Avid and Digidesign are exclusively used in Summer 2007 Movie
The Bourne Ultimatum: Assembling the Missing Pieces to Create Character
This summer, Jason Bourne returns to unlock the secrets of his mysterious past in The Bourne Ultimatum, the latest espionage thriller in the popular film franchise. Matt Damon stars as the memory-challenged international spy, Jason Bourne, who must outwit the authorities and an assortment of assassins who keep him constantly on the run. Based on the novel by Robert Ludlum, this installment promises to uncover the truth behind Bourne’s dangerous and never-ending search for his own identity.
In Los Angeles, Christopher Rouse, Mark Fitzgerald, and additional editor Derek Brechin, along with Rob Malina (First Assistant Editor), Visual Effects Editor Linda Drake, and a team of assistants all shared the same project file using the Avid Unity system.
“We had material broken down so that everyone could find what they needed very easily,” says Fitzgerald. “In the end, we had so many files, bins, and folders that our shared project was over 20 gigs in size…Using an Avid Unity [system] on a project such as this is imperative.”
Fitzgerald, whose additional editing and first assistant credits include The Italian Job and The Bourne Supremacy, used the Media Composer Adrenaline system for the first time on this project. “I think the Adrenaline [system] is a terrific step forward,” he says. Malina had used an Adrenaline system before, but never on a Windows-based platform. He was pleased with the results. “The speed of working with the audio effects and visual effects, and the fast rendering of multiple layers was great,” he says about the complex project, which contained more than 600 visual effects shots.
The Media Composer system’s 24-track audio capabilities were called into play for building a complex temporary soundtrack. “We carried at least two dialogue tracks, four sound effects tracks, and as many as four music tracks,” says Fitzgerald. “We had to have everything ready, including sound effects and music, so that at any given time we could screen the most complete cut possible.”
A dual-boot Avid DS Nitris/Symphony Nitris system was used for some last-minute finishing tasks for promo reels and director previews and to up-res material for use as a picture reference on the sound stage. Projects and media were easily transferred from the Media Composer Adrenaline systems to the Nitris system for fast conforms.
While the editing team originally anticipated cutting and screening in HD, it would have required testing some new workflow processes. Given the tight timeline, the filmmakers decided to stay with a tried-and-true SD workflow. For the best visual quality, the editing was done at 3:1 resolution with screenings projected straight from the Avid systems onto plasma displays or output to tape for small theatre viewing.
Final sound editing and mixing were handled using Digidesign Pro Tools|HD systems. The picture editing team exchanged files with the sound team using the DigiDelivery digital file exchange system. “All of my turnovers were done with DigiDelivery, even when it was just down the street to Soundelux, because it was so fast and efficient,” says Rob Malina.
"I equate the Avid [system] to being part of the editing team. There is no way we could get everything done with this kind of time crunch without the ability to add machines and people and just keep working.
Mark Fitzgerald, Additional Editor, The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum is released in the UK 17th August 2007
07 August 2007