Video Arts and Metropolis Editorial
Announce Digital Cinema Venture

San Francisco, CA - September 2001 —Veteran San Francisco post-production companies, Video Arts and Metropolis Editorial, have announced the formation of a cooperative venture to develop and promote “Digital Cinema” in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venture combines resources from both companies under the Video Arts banner, and roof, in an effort to provide Bay Area digital filmmakers with advanced technology and strategic information for post-production and finishing of independent features.

As a result of the venture, Metropolis Editorial will close its facility at 950 Battery Street effective September 1, 2001, allowing founder and principal Herb Bennett to develop the new business. Bennett will bring Metropolis’s marquee tool, The Symphony 3.1 Universal Mastering on-line conforming and color correcting system to Video Arts, a mere 2 blocks down the street to 724 Battery St.

“We are looking forward to working with one of the largest and most established post-production studios in the Bay Area”, says Bennett. “Combining Video Arts creative talent and technical expertise with Metropolis’ key equipment and personnel will create a unique post-production capability, unequaled in our community. Our new venture will easily be able to handle all of Metropolis’ current clients as well as any new ones.”

Founded in 1976, Video Arts has been active in the San Francisco post-production as the Bay Area leader in taking video projects to the big screen. Since1990, projects finished at Video Arts have been nominated for seven Academy Awards for documentary films as well as several national Emmy Awards, a Peabody and a DuPont.

Kim Salyer, co-founder and partner of Video Arts, comments: “We are very enthusiastic about working with Herb Bennett and the company he founded. Metropolis Editorial’s reputation for creativity over the last 7 years is a perfect match for us. Herb is a master editor with a wonderful creative sense and a deep understanding of the demands of finishing”.

Adding to Video Arts Smoke*, Digital linear on-line suite and Avid Media Composer - is Metropolis’ Symphony. The Symphony offers total project conforming, an uncompressed component digital signal path, and outstanding color correction capability. The Symphony also pioneered the concept of “Universal Mastering”, allowing for multiple format outputs from one source. Metropolis Editorial’s recently provided Universal Mastering for Allison Anders digital film Things Behind The Sun. Post-production on the project was handled by The Orphanage. They incorporated their proprietary Magic Bullet processing to the DV film. The film premiered nationally on Showtime. Next up is Ethan Hawke’s digital directorial debut, Chelsea Walls.

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For more information please contact us at Metropolis Editorial by calling 415.434.0160. or e-mail us at Herb@MetropolisEditorial.com

And for the entire staff at Metropolis Editorial we want to thank all of our clients over the years for making us a destination along their video and film path.