PNYA Summer 2023 Newsletter Download PDF _______________________________________________________________ How the Strike impacts The Post Production Industry Yana Collins Lehman, Chair, Post New York Alliance The current SAG and WGA strikes have brought film and television production to a screeching halt. Much has been written about the strike’s effect on studios, actors, and writers. The media has also reported on award shows and festivals facing canceled celebrity appearances. But little has been said about the impact of the shutdown on the small and mid-sized companies and skilled professionals who make up the Post Production Industry.
Post-production professionals and companies facilitate picture editorial, sound editorial, music editorial, visual effects and color timing. Without an editor assembling a coherent cut, an actor’s performance would have no context. Without visual effects creating imaginary worlds and fixing anachronisms, the narrative would make little sense and look unappealing. If you have ever stayed in a theater through the end credits—first, thank you—you’ve surely noticed the hundreds of artists it took to produce those magical two + hours.
  The strikes are impacting every sector of the entertainment industry, and the cost to post production is acute. A visual effects company that signs a contract to produce VFX for a new show may hire 100 artists. But, if the cameras stop rolling, the VFX house, working with very small margins, will be unable to retain those artists. The same is true for sound and picture editors, colorists, mixers, finishing artists, post-production supervisors and a host of other specialists and all the facilities housing them.
During the pandemic, the delivery of entertainment was also threatened but was saved by post production innovations. Facilities developed novel ways to provide services remotely, in many cases changing their business models overnight. Sound and picture editors turned their bedrooms into cutting rooms. New movies and TV shows kept coming to theaters and television sets, because post production talent finished them.
This is not a pandemic. If the strikes continue for several more weeks, post production companies will have to furlough workers. If it drags on for months, people who have devoted years to developing their craft will have to transition into other industries. Companies will find it impossible to keep their leases in city centers. The liquidity required for payroll will not be there, and doors will close.
The strike WILL end. Studios will resume developing new projects. Scripts will be written. Actors will turn in performances. But if post-production companies no longer exist, how will these projects be completed? The post industry urges an immediate resolution to these disputes. Our companies and careers are under an existential threat; and if we are gone, there is no entertainment industry. New York State Extends and Enhances Post Production Tax Credit (PPC) Post New York Alliance (PNYA) is thrilled with a new agreement between Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers to dramatically expand New York’s Tax Program. Overall funding for the program will rise from $420 million a year to $700 million.
 More importantly for our members, the program’s Post-Production Tax Credit (PPC) will grow from $25 million to $45 million and has been extended to 2034. Rebates for individual productions will rise to 30% from 25% for post work performed within the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District (MCTD) and to 35% from 30% for post performed Upstate. Producers will now be able to claim rebates in the taxable year when their projects are completed.
This is a huge win for our industry and will help New York companies compete toe-to-toe with post providers in other states that offer similar tax advantages. PNYA has worked tirelessly to promote the PPC, which benefits not only the post-production industry but also the state’s economy in general.
“PNYA is grateful to Governor Hochul and her administration for extending and expanding PPC,” says Yana Colling Lehman, PNYA Chair and CEO of Trevanna Post. “The growth of the post production industry is more certain than ever. We plan to continue our investments in outreach and training to ensure everyone has an opportunity to work in post.” _______________________________________________________________ PPC by the Numbers A great deal for the post-production industry; a boon for the New York economy. New York State’s Post-Production Tax Credit (PPC) produces $156 million dollars in tax revenue annually and delivers an eightfold return on fiscal investment according to a new economic impact study. Commissioned by PNYA and conducted by H&RA Advisors, the study further shows that, while employment growth across all industries in the state has averaged a mere two percent annually since 2015, post-production employment shot up 25 percent.
The increase in post-production employment is tied directly to the PPC. Static prior to the launch of the program in 2010, employment has been rising steadily with nearly 3,000 post-production jobs created since 2015. 
The benefits produced by PPC are broad. While PPC data shows an annual average of 1,500 direct hires under the tax credit, each of those jobs supports 8.3 additional jobs in the form of independent contractors, management, and other business and administrative employees. The post-production ecosystem generates roughly 15,000 “economic multiplier” jobs each year for a total of more than 29,000 jobs.
