March 20, 2013

The Legend of Sarila

Technicolor Montreal is proud to have been selected to provide the picture post-production services of the first animated, feature-length, stereo 3D film in Canada

La légende de Sarila (The Legend of Sarila) hit theatre screens in Quebec on Friday, March 1st. Technicolor Montreal is proud to have been selected to provide the picture post-production services of the first animated, feature-length, stereo 3D film in Canada, including 3D grading and color correction, as well as voice recording in both French and English.

In order to meet the stated quality objectives of co-producers CarpeDiem Film & TV and 10th Ave. Productions, Technicolor got involved in the process from the very first animation production stages, developing an innovative, custom-designed post-production workflow along the way. “Technicolor has been a key partner of ours throughout the production of ‘The Legend of Sarila.’ Our collaboration with Pierre Routhier (Technicolor’s Vice-President, 3D Strategy and business devlopment) enabled us to deliver the first superior-quality Canadian 3D film, with a high level of visual comfort for viewers,” affirms Marie-Claude Beauchamp, President and Executive Producer of CarpeDiem Film & TV.

A major 3D grading effort

The challenge facing CarpeDiem and 10th Ave was a sizeable one: producing a stereo 3D film of international scope but with the budget of a local production. “The 3D process is still evolving, and there is a widening divergence of opinions in the industry. The novelty has worn off, for one thing, and today, getting into 3D production is a decision that entails major costs, so the 3D effect has to be truly worthwhile,” explains Sophie Roy, Production Supervisor with CarpeDiem Film & TV. Technicolor accompanied the production company through the image grading stages to make sure that the 3D effect, on the big screen at first and then on television, remained not only spectacular but also easy on the eye—a key factor in the success of 3D animation. “Sarila’s approach was to make use of immersive effects that were rich in both volume and depth. Gag-type projecting effects were used sparingly to ensure that the 3D effect worked in support of the story, not as an end in itself,” explains Pierre Routhier.  

The Certifi3D standard

Technicolor’s Certifi3D system is the oldest and most recognized standard in the industry. Films shot in compliance with this norm ensure that filmgoers can enjoy a memorable 3D experience but still leave the movie theatre without a headache. In order to meet the standard’s technical requirements, each and every frame appearing in “The Legend of Sarila” was painstakingly analyzed according to 15 criteria for stereographic duplication. These objective, measurable quality control criteria are the system’s way of eliminating operator bias.

Voice recording in Technicolor Montreal’s studios

In addition to picture post-production, Technicolor was also signed up to record the animation’s voice tracks, in both French and English. The English voices were recorded very early in the process, even before the creation of the animations had begun. This enabled Modus FX animators to create the movements of characters on the basis of the recordings.

 

Then, once the animation was almost finished, auditions started for French-language voices from Quebec. The talents selected were Guillaume Perreault, Mariloup Wolfe, Maxime Le Flaguais, Mario Saint-Amand, Dorothée Berryman, Elisapie Isaac, Rémy Girard, Marina Orsini and Paul Ahmarani. They plied their trade under the stage direction of Vincent Davy, the man responsible for the French versioning ostage direction of  “The Adjustment Bureau,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and, more recently, “Broken City.”

Foreign distribution confirmed before theatrical release in Quebec

Even before hitting theatre screens in Quebec, “The Legend of Sarila” had already attracted some worldwide attention. Distributors in Russia, Germany, Israel, Turkey, Kuwait and China, among others, have already requested distribution rights, while many other countries showed interest. 

After its first week in 32 theaters in Quebec, the animated feature had grossed more than $64,000. 

The Technicolor team:

Project Manager : Guylaine Dutil

Coordinator: François-Gaël Castaignede

Internal producer: Isabelle Arseneault

3DSupervisor: Pierre Routhier

Colorist: Nico Ilies

Online editor: François Massé and Mathieu Beausoleil

Versioning- project manager: Laurence Filiatrault-Darveau

Versioning Sound supervisor : Pierre Paquet

Dialogue editor: Claude Lajeunesse

Versioning Re-recordist: Alexis Joubert-Archambault

Titles designers: Lise Dagenais and Yves Clément