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Data wranglers, underestimated: FSM

The role of the data wrangler in a digital shoot has been underestimated by the Australian screen industry, according to FSM executive producer Steve Dunn.

“From the start no one considered what was necessary and the job role has evolved. Indeed the position of Digital Imaging Technicial (DIT) – I hate that term – has come out of necessity,” Dunn told Encore.

According to Dunn, sometimes there is not much for the wrangler to do and they get used as camera assistants: “Maybe this is a cost cutting issue as well.”

“Many people still think that shooting on digital in whatever form is just so easy and cheap. Shoot it, pop it into a laptop and edit it. Of course you can do that but shouldn’t you be checking what you have done? Shouldn’t you be checking exposure, focus and the integrity of the digital image?

“Does it have artefacts? Is it useable? We are big believers in double checking whatever we do. Quality is paramount, so you need to not just copy the files to a hard drive, but check them and verify that all is good. Some people do this, some not,” said Dunn.

That is why film and TV post vendor FSM has launched a new division called On-Set, to manage on-set data and image requirements. According to Dunn, the company is acknowledging that data management is “more than a notebook and portable drive” by developing a wrangling box that is safe for camera data – handling from simple data shoots to “heavy 5,000 fps extravaganzas.

“We want to come to the shoot, take away any pain of keeping your files safe, verify with all the skills of FSM that the footage is what you want and will be 100 percent useable when you get into post. You need to know if the images can be colour corrected successfully, or if they can be used for VFX work successfully. These are the two main areas where digital files using compression can let you down,” explained Dunn.

On-Set will service cameras such as Arri Alexa, Phantom, RED, Canon 5D, Weisscam, SI-2K and more: “There are some new cameras on the list like the Arri Alexa and Weisscam which will need some learning by all of us. We are continually bombarded by new camera systems and formats of digital media and this is one of the reasons we decided to take it by the horns and endeavour to provide the best service,” said Dunn.

The service will be available from September 13, to productions doing grading or compositing at FSM.

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