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COMMERCIALS

The company’s main focus is on post production of commercials for television. From the early days, its clients include the biggest names in the advertising industry: Saatchi&Saatchi, Euro RSCG, BBDO, Leo Burnett, Young&Rubicam, Publicis, PZL, and major production houses: Opus Film, Tandem Taren-To, Easy Hell, Film Works, Film It, and many others.
The Chimney Pot is involved in comprehensive post production of commercials for such major corporate clients as: Orange, Danone, US Pharmacia, Nestle, Polkomtel S.A., New Age Media, Knorr and Zywiec. Annually, the company works on some 150-200 commercial productions with a varying degree of complexity, it also makes Polish adaptations of foreign commercials and prepares commercials for cinema screenings.
In the 2009 Commercial Creators’ Club Contest, The Chimney Pot was awarded the Post Production House of the Year title, and its 3D graphics team received the Bronze Award in the TV Workshop – Special Effects category for the Domiporta Biznesmen commercial.

FEATURE FILMS

Post production of feature films is the company’s second business focus. In 2002, The Chimney Pot introduced a new post production process to the Polish film-making industry – Digital Intermediate. Since then, the company has worked on more than 50 features in this technology. They include:
„Wenecja”, „Joanna”, „Jutro bedzie lepiej”, „Cudowne lato”, „Hustawka”, „Skrzydlate swinie”, „Tatarak”, „Popieluszko. Wolnosc jest w nas”, „Lejdis”, „U Pana Boga za miedza”, „Janosik. Prawdziwa historia”, „Demakijaz”, „Las”, „Handlarz Cudow”, „Rewizyta”, „Jestem twoj”, „Beats of freedom”, „Gry wojenne”, „Katyn”, „Pora umierac”, „Summer love”, „Kochankowie z Marony” and „Wszyscy jestesmy Chrystusami”.
The Chimney Pot is the first place in Europe to ever do a full post production of a feature in 4K – „Katyn” (dir. Andrzej Wajda, DOP Pawel Edelman, 2007). Another 4K production was „Popieluszko. Wolnosc jest w nas” (dir. Rafal Wieczynski, DOP Grzegorz Kedzierski, 2009). The company’s pioneering work on the processing of R3D files from RED cameras in 2009 made it possible to post produce feature films shot in digital technology, such as „Jestem twoj”, „Handlarz cudow” and „Wenecja”.
The Chimney Pot was also the producer of “Przemiany” (dir. Lukasz Barczyk, DOP Karina Kleszczewska, 2003) and co-producer of several features, such as „Jutro bedzie lepiej” (dir. Dorota Kedzierzawska, DOP Arthur Reinhart) or „Las” (dir. Piotr Dumala, DOP Adam Sikora).
The Chimney Pot is a member of the National Chamber for Audiovisual Producers (KIPA).

DIGITAL CINEMA

The Chimney Pot is a post production house which, from its earliest days in Poland, introduces the latest technologies to the local post and film industries.
The company created the first ever master for digital cinema – the feature was „Tatarak” (dir. Andrzej Wajda, DOP Pawel Edelman), and it was screened at the film’s Polish premiere on April 22, 2009.
Since then, the company has been involved in increasingly more complex jobs in this area, creating digital masters and copies with keys for cinema distribution in Poland and abroad. Digital distribution of „Janosik. Prawdziwa historia” was made for Poland as well as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while digital version of „Rewers” (dir. Borys Lankosz, DOP Marcin Koszalka) was screened in the United States.
One of The Chimney Pot’s latest successes was work on digital distribution for Poland of the Coen brothers’ feature, “Serious Man”, in 4K. Other features, for which The Chimney Pot prepared digital masters with keys and DCP copies, include „Dzieci Sendlerowej” and „Beats of freedom”.

In 2009 the company became a member of the prestige digital cinema organization – the European Digital Cinema Forum (EDFC).

RESTORATION

In 2008 the company got involved in digital image restoration. The Chimney Pot was the first post production house in Poland to digitally restore a feature film – “Sanatorium pod klepsydra” (dir. Wojciech Has, DOP Witold Sobocinski, originally made in 1973). The restored film had its premiere in digital format according to DCI standard (Digital Cinema Initiatives). For this work The Chimney Pot was nominated to the 2009 Polish Film Art Institute Award in the category of digital restoration of Polish cinematography masterpieces. Further pictures have now been digitally restored and their digital masters made, including: „Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie”, „Seksmisja”, „Vabank” and „Vabank 2 czyli riposta” as well as „Constans”.
The company has joined the KinoRP project, whose members have embarked on a mission to save archival Polish cinema classics. The Chimney Pot is heavily involved in the on-going discussion on the digitizing policies and process for the Polish audiovisual heritage, taking part in technological consultations and seminars organized by the Polish Film Art Institute, the UNESCO Committee and the National Chamber for the Electronic and Telecommunications Industries.

EQUIPMENT/TECHNOLOGY

The Chimney Pot offers comprehensive image post production in a spectrum of definitions – 4K, 2K, HD, PAL and RED_R3D. The company provides all of its services under one roof: 4K, 2K and HD scanning, HD and SD telecine transfers, advanced colour grading, off-line editing, compositing and special effects, computer animation and 3D graphics, digital restoration, post production of R3D files from RED One cameras, film recording, digital cinema mastering (copies and keys), opening titles and end credits, opening sequences for films as well as technological consultations. The house continuously expands its offer on all post production levels.
The Chimney Pot employs the best specialists who work on the best and most advanced professional equipment. The machine park includes: Spirit telecine with da Vinci 2K Plus colour corrector, Nucoda Film Master for digital colour grading of files, da Vinci Revival, Arriscan scanner, three Avid Adrenaline off-line editing systems, five on-line systems (Autodesk’s Smoke, Flame and Inferno, two After Effects suites) and two film recorders (Arrilaser and Producer 3). The company also has its own 3D animation department.