After working in production as a director, DP, and on set VFX supervisor and in post as an animator and designer, I saw the breakdown of communication between the siloed worlds of production and post-production.
Commercial production and post should be run together with open communication– no friction. This is what most people expect. Yet, I’ve seen directors refusing to talk to VFX supervisors on set. I’ve seen VFX supervisor’s take their time getting HDRs they’ll never use, forcing production into overtime. I’ve seen projects that started with so much promise devolve into a mess of squabbling, stress, and finger pointing. In short, I’ve seen what happens when communication breaks down between professionals, and it isn’t pretty.
The more I worked in both production and post, the more I saw how the worlds differed. How much each side had no clue how the other operated, even though they were working to bring the same project to life. That’s why I created Mirth & Merriment: A boutique Los Angeles based production company where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and that’s a good thing. We’re all on the same team and we’re always collaborating, helping each other out, and pushing each other to do the best work we possibly can.
But our capabilities go beyond our practical knowledge and sunny dispositions. We’re always honing our techniques. We love our instant dailies and on set editing, which blur the lines between production and post production in the best possible way.
Oftentimes adding photography to a live action shoot can feel like an afterthought. But why should it? Live action is shot at 24 still frames a second, after all. Of course there are differences– you stare at a still frame far longer than the fleeting frames of cinematography. But there are many more things in common, and the really interesting stuff happens when the two start to blend together.
You’re probably noticing a theme. At Mirth & Merriment, we blend things together and move in new and unexpected directions. Like mad scientists, we’re tirelessly experimenting and making our processes more efficient. Not for the purpose of doing more for less, but so we can do far more, far better than anyone thinks is possible.
To this purpose we’ve assembled a team of polymaths with broad understandings of interrelated fields. This allows us to bring together individual disciplines and knowledge in a practical and unique manner. What good is a birds eye view if you don’t know what you’re looking at?
As a side note, many of us over here have also taught classes and tutorials. So just ask if you’re unfamiliar with something. We’ll get you up to speed with enthusiasm. Maybe too much enthusiasm. We really love what we do.
Director/DP & Photographer