Los Angeles - Critically lauded and a ratings hit, Psych recently wrapped its eighth season in Vancouver, adding to its record as USA Network's longest-running series. And for the third straight year, the Universal Cable Productions series is making its way from the camera to the screen via an innovative file-based workflow designed and supported by camera and production equipment specialist SIM Digital and its postproduction unit Bling Digital.
SIM/Bling helped Psych become the first Vancouver-based television production to go fully digital in 2010, after having successfully established file-based workflows for two other Universal Cable Productions programs, Suits and Covert Affairs, Three years down the line, the elements of that workflow remain largely unchanged. SIM provides the show with ARRI Alexa camera packages (as well as Sony and GoPro cameras for specialized use), on-set graphics and playback services. Bling handles near-set dailies processing and data services.
Camera media is processed in the near-set lab, which includes the production of media for review, editorial, post production andback-up. Editorial files and FCP ProRes proxy format are delivered via highspeed Internet connection to the shows editorial team, located 1300 miles away in Manhattan Beach, California. Editors can begin cutting new material in as little as a few hours after its shot.
It took confidence for Psychs producers to make the leap to digital in 2010. Other Vancouver productions were still shooting HD video or film and so there was no template. However, theywere intrigued with the potential for improved efficiency and cost-savings, and impressed with SIM/Blings enthusiasm for the emerging digital paradigm. There was some nervousness, because it was a whole new mode of production, recalls Ken Anderson, General Manager of Sim Digitals Vancouver operations. But they saw how well it was working in Toronto and the time and headaches it was saving for those shows. They wanted the same thing.
It didnt take long for the benefits of SIM/Blings approach to become apparent. Gordon Mark, Psychs line producer, notes that shows that were early adopters of digital camera systems sometimes experienced problems in the hand-off between production and post. Youd get a call from the lab saying theres a problem with the camera, but then the camera crew would say, no, its something the lab technician did, he recalls.
Those sorts of problems never arose on Psych because SIM/Bling managed both sides of the transaction. If a problem occurred, and that didnt happen very often, their camera people and lab people would work together to resolve it, Mark says. It was in their interest as much as it was in ours to get it fixed quickly. That was refreshing.
Psychs digital workflow also proved to be a significant upgrade in terms of reliability over the traditional film workflow. An error in processing at a film lab, observes Mark, could be devastating to a shows budget and delivery schedule.
In the worst case scenario, your film could be ruined and youd have to go back and do something again. Thats very expensive, he says. You would have to schedule the actors back and that, inevitably would involve some highly-paid guest star with lots of other commitments. So, it becomes a scheduling issue. Production cant shoot the footage, so the post people cant edit it, and it cant be delivered on time. It puts a wrinkle all the way through the system. With digital near-set processing, camera or processing issues are spotted and resolved quickly. The specter of reshooting has virtually been extinguished.
Series DP Scott Williams witnessed the transition from film and video capture to digital firsthand and has become a convert to the new file-based mode of production. For Psych, he shoots ARRI Alexa to ProRes 4444 master files and uses a Truelight on Set system (also supplied by SIM/Bling) to apply LUTs to key frames. Williams color settings are applied to all dailies elements at the near-set lab. This arrangement, in effect, provides Williams with the luxury of grading his own dailies without leaving the set.
Bling has recreated all of the functions of a lab in a near-set environment and theyve done it with less overhead and greater efficiency, Williams says. Everything is streamlined.
Associate Producer Janelle Reyes is the recipient ofeditorial media. She supervises post-production operations at the shows production offices in Manhattan Beach. Dailies are sent via Aspera connection to a nearby service bureau. Its less than a mile away, she explains. A PA picks up a drive every day. Bling also sends us lab reports, camera reports, LTO back-ups, and customized metadata which is very helpful for editorial. When we were working with a tape process, acquiring dailies involved a days delay. Now we get the footage within hours of when its shot.
Psych has been rewarded handsomely for its decision to go digital. Mark notes that, while the shows file-based workflow saves time and money, he values even more the peace of mind he gets by working with SIM/Bling. We would have switched anyway because I knew wed get great service, he says. From the day we started, they have been unbelievable.
Ken Anderson says that the relationship has also benefitted SIM/Bling. Several other Vancouver-based television productions have signed up for the Psych treatment. They gave us a chance three years ago, Anderson says, and it has catapulted us into a leadership position in cameras and dailies in this market.
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
07/08/2025
July 8 2025, 22:30 (PDT) Tata Motors & Dolby Bring Dolby Atmos to Harrier.ev, R...
12/07/2025
As the death toll continues to mount, with at least 120 killed and more than 170 people still missing on July 10 from devastating Texas floods, a number of broa...
12/07/2025
EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and MIAMI -DirecTV and TelevisaUnivision have signed a deal that will make the ad-supported premium subscription tier of ViX, ViX Premium wi...
11/07/2025
PARK CITY, UTAH, July 11, 2025 - The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the 11 producers chosen for its annual Producers Labs, returning to Ucross Fou...
11/07/2025
If you've ever wondered what might be playing in Clark Kent's headphones...
11/07/2025
L3Harris Technologies President of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Jason Lambert and General Manager of L3Harris Waco facility Sean Ling held a ce...
11/07/2025
ARLINGTON, Va. WETA, the flagship public media station in the national capital area, has launched WETA+, a new streaming service tailored for the local Washingt...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission has emerged as one of the central players in the broadcast TV landscape in 2025, with its deregulatory policies sparking h...
