Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Macomber and Ayanna Hart.
Bill and Ayanna, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Bill: I started Fancy 15 years ago when I was a documentary editor. Over the years I have pivoted the company a number of times, and ended up focusing on color and finishing in 2011. Ayanna and I joined up in early 2016 and that’s when Fancy really started to take off as a world class finishing house.
Ayanna: My background in post-production began over 20 years ago at NBC, as a post-production coordinator on a network show. I moved from being a client to working and managing various post production facilities in Los Angeles such as Modern Videofilm and Deluxe. After working at larger houses coming to Fancy has been a dream come true. Fancy is place where I can truly look out for the best interest of our clients.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ayanna: Scheduling our clients and helping them with projects that they’ve been working on for years is my biggest priority, and this can be a challenge when we’re really busy or a client’s materials don’t arrive when they’re supposed to. My job is to get ahead of these problems, so that we meet our deadlines and achieve the kind of artistic perfection that is expected by our clients – and us, as a world class facility.
Bill: The biggest obstacle in post-production is keeping up with technology. It also happens to be my favorite challenge, so I think I’m in the right place. Right now, we are helping our clients adopt HDR – High Dynamic Range. This basically means brighter whites and more detail in the shadows. It’s really the most exciting technological advance that I’ve seen since HD but because there are no universally adopted standards, it’s kind of a mine field. We’re having great success with helping our independent clients take advantage of this new standard even as it develops.
Fancy Film – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Bill: Fancy Film is a Post Production Facility that caters to independent filmmakers and production companies. We handle about 25 Independent films a year – both narrative and documentary – as well as several episodic series, mainly for streaming distributors such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. The services we provide range from color correction to sound mixing to deliverables – we are a one stop shop for all things post. We also have a large space rental facility, providing production and editorial space for our clients.
Ayanna: What really sets Fancy apart from other post facilities is our excellent project management and digital intermediate staff. When a client brings a project in, our staff acts as an internal post supervisor, and makes sure that every aspect of the project is managed consistently and with the utmost detail. Even our most sophisticated clients need help in finishing their projects because our work is so technically challenging. That spills over into project management because detecting problems before they arise saves time and money. One of my favorite moments is after we deliver a project and we get a thank you note or a phone call from a producer letting us know how happy they are and that they couldn’t have done it without us.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Bill: I think going to Sundance with “Beatriz at Dinner” would rank pretty high on the list. The team worked so hard on this film, and we were a full post partner to the filmmakers, from Dailies to Delivery. So, when the film got wide distribution through Roadside Entertainment, we were over the moon. The film made almost $8 million in theaters, and we’ve got fingers crossed that Selma Hayek will get an Oscar nomination. It was great to see our formula for successful finishing work on such a large scale.
Ayanna: I have a very diverse background, so I have quite a few great moments that I’m proud of. I’m a published author, I’ve post produced top-rated television shows, I’ve produced some great films, and at Fancy, I’ve helped films like Buena Vista Social Club: Adios make it to the finish line. I can’t pick just one moment, to me, there are victories throughout my entire career.
Pricing:
- Room rentals start at $300/week – parking, craft service and internet included
- Conference room rentals from $300/day
Contact Info:
- Address: 4212 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029
- Website: http://fancyfilm.com/
- Phone: 323-661-0391
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyfilm/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fancyfilm?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/fancy-film-post-services-los-angeles
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