VTR North is a new Film & TV post-production facility based in Leeds. The company offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ service, including HD and SD editing, visual effects, 3D animation, motion graphics, sound design, digital playout, dubbing, transfers, MPEG encoding, and DVD authoring.

In the short time VTR North has been operational they have produced a number of quality commercials, special effects shots, title sequences, idents and music promos for high-profile clients including ‘Strictly Confidential’ for Rollem Productions, ‘Extreme tv’ idents for Love Creative, ‘Pigsback.com’ sponsor sequences for Home agency, and ’50 Films To See Before You Die’ for Film4.

GearBox managed to catch up with the facility’s busy Visual Effects Producer, Graham Pryor, to find out how VTR North have managed to become so ‘big in the North’ - so rapidly…

Graham explains, “Naturally, before we opened VTR North we did our market research on what was available in the post-production market in the area, and whilst there are undoubtably some truly world-class facilities in the North, we definitely felt there was something unique we could offer”.

“Plus we also had the advantage of being able to pool the experience and skill resources from within the VTR Group in London, and bring these standards to the North - a good example would be Zoe Tinsley, our head of production, who has over nine years experience producing high-end commercials for the likes of Jonathon Glazer and Chris Cunningham.”

Apart from superbly stylish surroundings and excellent coffee, what combination of services do you feel makes a ‘great’ post-production facility, and what in particular does VTR North offer that makes it unique?

Graham responds, “At VTR North we were fortunate in having the opportunity to build our facility from the ground up. We had a blank sheet from which to plan the layout and the technical specs of the building. This meant we could wire in true HD capacity from the start. All our suites are HD capable and we can easily store and transfer HD files across the network.”

Graham continues, “In my view, integrating design, animation, effects and audio into the edit is the most important process. We have built VTR North with this integration to the fore. The role of the producer and efficient project management is also vital to the success of any production.”

VTR North is a ‘one-stop shop’ when it comes to the post-production services available - what services and support do you offer?

Graham says, “VTR North offers Smoke HD, Flame 8, After Effects, Combustion, Maya Unlimited 3D, HD & SD Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools|HD, Digital Playout for commercials, motion graphics and a full graphic design service.”

He continues, “We’ve gone to great lengths at VTR North to build a healthy ‘team’ spirit. It is vital that our operators and production team offer a client friendly, efficient and professional service. We have a mix of very experienced editors and operators who have worked for some of the top post companies in the country, along with an enthusiastic and highly talented team of support staff.”

TV and Film post-production is a notoriously competitive market, what’s your view of the current state of the industry, especially in the North?

”I’m happy to say that post-production is a growing sector. We are seeing a welcome trend of production companies wanting to set up offices in the North. This, combined with the increased confidence of the existing outfits, is leading to a growth in post. Plus the expected move of certain BBC production groups to Manchester is also bringing fresh impetus to business in the area.”

VTR North have been doing business with GearBox ever since the facility first became operational - what equipment do you tend to hire?

Graham says, “GearBox have been supplying us equipment since we first opened last year, their service has always been prompt and any support issues we’ve had have been dealt with swiftly. The additional kit we tend to hire is mainly HD VTRs – Sony HDCAM, HDV, SR and Panasonic HD-D5 decks.  Like most facilities, much as we’d love to - it’s impossible to own multiple VTRs in every HD format”.

And finally, what’s the feeling at VTR North about having the new ‘GearBox North’ office operating from within your facility?

“We’re pleased to say having the new GearBox North office just down the corridor has been fantastic in allowing us to offer our clients true flexibility and a huge variety of cutting edge equipment on-demand”.

For further information please visit:
VTR North