American Cinematographer - June 2014 - S3

SPOTLIGHT ON
FotoKem: Where Film's Infl uence Meets
Contemporary Post Services
Filmmakers who have
spent any amount of time in
Hollywood are already familiar
with FotoKem, which has been
providing post production
services to the industry for
fi ve decades. From early on,
the facility has been a trusted
resource for studio projects,
television shows, independent
fi lms, and commercial
production. Headquartered
in Burbank, Calif., FotoKem
enjoys a unique role in the
industry as an independently
owned-and-operated post
facility with a global reach. Their
process embodies technological
innovation and a passion for
supporting fi lmmakers.
Today, emerging fi lmmakers
and seasoned pros alike
continue to rely on FotoKem's
wide range of expertise for
navigating the many creative
choices available for storytelling.
"We are extremely proud of our
history in the post production
industry, and our longstanding
relationships with so many
gifted fi lmmakers," says
President and CEO William
Brodersen. "Our transition
into fi le-based workfl ows was
led by the talented people
that work here. Over the last
decade, we have been able to
grow technically and build an
incredible, professional team of
experts that has made FotoKem
what we are now."
FotoKem opened its doors
in 1963 as a 16mm blackand-white
laboratory. Since
that fi rst day, the company
has continually operated
a high-quality, full-service
laboratory. Over the years as
technologies have advanced,
FotoKem has kept pace with
innovation, evolving from
a lab to a state-of-the-art,
end-to-end post facility with
services from production
through asset management.
To maintain its leadership
position in a changing industry,
FotoKem established an
in-house software development
team that has developed a
number of signifi cant products.
For example, FotoKem's
award-winning nextLAB®
system is a proprietary
workfl ow solution that manages
media, provides RAW format
playback, quality control,
metadata management, dailies
functionality, color, and archive.
In the midst of vast changes
in post production, FotoKem has
remained dedicated to providing
high-quality fi lm services, and
is a leading facility of choice for
fi lmmakers and studios opting
for celluloid. "It's about creative
choices," says Chief Strategy
Offi cer Mike Brodersen. "In
spite of changes, fi lm remains
an important option for
fi lmmakers, who continue to
want to shoot fi lm for many
reasons. There are a plethora
of productions today that rely
on digital and analog formats
to convey certain emotions or
poignant story points, and we
want to support whatever they
chose to do." Recent projects
include Transcendence, Tammy,
Star Trek Into Darkness, Low
Down, and Fruitvale Station, to
name a few.
FotoKem has also played
an important role in the
preservation of the cinema as
well. Mike Brodersen adds,
"Preservation is always at the
heart of the discussion. Not
only are treasured fi lms from
the past revived, but current
digitally acquired masterpieces
are recorded to motion picture
fi lm for long-term archive." The
company's expertise has been
enlisted for It's a Mad, Mad,
Mad, Mad World; Hello, Dolly!
and All Quiet on the Western
Front, among others.
"We've had LTO tapes
less than 8 years old come in
to us that don't work," Mike
Brodersen relates. "We've
had to unlock old decks and
equipment to access content
that really isn't very old, even by
today's fast-moving standards.
Formats change all the time,
but fi lm is still the only proven
archival medium that can last
100-plus years when stored
properly. It gives content owners
the ability to rescan their assets
to whatever delivery format
the future holds for release
opportunities. There is intrinsic
value in this as we sort out
the technology and process of
migrating and preserving digital
assets in a cost-effective way."
FotoKem's focus on
supporting the creative remains
laser clear. "The changes
in workfl ow will continue,
and every advancement will
bring changes and different
responsibilities for fi lmmakers
and post production," says Mike
Brodersen. "The future will not
take a singular path. That's why
FotoKem is committed to putting
the best solutions in place.
Whether developing fi le-based
workfl ows for emerging camera
technologies, designing 70mm
fi lm pipelines, supporting
multi-format fi lm/data projects,
managing color, restoring
classics, fi nishing color, or
providing non-linear production
services, FotoKem never loses
sight of its customers."
Mike Brodersen continues, "I
believe we are experiencing an
unprecedented evolution of the
creative community. And our job
is to harmonize their creative and
technical choices."
FotoKem Founder Gerald Broderson.
American Cinematographer - June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - June 2014
