Canon invited us to a private tour of their new Burbank shop in California, and if you've ever been to the original Hollywood location, you're going to enjoy the new and improved digs. Located on the second floor of the 3400 W. Olive building, which has plenty of FREE parking (don't forget to validate before you leave), the design is impressive. The aesthetics are on point, but it's not just that; the facility's interconnectivity is downright future-proof.
Canon Burbank Service Center
Stepping inside, it reminds us of a vibe similar to Light Iron's Hollywood location–an open space driven by creativity. As you can imagine, Canon's latest gear is on display in the front of the house for you to get your hands on, but one of the more impressive features is Canon's commitment to service and support in Burbank. It has increased the number of counter agents, doubled the number of technicians, and is working towards a one day turnaround time to fix your gear (currently two days). On site, they have all the proprietary Canon technology to calibrate your cameras and lenses back to factory specs if you find yours off balance.
It has doubled the number of technicians and is working towards a one day turnaround time to fix your gear .
The facility has a new lounge and lighting area, a multipurpose room, a screening room with DI capabilities, an image lab for testing cameras and lenses, and a workflow lab for post production.
Screening Room
The screening room touts a ton of tech: a Barco’s DP4K-P projector (~$100,000 if you want to snag your own), AV routing, a 64 x 64 HD-SDI router, transcoders, 250 TBs of storage from Quantom, 2000-nit grade capabilities and more, giving filmmakers the ability to preview footage or potentially color grade a film, show or commercial.
During the tour, Canon showcased 4K footage from The Calling (see above) by cinematographer Russell Carpenter, and naturally, the company-friendly demo looked great. The screening room is interconnected with the multipurpose room and workflow lab, allowing it to play six streams of uncompressed 4K (two to each room) or one stream of uncompressed 8K.
Canon Burbank Image Lab
Image Lab
The image lab is, as Canon's Film & Television Production Senior Advisor Tim Smith puts it, "the heart and soul of the building." The room is designed with two prep stations, giving filmmakers the ability to test any camera—Canon, ARRI, RED, Sony, etc —side by side, along with lenses up to 300mm. If you wanted to test a 300mm lens at 300mm, it can be done there. Cinematographers, ACs, focus pullers and everyone alike are invited to come in and use these facilities. Additionally, the image lab is connected to the screening room where you can send video over for inspection.
Canon Burbank Workflow Lab
Workflow Lab
This is where you want to be if you enjoy post production workflow. Canon has brought in the latest software and technology to show you how its cameras will integrate with third-party products like Avid, Premiere Pro, Final Cut and DaVinici Resolve. With its color grading capabilities, Canon can also illustrate how your footage will look in Rec. 709, HDR, etc. While the high-resolution race has been something more easily marketed to consumers, the visual variances in SDR and HDR and color depths are the future of filmmaking, and Canon is already prepared to them show to you.
The visual variances in SDR and HDR and color depths are the future of filmmaking, and Canon is already prepared to them show to you.
While the facility is an impressive upgrade from its former spot, what stands out the most is how much Canon wants to educate, not just about their products, but about filmmaking, cinematography, and workflow overall. You've seen similar ideas from RED, ARRI and others; Canon has designed classes and workshops under its Canon Live Learning umbrella that are free to register for. You can bookmark the updated calendar here. And that's really the heart and soul of a company: beyond just sales, it is educating filmmakers with the correct knowledge and tools we need to tell a story.
If you're in the L.A. area, check it out.
Canon Burbank
3400 W. Olive Avenue Suite 250
Burbank, CA 91505
949-788-2296
Hours: M-F 9-5pm PT
