HOT HOUSE: Bond Cuts Close to the Edge

Michael Koegel

August 1, 2008    Source: Studio Monthly

The term "cutting edge" is fast becoming a cliché. But when speaking about Bond, a full-service post-production house in downtown Manhattan, the phrase is more than apt. These guys are first-rate editors, which takes care of the "cutting" part. Jeff Beckerman, Bond’s President/Creative Director, is one of those guys who finds ways to get his hands on new technology before it’s available to the greater community. So that pretty much gives Bond the "edge."

Though most clients probably wouldn’t care if they used a chisel and hammer as long as they deliver the goods, Bond’s talented crew (six editors, two visual effects designers and two audio designers) uses considerably more sophisticated equipment to enhance, and often to fix, the work that crosses the facility’s threshold.

What’s their Gig?

It takes a lot of effort to make things look effortless. Beckerman knows this and so stays one step ahead. He hands out two reels to his clients: a "Motion Effects Reel" and an "Enhancement Reel," the latter an eye-opening series of before-and-after shots showing how Bond improved on the original footage. Beckerman says his clients’ reaction to the enhancement reel is usually, "‘Wow, we really love that reel because we don’t usually think about what it is that you’ve done to make that work.’"

The Cool Factor

Beckerman’s latest techo-gadget is the 4K RED digital camera system, roughly equivalent in quality to shooting on 35 mm film. He believes the camera will likely become the industry standard, especially because it lets you use the best lens technology available. "It looks like film, but without the grain," says Beckerman. "And you have latitude; it’s almost like having F-Stops," giving him a greater range of color correction options. Since it’s digital, Beckerman can collaborate with DPs or directors from anywhere in the country; they simply e-mail each other color-corrected frames and discuss.

Initially, when Beckerman tried to integrate the footage from the RED camera into the Avid, he had problems. The RED software was "super-duper buggy. We had to do a bunch of work-arounds to make it work, but now it’s gotten a lot easier."

The resulting work is pretty spectacular. For an Obama campaign spot, director Jeffrey Lamont Brown wanted the cast of everyday Americans to look as "real" as possible: no actors, no make-up, wrinkles, moles and all. The image clarity is incredible. In one close-up of a young girl, you can actually see the image of the cameraman reflected in her eye.

The Geek Factor

Beckerman has had a long-standing relationship as a beta tester for Avid. "When we tested the Adrenaline System," he says, "it came literally in a black box. No name, no sticker, nothing. [Just] a little bit of instruction about how to hook it up. And it was like,‘You guys go to town and tell us what you think.’" Beckerman clearly relishes these opportunities to be an influence in the marketplace. "We speak up all the time," he says. "This isn’t working, we want this fixed, we’d like to see this feature. And a lot of times, it happens.

I think that it just shows that we love our technology and that we know how to use the technology to our advantage." And that’s what puts Bond on the cutting edge.