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USA Softball GOLD National Championships Live Streamed with Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:20:46 +0000

Fremont, CA - August 22, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that GlobeStream Media live streamed USA Softball’s GOLD National Championships using a variety of Blackmagic Design products, including URSA Broadcast cameras and an ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K live production switcher, to capture more than 500 hours of fiber channel broadcasts across nine softball fields.

Held at the Heritage Yards softball complex in Plano, Texas, the six day long tournament featured more than 70 softball teams from across the United States competing in both the 18 and under (18u) and 16 and under (16u) age divisions. GlobeStream Media, a Texas based global provider of broadcast live streaming production services, used a full range of Blackmagic Design products to live stream 247 softball games over the course of the tournament.

The complete Blackmagic Design workflow included URSA Broadcasts and Micro Studio Camera 4K; Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters and Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters; ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K; ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel and ATEM Camera Control Panel; Smart Videohub routers; HyperDeck Studio Mini and HyperDeck Studio Pro recorders; SmartScope Duo and SmartView 4K monitors; Teranex Mini Audio to SDI converters; Blackmagic Audio Monitor; MultiView 4; and DeckLink capture and playback cards, including DeckLink 8K Pro.

To stream individual games during pool play and early bracket rounds, GlobeStream Media relied on a Micro Studio Camera 4K mounted behind home plate. "When USA Softball and the City of Plano approached us about live streaming the tournament, one of the initial discussions was about where the cameras were going to be. On each of the nine softball fields at Heritage Yards, they wanted a single camera mounted on the backstop to provide an elevated wide shot of the field from behind home plate. We knew right away that the camera needed to be small and lightweight, yet still provide a high quality image, so our attention immediately turned to the Micro Studio Camera 4K,” explained President and Cofounder of GlobeStream Media Brett Casadonte.

For each division’s consolation and championship games, GlobeStream Media switched to a four camera setup, using three URSA Broadcasts with Camera Fiber Converters and Studio Fiber Converters to capture the action, along with the Micro Studio Camera 4K.

“We went with Blackmagic Design cameras because first and foremost, they produce a very good quality image. Equally import, however, is workflow. Using the Camera Fiber Converters and Studio Fiber Converters, we were able to take a standard SMPTE fiber cable and deliver camera control, tally and talkback, plus power and return program feed to our camera operators over a single cable,” noted Casadonte. “The time and cost savings in setup were tremendous and allowed us to easily convert a softball field setup for a single camera live stream in the morning to a four camera multi cam broadcast in the afternoon. If we had to run separate power cables, XLR cables for crew comms, tally cables and a pair of SDI cables for video in and out, the conversion simply wouldn’t have been possible.”

Temperatures were also top of mind for Casadonte, with Texas summers known for their heat. “Whatever cameras we used for this production quite literally had to be able to take the heat,” said Casadonte. “They had to run for 10 to 12 hours straight each day in 95ºF and above temperatures. The build quality and reliability of Blackmagic Design’s cameras gave us confidence that the Micro Studio Camera 4K could be the workhorse camera we needed and wouldn’t wilt in the hot Texas sun.”

For the rest of its live streaming setup, GlobeStream Media connected the Studio Fiber Converters to a Smart Videohub 20x20 that sent the camera feeds to an ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K for switching. The team also relied on a SmartView 4K, HyperDeck Studio Minis for recording primary and backup versions of the program, SmartScope Duo for signal monitoring, ATEM Camera Control Panel to manage color for the cameras, and several DeckLinks.

“ATEM switchers have been a main stay on all of our productions, and it’s not a stretch to say we’ve built our business on them. When the ATEM Camera Control Panel came out, it was a great addition that made outdoor live sporting events so much easier,” said Casadonte. “With it, we’re quickly able to fine tune color and exposure on our cameras so that the look is consistent and seamless across our production.”

With consolation and championship games for each age division taking place simultaneously on two fields, GlobeStream Media relied on an ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, Smart Videohub 40x40, SmartScope Duo, HyperDeck Studio Minis, HyperDeck Studio Pros, MultiView 4, Teranex Minis Audio to SDI and a Blackmagic Audio Monitor.

“What really sets Blackmagic Design apart from other solutions is its holistic approach to production. When you make the full range of products from cameras to switchers, you’re able to create solutions that are greater than the sum of their parts. Blackmagic Design has created an integrated production workflow that is not only straight forward, easy to setup and fun to work with, but more importantly, allows us to get the job done efficiently and cost effectively,” noted Casadonte.

“The Blackmagic Design broadcast ecosystem, with built in tally, talkback, and camera control capabilities; integrated standards conversion; and intuitive, easy to use software makes broadcast productions truly plug and play. That was critical for us during this tournament because we only had a few short hours on the last day of the tournament to convert a softball field from a single camera live stream for semifinal matches in the morning, to a multi cam broadcast setup for consolation games and the championships in the late afternoon. With Blackmagic Design, we were easily able to pull it off,” concluded Casadonte. “There are no do overs in live production, so you really need to have gear that is rock solid, reliable and that you trust to deliver time and time again.”

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Broadcast, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, ATEM Television Studio Pro 4K, ATEM Camera Control Panel, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, Smart Videohub 20x20, Smart Videohub 40x40, SmartView 4K, HyperDeck Studio Mini, HyperDeck Studio Pro, SmartScope Duo, DeckLink 8K Pro, MultiView 4, Teranex Mini Audio to SDI, Blackmagic Audio Monitor and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com

Blackmagic Hit Broadway in Production of ‘Network’

Michael Balderston — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 17:33:36 +0000

FREMONT, Calif.—Live theater got its own taste of a live broadcast production in the Tony Award-winning production of “Network” on Broadway with the help of Blackmagic Design. Video designer and cinematographer Tal Yarden used Blakcmagic’s Micro Studio Camera 4Ks, Studio Camera 4Ks, Video Assist 4K monitor/recorders, ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel both on and off stage to create the show’s very own live newscast depicting anchorman Howard Beale’s breakdown.

Bryan Cranston in "Network"

An adaptation of Paddy Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning film of the same name, the Broadway version of “Network” (directed by Ivo van Hove and adapted by Lee Hall) takes place entirely in Beale’s TV studio, which thanks to the Blackmagic equipment was able to operate like a real-life studio, with cast and crew operating the equipment on and off stage to power the newsroom and feed content to onstage screens.

To do this, the Micro Studio Camera 4Ks were installed in handheld rigs with Video Assist 4Ks and wireless transmitters, while the Studio Camera 4Ks were mounted on tripods and used teleprompters during Beale’s (played by Bryan Cranston) newscasts. Cameras were also used to capture a scene that begins outside the theater on the street and then works its way inside to the stage; the scene was filmed live for each performance.

Actors who had some camera experience were responsible for handling the cameras on stage during the production.

Some of the crew who operated the ATEM switchers were also on stage during each performance. While the ATEM 2 M/E switcher operated from a rack underneath the stage, the ATEM 1 M/E was a part of the stage and used by an onstage operator. The onstage operator had to monitor the cameras, as well as followed the script for multiple ATEM cues, recalled presets on the matrix router and switched video feeds from the cameras to multiple onstage screens.

The Broadway run for “Network” came to close on in June of this year.

Showtime’s The Chi Uses Blackmagic Design Cameras to Bring Southside Chicago to Life

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 14:07:01 +0000

Fremont, CA - June 4, 2019 - Blackmagic Design announced today that Showtime Networks’ “The Chi” incorporated a wide array of Blackmagic Design cameras, including URSA Mini Pros and Micro Studio Camera 4K, for Director of Photography Abraham Martinez’ naturalistic portrayal of Chicago’s south side.

“The Chi” portrays an average day for Chicago kids, prepping for school as their parents head off to work, young adults trying to make a living and the elders keeping an eye on things from their front porches. But in this tough neighborhood, real dangers threaten daily to squelch dreams, and the simplest decisions can have life or death consequences.

Martinez wanted this coming of age drama to feel grounded and realistic. “I wanted the camera to walk alongside our lead characters. I wanted to feel that we were in the middle of the ever evolving conditions of the city that pressed into our characters,” said Martinez. “So this meant, our cameras had to be flexible for the journey.”

Martinez used three Blackmagic URSA Mini Pros, one URSA Mini 4K and two Micro Studio Camera 4ks recording into Blackmagic Video Assists 4K. Martinez feels his Blackmagic cameras have become an important part of his kit.

“I find that using my URSA Mini Pros has become somewhat of a paint brush stroke technique of my personal work flow. I’m able to have a half a dozen Blackmagic Design cameras around for my palette to fit the ever flexible work and city conditions that require me to adapt quickly.

”Shooting on location in Chicago was a must for this urban drama, and the visuals represent a naturalism that contrasted home life and the street. “The Chi” team used the colors of the environment to drive the style as well. “We celebrated color in many ways, from wardrobe to the set design,” said Martinez. “Our drama has many facets of story; the intersection of home/neighborhood/street life which is in contrast to the institutional aspects of the city, namely the prison and police corrections stories. I was able to build these two worlds in look and feel as we bounced between the delicate and interwoven story lines.“

While “The Chi” focused on a gritty realism, the shoot itself was rigorous at times, forcing the cinematography crew to move quickly. The Blackmagic cameras helped Martinez capture high quality imagery even if on the go. “My Blackmagic Design arsenal is always what I call ready at hand. If I needed a lock off camera ready for an additional angle, we shot with one of them. If I needed an establishing shot popped off during a company move, my URSA Mini Pro was ready for the task, helping us knock out the day’s work. As for the Micro Studio Cameras, we used them extensively throughout our shoot to power artistic angles, helping drive story and save time. We even had an URSA Mini Pro built into a full time gimbal system always ready to go. We were always ready for gimbal mode.

