FREMONT, Calif.—Blackmagic Design has announced that Los Angeles-based Voxx Studios, a major audio post and localization house, has created a new service using Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K that syncs voice over talent’s audio work with video of their facial acting.

“The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is a big part of making this service possible. It gives us high quality images of course, but it also lets us send audio timecode directly into the camera from whatever audio software we want to use. That flexibility on top of the images has been great,” said Andrei Zinca, the CEO of Voxx Studios. 

Voxx Studios is also using Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and DaVinci Resolve Studio to complete the feature documentary `Who I Am Not’, helmed by Tunde Skovran, who is one of Voxx Studios’ owners, and produced by Zinca. The movie is produced by Double 4 Studios in collaboration with Voxx Studios.

Voxx Studios is a full service dubbing, localization and subtitling studio for TV, film and multimedia and an audio post production facility with 11 recording studios and four mixing bays, which have produced more than 5,000 hours of dubbed content. The company is able to provide services in a multitude of languages, from English, Spanish and Portuguese, to German, French, Mandarin or Japanese.

The new synching service by Voxx Studios is already used on a number of globally distributed animes and allows animators to get perfectly synced media to help create more realistic animated features. With the service, based on software created by Voxx Studio engineers, voice over artist’s facial performances are recorded at 24 fps on a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K at the same time as they are recording audio tracks. Linear audio timecode is captured and sent directly into the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K in real time and the combined media is saved on the camera’s SD card.

Zinca added: “The size of the camera is also a big advantage for us. We are primarily an audio company and did not build our ATMOS studios with large camera rigs in mind. The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is small, but still looks and acts like a professional camera. This is very important since we have found that when the voice talent know they are being recorded on a high quality camera, they play up their scenes even more. Which means we get the animators and editors even more to work with.”

Zinca also uses Blackmagic Design cameras and DaVinci Resolve Studio post production software for his own films and documentaries. This includes the recent award winning film “Si atunci, ce e libertatea?” (“So, What's Freedom?”), a political drama inspired by historical facts that tells the story of love and survival against the background of the 1951 Communist ordered deportation of 40,000 landowners and people of non Romanian origins to the Baragan Plain. For the film, he used DaVinci Resolve Studio for editing and audio work.

“The small design of the cameras let us stay in the background,” Zinca said. “Even up close to the talent, the Pockets do not intrude like other big cameras. All while getting an amazingly high quality image. And with the high dynamic range we know we can take creative risks shooting in not ideal lighting and still be able to recover the shots in Resolve.” 

FREMONT, Calif.—Blackmagic Design gear was a key part of the production and post-production of the independent film “I’m Fine (Thank You for Asking)” that debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March. The production utilized a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and the DaVinci Resolve Studio.

The film, which follows a mother and her 8-year-old child dealing with homelessness during the pandemic, was shot in 2020. Production restrictions helped lead the filmmakers to the Blackmagic camera.

Because of the size of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, the crew could put the camera on a DJI Ronin S gimbal stabilizer. Director of photography Becky Baihi Chen said that the small camera on a small gimbal allowed her to easily follow the lead character as she roller skates in some scenes.

The film was also shot in Blackmagic RAW, Contrast Bitrate 5:1, which helped manage the lighting conditions of shooting a lot of exteriors.

Once the film was edited, it was then conformed in DaVinci Resolve. This allowed for camera metadata to be manipulated by a colorist during the color grading process, as well as using the edit page for split and completed stabilizations.

“I’m Fine (Thank You for Asking)” was directed by Kelley Kali and Angelique Molina.

FREMONT, Calif.—Blackmagic Design has announced that it has given its Pocket Cinema Camera 6K a new studio camera software update to enable it to be used as a studio camera for live production. In addition, the company has announced a price drop of the camera.

The software update allows the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K to serve as a studio camera when used with the ATEM Mini switchers. Video and control is handled via the HDMI connection. The camera’s record light is able to serve as a tally light, turning on when on-air. The ATEM Software Control camera page has a camera control unit (CCU) style interface for adjusting and matching cameras. Additional controls are available for color tint, focus, gain and shutter speed. Users can ISO record Blackmagic RAW in the camera for editing later.

Basic features of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K include a 6,144x3,456 Super 35 sensor and EF lens mount; 13 stops of dynamic range; built-in CFast and SD UHS-II card recorders, and a USB-C expansion port; a 5-inch touchscreen; Blackmagic RAW recording; Blackmagic OS; and mini XLR input with 48 volt phantom power.

Blackmagic Design is now offering the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K for $1,995, $500 less than its previous price, according to the company.

