Smoke & Mirrors, London
14/03/2017
Key contact: Adam Jakubowski, Technical Operations Manager
Smoke & Mirrors, with centres in London, New York, Sao Paolo, Shanghai, Chennai and soon to launch Amsterdam, is one of the largest and most innovative post-production companies operating in the short-form market. It specializes in producing commercials, promos, and trailers for the TV and movie markets, and in localizing these for world-wide distribution.
Telestream talked with Adam Jakubowksi, Technical Operations Manager at Smoke's London HQ, to learn how they are adapting to a rapidly changing market with the aid of Telestream's Vantage platform.
Our biggest technical challenge is managing the growing number of versions required for international distribution, comments Adam Jakubowksi. Our versioning process has to adapt content for local markets and delivery platforms. This requires both creative and technical changes to the content. Currently, Smoke & Mirrors is supplying finished localised content to up to 100+ different markets via multiple delivery partners. To support this complex challenge, the company relies on several key software solutions working in harmony.
Telestream Vantage Transcode Pro
Telestream Post Producer
3rd party MAM and Workflow Orchestration Platform
3rd party Auto QC
Micro-Services written by their own development team
Smoke & Mirrors operates Vantage systems in London and Chennai, with two nodes of Transcode Pro and Post Producer running on Telestream Lightspeed Servers for maximum processing efficiency. The Vantage solution was supplied and commissioned by Boxer Systems, Telestream's leading enterprise reseller in the UK.
Vantage: seamless third-party integration eases workflow constraints
The dream team: top creative talent combined with market leading technology
A single ad or promo often has to be delivered in dozens of versions for local market adaptation. These versions can differ both creatively and technically from the master, and have to accommodate local language, cultural, legal, and regulatory requirements. While creative talent is an important part of the value that Smoke & Mirrors offers its clients, process automation is essential for productivity and profitability in a demanding and competitive market.
Smoke & Mirrors started using Telestream Vantage Transcode Pro in 2016 as the successor to existing stand alone transcoders that had been in use for several years, but have now reached end-of-life. Vantage Transcoders offered significant process- and quality-improvements as well as the ability to scale to meet growing volumes of work, but they answered only a part of the automation challenge.
Telestream Post Producer added template-driven production automation for a one-to-many iterative workflow, which results in increased content value with faster turnaround and lower costs. At Smoke & Mirrors, Post Producer adds automated assembly of final deliverable packages, with all of the required layouts and metadata. This potentially complex task was initially simplified by use of the Vantage work order submission method, which allows all of the required instructions, metadata, clock information, etc. to be submitted in a spreadsheet. This deceptively simple method allowed us to gain huge process efficiency improvements in a very short time, explains Jakubowski.
Vantage: seamless third-party integration eases workflow constraints
Since its initial implementation with automation by spreadsheet , Smoke & Mirrors searched for even more efficient and reliable process automation of the Post Producer and Vantage workflows. The first step was in-house development of micro-services which manage the data required to specify all of the technical requirements of each deliverable asset, and then programmatically composes the information to Post Producer in its native CML (Composition Markup Language) format.
Post Producer and Vantage, working on Lightspeed Servers, allow Smoke & Mirrors to automate all of the technical aspects of creating localized content for the 100+ advertising markets they serve, and empowers their editing talent to focus their valuable time on the creative changes required.
About Telestream
Telestream provides world-class live and on-demand digital video tools and workflow solutions that allow consumers and businesses to transform video on the desktop and across the enterprise. Many of the world's most demanding media and entertainment companies as well as a growing number of users in a broad range of business environments, rely on Telestream products to streamline operations, reach broader audiences and generate more revenue from their media. Telestream products span the entire digital media lifecycle, including video capture and ingest; live and on-demand encoding and transcoding; captioning; playback and inspection, delivery, and live streaming; as well as automation and orchestration of the entire workflow. Telestream corporate headquarters are located in Nevada City, California. The company is privately held.
LINK: | http://www.live-production.tv/news/products/smoke-mirrors-london.html... |
See more stories from liveproduction |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
24/05/2024
FCC Chair Rosenworcel Proposes FCC Require Disclosure of AI Content in Political Ads
WASHINGTON, D.C. As concerns grow about the potential impact of fake AI-generate...
24/05/2024
Robin Davis Named Senior VP, Chief Distribution Officer for Scripps
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company has named Robin Davis as its senior vice president, chief distribution officer....
24/05/2024
Nilesat Chooses PlayBox Neo Solutions for Major Service Expansion
CAIRO, Egypt PlayBox Neo has announced that it is providing technologies for the expansion of the broadcast channel management and playout infrastructure at the...
24/05/2024
FCC's Carr Opposes Effort to Require Disclosure of AI-Content in Political Ads
WASHINGTON, D.C. FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr has come out against a proposal b...
