1. by Alan Enderson
MONTREAL, Quebec — When Super Mario had to
jump down four flights of stairs to avoid Donkey
Kong’s wrath, he turned to Discreet.
When the Velociraptor went looking for snacks at the
Jurassic Park commissary, Discreet was on the menu.
“Titanic.” “Independence Day.” “Forrest Gump.”
And the winner is ... Discreet.
Of the last 21 films nominated for Academy Awards
in special effects, 21 of them used Discreet products
to help create the magical imagery that got these
feature films noticed. And it all started with a
flame.
After a year in business, Discreet started shipping
flame* in 1992. Sullivan said that flame* connected
artists’ creative imagination to the screen and
changed the creative process.
“flame*reallyputDiscreetonthemap,”saidGodfrey
Sullivan,executivevicepresidentforDiscreet.“That
was the product that revolutionized film and video
industry.”
Marc Nadeau, vice president of marketing, said the
implications went farther than just the screen. He
said that the production industry itself has been
changed by Discreet’s products.
“It’s more than the tools themselves,” said Nadeau.
“People will actually go out and shoot knowing that
they have flame* or its big brother, inferno* in the
post facility and save on some of the expense of
production time by being able to create reality in
post.”
CREATE IT ONCE, USE IT OFTEN
Universal mastering is a concept Discreet takes to
heart. This flexibility is particularly useful with the
pending HDTV issues. Although Nadeau feels the
situation is a great opportunity for consumers and
broadcasters alike, he recognizes that there is one
unanswered question. Which standard will prevail?
It’s not an issue for Discreet. Nadeau used the
example of an international beverage company
producing a commercial spot for distribution in
North America, Europe, and Asia and for cinematic
release. Using film scanned in at high resolution,
Discreet’s products will deliver just about any
format. The producers can output a standard 601
NTSC, PAL, 480p for Fox, 720p for ABC, 1080i to run
on CBS and even print film to go into the cinema.
“You really only have to scan once and do the post
process once,” Nadeau said. “It’s a great productivity
tool for our customers and enables our customers to
offer a broader range services to their customers.”
“Our effects and editorial systems operate perfectly
will in standard 601 today,” Nadeau said. “But with
the flip of a software switch, that system can be
running full high-def content within minutes.”
“It enables broadcasters and enables post facilities
to balance their business,” he continued. “As they’re
building around producing HD content, they can use
the same equipment. They get a lot of flexibility to
adapt their business as the market evolves.”
“That’s one of the things that’s most interesting,
most exciting to us,” Sullivan said.
HOME SWEET HOME
Today, nearly 600 employees located in Montreal,
Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles continue
improving the software, developing the code and
building the products that have earned Discreet its
reputation and will help to secure its future.
“This is a creative company,” Sullivan said, “It was
built on strong connections to the creative artists in
the film and video industry.”
“It’s the thread that runs through the whole fabric
of the company,” Sullivan said of the Discreet/artist
connection. “I think that’s one of the endearing
traits that’ll keep us in a leadership position as we
take the whole digital content business forward.”
With 21 Oscar nominations, Discreet seems to have
made that connection.
###
TV TECHNOLOGY (November 17, 1999)