HOLLYWOOD — Hula Post Production (http://hulapost.com) provided 3D editorial gear and workspace for the new film, Metallica: Through the Never. The 3D concert film is being presented by Picturehouse and features footage of the band, interwoven with a dramatic fictitious storyline.
Editor Joe Hutshing (Savages, Almost Famous) and his crew spent more than eight months at Hula’s West Los Angeles facility, cutting together footage from Metallica concerts in Edmonton, Alberta and Vancouver, British Columbia. The film is being presented in digital 3D cinemas and IMAX theaters.
Hula engineers designed and built a complete offline editorial workflow that included five Avid Nitris DX Media Composer 6.0.3 systems and a Unity shared storage device with a capacity of 40TBs. Hula also provided space for the film’s music editorial team and built an on-site screening facility equipped with a JVC 3D monitor. The package also included on-site technical support, production offices and concierge services.
Directed by Nimród Antal, the live concerts were shot with pairs of Arri Alexa cameras mounted in Cameron Pace Group 3D rigs. More than 30 camera set-ups were used to capture each song in the concert. “The amount of source material was almost mind-numbing,” says Antal, “and we faced the additional challenge of weaving in narrative material. Most films follow a straightforward path through editorial; this was a maze.”
The ability to quickly review scenes in 3D helped streamline the editorial process. “I had some concerns about the technology, as this was my first 3D film,” Antal explains, “but they were quickly alleviated because I was surrounded by experienced and wonderfully talented people.”