Services
On set:
Testing
We participate in camera tests and assist in selecting the right camera equipment and lenses. Following camera tests, LUTs are created, ready for use in subsequent stages of production and postproduction.
DIT / data wrangling
We offer a full scope of services, including data wrangling and DIT – from setting up digital camera parameters and recording and duplicating footage, to colour correction prior to transcoding, and preparing projects for editing, sound logging and synchronisation.
Dailies
Footage from the set is conveniently accessible to view in HD resolution on the Fixa Dailies platform from anywhere online. Its intuitive interface provides crew and talent with easy access to specialist functions. Our workflow and equipment allow us to process dailies from any camera format.
VFX supervising
Based on the script, we can suggest the best ways to achieve the director’s vision while optimising the production budget. We also offer on-set technical and artistic supervision for VFX shots.
Postproduction:
Editing
Our editing suites are equipped with Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro 7/X, Adobe Premiere, and EditShare. Efficient workstations with 47” calibrated Dolby monitors allow for rapid, efficient work with creators and clients alike.
Colour correction
We work with the Digital Vision Nucoda and Davinci Resolve packages, using panels. Fixafilm has 42” Dolby PRM-4200, 31.1” EIZO Prominence CG3145, and 65” Panasonic EZ1000 reference monitors. We are European pioneers in offering full ACES/4K and HDR correction and workflow.
DI
Our DI department reliably manages file exchanges at all stages of postproduction – from editing, through colour correction, special effects, sound, audio description, dialogue continuity lists, to graphic design.
VFX
Our in-house VFX team uses their skills and experience to deliver tailor-made solutions. We create visuals with precision and proficiency using software like Nuke, After Effects, Houdini, Blender, and Embergen. Our range of services spans from compositing (2D, 3D), match move, and clean up to rotoscoping.
Finishing & mastering
We can work in any colour space (ACES, Rec. 709, P3) and any format (HD, 2K, 4K, 6K, 8K), enabling smooth final integration of all key audiovisual production elements (image, sound, subtitles, audio description). We produce all types of masters: DCP, IMF, digital master copies, HDCAM and DigiBeta cassettes, disc authoring, and multimedia containers.
Remote services
We love to host filmmakers at our studio, but we realise that working remotely is sometimes the optimum solution. We apply tried-and-tested methods for effortless work with zero lag, based on screen-sharing with no need to transfer files. Our technical support team allows you to focus on the creative side of the process.
Archiving
We offer archiving services based on an LTO tape library, allowing long-term data storage for backups of footage from the set, as well as final or intermediate copies of the film. We can also offer writing directly onto negative and positive prints using Cinevator and Arrilaser recorders.
Quality control
Our competent team of QC experts follows a set of procedures intended to ensure that the end product meets specific requirements and image-processing standards.
Restoration:
Scanning & cleaning
We have two world-class 35mm and 16mm film scanners, with 2K, 4K and 6K resolution: a Lasergraphics Director 4K and an ARRIscan 6K. These machines offer scanning in HDR (with double or triple exposure), DICE and optical stabilisation. For film cleaning, we use a Lipsner-Smith CF-3000 Mark VI with tetrachloroethane. We also provide transfer of magnetic and optical sound tapes using equipment from Sondor.
Digitisation
We provide digitisation services of materials and frame by frame scanning up to 5K resolution. We digitise 8mm, 9.5mm, 16mm and 35mm tapes and the following formats: Hi-8, Video 8, Digital 8, U-matic, VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS-C, DV, DVCAM, miniDV, HDV, Betamax, Betacam SP, SX, MPEG, IMAX, DIGI. BETACAM, HDCAM, HDCAM SR, DAT, DCC, Video 2000.
Video
Our experience also includes restoration of analogue and digital video formats, starting with reel-to-reel, through VHS and Beta, to more contemporary formats. We are great at handling challenges such as chroma and luma separation, interlacing removal, digital artefacts, sync loss, colour restoration, stabilisation, image noise removal and upscaling to HD resolution.
Film stock preservation
Our services include diagnosing the state of film footage and reasons for damage, ultrasonic cleaning, and repairing splices and other damage.
Stabilization
Archival materials very often require specialised stabilisation due to skips and folds in the film stock, particularly at the splices. We take an individual approach to each case, manually stabilising the picture elements. Depending on the desired effect, we can achieve a picture with all vibration removed or make a simulation of the original handmade splices.
Scratches & staines
Some of the most common damage is from dust and hairs stuck to the surface of the film. In the case of duplicate materials, stains can also be copied, resulting in a build-up of successive layers of defects. We remove all these defects, starting with automatic processes and ending with manual, frame-by-frame cleaning. Our meticulous process allows us to limit artefacts to a minimum, achieving finished work that is as close to the ideal as possible.
Flicker
Film degrades over time, especially if it wasn’t developed in optimal conditions using high-quality chemicals. At Fixafilm we have developed several methods to reverse this damage. They depend on the degree of degradation of the luma and/or chroma, and on whether we are working with colour or black and white material. The final effect is an image with stable colour and brightness.
Grain management
We are experts at managing and restoring grain. We use Cinnafilm Dark Energy and Algosoft Viva Pro software to reduce grain or noise; to re-create it we use a mix of organic scanned film grain and generated grain adjusted to the original medium and its generation.