History of Prime Focus Ltd.
We were incorporated as a Private Limited Comp. on June 24, 1997. Thereafter, the word 'Private' was deleted from our name under the provisions of Section 43A[2s]. Pursuant to this, our Comp. was converted into a public limited Company, vide a fresh Certificate of Incorporation dated April 24, 2000, issued by ROC. The Comp. traces its roots to the proprietary concerns of its Directors - 'Video Works' of Mr. Naresh Malhotra & 'Video Workshop' of Mr. Namit Malhotra which were merged to form Prime Focus Private Limited.
The promoters had predicted the importance of achieving critical mass in the growing Entertainment Industry & identified the need to provide the entire spectrum of services involved in feature films & ad films industry. Our Promoters have three decades of experience in the film industry, which is complimented by a team of creative personnel & competence in the latest relevant technology in post-production.
They began as proprietary concerns started by our founders - Video Works [EQRs] of Mr. Naresh Malhotra & Video Workshop [Post Production - NLEs] of Mr. Namit Malhotra. Both the firms were merged in 1997, to form Prime Focus as a consolidated entity built up of advanced technology and inhabited by selective native talent. Since then, we have grown to become one of leaders of Asia in post production & visual effects services with locations and partners across the world. With our creativity & customer service, we have established ourselves as is a sought after destination in the country for post production services in feature films, visual effects, digital intermediate, ad-films, music videos, broadcast design & TV shows.
We have been a pioneer in the use of digital technologies in post production for past decade & continue to lead the industry.
Major Milestones
1995-1996 : Non-Linear Editing, TV Serial Editing
Video workshop, the proprietary concern, pioneered the non linear editing revolution by installing the Media 100 system way back in 1995 to cater to the lower end television shows.
1996 - 1997
Prime Focus emerged as one of leading television post production facilities with 23 shows per week on broadcast.
1997 : Online Systems, Ad & Music video editing
We entered the growing music video & commercials market through the acquisition of one of earliest Discreet Fire system. This enabled our Comp. to establish itself in the broadcast design, ad films and music videos market as a creatively charged & talented unit. We are now one of largest Discreet Fire/Smoke site in the world.
1998 - 1999:
We consolidated our position in the commercials & broadcast design space as one of top companies & created a niche in the highly demanding domain of commercials.
2000 : Telecine, Film Promos
Lead by strategy of integration through technology, we set up one of the best telecine facilities to cater to the growing demands of commercials & feature films. Most telecine at the time was being done internationally due to the lack of quality facilities within the Country. We were the first Comp. to train our people outside India on the color correction technologies. We were also the first to bring in an expat colorist to make sure the market got what they wanted & we groomed our local talent under the experience of expats. This gave us an instant world class profile & the efficient local talent. We have has emerged as the largest site for thomson Spirit in the Asia-Pacific region.
2001-2002 : Film Scanning/Recording, ISO certification
After having built a quality profile on telecine, we decided to get into the feature film space by offering film scanning & recording services. There again we brought in the best scan & record systems. This lead to our foray into visual effects & Digital Intermediate. We also made the first Indian film shot on DV.
2003 : Digital Film Lab
After having built expertise in the digital film world, we pioneered into the Digital Intermediate ['DI's] space delivering the first DI in July 2003. We set up a world class DI facility with the same specification of kit & processes as followed at other successful centers of world. This has created a major change in the way films get finished & the overall standard with regard to visual enhancement is clearly visible in the films being made today in Indian Film Industry.
We also set up the first fully integrated & calibrated digital intermediate pipeline for frame by frame feature film colour grading/restoration in India.
We introduced the Motion control rig [`MILO's] in India which is the first & only such rig in India, till date. The rig was got to help execute visual effects sequences which were earlier not even conceptualized.
2004 : Mocon/Visual Effects & Expansion of DI
In order to build the market & demonstrate our confidence in the space we co - produced the first visual effects film titled `Gayab' [Invisibles]. This was co - produced with the eminent Ram Gopal Verma's company & met with reasonable success while our work was greatly appreciated.
Continuing the trend We, introduced the first Panasonic Varicam HD camera & co-produced another high profile film called `Life Ho To Aisi' with Indian stars & eminent director Mahesh Manjrekar which released in 2005 & got critical reviews for its special effects work
In July 2004, we set up a world class DI facility through a strategic partnership with India premier laboratory `Adlabs' offering end to end services & with the depth of infrastructure being larger than most in the world.
