It's All In The Editz

FOR Manchester’s longest-established post-production house, Editz, this year is shaping up to be one of its best yet. Having just invested over £350,000 in new kit for its Quay Street operation, the team are also still enjoying their recent success at the RTS awards – when Editz watched proudly as programmes they’d worked on picked up a trio of awards.

“The Editz graphics team designed the opening titles and a full graphics package for The Return of ‘Allo ‘Allo, which won Best Network Entertainment Programme, and the Best Regional Current Affairs Programme went to Granada Edition’s Malawi, Friends of Mulanje, on which we completed all post production work,” explains Ann Sutcliffe, Editz Facilities Manager.

“When the Best Sports Programme was announced we were absolutely thrilled, because it was for Paul Doherty International, and it was Editz that had designed and created all the titles, stings and set design for the entire programme.

“We’re a boutique style facility, we’ve got a team of 19 people, so you can imagine how delighted we were that our work was making such a huge impression,“ adds Ann.

The team are equally pleased to have now added a new accolade to their trophy cupboard, after being named Facility of the Month by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the region’s film, TV and digital media sectors.

“It’s always nice to be recognised for your work, and it makes it all the more special that its our 20th anniversary this year, too,” says Ann, who joined the company four years ago – and insists it’s the best move she ever made.

“I think I’ve done just about every behind-the-scenes job it’s ever possible to have done - PA, camera operator, director, editor, everything, there’s probably only acting I haven’t tried,” she confides, which makes her perfect for the role of Facilities Manager at Editz.

“I suppose I’m the face of Editz,” she continues. “I oversee the scheduling side of the business, as well as handling client liaison making sure everyone is happy with our service.

“I also manage the work-flow, the staff, and to a degree I’m technical manager too, so I have to understand the equipment and any limitations it may have.”

It’s the equipment which sets Editz apart from competitors, with the company recently investing over £350,000 in new kit, including a Smoke High-Definition suite, three Avid suites with Unity Mediashare, and three new Maya 3D workstations, all backed up by the Northwest’s fastest render farm.

But it’s not just the technical side of the business that’s expanding. Recent additions to staff include a new Audio Engineer 3D animator and a large expansion of the Digital Media Department. With new staff and tech on board, Editz is able to follow new opportunities, too.

“What we do has changed over the years, as technology has changed,” explains Ann. “We were the first Northwest facility houses to use Avid non-linear, followed by Flame, and Fire.” Although Editz is highly experienced in the latest digital technology, Ann says tape still plays a huge role in the industry.

“We’re hoping to do more work on the digital media side of things in the future. We’ve already done lots of work for clients’ websites, but it’s digital and the internet where the buzz is these days, as opposed to traditional advertising, so we’re doing a lot of viral work for our clients.

“I think we’re moving towards being totally digital, certainly many companies are working that way, but for now it’s still tape, including High-Definition,” says Ann.

Once the Editz team receive a tape, the first thing they do is digitize the rushes into Avid. “When we have that in the central storage we can start to work our magic and edit everything,” Ann explains. “We can do simpler work, using Avid, or we can move on to the higher-end editing suites, which puts all the beautiful bits on, the special effects.

“I never believe anything that I see on TV these days, because I know it can all be added on afterwards in post-production! It’s amazing what can be achieved.”

Using a mixture of Avid, Flame, Smoke, Combustion and Maya 3D systems, Editz people pride themselves on working together to achieve the best possible results for their clients.

“It’s up to us to work out how best to produce what people want to see on the screen, and find the most cost-effective way of doing things,” says Ann. “Sometimes we’re given a brief from a client, other times we’re asked to work on a concept and come up with the storyboard.”

About 50% of the business is commercials, which tends to be fairly scripted. “But a lot of the other work we do is things like titles and stings for programmes, and we tend to come up with the creative for that ourselves,” says Ann.

The team recently re-branded Manchester United TV and did titles and stings for the new Liverpool Football Club TV. “We also do a lot of work for Granada, and indies, and we have corporate clients who have programmes they either want us to fully edit, or else just add little bits and pieces to what they’ve already got.

“The one thing we don’t do is just drum it out. We get to know our clients closely and have long-term relationships with them. We offer a bespoke, design-led service, and I think that’s what makes us stand out.”

There’s also a great camaraderie at Editz. “People like working here, and working with us. I think it’s because we help each other out, it’s a team effort,” says Ann.

And it’s that team effort which will carry the company on to an even brighter future. With a raft of awards, and an anniversary that’s certainly worth celebrating, there is perhaps only one item on their wish list, which the team would love to secure.

As Ann confides: “A feature film would be nice! We have all the equipment, endless enthusiasm – and we can do absolutely everything that Soho can do – but cheaper!”