The strike, Universal Studios and the post house push

With some TV series already going dark, the pain of the WGA strike is already spreading to post houses, which will lose business on dailies and episodic post.

Diversified companies that work on videogames and animation as well as film and TV are better positioned to ride out the troubles. And studios themselves, ever eager to keep costs inhouse, have been moving into post-production themselves. Sony, Universal, Warner Bros. and Paramount have significant on-lot vfx or post businesses. Most insist their operations are profitable. If so, as post grinds to a halt, yet another revenue stream for the studios is drying up.

So we noted with special interest Wednesday's announcement from Universal Studios Sound that they have hired vigame and animation vet Michael Geisler as part of what U is calling "an expanded push" into sound for those media.

I guess it could be a coincidence...

-- David S. Cohen