[Source : Comp. Managements]
2005 Geographical Expansion
To provide the commercials industry with a boutique facility, with infrastructure & interiors at par with international studios, we setup a studio in Lower Parel, Mumbai. Also a facility in Chennai has been commissioned to cater to the South Indian Film market.
Technology Profile
We have one of world largest & most advanced technology infrastructures. We are also one of largest Autodesk Fire/Smoke site in the World. PFL has the largest installed base of telecine suites, & is Thomson biggest site in Asia Pacific region.
Telecine
* Spirit Datacine 4K * Spirit Datacine HD/SD 2K * Da Vinci 2K * Pogle Megadef * Ursa Diamond Keycode Telecine
Visual Effects
* Discreet Inferno/Flame * Shake [with furnace & motions] * After Effects/Combustion * Maya/3DS Max
Milo Motion Control Rig Digital Film Lab
* Northlight Film Scanner [4K/2Ks] * Spirit Datacine HD/SD 2K * Lustre Grading Systems * Arri Laser [Film Recorders] * Celco Fury [Film recorders] * Discreet Smoke/Fire
Ancillary
* Sound Studios * Avid/Media 100/FCP
High Definition Production
* HD Camera kits & accessories * HD Editing & Finishing * HD to Film
Services Profile
Telecine
Dailies [SD/HDs]
We specialise in dailies telecine transfer for feature films & have capabilities to offer High Definition dailies as well.
Our dailies transfer telecine are situated within India biggest laboratory, Adlabs, ensuring that telecine is completed immediately after processing without any delays.
Spirit
At Prime Focus we have in the offering Spirit 4K & the classic Spirit. We have the largest installed base for Thomson Spirt Telecine in Asia - Pacific region.
We are the only Comp. in India, which has a locally trained talent pool of some of finest colorists in the business today. Apart from local talent, we also have expats working for us from Europe & US.
Our grading suites are equipped with full spec Pogle Megadef & Da Vinci 2K which provides unparallel picture quality & superior color control. Our suites offer the film maker, the ultimate in digital film transfer.
Feature Film Mastering [PAL/NTSC/HDs]
We provide High Definition film mastering services for feature films and for Digital Cinema applications in India. Our telecine services are also highly demanded by feature film production companies for satellite masters.
Visual Effects
CGI
At Prime Focus, we have been continuously advocating the increased use of CGI in Indian films. We have trained & recruited some of the finest CGI talent & continue to expand the same, pushing the overall industry standard.
Compositing
At Prime Focus, we proudly boast of having some of finest compositors in the industry, whose work is steadily changing perceptions of ability & quality of Indian talent.
Seamless compositing is a given. Our compositor creative and technical expertise has been fundamental in Prime Focus producing world-class visual effects. Our compositors are supported by a team of trained rotoscopy, wire & rig removal & tracking/keying artists.
Title Design
At Prime Focus we have created some creatively charged spell bounding title sequences, wherein the entire project, right from creative conceptualization to execution was handled by us. Our team of creative editors, digital artists & traditional artists create title sequences that make a difference.
VFX Supervision
Our experienced Visual & Digital effects supervisors together, manage all creative, technical & logistical issues ensuring timely execution and delivery on each visual effects project.With our visual effects supervisors being involved right from inception stage, creative potential is fully realised.
Animatronics
Our animatronics department is newly established, but is capable of handling projects involving miniatures & pupets. Digital Film Lab Digital Intermediate
We have the premier Digital Film Lab in India with a quality spec comparable to any other in the world. We have also been credited with introducing this technology in India & having done the first full length feature way back in July 2003.
Since inception, we have completed 30 full length feature films. This further illustrates the robust pipeline that we have successfully engineered which we continue to expand.
The pipeline consists of following components:
* Editorial Prep * Scanning * Assembly * Color Correction * Dustbusting * Digital Opticals * VFX * Digital Preview * Recording * Digital Deliverables * Digital Sub-titling for Negative
Our digital film lab is fully calibrated; ensuring 100% consistency when the final print is projected in cinema hall worldwide. With the largest installed capacity for Digital Intermediate in Asia - Pacific, Prime Focus, has capability to handle multiple projects at the same time whilst ensuring quality check on each project.
