Java Post Productions wired for growth: film companies know that what happens post-production can take a show from ordinary to extraordinary. The growing demand for high-end visual effects and enhancement is driving Java Post's expansion.

Java Post Productions might have started out as the solution to one film company's challenges, but has quickly become an integral part of the entire film and television industry in Saskatchewan.

Java Post owner Jack Tunicliffe, a former partner in Regina-based Westwind Pictures, says that having to do high-end post-production work in Toronto or Vancouver was not only inconvenient, it was eating into dwindling profit margins.

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"Even though my career was built on producing and directing, I had a technical background and had always enjoyed the finishing part of film and television production," he says. "When non-linear digital editing became possible a dozen or so years ago, I saw an opportunity to develop a post-production facility here."

Starting with one standard-definition editing suite in 1995, Tunicliffe quickly found that the facility he planned to use strictly for Westwind's work was in great demand by others. "Everyone was knocking on our door, so one editing suite soon became two and growth has continued from there. By June we will have a total of two standard-definition and four high-definition suites as well as a 3D animation suite," he says.

Among those who beat a path to the company's door was Verite Films' Virginia Thompson, the executive producer for Corner Gas, renegadepress.com and the Incredible Story Studio.

Thompson says the actual shooting of a television show is only a portion of what's involved in bringing a production to the broadcast stage. "We expected to be spending half of our time out-of-province doing visual post-production, so Java Post is absolutely crucial to the film and television industry in Saskatchewan," Thompson explains. "Jack and his staff are exceptionally creative at coming up with technical solutions to complex problems. We needed a lot of high-end visual effects for the Incredible Story Studio, and time and time again, Java Post delivered the wow factor."

In addition to visual effects and final editing services, Java Post uses cutting edge, high-definition colour correction software to transform raw footage and bring it to broadcast standard. At its most basic level, colour correction matches each scene to the next to provide a seamless visual look for television, film and commercial projects. Java Post's work goes far beyond that.

"Less sophisticated colour correction systems provide limited control--kind of like adjusting the tint on your TV. The system we use is very powerful and enables secondary correction. We can isolate colours and change an entire scene, or a small detail like eye colour, completely," says Tunnicliffe. "The visual look of a scene has a direct effect on how the viewer feels about the show. What is originally shot and what comes out at the other end of the process are often very different."

While Tunnicliffe is proud that Java Post has built its technology beyond the local marketplace, he is not content with the status quo. "I have a burning desire never to say 'I wish we could do something' to a client," he says.

To that end, Tunnicliffe spends considerable time testing and evaluating new technology. "I do beta testing for a number of software companies. It's a huge benefit to be able to influence the development of a new tool to make sure it will work for you. And it helps to develop the connections that mean better tech support in the future, and the opportunity to point software developers in the direction you want them to go."

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"Jack is an absolute gem for this province," says Thompson. "He has an incredible knowledge base that he shares by training most of Saskatchewan's post-production people, and he is connected to all the latest technology. Jack could be a success anywhere. It's just wonderful that he brings all that knowledge and all those connections to Saskatchewan."