Eyeworks – 1985

Charlotte Coppejans
February 3, 2023

Founded in 1981, Eyeworks Film & TV Drama is one of Belgium’s leading and longest-running film and television production companies. It has a history of working with both established filmmakers and discovering and nurturing new talent. In 2014, Eyeworks joined Warner Bros International TV Production. For the production of their latest historical fiction series, ‘1985’, they were looking for a solution to streamline their archive research, rushes and dailies processing, as well as enhance collaboration among the team.

Key Take Aways

  • 3 workspaces: rushes, archive production, intermediary deliverables shared with broadcasters
  • Saving time: >50% of derushing
  • Improved collaboration between the production team, producer and broadcaster
  • 86 shooting days with 50 to 60 people on set and producing 120 terabytes of data
  • 28h of stock material from VRT and RTBF for archive production
  • 8 episodes
  • World Premiere at Canneseries 2022, Belgian Premiere at Film Fest Ghent 2022, selected for ‘Are you Series? 2022’ in Bozar, screenings at Berlin International Film Festival 2023
  • Broadcasters: VRT, RTBF, GoPlay & Streamz
  • Customers: Studio Canal 

1985, a Warner Bros International TV Belgium Production, using Limecraft for supporting archive production

© Thomas Nolf

Eyeworks – Warner Bros ITVP Belgium at a glance

  • 23.28Mio turnover
  • Est. 150 à 200 hours of finished material per year
  • More than 40 years of film and TV history with top films like Hector, Koko Flanel, De Zaak Alzheimer, Marina, Ben X, Het Vonnis, Zot van A, De Behandeling, Niet Schieten, … and series like Windkracht 10, Flikken,  Vermist, Cordon, Dubbelleven, Red Light, De Twaalf, Eigen Kweek, Chantal, … 
  • For clients including VRT, Netflix, DPG media, …
  • 235 users frequently using Limecraft 
  • Ingesting 200-300 hours per month

The challenges

In order to optimise the production of their latest drama/thriller series 1985, Eyeworks sought a solution to handle the rushes, process dailies, and easily share the 28 hours of research material they had obtained from the archives of VRT and RTBF.

“Narratively, the challenge was to deal with the events surrounding what we have come to call ‘the Nijvel gang’ in a respectful, realistic way, within the fictional story of our three main characters. And to do this in a clear way, without getting lost in the volume of facts. Production-wise, there was the reconstruction of a time period, with sets, attributes, clothing and uniforms, cars, … that are not so easy to find, within a certain budget of course.  So we had to look for places that look ‘epoque’, and that could be made 80s with some adjustments to scenery and CGI.  The archive material from VRT, among others, was a fantastic help for this.” explains Gunter Schmid, Producer & casting director at Eyeworks.

Apart from that, they were looking for a way to efficiently handle their rushes and dailies processing, and increase collaboration among the team.

“Keeping a finger on the pulse for those not on set like the producers Peter Bouckaert & Gunter Schmid, is important in order to ensure that things are progressing in the right direction. By sharing rushes and closely monitoring what happens on set, everyone is kept updated and the project moves forward as planned.” according to Talle Leyssens, CTO at Warner Brothers Int. Television Production Belgium.

Why Eyeworks chose Limecraft

Eyeworks started working with Limecraft in 2017. For their drama/thriller series ‘1985’, they selected Limecraft as it offers a single workspace that supports various use cases. This results in savings by avoiding transcodes, file transfers, and waiting time. In addition, it eliminates the need to manually copy and paste data between different applications.

“We have been using Limecraft for quite some time now. It hides technical complexity and effectively normalises various camera codecs. Rather than a standalone vision platform, it is designed to integrate seamlessly into the production workflow. All elements are centralised in a single workspace, and the built-in workflow automation saves time, by eliminating the need to stand by and nurse file transfers, or by combining different steps in a single process. For example, rushes are automatically checked in and proxies are created without any further intervention of an edit assistant. Overall, Limecraft matches our way of working very well,” says Talle Leyssens, CTO at Warner Brothers Int. Television Production Belgium.

