LAS VEGAS -- To support
changes in film production as well as attract major international
productions, EFILM AUSTRALIA is upgrading its existing SAN from SGI
(NASDAQ: SGIC) with an additional 22TB of SGI InfiniteStorage
systems. The two new SGI InfiniteStorage 4500 systems will be installed
in April in the Sydney and Melbourne locations. EFILM AUSTRALIA is a
digital postproduction facility that combines client-centered services with
the advanced technologies of leading Digital Intermediate facility EFILM,
L.A. in Hollywood, and The Atlab Group, one of the largest front end and
release printing laboratories in the region.
With three films coming in simultaneously from three internationallyrenown
Australian directors, EFILM AUSTRALIA, which has relied on
the SGI® InfiniteStorage CXFS® shared filesystem for digital intermediate
(DI) in both locations for five years, needed a storage upgrade to
accommodate the increased workload. One film production will be in 2K,
and another will be a 4K scan with 2K throughput. The third and largest
project is Oscar-nominated director Baz Luhrmanns Australia, starring
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, and scheduled for U.S. release by
20th Century Fox in November 2008. Luhrmann, known for his films
using eye-popping, oversaturated colors, required Australia to be
processed entirely in 4K. A typical 90-minute film with no major visual
effects (VFX) component needs 12 to 14TB of storage for a 4K
production workflow. Robert Sandeman, Digital Services Manager at
EFILM AUSTRALIA, estimates Luhrmanns WWII romantic Outback epic
will need approximately 22TB or more for online 4K processing, editing,
special effects and color-correction and conform.
We bought more SGI technology because its solid: it does what its
supposed to do and it works at the speed its designed to work at, said
Sandeman. We cant be in the middle of a major production for Baz
Luhrmann and have disks fail. Weve relied on the 16TB SGI SAN for at least two years
and its never missed a beat, and thats what we need. We need things that just keep on
working.
SGI