Other takeaways:
- Between 2015 and 2021, the average salary for employees of post-production facilities has increased 42% while statewide salaries grew by just 27%.
- Average salaries at New York State post-production facilities were 12% higher than at peer facilities nationwide, reflecting the industry’s support for its employees.
- The Made in NY Post-Production Training Program is making significant progress in building diversity in the industry with 75 percent of its graduates employed in post-production jobs.
- Reel Works’ MediaMKRS Program has fared even better with 83 percent of its graduates working in post.
- Qualified spending under the PPC has increased at an annual rate of 6.5% since 2015, reaching record highs in both 2021 and 2022.
- New York State received 107 certified PPC applications in 2022, 18% more than in 2015.
- In 2022, the post-production ecosystem generated $156 million in tax revenue for New York State.
_______________________________________________________________ Post Break Explores the Value of Flexibility in Difficult Times and the Impact of AI on Post PNYA’s podcast series Post Break continues to host conversations among outstanding industry pros that are both fascinating and filled with practical, career enhancing advice. In a session titled “Scripted or Unscripted,” producer/writer/editor Mike Noble moderated a discussion with editor Jamie Kirkpatrick and producer Elizabeth Marsh on the importance of resilience during turbulent times.
Kirkpatrick describes how he temporarily pivoted from scripted to unscripted work in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis by discovering a skill he didn’t know he possessed. Having abruptly lost a job on a film when its funding collapsed, he found work as an editor on an unscripted television series. With no experience in the genre, he was a fish out of water. “For the first couple of weeks, I was miserable, completely lost,” he confesses. “I felt like a fraud.” He expected to be fired, but instead thrived and went on to edit two full seasons. “My scripted background, where story was so important, translated to what I was doing,” he recalls. “It saved my life. I very likely would have left the industry had I not gotten that job.”   
He now advises his assistants not to talk themselves out of work by undervaluing their skills. He also feels grateful for having explored a new outlet that broadened his horizons. “When I went back to movies, I was a much better editor,” he insists.
Marsh shares a similar story about how her dream of becoming a screenwriter was thwarted by the 2007 writers strike. Forced to rethink her goals, she eventually accepted a producer’s role at Radical Media, then just expanding into documentary production “I took the job and fell in love,” she relates. “I ended up doing both scripted and unscripted but gravitated toward docs because it was fun.”
She cautions, however, that the path to success is never easy, noting that that the documentary field is becoming increasingly competitive as streaming production slows and outlets disappear. “You have to bring your A game,” she concludes. “Producers have to come with strong projects to break through.”
In “The Role of AI in Filmmaking,” line producer/production manager Gautam Singhani talks with colorist/finishing editors Twain Richardson and Joey D’Anna, and entrepreneur/PNYA board member Pete Conlin about artificial intelligence, today’s hot button issue, dispelling myths and pointing to opportunities.
Singhani notes that AI has been a “hidden force in the industry for two decades,” pointing to its use in creating visual effects for such films as Avengers: Endgame (2019), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).   
Richardson describes a variety of machine learning tools that are aiding his work by streamlining such tasks as mask creation, rotoscoping and face detection. He explains how he used the AI software Topaz to up-res imagery for the documentary Becoming Cousteau. “We didn’t have to go frame by frame or shot by shot, which would have taken hours,” he recalls. “We told Topaz we wanted to do 10 or 15 clips and it did in in a relatively short time.” He adds that it left him more time to focus on the creative aspects of grading.
D’Anna demos several AI-based features that have been added to Da Vinci Resolve. “Machine learning tools augment my existing workflow and optimize tasks that otherwise would require a lot of boring labor: rotoscoping, masking, keying,” he notes. “A lot of them are simple time savers. They don’t always create perfect fixes, but I can take what they give me and manipulate it with other tools to get what I need.”   
Conlin urges skeptical pros to keep an open mind about AI. He notes that many technological innovations that have been introduced to the industry were initially viewed as threats to the creative process or job killers—but produced the opposite results. “Over the past 30 years, we’ve gone from 500 to 1,000 people working in post-production in the tri-state area to 60,000,” Conlin observes. “Treat innovation with curiosity and excitement. Don’t feel threatened. It keeps happening and when it does, new companies are created, and the industry grows.” “Post Break was originally created as a weekly ‘town hall’ gathering for the post industry during Covid. It has grown to become a premium, practical resource for staying up to date on all the different forces continuing to impact post production,” says Chris Peterson, PNYA Board Secretary/Chair, Education & Events Committee / Showrunner & Host, Post Break. “The PNYA's Education & Events Committee plans to continue producing Post Breaks on a regular basis, and all PNYA members are encouraged to suggest topics they'd like to see...or produce and moderate their own episode!”
You can watch the full Post Break sessions here. _______________________________________________________________
Who You Don’t Know Events Build Connections and Boost NY Facilities PNYA’s Equity and Inclusion Committee has been enjoying great success with its monthly Who You Don’t Know events. Prior to the pandemic, the PNYA regularly hosted tours of New York facilities that were well attended and enthusiastically received. When the shutdown made that impossible, we pivoted, focusing instead on Who You Don’t Know events on Zoom, providing aspiring and established professionals a chance to network in an informal, lively and supportive environment. Again, participation and response exceeded our expectations.
More recently, we’ve combined the two concepts into live Who You Don’t Know gatherings at local post houses. They give the latter a chance to show off their facilities and how they’ve benefited from state incentives and meet up-and-coming talent who might one day join their staff or become their clients. To date, we’ve held gatherings at Company 3, Running Man, Framestore, Harbor and Nice Shoes, each attracting a capacity crowd. 
“Each event has focused on a different department: editorial, sound, DI, etc.,” says post production supervisor Rebekah Hernandez, who’s hosted the events for PNYA. “We keep them small, a maximum of 40 people. We encourage people to speak with others they don’t know. It’s a little awkward at first, but soon the barriers come down. It’s a true networking event.”
Participating facilities have put a lot of thought and creativity into these events. Harbor brought attendees into an ADR stage and gave them a chance to get behind the mic and have their voices applied to scenes from Clueless, The Terminator and Back to the Future. Nice Shoes used their basketball arcade game as an icer breaker. "I attend as many Who You Don’t Know events as I can,” notes assistant editor Reuben Rogak. “It’s a great way to meet people. Everyone I’ve met has been super supportive.”
The facilities that have hosted the events have been similarly enthusiastic. “Running Man has taken immense pride in hosting events within the Film/TV industry for over a decade,” says Troy Thompson, the company’s executive producer. “It offers a chance for us to meet new talented colleagues and show off our unique approach to post-production. We take a lot of pride in what we consider to be an exceptional space and we thank PNYA for the opportunity to show it off. We hope our commitment to excellence and loyalty to our partners has left a lasting, uplifting impact within the community.”
The next Who You Don’t Know event is scheduled for Tuesday, July 25th at Streamland/Picture Shop. These networking events are a members-only benefit. _______________________________________________________________ PNYA’s Sustainability Committee Works to Improve New York’s Environment June and July were the hottest on record! The record-breaking heat worldwide were a stark reminder of how the climate crisis directly impacts our daily lives. To address this growing issue, PNYA’s Sustainability Committee was established in 2019 with a solid commitment to promote climate action. Our primary focus lies in offering educational programs, raising awareness, preserving and regenerating the natural habitat of New York, and collaborating with local non-profit organizations. 
Every month, our group comes together to clean up parks across the city, ranging from Central Park to Prospect Park, among many others. We joined forces with Riverside Park Conservancy's Pollinator Project during one of our Parks Days. We collaborated in digging ditches to create a conducive environment for indigenous plants that attract pollinating insects such as bees. This endeavor attracted onlookers including a couple on vacation who participated in the effort.
Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to visit FABSCRAP where we engaged in separating fabrics for proper recycling. The Department of Sanitation and the Lower Eastside Ecology Center addressed our group, shedding light on the appropriate disposal of e-waste in New York. We hosted a screening for students about the Billion Oyster Project, which is working to restore New York City’s oyster reef, followed by an inspiring Q&A session. Most recently in July, the Sims Municipal Recycling plant graciously provided a tour to 25 attendees, showcasing the intricacies of the recycling process.
What lies ahead? Our upcoming agenda includes visiting a former landfill, now transformed into a blossoming park, for a cleanup initiative. We will also be eagerly attending the annual event of releasing goats in Riverside Park. Additionally, we plan to attend a composting event to expand our knowledge about the process, especially since residential composting will become mandatory in NYC.
"These events play a crucial role in demonstrating how local organizations make a meaningful difference. Witnessing the process firsthand provides a valuable context for understanding how our contributions truly matter," emphasizes Kim Spikes, the Sustainability Committee's cofounder.
"The most rewarding aspect of our work is the sense of community," adds Craig Penner, cofounder.
Through our monthly gatherings and other activities, we have created a supportive community, particularly for those who often find themselves working from home. We actively encourage our members to participate, connect, forge meaningful relationships, and collectively contribute towards preserving the environment.
Join us: HERE. _______________________________________________________________ Production Intelligence Platform ProdPro Joins PNYA ProdPro is the newest member of PNYA. The company offers exclusive access to intel on TV and film productions through an easy-to-use, cloud-based platform. It allows crew and vendors to stay in the know about upcoming and ongoing productions and track job and project opportunities. Studios use it as a tool for hiring and managing talent and suppliers.
 The company was founded by serial entrepreneurs Jeffrey Impey and Alex LoVerde, who are also the principals of SyncOnSet, an Emmy Award-winning platform for managing costume, makeup, hair, props, set decoration and location data. “ProdPro’s mission is to make it easier for studios, service providers and freelancers to connect,” says LoVerde. “We offer expert, in-house research delivered through a powerful platform whose dynamic suite of tools is designed to ensure you never miss an opportunity.”
PNYA board member Peter Colin recently joined the company and is helping it integrate post-production resources into its database. “The digitization of the systems and infrastructure of our industry is happening now,” says Conlin, whose background includes founding and managing the post houses   Sixteen19 / PowerHouseVFX and most recently serving as the EVP of Innovation and Technology for Company3. “Being at the forefront of the technical advances for moving image acquisition and manipulation over the past 30 years has been awe-inspiring. The one area where our industry has lagged is in the way we communicate with each other. ProdPro is helping people and companies transition from analog processes for tracking sales and project data to a modern, digital model. It’s improving how we engage with each other.”
LoVerde sees PNYA as an ideal vehicle for connecting with post-production professionals and service providers. “We want to better understand the needs of the post-production community as we expand and improve our platform,” he explains. “We believe that many PNYA members would benefit from becoming subscribers to our platform.” _______________________________________________________________ Goldcrest Helps Independent Filmmakers Overcome the Odds and Achieve Their Vision Post-production can be challenging for independent filmmakers. Deadlines loom. Budgets are tight. A myriad of creative and technical decisions must be made, any of which can have a crucial impact on a project that’s been years in development.
Goldcrest Post makes it easier for content creators to bring their projects to the finish line by providing talent and resources encompassing every aspect of post. Consolidating editorial, visual effects, sound and picture finishing under one roof is not only convenient, it also facilitates communication between departments, promotes a consistent creative vision, and provides greater control over time and costs.
Currently, Goldcrest is providing post services for three indie projects—Breathe, Olde Boys and The Shade—that underscore both the passion filmmakers bring to their work…and the blood, sweat and tears needed to get their visions on the screen. 
Produced by Thunder Road Pictures, Breathe is a thriller set in a future Earth that has become uninhabitable due to a lack of oxygen. The film is directed by Indie Spirit Award winner Stefon Bristol, in his feature debut, and has an all-star cast led by Jennifer Hudson, Milla Jovovich, Quvenzhané Wallis and Common. Editorial for the film has been completed and visual effects production is underway, Goldcrest is handling sound and picture finishing.