”With such a wide array of cameras, and a focus on color, Martinez had no fear about matching images. Working with Light Iron’s Steven Bodner, they had no problems matching looks between cameras or manufacturers. “The Blackmagic Design camera’s color space complimented the look and the feel of other cameras wonderfully.”

But beyond color, Martinez valued the combination of high end quality and ease of use. “The camera systems held up in the rigorous location moves and demands of the city,” said Martinez. “Speed was essential and it required very little to get the Blackmagic camera systems up and running. Often just a lens, card and battery and we were good to go.”

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Product photos of the URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Video Assist 4K and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Grupo La República Powers New Multimedia News Business with Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 15:05:37 +0000

Fremont, CA - February 26, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Grupo La República, a leading media organization in Lima, Perú, has incorporated a full Blackmagic Design workflow including URSA Broadcast cameras, ATEM Television Studio HD live production switchers, Blackmagic Studio Cameras and more. The investment is part of a company wide digital transformation and laid the foundation for RTV, Grupo La República’s new digital television channel.

Founded in 1981, Grupo La República is the second largest print and digital media organization in Perú, owning several print news publications including La República, El Popular and Libero. Recently, Grupo La República embarked on a digital upgrade by adapting all of its print content for its new digital platforms, including live news and sports programming via RTV.

“This digital transformation is something we’ve wanted to do for a long time, but to be successful we knew we needed to have the proper equipment,” said Alfieri Noce, chief technical officer of R&D at Grupo La República. “I’ve used Blackmagic Design gear in the past, so when we were ready to move forward, I advised on what we needed to make this happen.”

He continued, “The reason for implementing Blackmagic Design was very clear from the beginning. We needed budget friendly gear that also delivered the superior quality that Grupo La República is known for.”

Grupo La República started by incorporating three URSA Broadcast cameras to shoot several shows, including the political morning show “Sin Guión con Rosa María Palacios,” the sports show “Libero” and the pop culture entertainment show “Populovers.”

“A main factor for us in selecting the URSA Broadcast was the capability to use the lenses we already had, including older, after market HD lenses. With the URSA Broadcast, we were spared from having to repurchase an entire stock of lenses, which helped keep us on budget,” said Noce.

Additionally, Grupo La República has four Blackmagic Studio Cameras. “The Blackmagic Studio Cameras are extremely reliable and complement the URSA Broadcast cameras we have in studio,” continued Noce. “Some features that make the Blackmagic Studio Camera perfect for our productions is the 10” viewfinder, remote camera controls, the different input connections and how user friendly and intuitive they are.”

Grupo La República also implemented two ATEM Television Studio HD live production switchers which allow them to easily switch between cameras while shooting their RTV programming.

“Because of the dynamism of our shows, we need switchers that are reliable and easy to use. The ATEM Television Studio HD has really eased the production process for us, especially when switching cameras, zooming in and focusing on those details that we truly want to highlight during broadcast,” said Noce. “Another quality that impacted our decision when integrating them into our workflow was their compact design. Everything is so easy to control from the front panel, and they’re also super portable, so we can move them around as needed.”

Rounding out its digital upgrade, Grupo La República also relies on a SmartScope Duo 4K to monitor broadcasts, finding the waveform monitoring incredibly useful. Additional Blackmagic Design gear includes a Smart Videohub 20x20 router, SmartView 4K to monitor the program feed, and several converters, including Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G and twelve Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 6G.

“Our goal for Grupo La República is to be fully equipped with Blackmagic Design gear,” Noce concluded. “We have two other studios in Perú, Chiclayo and Arequipa, that we’ll be taking some of our gear to as we purchase more for our Lima studio. That’s the great thing about Blackmagic Design, the price points allow you to expand your workflow as needed without hurting your budget.”

As Grupo La República’s digital transformation continues, the organization plans on rebranding RTV this year, launching it on its own independent website and fully relying on Blackmagic Design once again.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Broadcast, Blackmagic Studio Camera, ATEM Television Studio HD, SmartScope Duo 4K, Smart Videohub 20x20, SmartView 4K, Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G, Mini Converter SDI to HDMI 6G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design Forms Strategic Partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:42:27 +0000

Fremont, CA - February 12, 2019 - Blackmagic Design announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with the USC School of Cinematic Arts to provide Blackmagic hardware and software to the School over three years. The products will be used by USC students studying filmmaking and post production, while broadcast production students will now have the opportunity to work with UltraHD in the school’s television station, Trojan Vision.

Through the partnership, Blackmagic Design will provide URSA Broadcast cameras and URSA Mini Pro Cinema cameras, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K switchers, ATEM Camera Control Panels, HyperDeck Studio Pro recorders and Resolve Micro and Resolve Mini Panels.

“Blackmagic is known for providing high quality equipment that filmmakers and other content creators find accessible,” said Elizabeth Daley, Dean of the School of Cinematic Arts. “We are thrilled our students get to use Blackmagic Design tools because we know that means they will be better prepared for the work environments they will encounter after graduation.”

The partnership with Blackmagic Design will provide a major upgrade to the equipment used by USC students who create programming for Trojan Vision, the School of Cinematic Arts’ award-winning television station that airs to homes across Los Angeles, and online.

Greg Vannoy, who oversees Trojan Vision, said: “While we broadcast in HD, the upgrade gives us full Ultra HD capability, which we feel creates a better learning facility for our students.” The studio, which is located in the Robert Zemeckis Center for Digital Arts, will now have URSA Broadcast cameras, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K switchers, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panels, ATEM Camera Control Panels, and a massive array of routing components, as well as HyperDeck Studio Pro recorders; transforming the facility into a modern teaching environment.

“We are thrilled that some of the media industry’s most talented young creators will be consistently learning on and using our products and we are excited to see what they end up creating,” said Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design.

Beyond the broadcast equipment, the partnership provides DaVinci Resolve Micro Panels for students studying color grading. Students will have access to DaVinci Resolve Studio and instructors will have DaVinci Resolve Mini Panels for use in their classes. A number of URSA Mini Pro cinema cameras will be used for student productions.

“It’s important for our students to learn in an environment that closely resembles the industry,” said Meri Weingarten, Director of Digital Media & Technology at the School. “We know this will improve their skills,”

“We are excited to offer the URSA Mini Pro to our students. Blackmagic has done a great job creating a compact, multi-purpose camera that captures a beautiful image,” said Vannoy. “We are always interested in the newest and best tools the industry is using and we’re excited to see what our students do with the URSA Mini Pro.”

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Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K switchers, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panels, ATEM Camera Control Panels, DaVinci Resolve Studio, HyperDeck Studio Pro, DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

About the USC School of Cinematic Arts

The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is one of the leading media schools in the world. Founded in collaboration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929 over 86 years ago, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has fueled and mirrored the growth of entertainment as an industry and an art form. The School offers comprehensive programs in directing, producing, writing, cinema and media studies, animation and digital arts, production, interactive media and games, all backed by a broad liberal arts education and taught by leading practitioners in each field. Its more than 13,000 alumni are among the world’s most distinguished animators, scholars, teachers, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound experts, video game designers and industry executives. Since 1973 not a year has passed without an alumnus or alumna being nominated for an Academy Award or an Emmy. https://cinema.usc.edu

Josh Groban’s ‘Bridges’ Tour Delivered by Blackmagic Design Live Workflow

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 14:36:54 +0000

Fremont, CA - January 29, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Josh Groban’s 21 date ‘Bridges’ tour relied on an end to end solution from Blackmagic Design, including Blackmagic URSA Broadcast camera chains, Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K and ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, for live big screen content and unique video backdrops.

Taking in major US and UK venues, including Madison Square Gardens and London’s O2 Arena, the tour’s live production was handled by video director, Stuart Merser of Vis-a-Vis Video, who was tasked with filling the huge performance spaces with an intimate and uplifting energy.

“The scale of the production was vast, with an 14 piece orchestra, a five member band and guest choirs on the main stage, as well as a smaller platform, where Josh performed a selection of quieter songs with a piano,” explains Stuart. “However, the staging for each concert was actually very pared back and simple, so that Josh could really engage with each audience on a personal level. Getting this balance right for an arena audience was key, so the tone and quality of video content had to be perfectly pitched.”

A giant 14m wide LED screen formed the entire backdrop to the main stage and featured live performance footage from Josh and his band, which was captured in Ultra HD 4K with a multicam set up comprising three URSA Broadcast and four Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K.

“Having worked with the URSA Broadcast cameras on a number of big name tours, I know they deliver stunning images for arena venues, so they were the perfect choice for such a huge video screen production. We paired the cameras with a range of 4K glass, including a Canon 90:9 box, which meant every shot on screen was flawless."

“We’ve had a lot of fun rigging the cameras to deliver some extremely creative and dynamic angles to elevate our production even further,” he continues. “For example, one of the URSA Broadcast cameras was mounted on a BlackCam B60 tracking system along the downstage edge, allowing me to move smoothly between the audience and Josh on stage for some really special moments.”

Live content was also fed through VideoDust, a real time video manipulation software, built around a series of Blackmagic capture and playback cards, and developed to create a variety of effects for a dynamic backdrop. “We were able to mix live footage of Josh with a series of graphics, such as sheet music or a sparkling, glittery background, which again added another dimension to a very simple and understated production on stage,” explains Stuart.

Stuart’s bespoke production desk is built around a Smart Videohub 40x40 router, with an ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K paired with an ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Panel to produce the big screen mix.

“My set up has to be able to cope with a huge range of staging logistics,” he explains. “Although we know the venues that we’re traveling to, we don’t always know exactly where video will be located, whether we’ll have direct sight of the stage, what lighting or weather conditions we might have to deal with, so the production system has to be as flexible and as robust as possible. So, as well as the main desk, there is a series of Teranex AV and Mini Converters to make sure we have the ability to get video out to screens, no matter what we are faced with upon arrival.”

