Services

«VFX • DI/COLOR • MASTERING»

Our VFX team works in-house sharing files with our editors and colorists, creating a truly integrated workflow. Data moves from artist to artist, seamlessly and securely, from ingestion through QC and final mastering. We work with all file types, formats, resolutions, color spaces, and create all deliverables needed for worldwide distribution. Our comfortable DaVinci Resolve 2k, 4k and HDR color correction suites feature the latest in scopes and calibrated monitoring. While we often work on VFX projects independent of our DI/Color and Mastering/Delivery services, we’re not shy about promoting the simplicity and efficiency of using the Institution Post as a one-stop finishing shop.
«DAILIES • BACKUPS • DELIVERY»

For projects in preproduction, we can help design a workflow suited to your budget, schedule and creative expectations. We offer dailies services including streaming as well as secure back up and LTO archiving. And finally, we create DCPs, DVDs, TAPES, etc. in any format for worldwide distribution.
«EDIT • TRAILERS • MOTION GRAPHICS»

We have edit suites available for our finishing clients to rent – with 24/7 access and tech support. If you need help on the creative side, use one of our editors. We specialize in recuts, international versioning and trailers. To be honest, we also employ some real nerds. Font Nerds. We design title sequences, trailer title cards, and animated company logos. We are just as happy to dig into our bottomless typeface library as we are creating something custom from scratch. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we can quickly and painlessly put any graphics and editing work through our finishing pipeline (VFX, DI/COLOR/MASTERING) all under one roof.

Our Mission

Post Production. Simplified.

Our aim is to offer a truly creative and flexible post environment at a cost that reflects the efficiency of new technologies and simplified file based workflows.

Our technical and producing team members are always available to our clients for consultation and guidance. By stripping away redundancy and employing a common sense approach to post we are able to create extra space for inspiration, creativity, and problem solving. Our goal is to give our clients a transparent view of the post process that is free of headaches, hidden costs and mystery.

We don’t strive to be the best post house for everybody.
We strive to be the best post house for you.

About

The Post Revolution began in 2003.

That’s when we (as independent producers and filmmakers) ditched traditional post houses and committed ourselves to completing post using file-based workflows. We saw the writing on the wall. There was a better way.

Together with upstarts Black Magic Design and a barely capable Final Cut Pro 2.0, we trailblazed the nonexistent world of professional feature film finishing on our own projects using nothing but desktop computers.

Before long, other producers discovered the time and cost savings we were able to implement on our own feature films and began turning to us for help.

We saw a huge void in the picture finishing landscape and focused our energies on a new business venture. Quietly, out of a garage in Burbank, we grew. First to a loft in NoHo. Then a house in Burbank. And now our own commercial building in Burbank. For 10 years and running we’ve been a handful of devoted producers’ best kept secret. While many traditional post houses are closing or scrambling to restructure, we continue to thrive. Why?

We keep it simple. We offer many services under one roof, working off shared files. We offer the proper balance of creativity and function. We design our workflows to maximize efficiency in order to give our clients added value. And since we started in the business as producers and filmmakers, we approach each job from a perspective that is unique in the world of post production. We’re actually on your side!

That’s why Nickelodeon, DisneyXD, HBO, Awesomeness TV, Comedy Central, Netflix, FX, Warner Bros, PBS, YouTube Red, Universal and others have relied on us to finish and deliver material for distribution in all channels around the world.

Make our post house your home. It’s easy. Call us and tell us about your project. We’ll gladly give you a tour, share our various reels, and write up a quote.

Facility

Home is where you make it.

We are conveniently located in the heart of the “Media District” on Olive Ave in Burbank. Blocks from Warner Bros, Disney, Universal/NBC, and dozens of sound houses including Dolby Labs, Juniper Post, Monkeyland, and Warner Bros Sound.

We want our post house to feel like your home – but with a ton of super-fast computers networked via fiber, a Fort Knox approach to security, and with more Red Bull and Tazo Green Tea in the fridge.

We have edit suites, color grading suites, VFX bullpens, and a well stocked kitchen. Our flexible work environment caters to shows big and small.

We adapt quickly to new, proven technologies, with both hardware and software, and offer comfortable rooms with the required tools needed to get the job done.

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We the People

Meet the Institution Team

DAN BARONE

Tech Guru
Team Leader
Founder

DAN BARONE

Tech Guru
Team Leader
Founder

Even though he moved from the east coast 14 years ago to break in to the post business, he never worked in a machine room, never worked the vault, he never worked at a single lab. Instead, Dan skipped all the entry level positions and hit the ground running, working outside traditional post production on feature films and television, actually using, developing and proving the professional viability of software based picture finishing.

When he’s not managing the team of digital artists, you’ll find Dan compositing, grading, VFX supervising, or beta testing new software. Follow Dan home, and you’ll find him enjoying his family, learning a new language, or working in his garage woodshop. (Please don’t actually follow him, that’s creepy).

If you ask nicely, Dan will hand grind espresso beans and brew you an authentic cappuccino using techniques passed on by his Italian ancestors.