24/05/2024
FCC Commissioner Simington Announces Staff Changes
WASHINGTON, D.C. Federal Communications Commission commissioner Nathan Simington has announced several staff changes with one departure from his office, one new...
24/05/2024
The Increasingly Important Role of IPTV in College & University Sports Venues
The Increasingly Important Role of IPTV in College & University Sports Venues Andy Wagner May 23, 2024 0 Comments According to Nielsen data, college b...
24/05/2024
Disguise Launches New Generation of EX Media Servers to Power the Future of Entertainment
Disguise Launches New Generation of EX Media Servers to Power the Future of Ente...
24/05/2024
Graded on Baselight 6.0 - rase Una Vez En El Caribe (Once Upon a Time in the Caribbean)
Graded on Baselight 6.0 - rase Una Vez En El Caribe (Once Upon a Time in the Ca...
24/05/2024
Local News Close-Up: South Central Pa.'s HLLY' Market Is on the Rise
Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York is one of just two four-city DMAs in Nielsen's top 50, and the so-called HLLY market (pronounced hilly ) offers small-tow...
24/05/2024
Calif. Court Dismisses Michael Kassan's Slander Suit Against UTA Lawyer
Former MediaLink head Michael Kassan's slander and libel suit against a lawyer for UTA has been dismissed....
24/05/2024
Mission Broadcasting Terminates Agreement To Buy WADL Detroit
Mission Broadcasting has sent a letter to Adell Broadcasting terminating Mission's agreement to purchase WADL Detroit for $75 million....
24/05/2024
Host Patton Oswalt On How To Win on The 1% Club' Game Show
The 1% Club, a game show hosted by Patton Oswalt, debuts on Prime Video May 23 and then on Fox June 3. The show is not so much about answering trivia questions,...
24/05/2024
Pete Hegseth, Fox & Friends Weekend' Co-Host, Publishes New Book
Pete Hegseth, Fox & Friends Weekend co-host, releases his book The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free June 4. Published by Fox New...
24/05/2024
The CW Orders More Wild Cards'
The CW has renewed drama Wild Cards for a second season. Vanessa Morgan and Giacomo Gianniotti are in the cast. There will be 13 episodes....
24/05/2024
May 23, 2024
Scripps Research's Skaggs Graduate School awards doctoral degrees to 32nd graduating class Skaggs family also honored at commencement ceremony as first reci...
23/05/2024
Alone Australia continues to build as it movies towards finale
Alone Australia continues to build as it movies towards finale 23 May, 2024 Media releases The program continues to deliver for SBS with significant uplift...
23/05/2024
AND THE WINNER IS TRIBUTE TO POST HPA's HOMAGE TO THE INDUSTRY HONORED WITH 4 TELLY AWARDS
As the 2023 HPA Awards were taking shape last year, in the aftermath of the pand...
23/05/2024
Time to Get Your Submissions Ready: HPA Awards Creative Categories Open June 3!
By HPA Staff The call for submissions for the HPA Engineering Excellence Awards is already open, and closes soon on June 14; but the submission period for crea...
23/05/2024
Comcast Reports 40% Energy Efficiency Gains for Its Nationwide Network
PHILADELPHIA Comcast is reporting that it has reduced the electricity it takes to deliver each byte of data across its network by 40% since 2019....
23/05/2024
ITV Relies on SAS to Deliver Personalized Ads to 40M Users of ITVX
CARY, N.C. The UKs largest commercial broadcaster ITV has released new details on how it is using an API-driven first-party ad server developed by SAS, to deliv...
23/05/2024
OTA Wireless Readies ATSC 3.0 Datacasting For Commercial Deployment (Part 3)
LEAWOOD, Kan. While technology is central to making ATSC 3.0 a success as a means to deliver wireless data, it's only a part of the story....
23/05/2024
Chyron CAMIUS, AXIS Upgrades Take Entire Newsroom Workflow To The Cloud
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron today unlocked a unveiled sweeping improvements to its newsroom portfolio that enable broadcasters to deploy a complete newsroom workflow ...
23/05/2024
Virtual feelings: how haptic technology is creating immersive environments
Philippe Guillotel, senior director of metavideo group, InterDigital, explains how haptic technology could be the next big thing in watching everything from spo...
23/05/2024
How to color match broadcast cameras
How to color match broadcast cameras Brie Clayton May 23, 2024 0 Comments Ever wondered how to color match on two different high end broadcast cameras...
23/05/2024
Chyron Unlocks a Complete Newsroom in the Cloud With News Portfolio Updates
Chyron Unlocks a Complete Newsroom in the Cloud With News Portfolio Updates Brie Clayton May 23, 2024 0 Comments Based on a long-term, coordinated dev...