“On a tour like ‘Bridges’, creative video production plays a crucial role, as the artist wants every audience member to feel part of the performance. Video coverage has to be crisp and clear, but it also has to complement the staging; it can’t overpower with theatrical tricks and effects,” concludes Stuart. “Blackmagic cameras and production kit give me the quality of production that can stand up to large scale projection, but also have a level of detail in their creative tools and features that allow me to create a unique mix each night to reflect the energy and electricity of each live performance.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic URSA Broadcast, ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Smart Videohub 40x40, Teranex AV and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G‑SDI and 12G‑SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

More than 25 Films at Austin Film Festival Created Using Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 18:43:38 +0000

Fremont, CA - November 15, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that more than 25 feature length and short films competing at the 2018 Austin Film Festival used Blackmagic Design digital film cameras and DaVinci Resolve Studio professional editing, grading and audio post production software.

Celebrating its 25th year, the Austin Film Festival focuses on the writers’ creative contribution to the film, and is unique for bringing professional and amateur screenwriters together to celebrate the role of screenplays in filmmaking. With a heavy focus on the art of story, the festival is intent on making the creators the stars, celebrating all aspects of filmmaking at the annual event. The 2018 Austin Film Festival begins Thursday, October 25th.

“We’re lucky to be able to find and support so many incredible films and filmmakers every year, and the fact that so many of the films we find—features, shorts, documentaries, narratives, animation—utilize Blackmagic Design cameras and DaVinci Resolve software I think speaks volumes,” said Harrison Glaser, Film Competition Director for the Austin Film Festival. “Blackmagic creates powerful products that help all levels of filmmakers make great films. We love seeing their impact on talented and deserving filmmakers grow each year.”

Feature films at the 2018 Austin Film Festival that used Blackmagic Design Cameras and/or DaVinci Resolve:

“The Money Stone” colored by Natacha Ikoli of Blue Table Post;
“Love Goes Through Your Mind” performed all transcodes and color with DaVinci Resolve. Portions of the film were also shot with a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 2.5k;
“F/11 and Be There” was shot on a Blackmagic URSA Mini 4K and colored in DaVinci Resolve Studio;
“Fishbowl” colored by Matthew Riggieri at Digital Dave;
“Empathy Inc.” colored by Darin Quan;
“Above the Clouds” DP Neil Oseman used the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera to capture in car shots as well as tracking shots;
“Delia and Sammy” colored by Marilen Magsaysay;
“Worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin” colored by Leo Hallal;
“Alive” DP Charles Hamilton shot portions of the film on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. Editor Rob Grant edited the film in DaVinci Resolve, and Brendon Rathbone colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Beyond the Night” colored by Dave Francis of Primal Films;
“Speaking in Tongues” colored by Alex Grigoras;
“Simple Wedding” Luke Cahill used DaVinci Resolve for titles, VFX and color.

Short films at the 2018 Austin Film Festival that used Blackmagic Design Cameras and/or DaVinci Resolve:

“Goodbye Sirena” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Connections” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“The Backward Astronaut” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Suspicion” shot on the Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K and colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Human Sun” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Minor Key” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“SIN-SFO” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Breasts” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Down” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Max and the Monster” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Clean Break” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Root for the Villain” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“Holy Moses” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“My Friend Shokat” colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“LIKE” edited and colored in DaVinci Resolve;
“The Wormwood Star” was shot with a Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro and colored with DaVinci Resolve;
“SHENJI458” colored in DaVinci Resolve.

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Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Cinema Camera, Pocket Cinema Camera, DaVinci Resolve Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

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Fall Out Boy’s MANIA World Tour Uses Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and URSA Broadcast

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 15:35:36 +0000

Fremont, CA – November 6, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the live production workflow for Grammy nominated American rock band Fall Out Boy’s worldwide MANIA tour was upgraded to include its Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, URSA Broadcast and ATEM Camera Control Panel. The tour also used a full AV workflow of additional Blackmagic Design products.

Since bursting onto the scene in 2005 with the hit single, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down,” Fall Out Boy has been topping the charts with hit songs like “Dance, Dance,” “Centuries,” and “Uma Thurman.” The band released its latest album MANIA earlier this year, and just this month wrapped the sixth and final leg of the MANIA tour featuring openers Machine Gun Kelly and other supporting acts.

Production Designer Robb Jibson of Chicago production design firm So Midwest, Inc., and Touring Video Director Patrick Eaton of production and engineering solution provider VER, implemented a full Blackmagic Design setup when the MANIA tour began in 2017 and continued to upgrade the setup throughout 2018 to include a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, five URSA Broadcast cameras, an ATEM Camera Control Panel, five Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters and five Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K was used at the front of the house to capture a wide angle shot of the stage, along with a Blackmagic Video Assist 4K monitor/recorder, which Robb used to record each show in its entirety so he and the band members could review each show afterward. The URSA Broadcasts were set up throughout the upper sections of each venue to capture various views of the stage, and the team used URSA Studio Viewfinders and URSA Viewfinders in conjunction with the cameras. Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converters and Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converters allowed the team to run all necessary connections from the URSA Broadcasts to the engineering racks backstage.

“Blackmagic Design has been able to do amazing things with cameras and image sensors,” said Jibson. “The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K works incredibly well in the ever changing lighting in a concert setting. The URSA Broadcast cameras allow touring productions to utilize familiar controls while adapting the brilliance of the Blackmagic Design family of image sensors into a convenient package that reduces the footprint of traditional ENG cameras by 75 percent. This is important for venue sightlines and ticket sales, which ultimately affect the bottom line.”

In addition to the URSA Broadcasts, the workflow also featured several more Blackmagic Design components, including 10 Micro Studio Camera 4Ks positioned on the stage and center walkway for POV shots. All of the cameras were fed into the ATEM switching system and ultimately into two Mac Pros on the engineering racks for content and live generative effects, which were then fed into a Teranex AV to convert the 2160p feeds to 1080p HD-SDI signals destined for the LED screen processors. The ATEM Camera Control Panel allowed the team to control all five URSA Broadcast cameras and all ten Micro Studio Camera 4Ks from backstage. Blackmagic Design’s ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, MultiView 16, and Smart Videohub 40x40 and Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12 routers were also used on the tour for live switching, monitoring, and routing.

“The ATEM Camera Control Panel brings engineering familiar controls to the URSA family of cameras to give our touring video engineer Nick West control over the iris and black point while allowing our camera operators to focus on the appropriate framing and composition of the shot,” said Jibson. “The unit ties in seamlessly with the ATEM family and allows for all the control in just a quarter of the space.”

“The combination of the URSA Broadcast, ATEM Camera Control Panel and fiber converters worked so well for our touring needs, as everything helped to streamline our setup. The URSA Broadcasts provide a lot of dynamic range and the ATEM Camera Control Panel is portable, easy to use, and powerful. Plus the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and Micro Studio Camera 4Ks are inconspicuous yet still produce amazing images. This was our best, most dynamic, and most cinematic tour yet, and we owe it to the Blackmagic Design products!” concluded Jibson.

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Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, URSA Broadcast, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder, Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Video Assist 4K, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Teranex AV, ATEM 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, MultiView 16, Smart Videohub 40x40, Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12 and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Facebook Live Series Streamed with URSA Broadcast and ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 14:07:11 +0000

Fremont, CA – October 29, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that New York City based production company Live X used a full Blackmagic Design workflow, including URSA Broadcast, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K and Micro Studio Camera 4K, to create and live stream this summer’s “Live on the Lanes” game show series for the world’s largest ten pin bowling center operator, Bowlero Corporation.

As a full service design, production and broadcast company, Live X worked with its client So They Went Productions to create the series for Bowlero Corporation's Bowlero brand. With more than 300 bowling centers around the country, operating under four bowling brands, Bowlero Corp provides fun for all ages, including immersive and interactive entertainment like blacklight bowling, arcades, laser tag and over the top culinary creations.

To appeal to today’s younger generation, Live X produced a five episode game show, “Live on the Lanes,” streamed directly to Facebook Live. Sarah Pribis, one of the hosts of the popular trivia game “HQ” served as the host of “Live on the Lanes.” Each episode had more than 500,000 viewers, and in addition to producing the series, Live X engaged viewers at home by having them participate in the game show to win cash prizes.

Lead producer and cofounder at Live X, Corey Behnke, knew it would be a unique challenge to shoot this series, as the team wanted to get as close to the two lanes of action as possible and also needed to maintain a small overall footprint. Corey decided to use five Micro Studio Camera 4Ks, two of which were positioned to shoot the lanes and two on the pins, so they could capture each strike, gutter ball and everything in between. One Micro Studio Camera 4K captured the group of players as they watched the action and waited for their turn.

He also incorporated three URSA Broadcast cameras, two of which served as handheld main action cameras, with the third on a tripod capturing the host, equipped with a teleprompter and an URSA Viewfinder. “We loved using the URSA Broadcast in a way that it was meant to be used,” said Corey. “For a live event like a game show broadcast on Facebook Live, the combination of the URSA Broadcast and the ATEM was perfect. Once you have control set up, you can manage everything from the front bench which is critical in a live situation.”

Live X used an ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, controlled using ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, with built in DaVinci Resolve style color wheels to simultaneously color correct and control all of the cameras in real time. They also used the Live X custom graphics engine which was keyfilled into the switcher. “It was so helpful to be able to use the ATEM that way. That allowed us to show the scoreboard, the lower third and the bowling animations. The ability to do key fill with the ATEM was game changing.”

“Because of the ATEM, we have tally on the URSA Broadcasts, which is very helpful,” said Corey. “And because of the 2/3 inch sensor size when using 4K B4 mount on the URSA Broadcasts, it was easily to outfit them with lenses, whether we already had them or rented them. 2/3 is pretty ubiquitous in the industry, so that’s really helpful.”

