PNYA Members Recreate Mississippi for Starz’s “P-Valley”

Alchemy Post Sound, Goldcrest Post, HARBOR, The Molecule and Technicolor PostWorks were part of a virtual all-New York post team for the hit series’ first season.

Editorial and post-production finishing for the 8-episode, first season of the hit Starz series P-Valley was centered in New York as several Post New York Alliance (PNYA) member companies helped bring the fictional small town of Chucalissa, Mississippi vibrantly to life. New York City facilities Goldcrest Post, HARBOR and Technicolor PostWorks each played a role in the project, as did Foley specialist Alchemy Post Sound and VFX studio The Molecule.

Based on a stage play by Katori Hall, who is also the series showrunner, P-Valley centers on the employees of a strip club named The Pynk. Looking past the grit and glitter, the show exposes the compelling, human stories of its diverse cast, who inhabit a world where existence is rough and beauty hard to find. Enthusiastically embraced by critics and viewers, the series was recently renewed for a second, 10-episode season.

While principal photography for the series was completed in the Atlanta area, nearly all the post work was done in New York, where Hall, her production team and editors (Agnes Grandits, Hye Mee Na, Ryan Denmark and Sky Gewant) are based. That enabled the production to tap into the state’s deep pool of post resources and world-class talent and take advantage of the state’s generous tax incentive program.

“P-Valley is a post-intensive show,” says series post-production coordinator Tiffany Brown. “And every aspect of it, including editorial, sound, color and visual effects, was managed through New York. We oversaw extensive ADR sessions. We tracked stock footage and music. We conducted background research involving the tiniest details.”

A key challenge affecting post lay in capturing the unique look, sound and vibe of the Mississippi Delta. “Although Chucalissa is a fictional place, we wanted to do justice to the Delta region in terms of how characters are depicted, how they sound and the way their world looks,” explains series producer David Woods. “The cast had an incredible ability to inhabit the dialect and mannerisms of people from the region and production did an outstanding job in finding locations that sell the idea of Chucalissa. When they handed it off to post, we took it and ran with it.”

One area where post helped enhance the Delta ambience was ADR. Goldcrest Post and HARBOR hosted numerous recording sessions where actors created background dialogue and vocalizations for exteriors and for scenes inside The Pynk. Casting the voice talent was done by Dann Fink and Bruce Winant of New York-based Loopers Unlimited. “Dann and Bruce found amazing, Broadway actors who were able to match the dialects voiced by the principal cast,” recalls Woods. “Katori knew many of the actors, some who had performed in her plays. ADR editors Kris Chevannes (Goldcrest Post) and Bobby Johanson (HARBOR) did a fantastic job in blending their voices to create the crowds in the club.”

Custom sound design was also deployed throughout the series to create the distinctive sonic environments of the club and other locations. Sound editorial and mixing was centered at Technicolor PostWorks under a team led by Supervising Sound Editor John Bowen and Re-Recording Mixer Chris Foster. “The club is old and ramshackle, and it has a distinctive rattle,” says Woods. “Chris and John blended the sounds of a chiropractic massager, glass bottles and other objects into musical cues to simulate the reverberating building. When we are in Uncle Clifford’s office, you can hear music from the stage booming through the walls and floors. It was a cool effect that they manipulated to support the story.”

Sound also helps to underscore the human element behind some of the show’s phenomenal dance sequences. Brown points to a scene from the first episode where Mercedes (Brandee Evans) performs a gravity-defying routine that involves hanging upside down from the top of a pole. “Chris came up with the idea of depicting that moment from Mercedes’ perspective,” Brown explains. “The music and crowd noise fades and all you hear is her breathing. It captured her athleticism and artistry and had a powerful effect on the audience.”

Alchemy Post Sound added to the ATMOS mix by creating Foley sounds from different perspectives to support pole dancing, costumes and actors’ performances. “The level of detail and authenticity is something you don’t often find in a television series,” says Woods. “They even nailed the squeaks of the pole. It’s almost like another character in the show.”

The Molecule’s contributions were similarly diverse and far-reaching. While many visual effects are invisible, the studio was called upon to create several fanciful visuals with memorable impact. One occurs in Episode 6 and involves a sequence where Mercedes and Autumn draw a large amount of cash from a bank and head off down a highway in a rattletrap car. The money, stuffed in a leather bag in the back seat, is picked up by the wind and bills start flying from the windows.

Woods points out that, while viewers may not notice, the scene is largely a digital creation. “The scene ends when a $20 bill, with Harriet Tubman’s face, fills the frame,” he says. “It’s pretty cool, and almost fully CG. A lot of work went into that.”

Final post-production finishing was done at HARBOR. That included high resolution color grading by Roman Hankewycz. He worked closely with Hall and series cinematographers Nancy Schreiber and Richard Vialet to finalize a look that captures the world of P-Valley both physically and emotionally. “It’s meant to look gritty, but also beautiful, and the look achieves that,” Woods insists. “The characters lead challenging lives, but you also see their beauty.”

Given the dimensions of the project, it was a huge advantage to be working in New York with a group of vendors near one another. “We all felt that this was the hardest work we’d ever done for a show,” concludes Woods, “but it was also the most gratifying.”

