Copenhagen- and London-based Digital Film Lab has taken it first full Hollywood movie - Sony Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment's Underworld - through its Digital Intermediate process.

"We have been very quiet about this, but we are happy to announce that we have completed the film, and that Sony subsequently has boosted its expectations for it," Kris Kolodziejski, CEO of Digital Film Lab, told ScreenDaily.com.

The Digital Intermediate process sees film shot in the traditional way, transferred to data at film resolution, and then recorded back to film.

"Underworld had 6000 cuts, around three times any Danish film, and on top of that some 400 effect shots. What is so ideal about our process is that everything is done in the same place," Kolodziejski adds, "from grading and effects to the smallest change in the image. Not one frame of the film is shot in daylight, but the overall look of Underworld was changed drastically though our process. It has been the biggest assignment we've ever handled. We did it in seven weeks and we're very happy with the result."

Digital Film Lab introduced its Digital Intermediate process on feature films two years ago and since then some 26 features have been through the process making the company one of the most experienced in the field.

Among their previous assignments are Berlin winner Bloody Sunday, Venice winner The Magdalene Sisters and the Oscar-nominated Lagaan, as well as a number of Danish films including The Green Butchers, Skagerrak and Peter Ringgaard's upcoming Turn Right By The Yellow Dog. DFL will also be collaborating with Jim Henson Creature Shop this autumn on their project Water Giants, as well as on the Danish-Norwegian co-production Strings currently shooting in Copenhagen.

Underworld, a vampire vs werewolf action chiller, marks the directing debut of Len Wiseman and is produced by James McQauide and Richard Wright for Sony Pictures and Lakeshore Entertainment. The film will have its US release on Sep19.