MAKING THE GRADE

There is always a certain hesitation when asked to estimate the timing of a telecine booking. Unfortunately, a telecine session can sometimes become a quagmire of film cans and edit lists; within which the creative purpose can flounder. Nowadays, despite huge improvements in image quality and incredible advances in colour manipulation, we are totally disadvantaged by having the telecine session at the start of the post-production chain. We are always working from out-of-context source material and whole unedited takes. In the near future, there will be an unprecedented demand for content to be supplied across an increasingly diverse media structure. Sky is soon to start broadcasting major sporting events in high definition. I predict that within a year, a finished TV ad will need to not only be of the same quality but will be adaptable for every other type of media, from digital cinema to mobile phones.