1985 Eyeworks Thomas Nolf

© Thomas Nolf

The Solution

Research (re-use of existing archive material)

Eyeworks established a workflow to organise their archive materials, which were collected from VRT, RTBF, and newspaper articles and made accessible on Limecraft for research on the Nijvel gang and the 1980s. The materials were used by the scriptwriter, director, DOP, costume designers, location hunters, make-up team, video editors and art director to inform the setting and props for the series.

The centralised and easily accessible archive on Limecraft also allowed for safe and easy sharing with others, including the ability to provide feedback through the comment option.

“During the research phase, we used Limecraft to provide easy access to archive material for various departments such as direction, scenario, costume, set, and makeup. The material was organised into clear folders by event, episode, and year, making it easy to quickly view and share with other team members as needed. Limecraft served as our primary point of reference.” says Gunter Schmid, Producer & casting director at Eyeworks.

The Ingest Workflow

The second workflow was designed to handle the processing of rushes/dailies. This process is largely automated using Limecraft Edge, which utilises a template to manage the details of the ingest process. The software synchronises audio, extracts metadata, creates proxies, and organises all versions in their proper location. High-resolution materials are transferred to editing storage and backed up on tape using Archiware, with references made available on the online platform Limecraft Flow. This allows editors immediate access to high-resolution footage without manual tape robot operation. Additionally, thanks to Limecraft, rushes are organised and can be viewed in a script layout, sorted by scene-shot-take

“One of the major benefits for us is that we don’t have to sort everything manually. Limecraft automatically records and organises the metadata that comes with the sound, and sorts the rushes by scene, shot, and take. This saves us a lot of time and effort.”

 

“The time savings for us are significant. Previously, it required almost a full-time job to complete one series in our department. Now, it only takes four hours. Compared to the DVD era, we have halved the time needed. Before, the process of going from raw footage to a daily edit required physical transportation, leading to delays. Now, we can start the process and go home. This is a significant time saver for our department.” explains Talle Leyssens, CTO at Warner Brothers Int. Television Production Belgium.

Video Review and Collaboration

Finally, they implemented a third workflow for video review and collaboration. The actual review takes place in the editing cell using a local system, but when broadcasters cannot attend, Eyeworks sends a shared link. Additionally, the review was shared with an internal test audience through Limecraft. Sharing the images through Limecraft makes the process secure, and the images remain centralised on one platform.

During the production phase, Limecraft provided easy access to rushes for tasks such as checking the continuity. The ability to create folders, keep track of footage, view material with various search filters, and share the footage with third parties during the editing process made Limecraft an ideal choice for our workflow, says Gunter Schmid, Producer & casting director.

“The time gain is in the ease of sharing images, without having to send discs around, or download large files. And if someone needs vision material, it can be shared quickly and easily with enough options depending on the end user.” comments Gunter.

The results

  • An organised research archive accessible to the whole team
  • Saving time: >50% of derushing
  • Improved collaboration between the production team, producer and broadcaster

1985 behind the scenes

Fact sheet

About Eyeworks 

Created in 1981, Eyeworks Film & TV Drama is one of Belgium’s most prominent and longest-established film and tv drama production companies.

It has a tradition of working with established filmmakers and discovering and launching emerging talents. In 2014 Eyeworks joined Warner Bros International TV Production.

Its impressive filmography features critical successes such as Ben X, Bullhead, Time of My Life, Marina, The Treatment, Memory of a Killer, The K. File, The Verdict, Behind The Clouds, Don’t Shoot, … Among its TV drama series, we find local and international hits such as Cordon, The Divine Monster, Missing Persons Unit, De Ridder, Homegrown, The Bunker, Double Life, The Twelve, Red Light, …

1985 Eyeworks Thomas Nolf

© Thomas Nolf

About 1985

In 1980, a young woman, her brother and his best friend set off on the adventure of adult life. Brimming with good intentions, they embark on a promising future. Vicky as a law student at Université Libre de Bruxelles, Marc and Franky as recruits with the Belgian Gendarmerie. But in the years that follow, they each lose their innocence and illusions. Just like their whole country, they sink deeper and deeper into a swamp that came to be called the Nijvel Gang…