Canada’s domestic post-production shops have been rocked by several setbacks in recent times, but, through it all, Toronto-based video post house Eyes Post Group soldiers on, having so far avoided the shuttering, mergers and buyouts so prevalent in the sector.

‘Business has been very tough in Toronto due to the high Canadian dollar and increased competition,’ says Eyes president Izhak Hinitz.

Nonetheless, the shop has two major U.S. projects in its doors – the Toronto-shot NBC Universal series revival of Kojak, starring Ving Rhames, and ESPN’s Vegas-set poker drama TILT. Its tasks on these projects include HD dailies, editorial, color correction and deliverables. For the Canadian market, it is working on the CBC MOW Waking Up Wally: The Walter Gretzky Story (film-to-HD dailies) and the indie feature Whole New Thing (film SD dailies, HD mastering)

As ‘one of the last independently held post houses of substantial size in this country,’ as Hinitz says (Casablanca Magnetic North being another), Eyes has its work cut out for it, particularly because the number of domestic MOWs, series and minis that have been its bread and butter has been in steep decline. Adding to that, international giant Technicolor has joined Deluxe in the Toronto market, and, as Hinitz sees it, both titans are looking at Eyes’ traditional clients to offset the drop in Hollywood guest productions in the city.

‘Technicolor and Deluxe are going after everything these days, including low-end episodic TV and commercials,’ he says. ‘The result is that everybody is very aggressive about pricing.’

As with all the majors in the post community, Eyes has had to do some trimming in recent years. Hinitz acknowledges that his company’s staff has dropped from 46 three years ago to ‘about 35’ today.

‘Most of the reductions we’ve had are due to attrition, restructuring, or people choosing to move on [and not being replaced],’ he says.

On the brighter side, Hinitz says that Eyes’ six-year investment in high-definition post equipment is paying off.

‘We were one of the first to offer HD post work in Canada. This gives us a level of experience that our customers benefit from,’ he says. ‘This is why we’re keeping busy doing [standard-definition] and HD post. For instance, we’re working around the clock editing, packaging and color-correcting HD content for NBC Universal and ESPN.’

Eyes is also finding a revenue stream in performing the digital restoration of old analog video and film programs using a Teranex system.

‘We do a lot of grain reduction, dirt removal, and cross-conversion to other formats digitally,’ Hinitz says. ‘After we’re done, producers often tell us that the restored product looks better than the day they shot it.’

And, in a business working in so many digital formats, the fact that Eyes can accommodate online and offline in D2, D3, DV, Digital Betacam, Sony HD, HD D5 and Sony SR has Hinitz feeling optimistic that Eyes can ride out a tough cycle in the post world and maintain viability. The shop is also equipped with two Avid editing suites, a digital editing bay, two Quantel iQ suites with 4K capability, four film-transfer bays, some 2D/3D animation services, and video/audio encoding.

Hinitz says that a big challenge for the shop going forward is the fact that the likes of Technicolor and Deluxe, with their deep pockets, could undercut indie post houses on costs if they so choose.

‘This is why we put such an emphasis on customer service, on making sure that the people who hire us have a really great experience professionally and personally,’ Hinitz says. ‘We want Eyes Post to be so good to them that they’ll come back to us even when we’re being undercut on price.’

-www.eyespost.com