Unit Production Manager-members gathered at DGA headquarters in Los Angeles on May 16 for Fix it in Prep: Managing the Digital Post-Production Workflow, the AD/UPM Council West’s annual UPM Breakfast. Sponsored by the Council’s UPM Committee, this year’s event explored how UPMs approach workflows on set and in post-production. The breakfast also served as a forum for members of this category to discuss their thoughts and concerns about this subject and others.
After launching the day with an informal breakfast where the attendees could catch up and network with their peers, AD/UPM Council West Chair Marie Cantin and UPM Committee Co-Chairs Michael Beugg and Richard Prince welcomed everyone before turning things over to this year’s keynote speaker, Post-Production Supervisor Peter Mavromates.
Drawing on his more than 30 years of experience working in post-production on music videos, commercials, television graphics, television shows and feature films such as David Fincher’s Gone Girl, Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volumes 1 & 2, Mavromates led the attendees through the nuts and bolts of Digital Post-Production Workflow management and provided some best practice suggestions.
After the keynote address, the attending UPMs broke into discussion groups to explore subjects such as: how the transition to digital has affected budgeting and scheduling; working with 4K; determining whether or not a Digital Imaging Technician is needed on set, and more. As the day wrapped, the groups reconvened to share their information with the larger audience, and other questions were addressed in a Q&A session.
In addition to Co-Chairs Michael Buegg and Richard Prince, the UPM Committee members include: Larry Albucher, Jim Behnke, Marc Bienstock, Burt Bluestein, Marie Cantin, Allegra Clegg, Elaine Dysinger, D. Scott Easton, Buddy Enright, Brian Frankish, Franklyn Gottbetter, Duncan Henderson, Mark Indig, Tom Joyner, Janet Knutsen, Jules Kovisars, Cleve Landsberg, Adam Merims, Traceigh Scottel, Randy Turrow, Melanie Wagor, Dara Weintraub, Dwight Williams, and Sally Young.
The honorary hosts for this year’s breakfast event were: Marco Black, Dustin Bernard, Tom Hayslip, Jim Klever-Weis, Princess O’Mahoney, Richard Rothschild, Ira Shuman, Ken Silverstein, James Skotchdopole, Philip Steuer, Cristen Carr Strubbe, Scott Thaler, and Rick Tunell.