Wanna know more about The Video Lab Johannesburg and the wide variety of local and international projects they have worked on? Read On...

Diversity is no doubt the word to best describe the recent activities of The Video Lab Johannesburg. Over the past few months the post-production facility has worked with an incredibly broad range of material, having a hand on virtually every film made in South Africa as well as an expanding international client base. From re-mastering the animation of renowned artist and filmmaker William Kentridge to handling the video to film transfer on Leon Schuster’s latest film, The Video Lab has continued to deliver an ever wider range of work.

The various teams at The Video Lab are currently working on, amongst other things, four different films going to four different countries as well as a host of commercials for the South African market.

“There are massive benefits to the work we are doing for the local industry,” says Visual Effects Producer Desmond Allan. Desmond explains that the work done by The Video Lab for overseas clients has spin-offs for the local industry when new technology is purchased that could otherwise not be afforded and new skills and experience gained from working on the international front can in turn be utilised on local projects.

“We have set a precedent on a lot of projects in terms of photo-realistic effects,” he adds, and mentions that featured among The Video Lab’s client base are names such as Warner Bros and Welsh television channel S4C. And, as with the local market, the work done for international clients ranges from features to top-end commercial work. As Facilities Manager Tracey Williams says, The Video Lab’s offerings range from “seamless compositing to tricky effects”.

One of The Video Lab’s fields of expertise is the technique of Digital Intermediate (DI), and the post production facility boasts a growing reputation in this specialised field. The fundamental essence of the DI process is “to get the best possible product.” The Video Lab’s commitment to “skilled team based structures that try and make that transition to digital and back to film a highly evolved aesthetic one and maintain as critical quality as possible,” adding that, “It’s a process we’re getting pretty good at.”

Upcoming projects to benefit from The Video Lab’s DI process include a new film based upon a work by Athol Fugard. DI is fast becoming the standard on feature films, one of the major benefits of this process – “Everything that you shoot you can control and manipulate in a digital environment. It makes it a very elastic medium.”

But The Video Lab’s skills base and experience are not limited to the digital intermediate process alone. Meeting the needs of its diverse selection of projects, the range of effects on offer include crowd replacement to save the cost of thousands of extras, and burn effects to simulate fire scenes too dangerous to shoot. But CGI or computer generated images are not just about computers magically creating jaw-dropping special effects, they require talented artists with a keen eye for detail that is mostly employed on subtleties almost unnoticeable to audiences.

On the animation front, the Video Lab team is able to create anything from, completely realistic characters such as a crocodile interacting with a live action boy to completely cartoon characters like the animals on the twelve minute hand drawn short film Umemo. Inside the walls of The Video Lab, creatures from photorealistic African animals to mythical imaginary beasts are constantly in the making.

Running the facility on a day-to-day basis no doubt carries its challenges. “The fact that we are still relatively small,” Tracey cites as a major challenge, adding that, “Lots of people have to multitask.” Another demand for the team is ensuring that they keep up with the latest technology. “We are updating our telecine,” Tracey mentions as an example, “To be able to transfer film to HD [High Definition].”

Then there are the daily challenges of coping with deliveries, coordinating the work flow, and scheduling correspondence with international clients bearing in mind the various time differences around the world. So how exactly do they do it? “It always comes down to the talent,” Tracey responds, “We really pursue perfectionism” adding that, “Everyone is always trying to get their best work out with an amazing commitment to their art.”

With a slate of diverse projects on the agenda, the future of The Video Lab looks set to bring further challenges and new opportunities for the facility to showcase its versatility. “I’m hoping that we’re well poised to go forward,” Tracey says, “The momentum of filmmaking in South Africa has picked up.” “We constantly raise the standard of local work. People are encouraged to raise the bar as more and more work comes out in order to make a mark on the international front.”

And clients will testify to The Video Lab’s record and standard of work produced. Mark Wells is the director of Sunflower and a self-confessed “un-institutionalised” filmmaker. Wells speaks of how he relied on The Video Lab’s skills and experience on his first foray as a feature director. “I felt it very rewarding,” he says of this relationship, “They stepped up to the plate and beyond. I found the whole thing very encouraging.”

Says Helena Spring of Videovision (Mr. Bones, Oh Shucks, I’m Gatvol), “We have a very longstanding relationship with The Video Lab and there’s a reason why we keep going back. We’ve had the option of working in other countries but we’ve chosen The Video Lab again and again. We look forward to maintaining this relationship in the future.”

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