2D color and stereo 3D
workflow is the system
In a world of ever changing digital technology, filmmakers need a post house they can trust and rely on.
Our team members are seasoned professionals, that have a well-rounded skill base and are passionate about their work.
Meet our team
Neil W. Smith | Managing Director and DI Supervisor
Neil Smith is founder and owner of Hollywood DI. After a successful 25 year career in the computer industry, the last ten with Microsoft Corporation, Neil returned to school. He spent 4 years at USC graduating with honors.
It was at USC that he also attended film-school classes and became involved in film production and editing. During this time he began to comprehend the major impact that the ‘digital revolution’ was going to have on the movie industry. Hollywood was going digital and with his high-tech background he saw an opportunity to bring his expertise and knowledge of complex IT systems , to the data driven world of modern digital filmmaking.
Having been a digital photographer and Photoshop user since the mid 90’s, he could also see that the desktop computer revolution that had totally changed photochemical photography was also going to sweep through the video and film industry. What Photoshop and the Digital SLR had done to commercial still photography, NLE’s and High-Def cameras were going to do to the moving picture industry. What was missing was affordable color correction and a modern HD DI workflow that harnessed the power of distributed PCs and high-speed fiber networking.
After extensive research at NAB 2005, Neil made the strategic decision to invest in Digital Cinema technology and design a modern DI workflow. He set up Hollywood DI in West Hollywood and installed a Barco 2k DLP projector in the historic Fairbanks Theater. The digital revolution continues to gain momentum in Hollywood and with the 2007 release of the RED ONE 4k camera, high end digital acquisition is now affordable for Independent productions.
With his second career well underway, Neil’s mission is for Hollywood DI to become the ‘Dell’ of the post-production world, bringing the cost savings and creative benefits of the digital revolution to the art and craft of 21st filmmaking. A visionary in his own right, he has published articles in POST magazine, High-Def magazine, and others. He also uses his knowledge and expertise as a consultant for several companies, and conducts workshops and seminars for others aspiring to be in post production, or just learn more about the process.
British by birth, Neil now lives in California with his wife Kalani and their Standard Poodle Rocky.
Kalani Leon | Marketing Communications Manager & Events Organizer
Kalani Leon graduated from USC and pursued her career in acting and filmmaking in the Los Angeles area. Kalani is a member of SAG and soon got involved in many HD productions where she became interested in the visual arts and other aspects of post-production. With her husband, Neil, she set-up Hollywood-DI. Kalani is responsible for all aspects of running the business, marketing communications and managing the many events and screenings that Hollywood-DI hosts.
Jon C. Scheide| Producer, Stereo 3D projects
Jon is an award winning independent filmmaker who has written, directed and produced a wide variety of films, commercials, live events, music videos, and new media projects over the last two decades. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Jon pursued a career in narrative features and episodic TV. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and has over a hundred features, episodics and commercials credits under his belt. As well as directing his own features, commercials and web-series, Jon has applied his considerable talents to developing and producing other projects in a wide range of genres and has now moved into the emerging field of Stereo 3D content creation. As well as focusing on S3D movie production, Jon will also head up Hollywood-DI’s push into S3D commercials market and S3D TV content production and post-production. With his wide experience of movie and TVC workflow, Jon brings a unique hands-ons perspective to the rapidly evolving world of S3D content creation and finishing.
Aaron Peak | Colorist & Workflow Expert
Aaron Peak is a digital artist, colorist, and image supervisor. Trying to blend both technology and art, Aaron is educated in both computer science and multiple art disciplines. His professional career has involved working in post production, visual effects, and title design for feature films & television. Aaron believes his passion is the imagery and all the ways to harness it, he has worked on a vast amount of projects all through customized digital pipelines in the last six years. Aaron’s work has been seen at nearly every major film festival, on television, in museums, and in theatres around the world. He arrived in Hollywood just in time to experience the transformation of the entertainment industry towards a broadening and inevitable digital future. Embracing the digital revolution he has worked on productions from every digital cinema camera system in the industry and feels it is an amazing time to be a part of Hollywood as it wrestles to find its new identity. Along with these new technologies come new obstacles and opportunities for artists and filmmakers. Aaron sees that the complexity and high degree of variance between new digital camera systems and their workflows requires a great understanding of light imagery and how its captured and manipulated. Film production must embrace new ideas and deserves new and more efficient pipelines to best serve its art. Aaron, as an artist first and holds the look and fidelity of the image as his first and most important priority. Taming the image and molding it to facilitate the needs of the subject is the reward for all the technical hard work. He believes that only through the most loving care of the images can the artistry of its creators be shown in the glory it deserves.
Education: 1997-1999 University of Buffalo – Computer Art and Science 2000-2003 Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Animation 2003-2005 Art Institute of Pittsburgh – Visual Effects and Motion Graphics
Bjorn Myrholt | Colorist & 3D Expert
Bjørn Myrholt has a life long background in music, editing and color correction. He started color correcting on the DaVinci system in 1998 and has seen the system improve greatly over the last twelve years. Now an expert in 2D color correction, Bjorn is expanding his talent into the area of 3D color correction with the new DaVinci stereoscopic functionality. He graduated from the America Film Institute where he earned a Masters in Film Editing and has been working in the LA film and TV industry as a picture editor and colorist. He has worked on independent film, episodic TV, documentaries, EPK and DVD bonus features. With his music background and diverse post production experience he has a wide area of expertise and can guide clients through any type of project.
Andrew Balis | Colorist & Online Editor
Andrew Balis is a colorist and online editor in projects spanning from narrative feature films to documentaries, and has been deeply involved in consulting and training industry professionals in editorial and color correction systems, color theory and application, and new and emerging technologies and editorial workflows, including specializing in RED and other various tapeless systems. Andrew has been involved in the creating and molding of images for more than 20 years, first as a film student at NYU, then in production in every aspect of the camera department from camera loader to camera assistant culminating as a cinematographer in independent films, commercials, documentaries and music videos. After moving into the post production finishing world, he now works as a colorist, working with cinematographers, directors and producers to help realize their vision and shape the look of their projects. As longtime principle instructor at Moviola Digital Arts Institute, Andrew has instructed colorists, editors and assistants from Paramount to ABC/Disney, Fox, E, Comcast, Matchframe, Fotokem, Trailer Park, Cimarron Group, The Post Group, MTV to virtually every post production facility in the Los Angeles area. An author of books, DVD tutorials, dozens of articles, author of iPhone/iPad apps devoted to production and post, lecturer and public speaker including stints at Createasphere, UCLA, AFI and others. An early adopter of Apple’s Color and before that with Final Cut Pro, Andrew authored the highly popular DVD tutorial “Color Grading in Color” for Ripple Training, and has co-authored the 1st generation of Apple certified training curriculum for Final Cut Pro editing, effects and color correction.
Bora Kim | Assistant Editor and Marketing PA
Bora Kim is an editor studying at the Los Angeles Film School in Hollywood. She has been an avid filmmaker since junior high when she made her first video using a friend’s camera. As well as studying the theory of filmmaking she wants to gain more knowledge and hands-on experience in the post-production world and has joined Hollywood Di as an assistant online editor. Bora also helps run marketing events with Kalani and Rocky.
Rocky | Chief Greeter & Tail-wagger
Rocky Sebastian II graduated from USC with a degree in Barkology and Advanced Tail Wagging. After working at several dog-houses in Los Angeles as a telecine assistant and finding the work too ruff, he decided to join Hollywood DI. Rocky is currently working on two SONY features and a 3D project as an assistant colorist and online contortionist.