The Machine Room complete HD work on ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’

The Machine Room has completed HD transfer, grading and titles for the forthcoming feature film ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’. The Olivia Hetreed screenplay is an adaptation of Tracy Chevalier’s 1999 bestseller, and tells the story of a 16-year-old Dutch girl who becomes a maid in the house of the famous Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The movie is on general release in the UK from January 16 2004.
Directed by Peter Webber, produced by Archer Street and Delux Productions and distributed by Pathé UK and Lions Gate Films, and starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson, Girl With a Pearl Earring follows on the back of a raft of similar HD film titles recently posted at The Machine Room - including ‘Young Adam’, ‘Morvern Callar’ and ‘The Good Thief’.
The film’s Director of Photography, Eduardo Serra, was heavily involved throughout the process. He worked very closely with The Machine Room’s colourist, Graeme Hayes, to create exactly the right mood for the feature. The cinematography on the title has been widely acclaimed and has already won Serra a number of awards.
Hayes said: “Vermeer’s paintings are so well-renowned for their particular look and consistency. Eduardo managed to creatively emulate the colours and textures of Vermeer’s masterpieces from canvas to film. We managed to convey that look in telecine, from the bleak, cold feel of Delft to the warm, luxurious tones of the interiors.”
The transfer was completed on Thomson’s Shadow telecine and graded from 35mm film to HDD5 at 24p. The Machine Room's smoke editor, John McLaren, also completed titles re-versioning, de-spotting and last minute effects work.
(GB)