DAVE PAYNE

Client Advocate
Founder

DAVE PAYNE

Client Advocate
Founder

Dave’s background writing/directing/producing film and television gives him a unique perspective firmly centered on the needs of content owners. By tackling each new job from a client POV, he custom fits scalable post solutions on a project by project basis.

Dave started his career in the entertainment business doing craft service for Roger Corman so don’t be surprised if you find Dave in the kitchen fussing over the arrangement of the snacks. Food is a big part of working at the Institution Post! Which leads us to…

SARAH MALONEY

Producer

SARAH MALONEY

Producer

Sarah earned her stripes coordinating VFX on a wide range of studio live action and animation features. At the Institution Post, Sarah is often the first person our clients see in the morning and the last person they see at night. She is our stewardess and pilot wrapped up in one personable, organized, getting sh*&t done machine.

You might get lucky and work with us on a day that Sarah bakes. Her scones, muffins and meringues are a perfect compliment to Dan’s hand ground coffee drinks.

KIM BARNES

Business Affairs
Producer

KIM BARNES

Business Affairs
Producer

Kim’s smart. She got in to the film business via film finance and producing. As a producer she too was an early adopter of file based picture finishing. Kim manages specific projects at the Institution Post, but she’s also the guardian of the numbers that keep the Institution Post afloat. Kim is like our mom, but younger and prettier. (mom, if you’re reading this, no offense).

In her free time, Kim maintains a mouth watering organic home garden, teaches film financing and consults on branded content creation for environmental causes.

TINA PAYNE

Business Affairs
Founder

TINA PAYNE

Business Affairs
Founder

Tina arrived in the USA as a South African born, London trained actress who quickly found her groove as an indie film producer. In the early 2000s, her hard fought battles with bloated, old school post houses on behalf of reason and the bottom line created the space for Dave and Dan to push forward with bleeding edge “desktop computer” picture finishing solutions.

Today Tina manages the business side of the Institution Post. You can thank her for the interior decorating and the careful curating of the art displayed in the common areas.

We foster artists who are multidisciplinarians.

This provides our clients added scope via fresh perspectives, staffing flexibility, and a more empathetic understanding of the creative journey.

Our lead colorist Ben is also a cinematographer with impressive credits. He brings a discipline and perspective to the color suite that is appreciated by producers and DPs alike. Charlie, our lead compositor, takes a few months off a year to make movies. The indie films he’s written and directed have quite a cult following.

Troy, our in-house creative editor, is an accomplished singer/songwriter/musician. David, our resident Mocha expert, paints and codes games on the side. Our other Dave, lead 3d model builder, is a hot dog eating champion (if you’re counting, that was the 7th food reference on this website. We take our food seriously. Wait till you join us for lunch.)

Our clients enjoy collaborating directly with our artists in the bullpen. Our goal is to create an efficient, open and creative path to picture finishing.

Editorial, VFX, Online/Color, Mastering

TAKEN FOR RANSOM

VFX, Online/Color, Mastering

BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE

VFX

Don’t be shy.

Feel free to contact us anytime for quotes, reels or a tour.

The Institution Post
2911 W. Olive Ave
Burbank, CA, 91505
(818) 646-7844

Jobs

We're Looking For Talent

Job Title: Graphic Designer

Required:

Bachelor of Arts in Art, Television Arts, or Cinema; and 24 months experience in visual effects involving compositing and custom software workflow. Must have demonstrated knowledge acquired through employment experience and/or academic coursework of the following: Adobe After Effects, Autodesk Maya, Nuke, and DaVinci Resolve.

Duties:

The Graphic Designer organizes, orchestrates and creates extremely complex visual effects, animation, and digital visual cleanup for feature films and television commercials. Also, the Designer shall use advanced special effects and animation software to generate composites of practical elements onto pre-existing footage in a seamless, smooth transition without scratchy matte lines or hazy edges. Additionally the candidate will also work with algorithms to adjust current software plugins.

The Designer will generate sophisticated visual effects using the following software: Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Flash, Adobe Soundbooth, Sony Vegas, Sony Acid Pro, Avid Media Composer, Apple Final Cut Pro, The Pixel Farm PFMatchit, Imagineer Systems Mocha, Pixel Farm PFtrack, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk 3D Studio Max, The Foundry Nuke, FXhome VisionLab Studio, Canopus Raptor Edit, Canopus Edius Pro, and Squared 5 MPEG Streamclip.

The duties can be categorized into four 4 parts and the percentage assigned performing each group of duties:

Design – 30%

a.)           Design VFX graphical elements in pre-production and post production.
b.)           Design VFX shots in pre-production and production.
c.)            Design patch files for visual clean up.
d.)           Design workflow.

Composites – 30%

a.)           Compositing special effects make-up graphics elements into practical footage.
b.)           Compositing CGI blood embellishments.
c.)            Compositing green screen footage.

Visual clean up – 30%

a.)           Clean up of graphical images, i.e. bad prosthetics.
b.)           Rotoscoping.
c.)            Other image clean ups.

Adjustments of software plugins – 10%

a.) Design scripts for software.
b.) Capable of composting VFX elements 2911 W. Olive Ave., Burbank, CA 91505.

To apply interested parties contact:The Institution, LLC, 2911 W. Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91505

Attention Sarah Maloney, Producer: jobs@the-institution.com