For more information, visit www.blackmagicdesign.com.  

Fremont, CA – January 9, 2020 – Blackmagic Design today announced that production company Echo Bay Media used Pocket Cinema Camera 6Ks, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 to shoot the Japanese-Canadian mini series “Into the Rising Sun,” which premiered on Canada’s CHCH in December 2019. Echo Bay Media shot the series in Blackmagic RAW and relied on DaVinci Resolve Studio for color grading.

“Into the Rising Sun” was produced in partnership with Japanese network TSS and follows Echo Bay Media Cofounder and Producer Scott Wilson as he travels throughout the lesser seen parts of Japan, exploring a variety of scenic areas while riding a motorcycle. The series was shot and directed by Echo Bay Media Cofounder Andre Dupuis and allows viewers to experience the wonders of Japan’s countryside.

When choosing gear for the project, Wilson and Dupuis knew they needed cameras that were light and portable, but that still provided the best cinematic look for the series. By pairing two Pocket Cinema Camera 6Ks with a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Wilson and the team were able to capture specific moments of Japanese culture without being obtrusive.

“We love being a fly on the wall in the way we do things, and it was way easier because of how compact the Pocket Cinema Cameras are. For example, when we were walking into a temple, a festival, or enjoying a culinary experience, we relied on the Pocket Cinema Cameras as they wouldn’t disrupt the moment and captured things with a proper reality. That was amazing and really important to us,” said Wilson.

The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K also provided Echo Bay Media with the extra resolution they needed. This was a huge benefit while shooting the motorcycle scenes specifically.

“There were times when Andre was hanging out the side of a minivan on a highway with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K rigged up to a stabilizer, getting shots of me on the motorcycle. In these instances, bumps and wobbles were inevitable,” said Wilson. “However, because of the extra resolution we had when shooting in 6K, we could easily dial in, stabilize and perfect the shots in post. It made run and gun situations feasible.”

“The camera’s small footprint, ability to shoot in Blackmagic RAW, and 13 stops of dynamic range worked perfectly with our stabilizer,” said Dupuis. “It allowed us to capture shots that would normally require very expensive, purpose built camera cars with heavy cameras and gimbals.”

The ability to shoot in Blackmagic RAW proved to be a significant benefit for Dupuis while capturing the documentary style footage.

“When we are shooting documentary style, we need to travel with three copies of the footage for redundancy. This means the hard drive fills up quickly,” Dupuis explained. “Travelling the world with as little weight and bulk as possible is crucial. Blackmagic RAW gives us that flexibility with its efficiency, providing the best image quality for the smallest file size.”

Rounding out the workflow, the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K was used as the night vision camera in near zero light, such as a dark temples or night rides, or when the team wanted to create shots with very little depth of field.

In addition, Dupuis used the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 as the workhorse for spoken content, such as interviews, because of its professional XLR inputs, accessible audio controls, built in ND filters, and extra two stops of latitude. A Pocket Cinema Camera 6K was used in conjunction with the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 to cross shoot the interviews, matching flawlessly.

“Having two more stops of dynamic range had me reaching for the URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 more often than not,” said Dupuis. “Additionally, having built in ND filters is so important to me, as I often want to stick to a specific F Stop for consistent depth of field throughout a scene. I have that control here with the twist of a knob.”

Throughout production, Dupuis and the crew shot in Blackmagic RAW, and Echo Bay Media’s colorist Ryan Edwardson graded the series in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

“When working with multiple cameras in a mixed lighting scene, Blackmagic RAW helps ensure accurate color matching and blending to create a sense of uniformity when cutting,” Edwardson noted. “From the flexibility of color temperature fine tuning in Blackmagic RAW, to the color matching of Image Wipe combined with Qualifier RGB picker, DaVinci Resolve Studio makes it possible to add studio precision to run and gun documentary multi camera work.”

As legacy Blackmagic Design users, Echo Bay Media plans to continue using its existing gear in upcoming productions. “We’ve been using Blackmagic Design for more than ten years, ever since the original HD Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. We are really happy with how ‘Into the Rising Sun’ has turned out with the newest gear and can’t wait to embark on our next journey with Blackmagic Design,” concluded Wilson.

Press Photography

Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, Blackmagic RAW, DaVinci Resolve Studio, as well as 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.

Fremont, CA - November 15, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that award winning live director, Steve Price, used the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K to create a cinematic, slow motion backdrop for Mumford & Sons’ recent appearance at the iHeart Radio music festival in Las Vegas.

