PERG is delighted to be hosting a panel discussion with NETFLIX during PERG’s General Membership Meeting at NAB 2019. It is hard to overstate the impact that NETFLIX has had on the motion picture and television industry over the past few years. Several years ago, NETFLIX’s technical requirements for camera and image capture made it mandatory for their original shows to be captured in 4K resolution or better. The requirements even prompted prominent camera manufacturers to develop new cameras, like the top-end SONY VENICE CineAlta, to be in conformance. The requirements affect many aspects of production including lens options, image monitoring on set, color gamut and other issues related to LED lighting, and of course post production workflow. The practical implications for rental houses will be part of the discussion at the PERG Meeting on April 9th.
According to Variety, NETFLIX spent over $12 billion on content in 2018, and that number is expected to rise to $15 billion this year. Variety sites new streaming competition as one of the reasons NETFLIX is aggressively solidifying their market advantage. Media giants Disney, Warner Media, and NBCUniversal will be starting their own streaming services later this year. All this commerce is welcome news for camera and lighting rental houses.
PERG first started talking with NETFLIX’s Post Partnerships and Integration department when their Partnership Outreach Manager, Michael Keegan, attended the PERG Breakfast at Cine Gear 2018. Since then, we have been discussing ways for PERG and Netflix to work together to foster the exchange of information with our members. PERG created a Studio Outreach and Technical Resources webpage to help its members propagate detailed production guides (including recording settings for each approved camera type).
The next step was for PERG to invite NETFLIX to participate in an open discussion at our General Membership Meeting at NAB 2019. The panel will be made up of representatives from two prominent rental houses who regularly support NETFLIX shows, two DPs who have lensed those shows, together with a member of NETFLIX technical team.
NETFLIX’s team has been as interested to learn about the challenges facing vendors as the vendors are to understand the priorities at NETFLIX. The NETFLIX vendor outreach team has been actively meeting with PERG members, identifying areas that raise questions for DPs and raise purchase decisions for rental houses. These efforts have identified some areas where there is confusion. Their active engagement is paying off.
PERG plans to record the NAB meeting and make the presentation available to its members. PERG regards this as a first step in establishing an ongoing relationship with NETFLIX and expanding this conversation to other studios as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment