BREDA, HOLLAND - Digital film house Pentamagik has purchased a Quantel eQ editing/effects/grading/versioning system that will serve as the heart of its integrated HD production workflow. The eQ is permanently housed in a Mercedes OB van. All shooting is done with Thomson Viper FilmStream and other 4:4:4 cameras. Output is recorded directly into the eQ so that playback, shot selection and editing can happen concurrently with shooting on location. When shooting is complete, the van is then docked back at Pentamagik's 30,000 square-foot home base in Breda.
The new eQ includes the QColor in-context grading package and is configured to handle full 4:4:4 HD-RGB with 240 minutes of storage and the full bundle of plug-ins. Pentamagik has also purchased five QEffects software licenses to handle offline compositing and effects work. In addition, the studio offers audio and screening facilities.
The movie "The Painting" inspired Pentamagik CEO John de Haas to set up the studio. The feature is based on the story of a painting of his father, and will begin shooting in October.
Pentamagik is also producing 13 shows of the hit Dutch program "Legends," as well as a series of documentaries. All are HD productions.
"HD is a fact and eQ is by far the best HD system around," says de Haas. "I can't understand how people think you can do HD on a standard PC - it's simply not going to work. It would be like using a kitchen knife to kill a dinosaur!"