ Slingshot Films/ BBC Films/ Pathe Films
Director: Jon Wright
Producers: Tracy Brimm, Kate Myers, Arvind Ethan David, Cavan Ash
Director of Photography: Trevor Forrest
Editor: Matt Platts-Mills