The recent announcement that after almost 100 years of steady operation Duart was closing its doors should be noted by the post industry of New York. Duart and its leader Irwin Young were essential in establishing the viable post business we all enjoy today. Their nurturing on the independent film community, innovations in lab and video technology helped push the film to digital transition forward. Their history is the history of post-production in NY, so listen to the discussion and partake in the celebration of it.

Guest Speakers:

David Leitner - Filmmaker, Writer, Consultant
David is an Oscar-nominated producer, director, and Emmy-nominated cinematographer with over ninety credits in full-length dramas and documentaries including eight Sundance premieres. He is an author (The Filmmaker’s Handbook, Kodak’s Creating Better Video With 16mm Film), contributing editor (The Independent, Millimeter, Filmmaker), and industry consultant on camera design and film preservation. He is an active board member of IndieCollect and a Fellow of the SMPTE. From 1977-1985 he was Director of Optical Printing, then Director of New Technology, at DuArt Film & Video in New York, responsible for innovations in liquid gate design, cine lens testing, film-to-tape transfer, and Super 16.

Jane Tolmachyov - Senior Colorist at DuArt
 
Jane was born and raised in Russia and studied at the Moscow Institute of Cinematography, while working as an Assistant Film Editor.
Jane immigrated to the United States. While freelancing as an assistant film editor in NY, Jane took a course in television production and post. During this time, Jane was introduced by her filmmaker uncle to DuArt Film and Video, as it was known then, where one meeting with a remarkable man, Mr. Bob Smith President of Duart, became the turning point in her career. In the course of it, she has worked on countless documentaries and features with documentarians such as: Frederick Wiseman, Ken and Rick Burns, Michael Moore and DP(s) like Nestor Almendros, Fred Elms, Ed Lachman.

Most recent projects include: “2nd Chance” directed by Ramin Bahrani, 4K film remastering and restoration of 4 films by Joan Micklin Silver for Cohen Film Collection, Yvonne Rainer’s “Lives of Performers” and Deborah Shaffer’s “Wobblies” for MOMA Film Collection and ongoing work on collection of 33 films by Frederick Wiseman.

Tim Spitzer - Post Supervisor at Jigsaw Productions

Tim misused the last 40 plus years, joyfully meandering through, and lighting the road of the migration of:  film to video, video to film, film to data, data to film, video to data, data to video, data to data…all for the sake of having tales be told. In the midst, Tim has also been employed at: DuArt Film and Video, Tapehouse,  Postworks, NY, Goldcrest Post, and Jigsaw Productions.  

Bob Mastronardi - Retired, Eastman Kodak 

Bob began his career in the motion picture industry at DuArt Labs in 1980, as a customer service supervisor. In 1992, he accepted a Sales and Engineering Representative position in the Motion Picture Division of Eastman Kodak Company. In his 25 plus years with Kodak, he managed sales, marketing and technical support for Kodak products and services. In 2007, as WorldWide Marketing manager, he coordinated and supervised the technical development and launch of Kodak Vision3 color negative products. As TV segment manager, he facilitated sales, marketing and technical support to episodic TV productions for high profile accounts such as: Sopranos, Law and Order, Sex and the City, 30 Rock and NFL Films. 

Since 2020, Bob has been enjoying semi-retirement.

Moderator:

Domenic Rom - Managing Director at Goldcrest Post 

Domenic has over 40 years of post-production experience. Domenic began painting stages and fixing lights at Unitel Video, became a colorist moving to Duart Film and Video, as an evening colorist. Then eventually joined the ranks of management, leading the entire company. Domenic founded The Lab at Moving Images, which was acquired by Technicolor/Postworks, Deluxe and currently Goldcrest. Domenic worked in all aspects of post Dailies, Color, Sound Off-Line and VFX to name a few. Plus, watched the industry transition from: film based workflow to digital integration.

How can we, as hiring managers and producers, build a more diverse ecosystem by learning how to better use everyone's strengths and create a safe and productive environment for all types of people? Is the question that this Post Break answered!

Joyce Boll, Executive Producer at Break + Enter, and Aline Lima, VFX Pipeline Technical Director at Nice Shoes, talked about their professional dynamic and the added value of working with neurodiverse individuals, as Aline identifies. David Siegel, Executive Director at Exceptional Minds, also joined us in this conversation to talk about his experience in supporting neurodivergent individuals + putting their talent and their strengths to use in the Post Production Industry.

Guest Speakers:

Joyce Bell - Executive Producer at Break + Enter

With deep roots in the New York post scene, Joyce helms the Features & Episodic VFX department of Break+Enter, a Nice Shoes’ company.
Joyce has successfully launched entertainment ventures on 5 continents for studios and entities within the film, television, music, advertising, gaming, and immersive arenas. Joyce has overseen studios responsible for creating major titles including “Black Swan”, “Moonrise Kingdom”, “Life of Pi”, “Captain America”, bringing a diverse array of projects to BREAK+ENTER: “The Many Saints of Newark”, “Pennyworth S2”, Netflix’s upcoming “and Amazon’s “Outer Range” as well as an array of series for Netflix and Showtime.
Some of the more prominent launches include the first woman-owned cable network in US history, Oxygen Media, as well as Sir Richard Branson’s V2 Music’s online presence. Making British history, Joyce produced London’s first webcast - V2 Music’s Granddaddy Concert.
Always keen to bring up future rock stars, Joyce has taught and developed curriculum for New York University’s CADA & SCPS programs, the School of Visual Arts and served on the panel for creating The Ringling School’s Business of Art & Design Department (BOAD). While launching an animation studio in Tel Aviv, Joyce taught at Bezalel Design Academy in Jerusalem and lectured at the Interdisciplinary College in Herziliya, Stevens Institute of Technology and UNCSA Film School.

