High definition post production house Envy has invested in a Baselight FOUR colour grader—its second such system. Manufactured by FilmLight, the resolution independent colour grading system will be installed in a custom-built suite identical to the one that houses the company’s original Baselight FOUR with full operation set to begin in February, coincident with the second anniversary of Envy’s launch.

Envy has used Baselight to grade numerous television programmes, including the BBC documentary series The Tower, Cicada Films’ Living with the Mek: The Adventures of Mark and Olly, MayaVision’s The Story of India, BBC2’s The Restaurant and the Louis Theroux documentaries The Most Hated Family in America and Louis Theroux: Under the Knife.

“Baselight consistently delivers for us and our clients,” commented Envy Managing Director Dave Cadle. “It has made the transition from linear to non-linear grading completely painless. Its simplicity of use, versatile toolset and reliability has made it a universal success with our clients.”

Cadle added that although there are a number of solutions available for colour grading, Baselight was still the system of choice. The fact that it has become the preferred colour grading system amongst television clients in London made a review of other systems unnecessary. “Baselight has helped us raise the benchmark in post grading with increased power, functionality and creative opportunities with dramatic results.”

Baselight FOUR provides the power, speed and flexibility required by the high end post production work being done at Envy. The system supports real-time grading at resolutions up to 2K and features 24TB of local storage, enough to accommodate as much as 30 hours of HD media files. The system also incorporates FilmLight’s acclaimed Truelight colour management system which ensures colour accuracy for film deliverables.

Additionally, Baselight integrates seamlessly into Envy’s workflow, which also includes a number of Avid editing systems, visual effects, compositing and audio systems, facilitating the easy migration of media and permitting artists to work collaboratively.

Colourist Jonathan “Jono” Lieb said that one of the greatest strengths of Baselight is that it is constantly evolving and improving. “The support and development teams at FilmLight are always on hand to offer solutions and listen to new suggestions,” he observed. “With the addition of a second suite at Envy the next year promises to be a great one!”

The success that Envy has enjoyed in just two years is astonishing. The company went through an expansion earlier this year that doubled its size, adding a seven story facility on Margaret Street in Soho to compliment its flagship Rathbone Place site. In November, the company won a Silver Award from Promax for Best Post Production House. It is currently on a short list for a similar honour in Broadcast Magazine’s 2008 ‘Broadcast Awards’.

To operate the new Baselight, Envy has recruited Colourist Vicki Matich. Formerly with ITV, her credits include the drama series Heartbeat, Blue Murder and Wire in the Blood.

Contact – Deepa Parbhoo ([email protected]) +44 20 7292 0400

About Envy

Envy Post Production is a fully high definition facility located in London’s West End. Envy Post Production has two buildings, the original at Rathbone Place and a second complimentary site at Margaret Street. Envy offers 58 operational areas, including off-line AVID editing; Final Cut Pro, DS Nitris, Baselight Grading, Smoke, 3D and Audio including Dolby licensed studios. Envy offers clients the best creative staff, complemented by the latest in high definition technology. For more information visit www.envypost.co.uk.

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