London post-production facility Pepper has purchased a Spirit Datacine together with a Da Vinci 2k Plus grading system in an investment representing£1m, writes Farah Jifri.
London post-production facility Pepper has purchased a Spirit Datacine together with a Da Vinci 2k Plus grading system in an investment representing £1m, writes Farah Jifri.

The move comes as part of Pepper's ongoing investment in high definition and data.

"It is to make sure that we are a full HD facility," said Pepper managing director Patrick Holzen. "For the HD/2k element, demand was from the feature film sector and some high-end dramas asking for quotes in HD, but the Spirit will open the commercial market too."

According to Holzen, Pepper has already quoted for two high-end television dramas in HD, including Spooks (Kudos Productions) for the international market, and had confirmation of work on three feature films on the back of installing the new kit.

The addition of the Spirit Datacine from Thomson Grass Valley boosts its capability to offer high-resolution film transfers, standard or high definition drama or commercial post-production, feature film mastering and electronic cinema work. The Spirit system also features digital noise reduction, 5.1 surround sound and a 32Ó high-definition monitor. Meanwhile, the Da Vinci 2K Plus colour corrector brings up-to-date correction tools to the Pepper portfolio.

The new purchase also reinforces Pepper's focus on telecine and grading. "We are the only facility in the UK to offer C-Reality with a wet gate, a Pogle, a Spirit HD and a Da Vinci in one place," Holzen said.

Pepper has also taken on senior colourist Jet Omoshebi, who previously worked at both MPC and SVC, to operate its Spirit suite. Her credits include features as well as the theatrical grade for commercial hit Underworld.

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