Industry News

Green Rock post house'has closed its'physical office in favour of permanent virtual workflows as it embraces lockdown working practices for the long-term.'

The'13 year'old'business, which has worked on'post'projects'including Netflix's Myths and Monsters (pictured above),'has given up the lease on its Goodge Place office which contained'six edit suites.'

Its 12 staff will'continue to work from home'full-time, as'has been taking place under lockdown,'rather than'dividing'their time between working from home and the office'as restrictions lift.''

Green Rock founder and chief executive officer Simon Green'said the industry is facing 'a real wakeup moment''as'businesses attempt to'introduce'flexible working'regimes.'

'As'staff begin to return to'offices,'there will be a realisation'that'the solution isn't flexible working,' he said.'

Simon Green

Green Rock, which will make considerable rent-related savings, has invested in developing it's own virtual edit system, Green Rock Virtual Creative Solutions (VCS), to enable the shift, working closely with BASE Media Cloud and Adobe.'

Under lockdown, it was operating a hybrid system under which editors were having to download huge files from the physical edit suites to their desktop computers.'However'by shutting the suites it'is able to'fully'embrace a virtual tech platform.'

Green said the'model will allow the company to take on'more work than was previously'possible'and help it navigate any future lockdowns more easily.'

'I'm having conversations with bigger broadcasters'and other companies'on more ambitious projects,' he said. 'Working in the cloud means we will'have no limits.''''

Cloud-based editing'will'also allow Green Rock to scale up and down more rapidly to react to demand, which'Green said is a 'huge benefit during the uncertainty of'Covid'.'

'The pay-as-you-go model gives'us'ultimate flexibility and scalability,''he added.'

Green Rock has begun conversations with an Indian producer about an HBO series as going online-only helps it to win more international business'without requiring'execs to travel to its office.'

Green said that'working'virtually'is no less efficient or effective than'face-to-face edits.''

'There is a lot more productivity'in the early stage as editors can'really'get their heads'down'on their own,' he said, adding that in the later stages of an edit, livestreaming'video technology allows'producers'and'directors to'collaborate seamlessly.'