Nine HyperDeck Studio Pros were used to record the feeds from each camera as well as the overall program output. Live X also sent a program feed out of the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K through two Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G units, which allowed them to send the feed to each of the eight cameras, giving them CCU control. Corey also used two SmartView 4K monitors to monitor the program feed out of the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K.

He continued, “These products are made for live. It’s easy to match the cameras, and everything works together without additional control panel combinations. Another big reason we’ve chosen Blackmagic Design is to future proof for 12G-SDI. The internet is higher resolution than television, and our clients want 1080p30, which is how we shot ‘Live on the Lanes.’ Our clients don’t necessarily need 4K yet, but they will, and it’s great that we’re ready.”

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Product photos of URSA Broadcast, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, Micro Studio Camera 4K, URSA Viewfinder, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, HyperDeck Studio Pro, Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G, SmartView 4K, and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Bowlero Corporation

Bowlero Corporation (formerly Bowlmor AMF) is the largest owner and operator of bowling centers in the world, with over 300 locations, including eight locations in Mexico and two in Canada, specializing in corporate and special events, as well as league and retail bowling. The company was created in 2013 following the merger of Bowlmor Lanes, an upscale bowling and entertainment company, and AMF Bowling Worldwide and continued its growth with the acquisition of Brunswick Corporation’s bowling center business in 2014. The company’s portfolio of bowling center brands includes Bowlero, Bowlmor Lanes, AMF Bowling Co., and Brunswick Zone. For more information, please visit BowleroCorp.com.

About Live X, Inc.

Live X is a full service production company, designing, producing, and broadcasting live events, and creating immersive experiential concepts, for top global brands. From idea development through technical execution, from video, graphics and 3D animation, to live onsite and remote production and streaming, Live X uses innovative technologies to help industry-leading clients all over the world create captivating experiences to increase their audience engagement and build their brands. For more information, please visit livex.tv.

About Blackmagic Design

Lexhag Visual Effects Builds On Set 3D Camera Tracking System with Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 14:49:39 +0000

Fremont, CA - October 4, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that London’s Lexhag Visual Effects has used the Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K, ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and DaVinci Resolve Studio to develop a four head witness camera solution that has revolutionized its 3D tracking capabilities.

The system, which allows the team to easily estimate spatial information on set by filming the action from multiple points of view, has already been used on several projects, including the Netflix supernatural television series, “The Innocents."

“As a visual effects specialist, it is imperative to obtain as much information from set as possible, which is where the witness camera system comes in,” says owner of Lexhag, Alexis Haggar. “The data captured affords a visual effects artist the precision they need to accurately match move 3D geometry over live action, at frame by frame accuracy.”

To manage the logistics of capturing multi source footage, the system comprises four Micro Studio Camera 4Ks, paired with fast primes and set up in an array with the main unit camera. Signals feed into a dedicated PPU with an ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and 4K monitor. “The Micro Cameras were the perfect solution for us. They provided a compact, scalable way to capture in 4K at an attractive price point,” Haggar adds.

Using the ATEM, the Lexhag team can genlock each camera and synchronize in real time for ultimate control. The difference between even half a frame for someone that is match moving can be enormous according to Haggar.

"You need to translate every movement into 3D with pixel perfect accuracy, so synchronization between all the angles you shoot is crucial. Luckily with the ATEM, this was as easy as a one button press. Instead of four operators with a camera each, the whole system could be deployed and operated by a single individual.”

Once shot, all the synchronized dailies footage from the system feeds directly into DaVinci Resolve Studio for data wrangling and final output to a frame based media sequence. “Using Resolve’s Multicam clip functionality, we simply lined up all the footage and were able to watch every angle playback in real time, and even edit live to reflect what we’d find most useful in visual effects.”

“It has been such a success that we’re now looking into expanding the system even further, including testing how the addition of more arrays can help us with volumetric capture for virtual reality applications,” Haggar conclude. “We’re fortunate to live at a time where technology is so accessible that we as content producers can now develop our own tailored on set solutions thanks to manufacturers such as Blackmagic Design.”

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Product photos of ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Micro Studio Camera 4K and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

URSA Mini 4.6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio Used on Stunning National Parks Short Film Series

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 17:07:17 +0000

Fremont, CA - September 12, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the online series “More Than Just Parks” is captured with an URSA Mini 4.6K digital film camera and graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Founded by brothers Will and Jim Pattiz, “More Than Just Parks” is an online short film series designed to encourage the exploration and conservation of the United States’ national parks by making their stunning landscapes, coastlines and forests come to life. With each short film centering on a different park, “More Than Just Parks” features a combination of familiar visual landmarks, as well as never before seen compositions and landscapes, such as Redwood National Park’s mammoth namesake trees. To make the film series as eye catching as possible, the Pattiz brothers shoot anywhere from 150 to 300 time lapses per park, ranging from as short as ten minutes to as long as an entire day.

The Pattiz brothers chose to shoot the series with an URSA Mini 4.6K so they could capture and deliver hyperrealistic images of the parks, to help foster an emotional connection between their audience and the parks, and successfully execute their mission to preserve them. The brothers equipped the camera with an URSA Viewfinder, which allows the duo to achieve incredibly accurate focus and eliminate guesswork when focusing in on a shot.

“We start by finding an interesting composition that includes a moving component, usually water, clouds, or lighting. Next, we set up the camera and adjust the settings that we think will work best for the shot. One feature we love about the URSA Mini 4.6K is that unlike DSLRs and most third party time lapse gear, when we press record on the camera it just records until we want it to stop. Many other systems force you to input the duration for the time lapse to run or a specified stop time, which can cause you to miss the shot. With the URSA Mini 4.6K, we don’t have to worry about that,” said Will Pattiz, cofounder, “More Than Just Parks.”

So far, the brothers have covered 14 of the 60 U.S. national parks, including the latest, Hawaii’s Haleakala National Park. Unlike the other national parks that the brothers have covered, they wanted to convey a laid back look for Haleakala, since it’s one of three U.S. national parks located in a tropical climate. To achieve this, they relied on the URSA Mini 4.6K for all live action shots, leveraging the camera’s ability to film at 60 fps. They then slowed the footage down to 24 fps in post, to achieve an easy paced, island time feel without compromising the quality and look of the shot.

The URSA Mini 4.6K’s lightweight, magnesium alloy build came in handy during the Pattiz’s shoots, as they trek around the park capturing waves breaking along the shore, clouds rolling over mountain tops, and tropical waterfalls.

“Since we’re hiking with the camera throughout the parks, we need something lightweight and durable. Despite extreme conditions, the URSA Mini 4.6K has never faltered. When we were filming in Arizona’s Saguaro National Park on a 120 degree day, the camera continued to run all day without overheating. At Haleakala, we started down at sea level where it was 80 degrees and humid, and then drove up to 10,000 feet above the clouds where it was 40 degrees, but we never doubted that the camera would stand up to the conditions,” explained Pattiz.

The Pattiz brothers rely on the URSA Mini 4.6K’s 15 stops of dynamic range to keep the footage as real to life as possible. “We want the footage to replicate what we saw with our own eyes. For example, in the time lapse of the clouds moving over the mountain tops, it was critical to pull back on the exposure and draw out the shadows to really make the texture of the clouds pop. With the camera’s dynamic range, we can bring it as close to real life as possible,” said Pattiz.

The brothers then use DaVinci Resolve Studio in post to further develop the series’ vivid look. “We love that DaVinci Resolve Studio is node based, so you can keep stacking different effects on top of each other during the grading process. For example, when we were grading the footage of the turtle swimming in Haleakala, we wanted to isolate specific colors on its shell and manipulate them one at a time, without affecting the whole turtle. In the footage, the turtle had really dark colors in its shell and on its face, so we used DaVinci Resolve Studio to isolate the dark spots and give them more of the brownish hues they have in person. Then, we used a different node to pull the yellows in its shell and make them a bit softer and greener. The result was a shot that perfectly mirrored what we saw in real life. DaVinci Resolve Studio helped us bring the image to that level of hyperrealism,” Pattiz concluded.

The Pattiz brothers will continue using the URSA Mini 4.6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio on their ongoing exploration of the remaining 46 U.S. national parks. For the Haleakala National Park and more, visit: www.morethanjustparks.com/haleakala.

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Product photos of the URSA Mini 4.6K, DaVinci Resolve Studio, URSA Viewfinder and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

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Micro Studio Camera 4K Used for4K VR Live Streaming of Jazztronik Concert

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 15:21:46 +0000

Fremont, CA — August 29, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that Micro Studio Camera 4K and Video Assist were used for 4K VR live streaming of a Jazztronik concert at Billboard Live Tokyo. The concert was streamed on YouTube and viewers could feel as though they were inside the concert venue by wearing a head mounted display.

The 4K VR live stream was organized by Kadinche, a developer of VR and AR solutions technologies, software development and web design.

Jazztronik, the music group who performed for the concert, is part of the Japanese company Styrism. Takayuki Morinaka, CEO of Styrism, said, “It was the first time for us to hold a live streaming concert. Of course it is best to have fans come to our concert and let them enjoy live performances, but we decided to give it a shot at making use of the cutting edge VR live streaming technology for our artists, having noticed that the technologies of live streaming and VR have been rapidly growing over the years.”

Two Micro Studio Camera 4Ks, with Entaniya 250° lenses, were placed at the concert venue, one for live streaming and the other for archive recording. Video Assist was used for monitoring and recording purposes.

“The Jazztronik concert was scheduled to last for one and half hours. We sought reliable cameras that could shoot for long hours and concluded that Micro Studio Camera 4K was the best option. The camera’s small size was especially helpful for this event as we had limited space to put a camera in. In contrast with the size of the camera body, the sensor inside the camera is surprisingly huge, giving you great picture quality in 4K. The 250° lenses and Micro Studio Camera 4K were the best combination because both of them support micro four thirds mount. Micro Studio Camera 4K satisfied every condition this project required.”