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PNYA Helps Members Stay Connected through the Pandemic
The pandemic has brought conventions, seminars, job fairs and other forms of in-person networking to a screeching halt. That’s a problem for people seeking to launch careers, unearth sales leads or build businesses in post-production, an industry driven by personal relationships. It’s hard to make those vital connections and maintain social distance at the same time.

To overcome that handicap, Post New York Alliance has launched a trio of remote networking initiatives. They are helping members remain in contact, exchange advice, seek career guidance and learn about job leads at a time when it’s not possible to meet for a drink after work.

The programs include Face to Face, a resource that connects people seeking advice with experienced professionals for one-on-on conversations; Slack, an online community for individuals and businesses; and Who You Don’t Know, a series of networking events focused on connecting people in related fields of interest. All three can be accessed by members through the PNYA website.

Associate Producer/Post Production Supervisor and PNYA membership director Jennifer Lane says the aim of the networking initiatives is to foster relationships. “We’re creating ways for people to meet one another, when they can’t physically be together,” she says. “In this industry, personal relationships are how you get a foot in the door, get recommended for a job, or learn about a new project.”

Face to Face allows PNYA members to connect with seasoned pros across a range of disciplines, including sound and picture editing, visual effects, color grading and post-production supervision. Participants set up one-on-one videoconference meetings to ask questions, seek advice and potentially establish mentoring relationships.

Slack was developed during the lockdown as a means for sharing critical information. Companies and individuals can use it to communicate and gain immediate feedback on all manner of issues affecting the industry including remote working, health and safety protocols, and upcoming events. It also fosters a sense of community and solidarity among colleagues laboring under an atmosphere of isolation brought on by the crisis.

Who You Don’t Know is a Zoom-based video conference series focused on post-production career opportunities. Held periodically, each installment focuses on a different area within post-production. Participants are directed to breakout rooms, organized by field of interest and including both experienced pros and career aspirants. Past sessions have centered on picture editing, sound and music editing, and visual effects. “These sessions are meant to replace 5-minute conversations that typically occur at in-person networking event, where people exchange business cards,” explains Lane. “Seasoned professionals meet junior colleagues, whom, hopefully, they will remember when hiring.”

PNYA’s Diversity Committee is playing a role in Face to Face and Who You Don’t Know initiatives as part of their work to promote diversity in post-production. They are hopeful that the resources will be especially useful to members from under-represented groups in building professional connections. The committee is working on additional initiatives, such as setting up mentoring roundtables where a pair of seasoned professionals sit will meet with 8-10 members seeking to advance their career.

While all three initiatives are in an early phase, Lane says they are already producing tangible results. “People are meeting people, having conversations and expanding their networks,” she says. “We’re helping people make connections that might lead to a better position or a new project.

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Post Break Keeps the Industry Connected through the Pandemic and Beyond

Post Break, PNYA’s video conference series, launched shortly after New York entered lockdown last April as a way to keep companies and individuals informed during the crisis. It has since evolved into an ongoing resource as the post-production industry adjusts to the emerging realities of a post-pandemic world. Recent sessions have offered advice on remote workflows, mental resilience and networking at a time of limited physical contact.

“Post Break is a cornerstone of PNYA’s response to Covid,” says Board Secretary Chris Peterson who chairs the Education and Events Committee and serves as series host. He has also moderated several panels. “Thursdays at four, it’s the place to gather and find out what’s going on.”

The series has been a huge success from the start. PNYA Administrator Rebekah Hernandez notes that during the lockdown weekly sessions routinely attracted more than 100 participants. Even with the industry getting back to work, attendance remains strong and enthusiastic. “People see it as an opportunity to share information and remain connected to colleagues,” she explains. “And participants are not just our members. We regularly draw people from outside New York. They are interested in our topics and enjoy the quality of the discussion.”

Weekly topics are selected by the Education and Events Committee, often influenced by input from the community. “We’re focused on what people are doing and where the industry is headed,” says Peterson. “We get a lot of suggestions from younger members who have been most affected by the pandemic and have a big stake in the industry’s future.” Panelists and moderators are drawn from every corner of the industry including editors, visual effects artists, post supervisors, facility executives, technologists and producers. Others who have worked hard to make the series a success are Ryan Penny, Becky Blackstone, Adam Raickovich, Leo Nazar Rabelo, Mike Keenan and Maya Rivera.

At the conclusion of each week’s panel discussion, participants have the option of continuing the discussion in small break-out rooms. It’s one of the series’ most popular features. “Each room is limited to five people and so has the feel of an in-person party,” explains Peterson. “People like them because they are fun and informal.”

Originally conceived as a short-term offering to help people through the crisis, Post Break has been extended indefinitely. The series is bi-weekly now and will feature an expanded pool of speakers. “As pandemic restrictions are likely to ease slowly, people need a way to stay in touch and informed,” says Peterson. “With trade shows and other live events curtailed for the immediate future, the mission of Post Break is more vital than ever.”

If you missed a Post Break, recording sessions are available here.