Final post production work for the independent drama Wish You Well was recently completed at Technicolor – PostWorks in New York. Directed by Darnell Martin, the film is based on the best-selling novel by David Baldacci, who also wrote the screenplay. Set in the 1940s, it is the story of a young girl, Lou Cardinal, who goes to live with her great-grandmother in Virginia after her writer father is killed in a car accident. The film stars Josh Lucas, Mackenzie Foy and Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn.
Technicolor – PostWorks' Martin Zeichner applied the final grade using a Baselight system. Zeichner, whose credits range from The Devil Wears Prada to Boardwalk Empire, worked in concert with cinematographer Frank Prinzi, ASC to accentuate the film's time period and mood. "This film is very much about how the environment shapes the personalities of the characters," Zeichner says. "I took that as my cue to emphasize the beauty of the backgrounds in the photography. Frank and I worked together to bring out the beauty of the land."
Prinzi, says Zeichner, is detail-oriented and knew exactly what he wanted from each scene in the film. Locations are spread across Virginia's Giles County and Prinzi shot each one to bring out its individual personality and place in the film's narrative. Zeichner worked to enhance those qualities in the grade.
"The film moves through various towns, some wealthy, some poorer," Zeichner recalls. "In the story, mining companies have begun to move into the area to strip mine the mountains, and they have created mining towns that feel desolate. We desaturated those places, made them cooler, and less attractive than other towns that were thriving and bustling."
The heart of the film's story involves Lou's struggle to find herself in the wake of losing her parents (her mother is left traumatized and catatonic from the same accident that killed her father) by becoming a writer herself. A scene with Lou working on a submission to a writing contest sponsored by the Saturday Evening Post was also given specialized color treatment. "I applied a combination of soft focus and sharpening to shape the frame the way Frank wanted," Zeichner notes. "It gives the scene a very intimate look."
The producers of Wish You Well are in the process of securing a film sales agent and are aiming for a theatrical release. Zeichner's work in his grading theater at Technicolor – PostWorks ensures that when that happens the final product will look gorgeous.
About Technicolor – PostWorks New York
Technicolor – PostWorks New York, a Slate Media Group company, is the East Coast's most comprehensive digital motion picture and post-production facility, employing an exceptional team of artists, engineers and project managers to serve our clients through the film and TV finishing process.
Technicolor – PostWorks New York offers one complete source for every post requirement, including data workflows, film processing, telecine/scanning, non-linear editorial and HD picture finishing, digital intermediate and film recording, high-volume encoding and high-speed data transmission, as well as comprehensive film and TV sound services on nine mix stages.
For more information, visit www.technicolorpwny.com.
About Slate Media Group
Slate Media Group is an entertainment technology services company driven to redefine the intersection of technology and creativity. The company provides film and television studios, production companies, independent producers and other content creators with technologies, services and expertise that are crucial to bringing their creative visions to life. At a time when tools and techniques of media production are undergoing revolutionary change, Slate Media Group collaborates with its clients to develop unique solutions to the challenges they face to help them achieve even higher levels of creative excellence and production efficiency.
–SHOOT Publicity Wire