“We reduced the frame rate on our software to 4K 20fp to achieve stable live streaming. As affordable as it is, Micro Studio Camera 4K is a wonderful camera with great 4K image quality. Combined with Video Assist, you can even see the video captured by a fisheye lens, which is not possible with common VR devices,” said Dai Akiyama, chief strategy officer of Kadinche.

“I think that VR streaming is best for concerts and events. You can let as many people as you want experience the performance without inviting them to actual venues. Concert halls have limited seats, but with VR streaming anyone can enjoy and see artists at the front row. We are hoping to continue using Blackmagic products for projects of VR and stereoscopic video streaming,” he concluded.

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Product photos of Micro Studio Camera 4K, Video Assist and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Stock Footage Provider eFootage Scans Thousands of Hours of Film with Cintel Scanners

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 18:44:48 +0000

Fremont, CA - August 06, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that eFootage, a leading provider of contemporary and historical stock footage, is using two Cintel Scanners, six Teranex 2D Processor standards converters and DaVinci Resolve Studio as part of its scanning, archiving and film preservation workflow.

Spanning more than 100 years of motion image history, eFootage holds a vast quantity of news material, especially from 1960 through the present, as well as deep, eclectic collections of silent film white and color industrials, newsreels, lifestyle footage, world travel elements, and 35mm design and blue screen holdings. Clips are available for licensing and download via the company’s website, www.eFootage.com/.

“Over the years, we have purchased a variety of existing libraries and have licensed others,” explained Partner Paul Lisy. “We welcome discussions with content holders on how we can help monetize their holdings, and we also provide footage research and related services for specific projects, as well as some production work.”

Lisy added, “We have sought to procure and present unique, often rare film and video clips of the highest possible quality. Currently, we are in the midst of a multi-year push to digitize and present onlin1818000e, often at HD and 4K resolutions, the bulk of our vast repository, much of which we will be offering for the very first time. We have scanned a couple thousand hours of content at this point, with much more to go.”

Prior to purchasing the Cintel Scanners, scanning most of eFootage’s 35mm material wasn’t economically feasible. “The Cintel Scanners give us the ability to control scanning quality while minimizing cost and turnaround time,” said Partner Greg McLemore. “Previous solutions we looked at were prohibitively expensive, and Cintel has been the first cost-effective, high-quality solution we discovered.”

eFootage relies on two Cintel Scanners, along with 16mm and 35mm Gates and Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader to scan its extensive holdings. “Previously, we had equipment in-house to digitize our 16mm content, but we replaced it as Cintel helps us present the content in higher resolution formats. Our experience with our first Cintel Scanner has been so great and problem-free that adding a second scanner was a no-brainer, and it has helped increase how quickly we can make our collection accessible. Also, we were really excited to hear of the release of the Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader, which allows us to work with mag track audio in-house,” said Lisy.

eFootage has an enormous amount of film and videotape in a variety of formats. In the case of film, eFootage scans both 16mm and 35mm (positive and negative) with the Cintel Scanners, transferring it via Thunderbolt to Mac computers, which ingest the material using DaVinci Resolve Studio. The Teranex 2D Processors are used as part of the archiving process for the videotape library. Time base correctors pass the footage through the Teranex 2D Processors to the computers via Thunderbolt, which record high-quality files using Blackmagic Design’s Media Express software. The recorded files are then transferred to external multi-terabyte drive arrays for further web server processing and display.

“We save the original film material for all our holdings and occasionally go back to it upon client request,” noted McLemore. “Additionally, some of our film content, which had been previously scanned in years past, can now be rescanned at higher resolution and quality using the Cintel Scanners. Currently, we offer upgrade services on material that is not yet featured on the site in higher formats, which can involve rescans on the Cintel or uprezing from SD to HD via the Teranex 2D Processors.”

“The Cintel Scanner’s real-time scanning functionality, reliability and economics, coupled with the Teranex 2D Processor’s high-quality output, are a combination that can’t be beat,” concluded Lisy. “The Teranex 2D Processor is the least time-intensive solution we have found to-date for converting older SD material to HD, and overall, both products are durable and easy to use."

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Product photos of Cintel Scanner, Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader, Teranex 2D Processor, DaVinci Resolve Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

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Melbourne’s Victoria University is the first Australian College to become a Certified DaVinci Resolve Trainer

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 13:56:33 +0000

Fremont, CA - August 1, 2018 - Victoria University in Melbourne has become the first Australian university to achieve DaVinci Resolve Trainer Certification with Blackmagic Design. The university also will be using DaVinci Resolve as their main post production software for their Screen Media degree.

DaVinci Resolve has been used on most of this year’s Hollywood blockbusters including "Adrift," "American Animals," "Deadpool 2," "Hearts Beat Loud," "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," "Madeline’s Madeline," "Mile 22," "The Miseducation of Cameron Post," "On Chesil Beach," "Sicario: Day of the Soldado," "Skyscraper," "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and "Sorry to Bother You."

DaVinci Resolve continues to be the go-to application for many of the world’s leading editors, colorists and post production facilities, such as EFILM’s Skip Kimball, Harbor Picture Company’s Joe Gawler and Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3.

The Screen Media degree at Victoria University makes full use of the campus’s facilities, which include state-of-the-art mac labs, a multi-camera television studio, radio studio, greenscreens along with a full range of production cameras and equipment. Dr Marc C-Scott, course chair for the Bachelor of Screen Media, chose to use DaVinci Resolve as the primary post-production software for the program.

As part of the Screen Media degree’s continual improvements, Dr C-Scott and his staff became part of Australia’s first university to be certified as Blackmagic Design Certified Trainers for DaVinci Resolve.

“Victoria University is always looking to explore and improve on degrees and adding Resolve to the curriculum is a big step forward,” said Dr C-Scott. “We are adding Resolve-specific classes throughout the degree, which will include all parts of Davinci Resolve. From there, we hope our students will use the software as part of their future studies and professionally.”

As part of the University’s installation of DaVinci Resolve, its two new post-production mac labs, each with capacity for 20 students, will be equipped with DaVinci Resolve. The new studio and lab join Victoria University’s recently developed television studio.

“Blackmagic Design gives amazing tech to people who could not afford to follow their film and video dreams in the past,” he said. “Now, with Resolve and the new television studio post- production and facilities, Victoria University will see even more students from around Australia coming to us. We will continue to grow with Resolve and are already planning future improvements for the degree based around Blackmagic Design products.”

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Product photos of DaVinci Resolve Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the US, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Gala Captured in 4K with URSA Broadcast and ATEM Switcher

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:37:45 +0000

Fremont, CA – July 31, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Australian production company Avoca Blue used URSA Broadcast cameras and ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K video live production switcher to capture the recent Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Gala. The concert was captured in 4K, and also included a number of other Blackmagic Design cameras and broadcast products in the eight camera production.

The MSO opened their 2018 season with a gala concert series that included performances by Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire and Australian heldentenor and Grammy Award nominee, Stuart Skelton. Shot in 4K, the concerts are to be broadcast to audiences in Australia. Previous concerts shot by Avoca Blue of the MSO using Blackmagic Design products were also sold to China and were watched by more than 600,000 views.

To capture the performance, Avoca Blue used a combination of eight Blackmagic Design cameras, including two URSA Broadcasts, an URSA Mini 4.6K EF and five Micro Studio Camera 4Ks. The cameras were fed into an ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K for live switching, and also were used with Blackmagic Design Talkback Converter and Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G for moving from SDI to fiber.

Producer Toby Parkinson and Technical Director Ben Doudney had previously shot and streamed a number of Australian concerts with other Blackmagic Design cameras, but this was the first event using the URSA Broadcast.

“I loved the ability to have the URSA Broadcasts used with our B4 lenses. The results were phenomenal,” Toby said. “We had used cinema camera lenses before, but the zoom was always limiting. For a concert, you want to be able to quickly zoom in on fingers and faces, and being able to use good zoom lenses was fantastic. Being able to do this makes the URSA Broadcast perfect for these types of live shoots.”

“Also, being able to use B4 lenses with the URSA Broadcast, we could get in a lot more light through the lens. The director was able to pull out to the orchestra from tight finger shots quickly and beautifully and knowing that we could work in low light we could get more creative with our shots and get really wide open,” he continued.

With the Gala, Toby and Ben were faced with the task of getting as many angles as possible, but at the same time remaining inconspicuous and out of the shot. With eight cameras capturing the performance, they relied on the URSA Broadcast, URSA Mini Pro and Micro Studio Camera 4K’s low profiles and small design.

The set up, which was run with only three camera crew on the URSA Broadcasts and URSA Mini 4.6K included using the URSA Broadcasts set up at 45 degree angles to stage, and raised to the first balcony in order to get full shots of the orchestra and tight shots of the soloists. The URSA Mini 4.6K EF was set up in the back for wide shots, while the five Micro Studio Camera 4Ks were set up among the artists. This included cameras located near the string, brass, timpani and pianos areas, as well as a unique “Conductor Camera” that ISO’d footage directly in front of the conductor, making it look like the conductor was looking directly at the viewer.

“Anyone watching the show live or broadcast later could not see the cameras in their line of site sight while watching the performance. The small design of all the cameras made it possible to get really creative with our angles and let us really bring the audience right in there with the performers,” said Ben. “And the Micro Studio Cameras are easy to set up and adjust, so I was able to quickly move the cameras and get set up, while during the show the ATEM’s camera control let us quickly trim focus and adjust each of the Micro Studio Cameras right from the switcher.”

Avoca Blue shoot concerts and other events all over Australia, and relies on Blackmagic Design products to be compact, easy to transport and easy to set up. Following the MSO Gala concerts, Toby and Ben were able to load the entire eight camera setup, along with the rest of their gear and cabling in a single SUV.