Alline Lima - VFX Pipeline Technical Director at Nice Shoes

Based in Brazil, Break + Enter’s VFX Pipeline Technical Director, Aline Lima brings 16 years of pipeline and programming expertise, working with artists and producers to create cutting edge pipeline solutions. Aline’s technical guidance supported a multitude of film & television projects for studios such as 02 Filmes, Vetor Zero, and Casablanca.

Aline, was diagnosed with mild autism later in her adult life, following the diagnosis for her daughter. Since Aline's diagnosis, she has become an advocate raising awareness on neurodiversity in the workplace.

Tim Dailey - Associate Dean at Exceptional Minds

He manages part-time programming, different committees and clubs in the organization, and is currently overseeing technology functions within the academy. When he began working for Exceptional Minds, Tim taught courses related to VFX and Motion Graphics and was involved in providing students guidance in career planning. His background before Exceptional Minds consists of teaching and completing freelance work in the VFX industry. He's previously worked for different companies across the LA area ranging from Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Baked FX, to CBS Digital. In 2013 he received his MFA in Digital Art from The Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.

Moderator:

David Siegel - Executive Director at Exceptional Minds

David is the Executive Director of California nonprofit of the year Exceptional Minds - an academy and studio preparing people on the autism spectrum for careers in animation and the digital arts.
A former Disney cast member of nearly a decade where he led marketing for Disneytoon Studios, Siegel began his career in talent representation at the William Morris Agency before segueing to a producing deal at a major studio and film financier.
Through his career, Siegel has also served as an advisor to world-class media companies having crafted branding, marketing, and new business strategies for a portfolio of clients that have included award winning marketing and licensing agencies, leading animation studios, Universities, and technology start-ups.
As an active philanthropist and social entrepreneur, Siegel in partnership with his author/philanthropist son Dylan, has raised $1.5 million and unprecedented global awareness toward eradicating a rare genetic disease that will now be cured in the next several years.

PNYA's “Post Break” presents: Personal Finance with The Actors Fund. The Actors Fund (TAF) offers services and classes for the entertainment community. TAF fosters stability and resiliency, while providing a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. This event will help individuals decide whether they should work for a facility or freelance.

Rebecca Selkowe, from The Actors Fund told us about the financial wellness classes offered by TFA. The classes include “Budgeting Nuts & Bolts”, “Psychology of Money”, “Investing Basics for Creative Professionals”, “Dealing with Fluctuating Income”, “Your Financial Mindset”, and “What are your Money Rules”. The Financial Wellness Program seeks to engage, educate and empower performing arts and entertainment professionals about the role of money in their lives.

Guest Speaker:

Rebecca Selkowe - The Actors Fund, Financial Wellness Program Manager

Rebecca is a NYC-based consumer finance educator, musician, and attorney, host of the Rock Your Money® Jam Sessions podcast, and author of Dominate Your Debt: A Work & Play Book.
Rebecca manages the Financial Wellness Program at The Actors Fund, a national non-profit organization that serves the performing arts and entertainment community. Rebecca specializes in helping individuals, couples, and groups to manage and eliminate debt and create financial stability with multiple, variable, and episodic streams of income.
Rebecca earned her B.A., magna cum laude, from Middlebury College and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Lover of languages, people, and food, she has lived, worked, and studied in France, Romania, Austria, and China. She is a classically-trained singer, a budding songwriter, and a competitive karaoke league champion.

Moderator: 

Carl Marxer - Picture Editor

Carl is a freelance picture editor with clients including Hearst, Gigantic Pictures, Buttons Studio and independent producers in the New York City area. He has worked for Vice Media, Meredith, and CNN. Carl recently finished Vamik’s Room, a documentary that profile five-time Nobel Prize nominee Vamik Volkan, a psychologist specializing in international conflict resolution. The film has been screened at the Montreal Film Festival, New Haven Documentary Film Festival and the Global Health Film Festival. It is scheduled to be distributed by PBS September, 2021.

Ripple Effect is a short film produced by the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC). The project was commissioned to test virtual production and remote workflows, emphasizing COVID safety and acquisition of “Final-Pixels.” It serves as a case study to test critical steps for restarting and continuing film productions during COVID-19 shelter in place orders. This panel is a discussion with the production team about what they learned during the making of The Ripple Effect, what the state of Virtual Production is right now, and where it's going from here. Not to be missed if you're interested in this new set of creative and production tools.

Panelist:

Erik Weaver - Entertainment Technology Center (ETC)

*Special guest appearance by Greg Ciaccio - EP & Head of Production & Post Technologies

Moderator:

Ben Baker- NextGen Production