Scotland’s first DCI-compliant grading theatre

It’s not every day you set up a new, industry-leading, dual-purpose grading and mixing suite - let alone one with an ambition to change the traditional UK post-production landscape. But the new high-tech boutique studio Brick and Mortar, in Glasgow, Scotland, is providing filmmakers with an alternative to London’s Soho as the traditional UK home of post-production.

Leading this vision were seasoned colorist Tom Cairns and creative director Jack Lang. “We were looking to create some DCI-specified facilities that Scotland had never had,” Cairns explains. “There were very few properly calibrated suites outside London. I specialized in feature films and knew many producers who live all over the UK. We wanted to provide the mix of talent and technology to give filmmakers another option and put Scotland on the map with our investment in high-end technology.”

Early on, a wonderfully synergistic happenstance led to the perfect partnership. “After an initial search for our own location, we were lucky enough to find Savalas Post, the best audio team and facility in Scotland,” says Cairns, “They had a first-class Dolby Premier mixing theatre of a scale unmatched in Scotland, and it was in a fantastic but under-utilized space.” 

Their facility is not only in the former Govan Town Hall, a magnificent old Beaux Art building in the bustling media hub of Glasgow’s Film City, but they also had the space—unlike many small production suites—to be outfitted like a proper small cinema with plush, luxurious seating. 

Together with a Christie CP4420-Xe cinema projector with a 2.0KW LB Xenolite lamp and Premium High Contrast Zoom lens, and Baselight Grading System, Brick and Mortar is Scotland’s only dual-purpose grading and mixing suite, giving film makers the best of both worlds.

The search for visual technology turned out to be short and simple. “I had previously worked at Twickenham Film Studios where I was familiar with Peter Sutton from Kaurus, the post-production consultancy. When I asked them for advice, Peter’s name came up immediately. Everyone knows Peter; he is very trusted, open with his knowledge, and he came up to advise. He was invaluable, and worked with me closely to make sure the specs were correct,” shares Cairns.

“When Peter recommended the Christie CP4420-Xe, it felt right and a no-brainer,” Cairns continues. “The two previous projectors I worked with had been Christie. So, Christie projection was known, tried, tested, and trusted.” There was another important advantage according to Cairns. “We needed to prove ourselves to clients. A DoP could perhaps be skeptical, but as soon as you say to them the projection is Christie, they are confident and secure as Christie is so highly regarded in the industry.”

The streamlined user interface of CineLife+™ simplifies operation, and Sutton praises the new Series 4 electronics. “It makes parameter adjustments easy to access. What you see on the interface is graphically intuitive,” he explains. The result is swifter, easier set-up and operation.

“The projector gives you many parameters to optimize it optically and functionally, which makes it easy to achieve the best performance for a client. Once the lamp, lens, and power are dealt with, the new CineLife+ platform means subsequent alignments are as fuss-free as possible and allows you to move confidently and quickly to the detailed stage for final calibration and client approval.”

“The projector is designed to achieve the high contrast needed because you can cherry-pick lenses and lamps,” says Sutton. “We were able to have the 2.0KW LB Xenolite lamp and Premium High Contrast Zoom lens to keep brightness levels correct, which is useful in the more modest sized screens in color grading environments.” The Christie Xenolite^® 20LB lamp is uniquely designed to provide a low brightness option, specifically for this type of post-production environment.

“We replaced the existing screen with a 6m woven material to further optimize image quality for color grading, while maximizing acoustic performance for sound mixing,” shares Sutton.

“This dual-purpose suite is a bold concept by Brick and Mortar. They saw the opportunity to create something very special outside of London,” says Sutton. “Sound is so often secondary in image-centric applications as much as images can be secondary in the sound mix suite. Here, the director, producer, and DoP can enjoy the best of both in comfort and with technical confidence.”

Brick and Mortar has already proven that the concept and the facility are on track. Screen Scotland chose the venue for their first-ever tour of major LA-based producers. Within months of opening, Brick and Mortar was working on nine feature films at various stages as well as several high-profile commercials for clients including UEFA, Johnnie Walker, Farm Foods and Atos and have another six feature films lined up for the new year.

“Everyone loves it,” confirms Cairns. “One producer was almost giddy with excitement about the space. Technically, we offer the best, as good as you can get. Savalas’ mixing theatre is top notch within the whole of the UK. And the scale is great, a large cinema but still quite intimate. It is a really calming and creative space to work in.”