23/05/2024
Disney Looks Into NBA Stars' Minds to Promote Inside Out 2'
NBA legends Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony are helping to promote Inside Out 2, the new film from Disney and Pixar, in commercials that are appearing during th...
23/05/2024
Walker' Finished at The CW
The CW drama Walker will not see a fifth season on the network. Inspired by the 90s crime drama Walker, Texas Ranger, the show premiered in 2021. Jared Padalec...
23/05/2024
Scripps Names Robin Davis Chief Distribution Officer
The E.W. Scripps Co. named Robin Davis senior VP, chief distribution officer, effective immediately....
23/05/2024
Season Two of Tina Fey Show You Never Heard Of On Netflix This Week
Season two of Mulligan, an animated comedy about people struggling to rebuild the planet after an alien attack, with a star-studded cast and producer group, deb...
23/05/2024
NewsNation Will Be 24/7 in June
NewsNation expands to a 24/7 programming schedule starting June 1. The network, part of Nexstar Media Group, will launch the final portion of its live news line...
23/05/2024
BrightLine Launches StreamLine For Self-Service Interactive CTV Ads
BrightLine, which provides interactive and shoppable advertising formats, said it launched StreamLine, a self-service system for creating dynamic commercials th...
23/05/2024
Nick Cannon Talk Show Launches on Prime Video Next Week
Nick Cannon will host a talk show on Prime Video and Amazon Freevee. Called Counsel Culture and based on his podcast of the same name, it premieres June 6. Ther...
23/05/2024
Leader Expands LVB440 IP Analyzer with New Measurement Tools
YOKOHAMA, Japan Leader Electronics has expanded the capabilities of its LVB440 IP Analyzer with extended support for the latest standards relating to object-bas...
23/05/2024
Meet the senior vice president, enterprise solutions architecture
Zeenal Thakare, senior vice president, enterprise solutions architecture at Ateliere Creative Technologies, explains why shes enjoying a front row seat to the o...
23/05/2024
UK broadcast CEOs call on parliament to pass Media Bill before dissolution
The Bill is currently at its third reading stage in the House of Lords By Jenny Priestley Published: May 23, 2024 The Bill is currently at its third re...
23/05/2024
Diamond Sports Group Inks New Deal with Fubo
SOUTHPORT, Conn. Diamond Sports Group has reached a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with FuboTV Inc. for the continued carriage of Diamond'...
23/05/2024
Brainstorm Expands Operations in N. America with New Office and Staff
AUSTIN, Texas Brainstorm, a provider of real-time 3D graphics and virtual studio solutions, has opened a new office and Demo Studio in Austin, Texas in a move t...
23/05/2024
FCC Proposes Rules Requiring Disclosure of AI Content in Political Ads
WASHINGTON, D.C. As concerns grow about the potential impact of fake AI-generated photos and videos being used to influence elections, Federal Communications Co...
23/05/2024
Brightline Launches 'Streamline' Self-Service Design Studio
NEW YORK BrightLine has announced the launch of StreamLine, the self-service, automated tool for clients to design, build, and publish interactive and dynamic a...
23/05/2024
TNT Sports to Air College Football Playoff Games
With NCAA college football moving to a new, greatly expanded playoff format for the National Championship this year, ESPN and TNT Sports have reached a five-yea...
23/05/2024
Advanced Systems Group Launches AI and Advanced Analytics...
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, launched its AI and Advanced Analytics practice,...
23/05/2024
Glensound Exhibits New AoIP Interface Products at InfoCom...
Glensound, industry leader in high quality audio systems, is exhibiting for the first time at InfoComm 2024. The company is demonstrating why it has such an env...
23/05/2024
Shotoku to Bring Advanced Version of TR-XT Control System...
Shotoku Broadcast Systems, international manufacturer of high-quality, easy-to-use, robust and reliable camera support systems, has announced plans to exhibit b...
23/05/2024
Beckview Studios Celebrates One-Year Anniversary With NUG...
Based in Scalby Village, Scarborough, Beckview Studios is one of North Yorkshire's largest, one-stop recording studios in the area. Since its opening in May...
23/05/2024
Tximist Foundation and Pixellot Team Up to Broadcast Wome...
Pixellot, the global leader in AI-automated video and data solutions for sports, is proud to announce a partnership with Tximist Foundation to broadcast all Txi...
23/05/2024
Accedo Supports ITV to Extend ITV X to Sony Playstation 4...
Global video solutions provider, Accedo, has worked with ITV, the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, to bring its streaming service, ITVX to PlayStation 4...
23/05/2024
Inaugural World Skills Cafe to address skills and diversi...
The Global Media and Entertainment Talent Manifesto, an organisation working to address the skills shortage across the media technology sector, today announces ...