The London-based facility, JCA is working with Film4 to re-master a host of its most popular movies, such as the 1986 film Rita, Sue and Bob Too (pictured), Bend it Like Beckham and Brassed Off in true high definition, writes David Fox.
JCA, which is part of the TVP Group, has previously worked with Film4 on many HD restoration projects, and handles the full restoration process, removing all dirt, scratches and occasional continuity errors, so that the films can be graded and presented in the way they were meant to be.
The film elements are scanned at Super 2k using JCA’s Arriscan film scanner into a DPX files. These are then graded using the existing SD masters and then rendered into the file. The restoration artists use a variety of restorative tools, ranging from automated passes through to frame-by-frame hand painting, before the grain and sharpness treatments are applied.
“For Rita, Sue and Bob Too we were able to access the original negative, which, although it made the grade more challenging, really allowed us to deliver this film as it never has been seen before,” said Matt Bowman, JCA’s Commercial Director.
“We are delighted with the work JCA and Finishing Post Productions are doing for us in re-mastering Rita, Sue and Bob Too, Brassed Off and a range of other titles. The reaction to these films has been fantastic and has meant we can bring a series of classic British films to the small screen in HD for the first time for new audiences to enjoy,” said Kate Robinson, Technical Manager, Film 4 Library.
JCA also works with such clients as BBC Worldwide, DRG, Fremantle Media, Classic Media, ITV and KidsCo doing encoding, transcoding, digital transmission, content management and file delivery.
