Latest from Tv Technology in Ursa-mini-pro

‘Woodwalkers’ Docuseries Captured With Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro G2

Jonny Ginese — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 15:47:19 +0000

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—The docuseries “Woodwalkers” follows a group of determined students as they take on a grueling 15-week training program to become professional lineworkers, constructing and maintaining electric power lines. Working to overcome hardships at home and push through a trying training schedule that can include injuries, dangerous weather and more, the students strive to graduate from the premier Southeast Lineman Training Center in Trenton, Ga. With a new class of students featured each season, the second season of “Woodwalkers” premiered on Amazon Prime in July 2020.

As the second and third seasons’ DP and post supervisor, I chose to shoot the second season with Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini Pro G2 digital film cameras, pairing them with Angenieux EZ-1 and Angenieux EZ-2 lenses, and equipping them with Blackmagic URSA Viewfinders and Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Kits for ease of use.

BATTLING THE CONDITIONS

Due to the docuseries style of “Woodwalkers,” and the inherent challenges that come from a lot of the drama happening in real-time 30 feet in the air, it’s imperative that we have reliable cameras that can stand up to the shooting conditions as well as the elements.

As part of their training, the students are put through night storm training, four-hour climbing sessions and even a Navy Seal-inspired crucible event called “Awakening.” That means we’re put through those shooting conditions as well, in the Georgia heat.

We typically shoot for 8–10 hours a day, and most days are in the high 90s to triple digits, with high humidity. With some intense night shoots happening during stormy weather, we were able to mostly shoot at the cameras’ native ISO of 800, sometimes pushing the URSA Mini Pro G2 to 1600 for slow-motion shots, and everything held up really well.

NEW SEASON, NEW GEAR

Moving from season one to season two, we were able to step back and rethink our approach, including what shooting package made the most sense for the show’s conditions.

After struggling with a 30-pound camera setup for season one, we knew that a more lightweight solution was needed, especially since a lot of the series is shot looking up and our backs needed a break. As we used several different makes and models of cameras while shooting season one, we also wanted to simplify things and start using matching cameras and lenses for season two so things would be less complicated in post. Battery life was also important, especially since swapping them out wasn’t always easy if we were suspended in the air in a bucket truck, capturing the students high up on the poles.

We ultimately selected the URSA Mini Pro and URSA Mini Pro G2 cameras because of their ease-of-use and image quality. We really liked the ability to use off-speed frame rates for slow-motion shots, and filming at 120 fps on the URSA Mini Pro G2 while still using the full sensor was incredible. Also, having built-in ND filters allowed us to keep our lens iris very wide, helping to produce a more dramatic and cinematic image for the docuseries. It’s also great that our batteries lasted 1.5–2 hours, as opposed to burning through them every 30 minutes with the larger camera setup from season one.

The cameras delivered exactly what we were looking for, so we continued using them and the Angenieux EZ-Kit lenses for season three, which is currently in post—stay tuned!

Jonny Ginese is a DP, producer and lead editor at Super Chief LLC, a Tennessee-based production company focused on documentary storytelling, feature length films and other unscripted storytelling. He can be contacted at jonny@gosuperchief.com.

For additional information, visit www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro on Tour with Little Mix

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 16:11:39 +0000

Fremont, CA – January 13, 2020 - Blackmagic Design today announced that live video for the European dates of Little Mix’s LM5 Tour was delivered by the LED Shed, who relied on acquisition and control hardware from Blackmagic Design. The solution featured URSA Mini Pro fiber chains and ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K.

LM5: The Tour is the sixth concert tour by British pop girl group, Little Mix. Opening at the WiZink Center in Madrid in September, the European tour has spanned 40 shows in total, concluding at London’s O2 Arena.

A multicamera fiber workflow was deployed for acquisition and IMAG relay, with two URSA Mini Pro cameras in the pit on a track and dolly system, two more front of house, and one in an elevated position at the back of the arena with a Canon 96x 4K long lens, to capture the band’s triangular platform that flew out across the venue.

The LED Shed’s Luke Levitt says: “We would usually have one camera in the pit, but with so much fast action on stage, having two meant that we could catch all of the choreography. It’s our job as video directors to make sure everyone in the room can see what’s going on, and it’s imperative to have as much movement in the cameras as possible to reflect that action.”

