Prodigo sees second chance for filmmaking in gap caused by pandemic
For most people, movie at home means turning on the big-screen TV and the home theater system, then lying on the sofa. But for Prodigo, a leading Brazilian audiovisual content producer, covid-19 has given new meaning to the expression. As filming new chapters or programs was made impossible - it is a collective activity incompatible with social distancing measures - the company decided to focus on the so-called post-production. These are stages such as soundtrack composition, sound engineering, colorization and special effects, which can be done by the technicians remotely from their own home."It's a huge effort," says Francesco Civita, partner and CEO of Prodigo Films. To re-record dialogues, the company has even sterilized equipment and sent it to the actors' houses. The process, known as Automated Dialogue Replacement (ADR), aims to replace lines captured on the set to correct faults or improve sound quality or synchrony. The actors dub themselves and are remotely guided by the directors.
Prodigo has two series in post-production, both for Netflix: the second season of "Most Beautiful Thing," directed by Caito Ortiz, and "Cidade Invisível," first series with real actors by director Carlos Saldanha, well known for animations such as "Ice Age," "Rio," and "Ferdinand." The premieres are expected to take place, respectively, in the first and second halves of this year.
"At home, the work process gets slower," Mr. Civita says. The biggest difficulty is the constant need to exchange image and sound files, which are very heavy. "A job that would take four hours takes eight, and what would take three months to get ready takes four," he says.
The work approval, another important part of post-production, has also begun to be done remotely. To avoid people movement and agglomeration, Netflix has created a protected online system by which everyone involved in a production can follow and approve the development of the content as it becomes ready.
"Companies are creating new methods and technologies," says Beto Gauss, partner and executive producer at Prodigo. "There's a big technological movement and I think we're going to take a lot of that to the future."
Founded in 2003, Prodigo produces feature films, series, and advertising films. The company employs 80...
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