Hi-Resolution Film Scanning and Film Recording
At Prime Focus we also act as a bureau facility for scanning & recording services to other visual effects/digital post houses. We have the only 4k/2k pin registered scanner in India & we have also developed our proprietary technology to ensure that we can capture and reproduce the information correctly.
Tape to film [incl. Hi - Definitions]
We pioneered the digital film making revolution in India & outputted the first DV to film & HD to film successfully. We were benchmarked with reputed facilities in Los Angeles & Australia & we delivered perfectly. We also enjoy loyal patronage from advertisement media houses, advertisement agencies, television networks & production houses for tape to film transfers.
Digital Opticals
As the term suggests all kinds of dissolves, ramps, color changes, flashes, fades, title scrolls, etc are done digitally. The greatest challenge in executing digital optical is the consistency of matching the digital v/s the real film. Our proprietary calibration technologies have enabled that the shots in a scene look absolutely seamless. Prime Focus has executed digital optical for more than 100 feature films successfully.
Deliverables
We offer feature film production companies a one stop shop solution for all deliverable requirements including:
a. IP [Digital or Opticals] b. IN [Digital or Opticals] c. Sub - Titled Negative d. Textless IP & IN e. Answer Prints f. Check Prints g. PAL and NTSC, all aspect ratios
* Full Frame * Letterbox * 16:9 Original Projection aspect ratio * 16:9 Full Height Anamorphic * 4:3 Pan & Scan
h. HD
Milo Motion Control RIG
We introduced the first & yet only world-class Milo Moco Rig in India, to give further impetus to the use of visual effects in Indian feature films & advertising films. The rig is ably supported by a full service crew [trained extensively by internationally acclaimed professionalss], involving operators, engineering & attendants to ensure ease of setup and operation across any shooting locations in the world.
H D Production
* HD Cameras
Prime Focus pioneered HD production in India, by introducing the first High Definition Cameras in India. At Prime Focus we have the Panasonic Varicam. The camera is supported with a full accessories kit [ultra prime lenses, HD monitors, waveform monitors] & attendants.
* HD Post
We have a complete lineup of suites fully geared to handle HD projects including offline & online. Our Smoke are HD [10bits] enabled & we have, both FCP & Avid HD systems for offline editing.
* HD to Film
We have outputted the first full length High Definition feature film and currently have multiple HD projects in or pipeline. Our HD pipeline, is fully calibrated & our high dynamic range HD enabled color correction systems allow for shot by shot color correction before output to film enabling a fantastic look i.e. like film.
Ancillary Services:
* EQR
Apart from professionals including engineers, supervisors & other technicians, we have an equally huge inventory of high quality video equipment for indoor & outdoor shootings. We specialise in Multi-Camera Setup for Live Events, Game Shows, Concerts etc,. Some of the equipments available for rentals include digital cameras, HDV cameras, full Triax setups, digital & analog betacam recorders, waveform monitors, video-scopes, projection screens, camera talkback systems, projectors along with the services of technicians.
* Sound Studios
We commissioned two sound studios recently. This represents a move into modern music recording & post production, establishing new standards for sound studios in India, acoustic & aesthetic. The sound studios would cater to the advertising films enhancing the service profile of Prime Focus to become a truly end to end integrated studio for advertisement films.
* Offline Editing
As Prime Focus, we have our roots firmly entrenched into offline editing services. We started as an offline editing company, became one of the best in offline editing & are currently maintaining our position & standard. We are known for our editors who have creatively set benchmarks in the industry & keep raising the bar.
We have a totally separate lineup of suites geared with the latest NLE machines. We also have linear suites [Digi A/B/C rolls] for cut to cut editing requirements. Together with our brilliant editors the offline editing setup churns out a demanding number of edits per day. We also rent out NLE systems for dry hire in studio or at client location.
* Interformat Transfers
We have a dedicated team of professionals to carry out inter-format transfers for your final master to be delivered to the channel or for other requirements. Being an extremely crucial service oriented work, our team knows their job well having a whole list of technical specifications required by different channels for their broadcast master quality.
The transfer station is well equipped with all kinds of VTR's including:
* HD D5 * Digi Beta [NTSC & PALs] * NTSC to Pal & vice - versa * Hi-band * Beta * VHS * DV * DVD * VCD
