Someone who will be excitedly watching the Academy Awards on Sunday is Julie Parmenter, managing director of Molinare.
The firm did the post production on Virunga, a nominee in this year’s best documentary category. Virunga follows a group of park rangers in Virunga national park, eastern Congo (an area rich in natural resources) as they try to save the threatened mountain gorilla from poachers and soldiers. Parmenter says she was struck by the story. “It was an emotional ride for me personally, she says. “It had to be told and the corruption uncovered.”
Post production begins when the camera stops rolling, polishing it into a finished piece with picture, grading and colour correcting and adding in sound effects. Also, actors come to Molinare to record voiceovers for parts of the film where on-set recording isn’t clear. Molinare has already enjoyed Oscars success with documentary, Man on Wire.
While Oscar nominations build Molinare’s name in big name film studios, Parmenter says the fact the business is ‘small and personal’ is an asset. And she says that, because the business employs a team of permanent staff, it provides a sense of stability in contrast to many post production houses that employ lots of freelance staff.
As Parmenter explains, awards gives kudos to parts of the industry that don’t make the front page of glossy magazines. “You hear about directors and actors. Post production is the unsung hero – we’re the last of the credits. So the recognition provided by awards really is a motivation”.
Click here to read the full article: http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/feb/20/unsung-heroes-bring-oscar-winning-films-to-life