11/07/2025
Calrec will introduce usability, customization and system enhancements across its entire range of Argo consoles during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Amsterda...
11/07/2025
LONDON Encompass Digital Media said it will support live and on-demand viewing of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup across multiple global regions for sports enterta...
11/07/2025
Two-thirds of broadcast engineers reaped the benefits of a pay raise within the last year....
11/07/2025
CARY, N.C. SmallHD has launched the Quantum 27, a new 26.5-inch Quantum-Dot OLED monitor designed to deliver postproduction image quality in a compact, set-frie...
11/07/2025
The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau and Tegna have entered into a consent decree that will settle an investigation into the accidenta...
11/07/2025
WASHINGTON Following news in early July that Paramount had settled President Donald Trump's lawsuit, Sens. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ben Ray Luj n (D-N...
11/07/2025
Model/Actriz Performs Lead Single Cinderella on The Late Show with Stephen Colbe...
11/07/2025
Behind the Mic: Amazon Prime Preps for First Season of NBA Action; MSG Networks ...
11/07/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Suite Studios' Craig Hering on Adapting to Client...
11/07/2025
2025 SVG Content Management Forum Breaks Down AI's Impact, Continued Transit...
11/07/2025
A Journey HOME: University of Nebraska's HuskerVision Goes IP Leaders from the HuskerVision and Lawo share their IP learnings By SVG Staff
Friday, July 1...
11/07/2025
CMSI, Remote Picture Labs, Ace ESPN's Cloud-Based Editing Efforts for Wimble...
11/07/2025
Netflix Enters the Live-Boxing-Production Ring for Round 2 With Historic Taylor-...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Too Hot to Handle: Italy Is Coming on July 18 Only on Netflix
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalItaly
Link copied to clipboard
July 11, 20...
11/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Will Release Death Inc. Seasons 1, 2 and 3
Entertainment
11 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Season 1
Season 2
Se...
11/07/2025
AI and Multimedia Authenticity Standards Collaboration launches two papers to guide the future of AI integration, today at the AI for Good Global Summit
The...
11/07/2025
Ceramics - the humble mix of earth, fire and artistry - have been part of a global conversation for millennia.
From Tang Dynasty trade routes to Renaissance pa...
10/07/2025
The current holder of the prestigious Thomson Foundation Young Journalist of the Year Award has been forced to stop reporting over fears for her safety in Afgha...
10/07/2025
Spotify is turning up the volume on Australian music with a multipronged initiative designed to highlight the dominance of Australian artists on the global stag...
10/07/2025
This is not a drill: Oasis is back on the road-marking its first live performanc...
10/07/2025
The music industry depends on fresh ideas, bold voices, and emerging talent. Yet across the U.K., too many young musicians lack the space to develop their craft...
10/07/2025
NEW YORK - July 10, 2025 - Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, today announced that it appointed Richard Pacheco as head of ...
10/07/2025
Local newscasts don't exist in a vacuum. News directors and station management constantly evaluate what's working, what isn't and perhaps most impor...
10/07/2025
Lawo has announced that Stuttgart Media University (Hochschule der Medien, HdM) has comprehensively modernized its central recording studio after selecting an I...
10/07/2025
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has opened early-bird registration for the Media Technology Summit, which will take place in a ne...
10/07/2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. TNDV Television has launched Aspiration 35, a new version of its 40-foot Aspiration truck reimagined for cinematic multicamera productions....
10/07/2025
BURBANK, Calif. Key Code Education, a provider of instructor-led postproduction training, is growing its curriculum with new programs for beginner and intermedi...
10/07/2025
HACKENSACK, N.J. Actus Digital will demonstrate how broadcasters can transform compliance monitoring from a necessary expense into a strategic revenue driver at...
10/07/2025
The Federal Register has published a summary of the Federal Communications Commission's Public Notice seeking comments on its ownership rules that lists a d...
10/07/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Presents the Official Trailer for SuperestarPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
10 July 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard...
10/07/2025
In the race to understand our planet's changing climate, speed and accuracy are everything. But today's most widely used climate simulators often strugg...
10/07/2025
As one of the world's largest emerging markets, Indonesia is making strides toward its Golden 2045 Vision - an initiative tapping digital technologies and...
10/07/2025
10 Jul 2025
VEON and Cohen Circle Secure Investor Commitments for Kyivstar Listing Kyiv, New York, Dubai, and Philadelphia - July 10, 2025 - VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq:...
10/07/2025
5G for all? What the DFL's use of Easy5G and RefCam could mean for events in...
10/07/2025
Save the Date: PGA TOUR Studios Welcomes SVG Remote Production Summit on Oct 14-...
10/07/2025
Cloud on the Road: How Remote-Production-Service Providers Are Adapting to a New...
10/07/2025
Seattle Kraken's Ryan Schaber on the NHL Team Taking Live Game Productions I...
10/07/2025
FOX Sports Reboots Small Control Room in Los Angeles as Hub for Vertical-First P...
10/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: MSE's Zach Leonsis, ViewLift's Rick Allen Go Deep on Joint...
Los Angeles - Critically lauded and a ratings hit, Psych recently wrapped its eighth season in Vancouver, adding to its record as USA Network's longest-running series. And for the third straight year, the Universal Cable Productions series is making its way from the camera to the screen via an innovative file-based workflow designed and supported by camera and production equipment specialist SIM Digital and its postproduction unit Bling Digital. 
