QLab in Mumbai has acquired five Scratch systems from Assimilate for high-end digital intermediate work and training.

QLab turned to Scratch when its existing DI system ran into some problems and the experience was so good the company added more systems and has deployed them across its DI/photochemical lab and burgeoning digital film school training facility.

Founded by chairman and managing director Manohar Shetty, QLab has provided services to filmmakers for nearly 40 years. It’s the only company in Mumbai to offer a total shoot-to-screen package: lab, data, editorial, DI, VFX, CG, Red 4K cinema, restoration, Dolby 5.1/DTS mixing, as well as film post.

QLab has printed more than 250 Hollywood features for Indian release, including 2012, Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Red Cliff, James Bond 007 Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale, Harry Potter and Iron Man, as well as servicing top Hindi films such as No Smoking, Teen Patti, Striker, Taare Zamen Pe, and What’s Your Rashee?

Amit Shetty, director, chief colorist and head of DI at QLab, says, “Our selection was not based on what the market talks about, but what we are comfortable with. Scratch has great tools to complete projects from start to finish, and it fits perfectly into our existing environment. It’s very easy to use, has a great GUI, and bridges the digital and photochemical domains.”

“We are among the first to have installed Red Rocket cards on our Scratch systems,” he says. “This lets us playback and debayer Red 4K files at full resolution in real-time, as well as transfer to D5 tapes (with the 2K processor) for archival or DCI mastering.”

“Rokkk is a ghost/horror film, with 80 percent of the footage shot at night,” Shetty says. “We used Scratch Scaffolds and the various grading and color tools for many tasks - to crush the blacks, hide or lessen grain artifacts, desaturate skin tones, isolate faces, track animated grades through scenes, and generally enhance the mood lighting. The final data-master recorded back to film perfectly, and the results look great.”

Regarding QLab’s educational effort, he says, “There is a gap in the training market for DI. As there are more Scratch systems in India than other competing systems, Scratch is the right system to offer people who want to learn the art and craft of color grading through our Digital Film School. To date, we have trained eight of our own staff on Scratch, and plan to train 35 people each year to a level where they can get immediate employment.”

QLab www.qlab.in