Bladeworks Post Production in South Africa Automated QC Process With QScan

EditShare, LLC announced that Johannesburg, South African-based full-service post production facility, Bladeworks Post Production, has upgraded their QC workflow with its QScan AQC solution.

Following deals with broadcasters Viacom, Inc. and Sky One, Bladeworks knew that they needed a solution that could guarantee that their content was compliant with the delivery specifications set forth by these organizations, ultimately selecting QScan because of its automated QC processes and specialized quality control features such as ensuring photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) standards compliance.

Prior to implementing QScan, Bladeworks’ approach to QC was comprised of two methods; eyeball the files before delivery, making adjustments based off what the team’s eyes and ears could detect, or, send files to a third-party company to QC the files before delivery to the broadcaster.

“Many broadcasters in South Africa don’t have the intense delivery specifications like we’ve found in the UK, for instance. But for certain projects that needed to be tested for specific parameters, we’d send the files off to an outside company that performed QC and then they’d send it to the broadcasters,” says Andries De Jager, head of data, Bladeworks. “Then there were some deliveries where we’d just play through the file and make sure there were no black gaps and check that the grade was applied properly; if the eye caught something, we’d go in and fix it.“

Delivering projects to Viacom and Sky One proved to be quite involved as they are very specific in terms of digital quality and complying with the different global standards. Bladeworks required a more advanced AQC solution that could be integrated into the existing workflow without disrupting the creative process. When considering an AQC solution to onboard, it was QScan’s intuitive user interface and competitive pricing that hooked Bladeworks.

De Jager continues: “We went through the interface, checked it and compared to other options on the market and found it to be both more cost effective and simpler to use. We needed a solution that was capable of being used by everyone on the team, not just the technical experts because a lot of the time, they aren’t available. With QScan, you can just pretty much drop a file in, have it scan and go.“

De Jager concludes: “With QScan, we are able to check whether the file format is correct, if it complies with R128 loudness, if there are any potential harmful flashes as per the photosensitive epilepsy standards (PSE) and all the nitty gritty errors that can occur in terms of the quality of the final product. The QScan support team has been an invaluable asset to us as we navigate new delivery specifications, ensuring there are no hiccups in our deliveries. This, in concert with the intuitive user interface, has made implementing QScan into our workflow incredibly seamless.“