Although the rise of LED technology has seen screens become an essential creative element of concert and festival productions, some artists, including the British indie folk band, prefer the focus to be on the live performance, with some clever staging and lighting to help lead the atmosphere.

With two weeks to go till the band were due to headline the festival, where the stage was almost entirely built from LEDs, a new approach was critical. “Other acts on the bill included Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys, Def Leppard and Chance the Rapper, so it was important to stand out visually and create a unique identity for the set given the diverse lineup,” begins Steve.

“We decided to keep things simple with a classically beautiful ‘analogue’ aesthetic, with some slow motion, based around nature and people,” he reveals. “Time was tight as we were also in the midst of a US tour, and I needed to get back to the UK to pick up kit.

“I needed a camera that was capable of 120fps, that also wasn’t too bulky for a one-man shoot. That brought me to the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K which allowed me to travel as light as possible, while still being able to produce the stunning image that I like in Blackmagic’s larger cameras.”

Instead of staying on the tour bus, Steve drove into the Arizona desert. “I had a handful of lenses with me, and I picked up a tripod in Tucson, but I didn’t need anything else,” he says. “I was able to just get out there and shoot; it’s an area I know well and after making a few calls all the locations were sorted.”

Having already got footage of the band and crowds at previous shows, Steve focused on capturing dramatic desert landscapes and charging horses. “I filmed the horses in 120fps using ProRes HQ in film mode, and it looked incredible on screen. The band saw it at sound check for the first time and really loved it."

He concludes: “I’ve been working in film for a really long time. Back in the day, things were slow, time consuming, post heavy and expensive, and you always wished for things to get a bit quicker, a bit easier, a bit more efficient.”

“Some manufacturers did get closer to that over the years, but I feel Blackmagic has finally got there. Not so long ago this kind of shoot would have been impossible at short notice, but now I’m at a point where I can confidently just go out and shoot anything, knowing the footage will not only be beautiful but easy to work with.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K 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.

FREMONT, Calif.—In a livestream announcement on Thursday, Aug. 8, Blackmagic Design highlighted a trio of newly updated and released products for production and post-production needs. Leading the way was the announcement of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, but it was also accompanied by the latest version of DaVinci Resolve and the new UltraStudio 4K Mini.

Building off of the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K model, the new Pocket Cinema Camera 6K features a full Super 35 size 6K HDR image sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range, and EF lens mount and dual native ISO up to 25,600. With its 6144x3456 Super 35 sensor and EF lens mount ability, the camera can be paired with a range of professional quality lenses to create different looks, as well as reframe and zoom in on an original shot in post-production to create a close-up. The camera can shoot up to 50 fps at 6144x3456 16:9 or 60 fps at 6144x2560 2.4:1 and 5744x3024 17:9. The camera records in either 10-bit Apple ProRes for 4K images or 12-bit Blackmagic RAW for 6K.

Additional camera features a 5-inch touchscreen on the back of the camera to view the image and adjust settings. It features the Generation 4 Color Science for appropriate colors, a full-size HDMI connector, a mini XLR connection, 17 and 33 3D LUT files, a built-in timecode generator and the ability to display settings in 11 different languages. The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K is available now for $2,495.

Blackmagic also displayed a new entry to its line of UltraStudio systems, the UltraStudio 4K Mini. This capture and playback system is designed for Thunderbolt 3 computers with 12G-SDI, HDMI, analog video and audio connections for building solutions editing, color grading, live broadcast graphics, archiving and live internet streaming. The unit is designed to fit on any rack or desktop and has a front panel that features push button controls, and LCD for monitoring signal and setup, an XLR microphone input and 1/4-inch microphone jack. The unit supports SD, 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2160p and 4K DCI formats. It works with DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro and Avid, as well as Mac, Windows and Linux systems. Blackmagic is now offering the UltraStudio 4K Mini for $995.

There is also a new version of the DaVinci Resolve editing platform that is now available, the DaVinci Resolve 16.1. The new version is meant to help editors improve the sorting of media. This is done through a new featured called Sync Bin, which organizes and displays sync media for easy shot selection either through timecode, audio or manual syncing of clips. Other new features include a Smart Indicator that adds UI feedback for intelligent edit features; a new cut clip tool; a Boring Detector that highlight areas of a clip that lack interest; and a close up edit mode with face recognition to better frame shots. The public beta of the new editing software is available for a free download.

The company also showcased Blackmagic RAW Speed Test, a performance measurement tool for Mac OS X that tests a computer’s CPU and GPU speeds using full resolution Blackmagic RAW image decodes. That is also available as a free download from Blackmagic.

For more information on all these productions, visit blackmagicdesign.com.