Digital Dada

Services I offer 

Workflow guidance

I can provide you advice on camera formats, drives, backup strategies, post systems, workflow.

I could figure out an ideal workflow based on your shoot schedule, locations, logistics, delivery requirements. And, of course, your budget. So that your team  can work happily and get home on time everyday, take weekends off, and be healthy. Because films made by happy and healthy people are often good and successful films.

I could also figure out from reading their tech specs, what a Netflix or Amazon Prime really wants, what they will demand, what they may overlook, and and what they won’t tolerate. 

Data management on set

My teams and I manage fast, secure and verified backups of camera cards to multiple drive backups, make reports, creating dailies from original camera files. (means edit-ready files for Avid/Premiere/FCP editing). This, after applying standard LUTs for log footage, jam sync with audio, synced dailies. 

We also upload for preview to Pix or frame.io or any cloud service of your choice. And we can provide this service in case you don’t have an account with any sharing service.

We also do, if needed, Avid/Premiere Pro project prep on location, basic editing lineup on set

And, of course, backup to LTO.

if you’re looking for ‘copy-paste’ services that attendants do for a nominal budget, then we don’t do that. I have film-school trained girls and boys who speak English, understand film-making and editing, and have spent 3 or more years in a classroom studying it. I train them, observe them, monitor them, I make sure they do it right.

Digital ‘Lab’

If you’re managing the on set data backup yourself or with a basic data backup person, but can’t keep up with dailies and uploads, or have no clue what the producer or the channel really wants, then pass them on to me. We have faster systems and can do overnight dailies. We get the things like timecode, file naming, metadata, and other process right so that editing and later relinking for DI, sound and VFX works painlessly. 

We can also provide LTO backups simultaneously.

Post services

Editing systems, edit project preparation, subtitle format conversions, DCP making, Blu-ray, DVD authoring.

Colour grading for short films, motion graphics and basic effects work.

‘Fix it in Post’ services

Creation of valid EDL/AAF/XML from troublesome projects, relink of troublesome non-TC media, multi frame rate project fixing. Consolidating footage to send to DI. Making sound AAF to send to ProTools, because your editor can’t manage. 

Making Avid/Premiere Pro/FCP 7/FCP X EDL/AAF/XML that work correctly in Baselight.

Converting entire projects from FCP 7 (because your editor still works on FCP7) to Avid (because this new editor won’t work on FCP 7), or Premiere Pro. Or the other way around.

Rentals

I rent out Avid Media Composer or Premiere, or FCP 7, or FCP X, or Resolve systems. I do this included with support from me, and when the number of system is more than one. My charges are much higher than plain rental guys. If you’re looking for budget, no-support edit system without any software, then I’m not your source.

Charges

Most of the work I do is charged on a ‘per unit effort’ basis. Means I will bill you per hour, or per day, per week, per month, or per GB, per TB, or per disk, per DCP, or per minute, even per second for some stuff, and so on. The fees will be logical, predictable, measurable and verifiable at both ends.

I avoid ‘package’ or consolidated payments as they are not fair to me or to you.

I like being paid within a week of giving you a bill. If you are the 30-45 days kind of person/company, I’ll still speak to you, but my enthu level will drop. Also, delayed payments slow down the nation’s economy, and I don’t want to be responsible for that.

Services for projects with no budget

I provide free services to any project that does something good for people. Self-funded projects on water management, waste recycling, breast feeding, poverty alleviation, are some examples.

If you can make a 500 word write-up describing your project, and giving good reasons why I should not charge for it, I’ll surely consider it. 

However, if all other crew have finished charging and getting paid, and your budget has run out and now you’re into post, so that’s why there’s no budget, then also do write those 500 words. I love reading fiction.

Disclaimer

In case you’ve visited my old company site www.postblackbox.com, you’ll find mention of me in their ‘About’ page. Yes, I used to be part of Post BlackBox, but we parted ways some years ago. 

Now, Digital Dada is my new company, and avatar. I am not associated with Post Blackbox in any way, and in case you choose to avail of their services, please be informed that I’m not part of them any more.