Luke continues: “The group might have a vocal line that they sing each, and that needs capturing individually. We take loads of notes, storyboarding the show as much as possible beforehand. That ensures we hit all of the key moments.”

There were eight screens in total; two side IMAGs and six LED screens on stage. “We had a hexagonal back wall surrounded by four triangular LED screens - we call them the ‘shards’ - and a chevron shaped screen in the ceiling,” Luke explains. “All made out of Desay X5.2 square tiles.”

Live camera visuals were integrated with content designed by Black Skull Creative, in unison with North House Productions. The show was also punctuated with video interludes, telling inspirational messages of female empowerment, and addressing criticisms the group has faced in its eight year existence.

Cameras were shooting 1080p25. “All the screens were 4K, and we had around 50 million pixels to fill, so there was a bit of upscaling. The vision mix was done via an ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, with an ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel. Then everything went into our disguise D3 media servers, including the show content. It was all integrated and upscaled using the D3’s programming.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K, ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel 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.

New Australian Sci Fi Film Quanta Shot on URSA Mini Pro and Graded with DaVinci Resolve

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 14:39:20 +0000

Fremont, CA - August 15th, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced the new sci fi film “Quanta” was shot entirely on an URSA Mini Pro, while grading was done using DaVinci Resolve Studio. The film is one of the first globally distributed films by the new Melbourne based film production company and film collective Raygun, and will begin distribution in the United States and other countries in August.

“Quanta,” shot in Melbourne, tells the story of a weary physicist and an egotistical grad student who discover an immense source of information from an unknown signal in space, but face a clash of ideals with how to handle this unprecedented resource. The director on the film, Nathan Dalton, is an Australian filmmaker who has written and directed numerous award winning short films, music videos and corporate videos. Along with filmmakers Samuel Baulch, Jesse O’Brien, Christian D’Alessi, Sasha Dalton, Dalton founded Raygun Films, which has already completed a number of films using various Blackmagic Design products and DaVinci Resolve Studio software.

“Quanta” takes place in Melbourne, and Dalton used the URSA Mini Pro as the exclusive camera for the film. He wanted to capture the intense sense of foreboding coming from discovering a mysterious alien signal, as well as the vibrant life and city of Melbourne.

“For most of the film I wanted to create a sense of dark and moody. Images that made people think there is something out there just beyond sight. We used a lot of low lighting and we tried to bring in a lot of blues and greens with the LUT that we built in Resolve and used with the URSA Mini Pro,” Dalton said. “Also, we had to create high quality sci fi images, but at the same time on a low budget. The URSA Mini Pro let me do that without compromising on image quality.”

The film showed more than just dark and foreboding images. It was important for Dalton and his crew to capture the color and energy of Melbourne. This meant shooting in crowded venues that showcased a huge amount of different colors.

“There were two distinctly different scenes where the URSA Mini Pro’s color science and dynamic range stood out. In one scene, a main character was in a dark room where a computer signal was being put directly into a character's brain in front of a computer. At the other end of the spectrum we shot a scene with 20 to 30 extras in a pub during a trivia night party that had an amazing amount of different colors. The URSA Mini Pro let me capture all the details we needed even in low lighting, while bringing out the warmth of the lighting and skin tones at the trivia night. You just really appreciate the color science in the camera,” he said.

Color correction and LUT development on “Quanta” was completed using DaVinci Resolve Studio.

“When we were trying to dial in the look and feel of the film, we used Resolve to create an initial LUT and a finished grade that brought in the subtle blues and greens that we needed to create a sense of foreboding,” he continued. “And beyond that, the workflow between URSA Mini Pro and Resolve could not be simpler. There was no wasted time or money on transcoding because we were able to shoot in RAW and bring the footage right into Resolve.

"Many of Raygun’s other films and projects also use DaVinci Resolve. “Blackmagic Design as a company is a game changer. We are able to affordably shoot and handle post production without compromising on quality. We are creating Hollywood level films, and Blackmagic has been part of what has allowed us to make the jump into starting our own film production company,” Dalton said.

Press Photography

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

About Blackmagic Design

‘Legends of the Deep’ Brought to Light With Blackmagic Cameras

Michael Balderston — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 17:30:03 +0000

FREMONT, Calif.—Blackmagic dipped its toes into the ocean waters this summer, as the company recently announced that its Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks and URSA Mini Pro cameras were part of the production of the Science Channel’s limited series “Legends of the Deep.”

