Professional Sound - February 2017 | Page 29

takes over . “ We want to build up our standards , bring our collective chops to a new level , and just grow our industry ’ s reputation .”
By landing larger international projects at Propeller Studios , Laratta , Butler , and their staff have been regularly interfacing with major post studios in centres like Toronto and L . A . That ’ s been invaluable as far as helping them to keep pace with cutting-edge technologies and workflows , and lets them share that acquired knowledge with their peers in Alberta .
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With a recently renovated facility , industry-standard technologies , and a talented team capable of work that rivals the output of Canada ’ s major film industry hubs , Laratta , Butler , and Propeller Studios are now striving to build up the industry in their home city and province .
“[ Calgary ] has been a reasonably active market , but it ’ s still a small market ,” Laratta asserts . “ We compete with Vancouver and Toronto and Montreal , to a degree , as far as the work that comes into Canada , and we ’ re relying on a combination of local and foreign projects to keep busy , and with Propeller , we ’ re in a better position to attract and take on those bigger projects .”
Interestingly , while Alberta is something of a hotbed for film shoots thanks in large part to its rugged and mountainous rural terrain , that often means post-production work is forced to leave for other provinces or countries to fulfill national and international co-production requirements .
“ We want to build up our overall post industry here so that it ’ s perceived as more than just people sending projects here to shoot ,” shares Butler . “ I would say the overall climate [ of the film production industry in Alberta ] is definitely improving , so we ’ re trying to have audio post and post in general keep pace with that .”
The Calgary Film Centre , which boasts three sound stages ranging from 12,000 to 20,000 sq . ft ., opened its doors in the spring of 2016 and has been steadily busy since , enticing new productions to the once again burgeoning market .
“ Our big challenge now is trying to hang onto more of that post work related to the projects coming to the centre , and start to be seen as more of a full-service , stem-to-stern ecosystem , similar to what Vancouver bootstrapped back in the ‘ 90s when they expanded from a shooting location to have a huge post-production industry with thousands of jobs in animation , digital effects , audio post – you name it .”
Both Laratta and Butler – now able to leverage one another ’ s skill sets to keep Propeller Studios ’ day-to-day operations consistently and efficiently propelling forward – are dedicating some of their time to the development of the Alberta Post Production Association , a new initiative they ’ ve helped pilot over the past 18 months . It ’ s an association that they and other post providers in the province have thought to be long overdue . “ And now , being on top of things with Propeller , we can step back a bit and work on some of these larger strategic projects that will benefit not just our business , but the entire post community ," Butler enthuses .
“ On top of doing what we do as best as we possibly can , one of our goals is to take a leadership role in building the post-production industry here ,” Laratta
After a few years of working together , building their new business and borrowing the “ rising tide lifts all boats ” adage to do the same for the industry surrounding them , both Laratta and Butler are admittedly very pleased with the Propeller Studios union .
“ The results have definitely exceeded our expectations ,” Butler shares . “ A lot of the producers we both dealt with in the past have agreed they ’ re comfortable with the larger operation and we ’ ve been much busier since the merger , so I do think ,” he adds , using a common adage of his own , “ that the total of Propeller is greater than the sum of its parts .”
Considering the success that both he and Laratta had enjoyed prior to coming together , those new heights are all the more impressive .
RECORD 1 FOR ADR , VOICEOVERS & FOLEY
Andrew King is the Editor of Professional Sound .
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