Montreal: While mainstream major cybercashing-in is still in the offing, for audio and video post houses the increasing availability of electronic network connectivity opens the door for a number of online advantages ­ like list sharing with other post houses, direct recording of off-site adr, and realtime virtual editing and mixing.

Online post

Earlier this year, Montreal’s Productions Modulations began preparations for the sale of its sound-effects assets over the Internet.

Its plans include the eventual installation of a sound library database on an in-house server, linked to the Internet via an isdn line. The link will allow a large number of content producers to simultaneously browse through Modulations’ sfx catalogue, audition the available fx, then select, purchase and download only the sounds they need.

Compared to the expense of prepackaged sets (where you are forced to buy way more than you use), Internet delivery of a mission-specific selection of sounds is an efficient, cost-saving solution for audio editors.

Being wired to one’s associates is another advantage of the digital convert. At Montage Metaphore, president Stephane Lestage explains that with virtual editing (which ‘simply means that you don’t cut or put together material, just code, and the images are just the content shown according to time code you are putting together’) the digital nature of the material makes simultaneous delivery to multiple destinations possible.

At Metaphore, the electronic exchanges consist mostly of sharing editing lists with other post houses. While this file-sharing capability saves both time and money, Lestage is looking further down the digital expressway.

So far going digital has been very expensive, but Metaphore expects to keep pace with the emerging networking technologies by gradually building its digital services, while keeping a constant eye towards producers’ requirements.

In the next year at least 50% of Metaphore’s clients will have product aimed at the American market ­ this underscores local producers’ needs for world-class facilities and connections to the foreign marketplace. In order to stay competitive, Lestage says Metaphore must continue to develop new means of communication to serve producers and distributors all over the world.

‘In general, Canada’s at least eight months behind the States,’ says Lestage. ‘In terms of post-production, the biggest thing is to get the producer used to working with the kind of technology that’s in place now. The next step is to bring new connections to other cities and to other production and post-production facilities in order to use digital technology to its full capacity.’