“With our complete Blackmagic workflow, we are able to offer our customers a large, high quality multi-camera production that is both affordable and easy to set up and tear down. The fiber converter alone saved us from having to travel with 80 kilos of cable line,” said Toby.

In the upcoming months, Avoca Blue will use their Blackmagic Design workflow to shoot work with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra for Germany’s Unitel.

“It will be a huge accomplishment to provide these concerts for the German market. German broadcasters will only accept a very high standard and moving forward we, using Blackmagic gear, will be capturing and delivering to an incredibly high standard and distributed by this very prestigious company,” he concluded.

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Product photos of URSA Broadcast, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Studio Camera 4K, ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K, Mini Converter Optical Fiber 12G, Talkback Converter, and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

More Than 25 of Summer 2018’s Biggest Film Releases Used Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 16:09:22 +0000

Fremont, CA - July 9, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that more than 30 of the 2018 summer season’s worldwide film releases used numerous Blackmagic Design products during production and post, including its digital film cameras, DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, color correction and audio post production application and more. This included some of the biggest blockbusters and expected blockbusters of the summer, such as “Deadpool 2,” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

Blackmagic Design products were used at nearly every stage of production and post production on various summer films created around the world. DaVinci Resolve continues to be the go-to application for many of the world’s leading editors, colorists and post production facilities, such as EFILM’s Skip Kimball on “Deadpool 2,” Harbor Picture Company’s Joe Gawler for “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and “Mile 22” by Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3.

The summer films that used Blackmagic Design products for production include:

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” DIT Kyle Spicer used DaVinci Resolve, UltraStudio, SmartVideohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor and a variety of converters for on-set work;
Marvel Studios’ “Ant-man and Wasp” DIT Daniele Colombera used a variety of Blackmagic Design capture and playback devices, Mini Converter, Mini Monitor, SmartScope Duo, Smart Videhub and DaVinci Resolve for on-set work;
“The Darkest Minds” Action Unit DP Paul Hughen, ASC, and Action Unit Director Jack Gill used four Micro Studio Camera 4Ks as small and lightweight stunt cameras;
“Deadpool 2” DIT Simon Jori used DaVinci Resolve and ATEM 1M/E for greenscreen/bluescreen and on-set work;
“Dog Days” DIT Dane Brehm used Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12, SmartScope Duo and SmartView Duo for on-set work;
“The First Purge” DIT Lewis Rothenberg used UltraStudio 4K, HDLinks and Smart Videohub 20x20 and Smart Videohub 16x16 for on-set work;
“Hotel Artemis” DIT Lonny Danler used DaVinci Resolve, a Micro Videohub and DeckLink Mini Monitor for on-set work;
“Mile 22” DIT Urban Olsson used Teranex Mini SDI to HDMI, MultiView 4, Smart Videohub 20x20, DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G, Ultrastudio 4K, Ultrastudio and DaVinci Resolve for on-set work and for the creation of an on-set VR monitoring solution for the film’s director;
“Overboard” DIT Mark Allan used DaVinci Resolve, HDLinks and UltraStudio Express for on-set work;
“Show Dogs” DIT Thomas Patrick used DaVinci Resolve, HyperDeck Studio, SmartView monitors and Videohub monitors for on-set;
“Siberia” DP Eric Koretz used a Micro Studio Camera 4K with a Video Assist 4K, as well as DaVinci Resolve and a DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel for testing different looks on-set;
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” DIT Ryan Nguyen used various routers, Mini Monitors and DeckLink cards, along with DaVinci Resolve on-set; and
“Skyscraper” 2nd Unit DIT Mark Allan used HDLink, UltraStudio Express and DaVinci Resolve for on-set work.

For Post Production using DaVinci Resolve Studio:

“Adrift” by Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3;
“American Animals” by Rob Pizzey of Goldcrest for The Orchard;
“Deadpool 2” by Skip Kimball of Deluxe’s EFILM;
“Hearts Beat Loud” by Mike Howell of Color Collective;
“Juliet, Naked” by Nat Jencks of Goldcrest;
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” by Adam Glasman of Goldcrest;
“A Kid Like Jake” by Nat Jencks of Goldcrest;
“Madeline’s Madeline” by Nat Jencks of Goldcrest;
“Mile 22” by Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3;
“The Miseducation of Cameron Post” by Nat Jencks of Goldcrest;
“On Chesil Beach” by Tom Poole of Company 3;
“Overboard” by Trent Johnson of MTI Film;
“RBG” by Ken Sirulnick of Glue Editing & Design, along with Fusion Studio for stabilizing work;
“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” by Stephen Nakamura of Company 3;
“Skyscraper” by Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3;
Disney Lucasfilms’ “Solo: A Star Wars Story” by Joe Gawler of Harbor Picture Company;
“Sorry to Bother You” by Sam Daley at Goldcrest;
“Sorry to Bother You” for VFX by Darren Orr of Beast;
“SuperFly” by David Hussey of Company 3.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve, Micro Cinema Camera, UltraStudio, SmartVideohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor, Mini Converter, SmartScope Duo, Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12, Teranex Express, Fusion Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Press Contact

Terry Frechette

+1 408 954 0500 Ext. 321

pr-usa@blackmagicdesign.com

Association of Paddlesurf Professionals World TourUses Blackmagic Design Live Production Workflow

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 15:45:12 +0000

Fremont, CA - June 29, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the Association of Paddlesurf Professionals (APP) World Tour uses a full Blackmagic Design workflow, including the URSA Mini 4K digital film camera, Micro Studio Camera 4K live studio camera, and ATEM Production Studio 4K switcher for the broadcast, live production, streaming and video production of international surfing events.

Created by the Waterman League, the APP World Tour is the official professional world championship tour for the fast growing sport of paddlesurfing, also known as stand up paddling (SUP), including both the surfing and racing divisions. The APP World Tour produces a complete inventory of programming, including live and post produced broadcasts from all of its events across the globe, with distribution to more than 100 countries worldwide via premier global networks such as CBS Sports and Fox Sports Australia. Delivering live broadcast action, highlight content, athlete specials and post produced shows, the tour’s 2018 events will be held in London, New York, San Francisco, Paris and the Canary Islands.

According to CEO Tristan Boxford, the Waterman League is a production company that founded and operates the APP World Tour, working with partners across the world, including government agencies and television networks, to make sure the league delivers high quality events on a global scale.

“We’ve produced events and live productions everywhere from the beautiful beaches of Hawaii to the city of Tokyo to Germany to Patagonia in the glacier area of Chile to Fiji and beyond,” said Tristan. “We have a very dynamic environment. We need products that can hit the ground running, so we can create a production setup very quickly and easily. Sometimes we don’t even have production trucks and other various elements that make things easier from a production standpoint.”

In each live broadcast event, the Micro Studio Camera 4K captures two hosts in the broadcast booth, two URSA Mini 4K cameras are set up to capture the main action angles, and another URSA Mini 4K acts as a roving ENG camera. All of the camera feeds run via SDI through Blackmagic Micro Converters SDI-HDMI, and the loop through SDI signal is then fed into the ATEM Production Studio 4K, while the HDMI out signal is fed into a replay machine, sending one replay feed back into the ATEM. The Micro Studio Camera 4K runs SDI in and out, giving the team control over that camera from the ATEM Production Studio 4K. The team also has a graphics station that runs live graphics on an HDMI input, while all of the audio gets mastered via a MIDI board running in conjunction with the ATEM and its software.

The Waterman League also runs two full time television series that follow both the surfing and racing tours and their competitions, as well as special projects and lifestyle content the company creates to support the tours, including segments on the athletes, locations, lifestyle and other elements of the sport. Since 2012, the tour has been broadcasting all of its events live on the web. After using Blackmagic Mini Converters for many years, they began using ATEM switchers to support their live broadcasts.

“The ATEMs were very intuitive and easy to use, and gave us the high quality we needed,” said Tristan. “They are amazing for our needs. From there, we saw the value of the cameras and the level of production quality, and began gearing toward that. Now all of our cameras are Blackmagic Design. We use the ATEM switchers for live production, the studio cameras for live studio setups, and the URSA Mini 4K for the high speed action of all the water sports.”

The Waterman League’s Director of Media, Christian Henning, directs each webcast and runs the ATEM Production Studio 4K software control on his computer, in addition to the main switching computer which has built-in macros to run the ATEM. Each member of the technical team has a computer on the network with a copy of ATEM software running, both as a backup for the main computer and so that at anytime anyone can be called on to check audio, load a graphic or assist in an emergency with switching.

The team runs a program feed out to the beach via SDI and to the announcers in the booth while a replay machine creates the line cut from the day’s broadcast. The SDI signal is also split to an editor who cuts live packages throughout the day and assembles the highlight video for release as soon as the day’s event is done. The team also sends a master feed out to an encoder and to RTMP locations to put it out to the world.

According to Christian, “Since the start of our live broadcasts we have been using ATEM production switchers. The software interface has made it a breeze to connect a number of operators, from our audio control to our technical director and graphics operator. We have been able to grow our productions using Blackmagic Design products from just a two camera setup covering a day long SUP surfing event to a full fledged live broadcast entity, creating a television show from each of our events around the world while also providing our global fanbase with the live competition experience.”

“Being a SUP surfing and racing World Tour means we only film and operate in the worst conditions you can put electronics into, with salty sea air, wind, rain, and waves battering our gear no matter how tightly we cover things up and protect them,” said Christian. “We have had to pull off live broadcasts on deserted islands, on beaches during the worst storm in Europe in 50 years, as well as in deserts where the soaring temperatures melted battery packs. Through all of this, our Blackmagic Design gear has just kept on going. After doing this job for the past ten years, I can say without a doubt that in my experience, the one company that makes gear that lasts and can take the rough and tumble of life on the road is Blackmagic Design.”