Keeping the effects-heavy project on track and on budget requires tight management. Post Production Supervisor Zack Kirk-Singer says that things got hectic recently as the visual effects team worked to complete shots ahead of a holiday weekend. “Everyone wanted their elements all at once, clogging the pipeline,” he recalls. “I called Wade Rudolph, Head of Production at Goldcrest, who was managing the delivery of media, and asked for help. He was able to free up resources and get everyone what they needed to keep working. There are always bumps in the road—that’s how this industry works—what’s important is to work with vendors who understand that and are ready to step up when something unexpected occurs.” 
Lisa Black is an award-winning producer whose company, Garnet Girl, has produced nearly a dozen films for domestic and international markets. Her current project, Olde Boys, is a comedy about a group of Americans who travel to England to compete in a soccer tournament. Black plans to bring the post work to Goldcrest, not only because it offers complete sound and picture services, but also because it can support the production in the UK, where it’s being shot, through its sister facility, Goldcrest Post Production, London.
“When you’re producing a movie, who you bring to the table is as important as what you’re actually producing,” Black insists. “I need a post house with offices in London and New York, and experience with both studio and SVOD releases. Independent filmmakers don’t always consider deliverable checklists for SVODs and later must redo the budget because they need a 5.1 stereo mix and Dolby Atmos sound. When I approached Goldcrest, they immediately looped in every person who would be part of my team to ensure we had all our bases covered.” 
The Shade is an independent horror film from director Tyler Chipman, producer David Purdy and associate producer Jack Ludden, based on their award-winning short of the same name. Goldcrest is providing sound design and mixing as well as color grading and editorial finishing for the film. Its sister company, Fancy House of Visual Effects, is delivering an extensive package of 2D and 3D VFX.
“We have a lean model,” says Purdy. “Tyler is the writer-director, while Jack and I have taken on many of the production roles. We chose to consolidate everything at Goldcrest and are relying on their guidance to bring our film through post. You invest a lot of time and money in production, but the film still needs editorial, color, VFX and sound. We didn’t want to do one part well and not all of it. Everything had to hit the same high standard.”
Given the film’s supernatural subject matter, Chipman, Purdy and Ludden spent a lot of time with Fancy’s creative team in developing a VFX strategy that would fulfill the film’s story requirements without straining its budget. “They immediately put my mind at ease,” recalls Chipman. “They asked the right questions about the look and feel we wanted and how far to go with the effects. They told us what was possible and what we needed to give them to get best results.”
Chipman adds that he had particular concern for certain critical scenes that were effects heavy. “I was worried that there would be a stark contrast between what we captured in camera and the 3D models,” he says, “but I was very impressed with what Fancy was able to accomplish…actually it blew my mind.”
The filmmakers were similarly committed to producing a cinematic quality soundtrack and leaned on Goldcrest’s sound design and mix team to help them achieve it. “They weren’t simply focused on the soundtrack; they asked about the characters, plot points and the effect we hoped to create. That was very reassuring. I knew that their work was going to support the story.”
Ultimately, as with all independent films, Chipman, Purdy and Ludden are aiming to come away with a film on par with studio releases while working with limited financial resources. “David and I were the only producers., and we didn’t have a post-production supervisor or coordinator,” says Ludden. “That made it a little more difficult, but that’s where Goldcrest was most helpful. On countless occasions, they pointed us in the direction of other resources and connections. That is keeping us on track to produce the film we envisioned.” _______________________________________________________________ Disclaimer of Liability PNYA makes no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of its newsletters and expressly disclaims any liability for errors and omissions in its contents. Neither PNYA, nor its officers, directors, employees, agents or contractors make any warranty, expressed or implied or statutory, including but not limited to warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, and warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to content available from the newsletters. PNYA expressly disclaims any legal liability for any direct, indirect or any other loss or damage of any kind for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, product, or process disclosed herein, and does not represent that use of such information, product, or process would not infringe on privately owned rights. Copyright Statement All content within PNYA's newsletters is the property of PNYA unless otherwise stated. All rights reserved. No part of the newsletters may be reproduced, transmitted or copied in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of a PNYA officer.
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