He continued, “Looking to the future and the expansion of our media team, I’m very excited by the recent Blackmagic Design product announcements regarding their live broadcast range. We will, as always, be leading the charge in this arena and will be doing so with our ever growing list of Blackmagic Design equipment, knowing that no matter what nature throws at us we will be able to cover it and come back for more the next day.”

Tristan concluded, “We’ve used a lot of great cameras in the past, but the Blackmagic Design cameras are the best suited for our live production needs. The quality of the images is amazing and it’s been really great for us to have consistent products throughout our workflow. All angles are the same levels of high quality 4K images. We don’t stream in 4K because of bandwidth restrictions, but we shoot everything in 4K so that it’s the most stunning quality possible.”

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini 4K, Micro Studio Camera 4K, ATEM Production Studio 4K, Micro Converter SDI-HDMI, Mini Converters, and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Surugadai University Builds 4K Studio with Blackmagic Products

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 27 Jun 2018 15:10:22 +0000

Tokyo, Japan — June 27, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that Surugadai University built a new 4K studio using Blackmagic Design’s Studio Camera 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel. The products have been installed in the studio in Surugadai University Media Center.

The installation, which upgrades the studio from SD to 4K, also includes a workflow built around other Blackmagic Design products, including ATEM Talkback Converter 4K, HyperDeck Studio Pro, Teranex Minis, SmartView 4K and SmartScope Duo 4K.

The Faculty of Media and Information Studies is made up of three courses. The Audio-Visual Media course is focused on studying forms of expression in visual and auditory media through the process of producing content such as commercials, video messages, music videos, dramas and documentaries. Students can learn techniques they can make use of when they get jobs at broadcasting stations, radio stations and production companies after graduation.

"Now that everyone is heading towards 4K, we made a decision to install a new 4K system so that students can experience the latest technology," said Professor Kazuhiko Saika.

The new 4K studio is mainly used for classes of the Faculty of Media and Information Studies as well as at open campus days when students from local elementary schools and junior high schools are invited to social experience classes.

“University students in our classes create news programs with roles for each, such as casters, cameramen and directors. Normally students are afraid to touch broadcast cameras which they haven’t used before. However, with Studio Camera 4K they don’t need much time to know how to use them. You can adjust zoom and focus by touching lenses and it is simple and easy to use with big viewfinders,” said Mr. Masahiro Takada, teaching assistant to Professor Kazuhiko Saika.

Mr. Takanori Miyake, manager of the university’s Media Center Information Systems said: “These young students actually experience the workflow for news programs, trying cameras, putting picture-in-picture with a switcher. It is great to see them enjoy the 4K video recorded by the broadcast equipment they don’t usually have a chance to touch. We hope to keep on contributing to the local community."

They also installed HyperDeck Studio Pro to play background video for blue screen compositing, which is connected to the input and output of ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K for recording and playback. HyperDeck Studio Pro is connected via Ethernet to the ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K for control of the HyperDeck Studio Pro remotely from the ATEM 1M/E Broadcast Panel.

“I hope that students learn how to manage the total quality of media production. In the industry heading rapidly towards 4K and 8K. I think it is important for them to acquire knowledge of the whole process from shooting to post-production. We also have a plan to install DaVinci Resolve and DaVinci Resolve Panels in the future because I think that DaVinci Resolve will become the standard application in the industry,” Professor Kazuhiko Saika concluded.

Press Photography

Product photos of Studio Camera 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K and ATEM 1 M/E Broadcast Panel, ATEM Talkback Converter 4K, HyperDeck Studio Pro, Teranex Minis, SmartView 4K and SmartScope Duo 4K, and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Press Contact

Nick Govoni
Zazil Media Group
(e) nick@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (978) 866 7354

URSA Mini 4.6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio Used for Daimaru Matsuzakaya Clothing Promotion Movie

Samantha Bryton — Tue, 12 Jun 2018 14:22:11 +0000

Fremont, CA — June 12, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that URSA Mini 4.6K was used by Kei Takahashi on the shooting of a promotion movie for TROJAN men’s suits private brand by the Japanese major department store Daimaru Matsuzakaya. DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, UltraStudio 4K and MultiDock were used for editing and color grading, with HyperDeck Studio 12G used for backup recording.

Kei Takahashi, the founder of a Tokyo-based production company KID, specializes in shooting, directing and editing music videos and commercials. For the TROJAN spots, KID provided everything from shooting to editing and color grading.

TROJAN is a men’s suit brand known for a slim silhouette for physically fit Japanese men. This new promotion movie features Masakiyo Maezono, a former national football player and famous football commentator and TV personality, who is shown playing keepie-uppie in TROJAN suit.

“The main reasons I chose URSA Mini 4.6K for this Promotion movie is that I wanted soft looks and high speed recording. High speed recording made it possible to show the dynamic movements of keepie-uppie and details of the stretched suit. I kept in mind the flexibility and functionality of the suit when I was shooting. I planned to grade the footage after shooting so I used RAW 3:1 for recording,” Takahashi said.

He continued: “I used a zoom lens by Sigma. URSA Mini 4.6K’s great merit lies in the fact that you can easily change the lens mount, which widens the scope of lens you can use. I can cope with any project with this single camera, whether the project’s budget is low or high. Even if you are restricted to reasonably priced lenses, you will get high quality images because of the 4.6K image sensor and 15 stops of dynamic range. On top of that, I like the URSA Viewfinder very much because it is sharp and clear.”

He also edited and graded the material using DaVinci Resolve Studio. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel was used for grading. In the post production workflow, UltraStudio 4K served as an I/O device for video outputs with the MultiDock as a data storage system.

“I regularly use DaVinci Resolve not only for grading but also for editing. By using DaVinci Resolve as an editor, I can spare myself the trouble of conforming — or making a mistake in conforming — timelines from another NLE by EDL or XML. Moreover, you don’t need to produce a huge amount of extra proxy material that would take up disk space. Even if you’re required to make editorial changes on a timeline in the middle of grading, you can just switch to the editing page and modify the timeline easily, without going to another NLE and starting the conform process all over again. I also like the feature to customize the keyboard shortcuts in any way you would feel comfortable, as well as the data burn feature to visually put timecode for reference. I find it amazing that you can even put audio plugins on the Fairlight page if needed,” he said.

“As for grading, I aimed for high contrast looks. I focused on sharpening the face with the midtone detail parameter, in order to create masculine looks with subtle details on the model’s face. After grading, the image looked more masculine and powerful. The wheels and rings on DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel are fantastic. I like its tactile feel and delicate sensitivity. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel facilitates and shortens the whole grading process from primary to secondary, leaving out the necessity to use a mouse or keyboard. The less I touch a mouse or keyboard, the more I can keep myself focused on creativity,” he concluded.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini 4.6K, DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, UltraStudio 4K, MultiDock, HyperDeck Studio 12G and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Press Contact

Nick Govoni
Zazil Media Group
(e) nick@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (978) 866 7354

National German Basketball League Livestreams with Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Fri, 08 Jun 2018 14:53:33 +0000

Fremont, CA - June 8, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the 2. Basketball-Bundesliga, Germany’s second tier national basketball league, has developed a live production workflow using broadcast infrastructure from Blackmagic Design to live stream matches from venues across the country.

Developed with support from Teltec AG, each of the sixteen portable production units (PPU) comprises two Micro Studio Camera 4K and a pair of Blackmagic Studio Cameras for acquisition, while an ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K is used for vision mixing.

As a rights owner, the Basketball-Bundesliga partnered with OTT service airtango to facilitate the live streaming of league matches. “Not only did we want to broadcast matches online, we also wanted to produce highlights packages and coverage of press conferences as well as club news, which fans could access for free,” explains Daniel Müller, managing director, 2. Basketball-Bundesliga.

He continues: “From the outset we wanted to enable clubs to deliver the best digital experience possible. To ensure that content is treated with consistency we’ve standardized our production workflow around a PPU system that is powerful yet user friendly.”

Müller explains that each club takes responsibility for assembling its own production crew, and they are encouraged to create content that helps bring fans more exclusive access to the team and its progress. “Each system is incredibly intuitive and provides enough creative flexibility that means clubs can experiment with the type of content they produce on the court and off.”

Match action is acquired in 1080i/50 from a pair of cameras in courtside and steadycam positions, while two fixed camera positions above each hoop supply the ‘basketcam’ shots. Live signals are taken into a bespoke production rack, where the ATEM switcher brings together graphics, scoring overlays, commentary and ambient audio.

“To achieve this, the livestreams have to reflect the speed, tension and excitement on the court and translate it for an online audience, so our footage has to be fast paced and accurate,” explains Müller. “Delivering nationwide, broadcast quality livestreams has been a massive long term project, requiring careful planning, budgeting and training, and Blackmagic Design’s pricing, reliability and high quality production have been essential in its successful deployment.”

A live program mix from stadiums around Germany is then uploaded to airtango where multiple live games can be streamed concurrently.

“The OTT offering not only enables clubs to establish a direct relationship with their fans but also help us as a league to grow the sports fanbase throughout Germany in a way that was never previously possible,” concludes Müller. A good content strategy underpinned by the right technology providers such as Blackmagic Design will allow us to better understand fans and deepen engagement.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Studio Camera, Micro Studio Camera, ATEM 2 M/E Production Studio 4K and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

URSA Broadcast and ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K Installed at NOW Church

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 07 Jun 2018 19:57:53 +0000

Fremont, CA - June 7, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Ocala, Florida-based NOW Church has installed an URSA Broadcast professional broadcast camera, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K live production switcher and ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel hardware control panel. The products will be used to help capture 4K footage of NOW Church’s high energy worship and concert like productions, as well as interviews, video announcements, and music segments viewed by its global audience.

Best known for its creativity and stewardship, NOW Church is a fast growing multicultural Christian church located in Ocala, Florida. With its active local congregation and international reach, the church’s weekly Sunday sermons and other events are aired via local Florida broadcasters, as well as online through its broadcast quality online campus that’s viewed in more than 125 countries.

Ricky Perinchief of Proton Global Media Group installed the URSA Broadcast, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, and ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K at NOW Church and helped integrate the system to accompany its existing workflow that included URSA Mini Pro, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Blackmagic Studio Camera, and other ATEM production switchers. The URSA Broadcast with a Video Assist 4K and the URSA Mini Pro with an URSA Studio Viewfinder act as the main cameras, alongside five Micro Studio Camera 4Ks that are set up around the church to capture all angles of the pastor and band for sermons, concerts and other church events. Two of the Micro Studio Camera 4Ks are wireless, including one on a track on the ceiling controlled by a remote control chassis, and one on a DJI Ronin M Stabilizer.

The cameras are fed into the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, two via wireless transmitters, with the ATEM located 120 feet away from the main stage. All of the outputs of the switcher are fed into a Smart Videohub 20x20 and routed to the return camera outputs and campus televisions in the pastor’s study, the nursery, and the church lobby. The team also uses two HyperDeck Studio Pros to record the program output and a clean feed output to use for B-roll.

“We are very impressed with the URSA Broadcast,” said Ricky. “The full length of the zoom range is awesome. We use it with two different HD B4 lenses, and there’s no softness on the edges. We are able to use the entire zoom ratio even at F1.7. I think that opens up a whole other market of churches. Even those that aren’t lit properly for broadcast, with this camera they would be able to gain down the lens at F1.7 to give them the brightness they need. We’re very happy with the camera’s native 2/3” sensor and the abundance of buttons and switches. Whether you’re in the studio world or ENG world doing remote work, this camera has everything you need, and the price point is unbeatable.”

Using the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K to switch the camera feeds has allowed NOW Church to be more flexible than ever before. “In the church world having something that is more versatile, like the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, is great,” said Ricky. “Our clients use the different M/Es for things like broadcast, IMAG and in house projection. Having the ability to do more with different feeds for different places is a very cool option. It is very easy to go between the M/Es on the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, because everything is laid out so well.”

In addition to operating during the weekly sermons on Sundays, NOW Church’s control room doubles as a recording studio during the week. By using the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel to control the ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, Ricky has streamlined the switching process during broadcasts, as well as the process of converting the control room to a recording studio. The panel’s mobility and power over Ethernet allow his team to easily move the setup between rooms.

“We love the T-bar, the shortcuts with the macros and how everything is laid out on the panel,” said Ricky. “It’s very user friendly and everything is where it needs to be. For the church world, having something at this price point is huge. For the functionality it has, I think it’s a no brainer. Then when our broadcast is over, we can easily move the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel from the desk in the control room to a separate engineering room. That way, everything stays on the network and we only have that one cable to plug in for the panel, which gives us everything we need. It’s super lightweight and well built. This would also be a great feature for mobile trucks, or other control rooms like ours that are multi-purpose.”

He continued, “We also have Micro Studio Camera 4Ks at various points in the room, and beingable to have the ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel control the PTZ type functions of the pan and tilt heads for these cameras is incredible. I think macros are where it’s headed in the industry. With this panel, that’s easy to do.”

Ricky concluded by saying, “What these products do is give the user options with their price points and 12G-SDI features. You can have SDI across the board. You can convert SDI to HDMI if needed. You can do 4K now or in the future. Blackmagic Design really connects the dots and gets what people need. That’s a huge plus for churches, especially those run by volunteers. To have everything talk to each other, to be able to recall your template and have everything snap back to the way it was, to load your graphics, to get your DSKs programmed, to get your cameras colored and matched up the way they need to be, and then have it snap back with one button is great. Blackmagic Design takes the guess work out of it.”

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Broadcast, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, URSA Mini Pro, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Blackmagic Studio Camera, Video Assist 4K, URSA Studio Viewfinder, Smart Videohub 20x20, HyperDeck Studio Pro and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Press Contact

Nick Govoni
Zazil Media Group
(e) nick@zazilmediagroup.com
(p) +1 (978) 866 7354

Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K

Ned Soltz — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 02:00:00 +0000

Where do you go when you need a small broadcast camera that can fit almost anywhere, can be operated remotely, is low cost but also provides higher image quality than an action camera? The answer is simple: the Blackmagic Design Micro Studio Camera 4K.

Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4k with Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 zoom lens.FEATURES
Measuring about 2.5x3.25x2.7-inches and weighing only 11 ounces (311 grams) bare, the Micro Studio Camera 4K nonetheless sports a magnesium alloy body hosting a Super16 size sensor with Micro43 (MFT) mount. It can be powered by Canon LP-E6 batteries for an average run time of a little over an hour, as well as by an AC adapter (included) or external 12V power. With 3.25- inch holes on the bottom of the camera and 1.25-inch holes on the top, mounting options are limitless. It features a full complement of I/O ports, albeit at times miniaturized for the small camera. On the left side of the camera there are 2 DIN 1.0/2.3 SDI in/out connectors as well as mini jacks for phones and external microphone. The right side contains a full-size HDMI out as well as an expansion plug for included pigtail. The pigtail in turn includes connections for PTZ control, B4 lens power and control, LANC, Ref IN, S.Bus, and 12V power in.

The feature set is so inclusive and the images so useable it’s hard to imagine Blackmagic can sell this camera for $1,295.

IN USE
I tested with a Panasonic 7-14mm f/4 zoom lens courtesy of Abel Cine. Unfortunately, this lens is not supported for remote zoom via LANC or SDI camera control, but still represents a useful focal length range for remote cameras. Any MFT to B4 adapter will permit the use of broadcast style lenses with power via the expansion pigtail and remote control via SDI. Likewise, an MFT to any other mount adapter would work.

With no viewing screen, camera configuration is achieved by plugging in an SDI or HDMI monitor and setting via the camera menu. It would always be possible to monitor live via such a screen or even to record to an integrated monitor/recorder. The menu structure is similar to all Blackmagic cameras: simple, basic and to the point.

This is designed as a live broadcast camera to go either directly to a recording device or more likely to a switcher. There are no log or cinema profiles; it is strictly a REC709 device with 1920x1080 up to 60p and 3840x2160 to 30p formats in every possible frame rate to available maximums. Shutter speed, pre-set white balance and gain up to +18dB can also be set via the menu or remote SDI configuration.

Remote SDI configuration and CCU functions require one of the Blackmagic ATEM switchers. Note that the SDI or HDMI output from the camera can be output to any switcher, but camera control does require an ATEM switcher. In my testing, Blackmagic Design provided me a loaner ATEM Production Studio 4K.

In my typical configuration, SDI from camera went to one of the four SDI inputs on the ATEM along with input from other cameras. HDMI output from the switcher went to an LG 31-inch 4K monitor via the ATEM’s multi-view output, which provides a 1080 down-res signal and the typical preview, program and source windows. Output from the ATEM’s AUX1 SDI port went back to the camera for control purposes.

The camera will accept any non-downresed SDI input from the ATEM switcher, which means that the multiview outputs will not suffice; these outputs are only for viewing source/program. The big “gotcha” is that in the settings menu of the camera I needed to set a camera number corresponding to the input number on the switcher. In this case, I was going into input 5. Once the camera number was set, the camera front tally light turned red and full camera control was available. The ATEM can control as many cameras as there are available non-down-resed SDI ports. It was mentioned in the documentation, but I confess to missing it completely.

Also note that when using the ATEM switcher, camera frame rate and size are not detected automatically; the ATEM switcher input must be configured manually to the actual camera output. Nor can the ATEM camera control software switch resolution or frame rate of the camera.

The camera is particularly useful with drones, owing to the S.Bus connector on the pigtail. But what if you don’t want to fly a drone with five unused connectors dangling? Camera documentation includes complete pin-out reference so that one could build a custom cable for S.Bus, or for any other available feature for that matter.

S.Bus protocol can also control the camera, thus mounting the camera to a drone capable of the weight of camera, lens and battery plus remote transmitter can deliver a broadcast-level signal to control.

The Micro Studio’s internal microphone is about what you would expect from any inexpensive built-in mic. It might work for remote or reality or just as easily as a scratch audio track. The 3.5mm mini stereo plug does allow an external mic.

The MFT sensor and BMD color science delivers an adequate 10-bit 4:2:2 signal for broadcast. The 10-bit signal allows for a little more color grading via camera painting than an 8-bit signal.

The Micro Studio though, is plagued by a concern across the entire Blackmagic camera line: Low light capability is limited. Now using this as a studio camera or in an array of cameras around a stage for live performance should make this less of an issue. Cranking up gain by +6dB might be as far as anyone would want to push it. Definitely by the maximum +18dB, I was seeing completely unacceptable noise patterns.

SUMMARY
The Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K is a highly worthy option for live or recorded production. The Super16 sensor with MFT mount, adaptable to virtually any other lens mount, delivers a clean picture provided it’s fed sufficient light. In the case of the Studio camera, it interfaces seamlessly with any production switcher and when used with the Blackmagic ATEM Switcher line can be controlled via the CCU functions of the Blackmagic Switcher software.

The versatility and low cost of the Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K facilitates the greater production value that can come from multiple camera positions. And there is no need to settle on one of the action cameras and compromise on image.

With the downsides of small connectors and poor low light sensitivity, the strengths of the Micro Studio Camera 4K more than outweigh these relatively minor points to produce a camera worthy of consideration in virtually any level of production.

Ned Soltz is an industry veteran who shoots, edits, produces and writes about products and industry trends. He may be contacted atnsoltz1@me.com.

FAST FACTS

APPLICATION
Live/recroded production camera

KEY FEATURES
Compact; remotely operable; Super16 image sensor; MFT mount; powered by Canon LP-E6 batteries, AC adapter or external 12 V power

SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE:
$1,295

CONTACT
Blackmagic Design
408-954-0500
www.blackmagicdesign.com