Echo Bay Media was one of the production companies for the series that follows Celine and Fabien Cousteau, the grandchildren of Jacques Cousteau, as they dive underwater to explore shipwrecks, strange scientific occurrences and natural anomalies from the sea. To capture these underwater expeditions—which were shot in Belize, Bermuda, Nova Scotia and Cyprus—Echo Bay selected two Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks.

The Blackmagic camera was used inside compact submersibles that would often feature only one camera operator and the two hosts. The camera’s low light capabilities and dynamic range were also key in helping to control the lighting in difficult underwater conditions. The captured footage was then edited with in post-production using Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve Studio, where it could assist with any needed noise reduction. The Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks were also used for vehicle shots of the Cousteau siblings.

Echo Bay also utilized the URSA Mini Pro camera during production, with members of the production crediting the camera’s durability, color capabilities and portability as key benefits.

“Legends of the Deep” premiered on the Science Channel in June

Popular Australian Online Series Flunk Shot with URSA Mini Pro and Blackmagic RAW

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 14:20:40 +0000

Fremont, CA - March 25, 2019- Blackmagic Design today announced that the YouTube series "Flunk," which also airs on Amazon Prime and Here TV, was shot entirely with Blackmagic Design cameras, including URSA Mini Pro, Blackmagic RAW and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K. DaVinci Resolve was used for color correction.

Filmed in Melbourne, Australia, “Flunk” has quickly amassed a global audience during its first sea-son, which includes eight half hour episodes airing on Amazon Prime as well as 40 shorter episodes on YouTube. Created by Director Ric Forster and Producer Melanie Rowland, the show is a new LGBT series exploring sexuality, drug and alcohol use, identity and consent and stars Jessica Li, Akasha Collins, Beaudene Perussich, Uisce Goriss-Dazeley, Caylen Forbes and Olivia Wright.

To film the show, Forster and Rowland chose to use the URSA Mini Pro as their primary camera, with the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K used for various tight or hard to reach shots in each episode.

“The show follows the lives of a number of teens, day and night. When shooting, there was a wide mix of low light, bright natural lighting and indoor nighttime shots where there was the potential for losing details in the shadows. So we had to plan for a huge number of different shooting sce-narios, all while having a small crew and tight budget,” said Forster. “The combination of the URSA Mini Pro and the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K freed us to be creative while knowing we were going to get the highest quality footage possible.”

“The cameras gave us a huge amount of dynamic range, and the footage looked great without a ton of artificial lighting. Instead of spending money on extra lighting, we could put our resources into getting exactly the shots we wanted and being as creative as possible. The cameras’, especially the Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks, dynamic ranges are amazing and gave us the leeway to shoot in low light and know nothing was going to be blown out or lost in the shadows. On top of that, the skin tone we got was beautiful,” he continued.

On a tight budget, Forster and Rowland decided to use Blackmagic RAW, which allowed him to save resources on storage. Blackmagic RAW is a new codec that gives stunning image quality and fast performance in an intelligent new file format, offering both the quality and benefits of RAW with the speed, ease of use and file sizes of traditional video formats.

“Blackmagic RAW is great. We can shoot all day and not have to change cards, and we could just bring all the RAW files directly into DaVinci Resolve, so the post production workflow was easy,” Forster said.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Blackmagic RAW, DaVinci Resolve, 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 re-corders, 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 stereo-scopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engi-neers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more in-formation, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Blackmagic Design Announces New URSA Mini Pro G2 Camera

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 15:58:49 +0000

Fremont, California, USA - March 5, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, a second generation URSA Mini Pro camera featuring fully redesigned electronics and a new Super 35mm 4.6K image sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range that combine to support high frame rate shooting at up to 300 frames per second. In addition, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 supports Blackmagic RAW and features a new USB-C expansion port for direct recording to external disks.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is available now for $5,995 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

The new URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is a dramatic advancement over the original model as it now features entirely new electronics for higher speed processing. Also included is a new Super 35mm 4.6K image sensor that captures up to 4608 x 2592 pixels with 15 stops of latitude at up to 3200 ISO. This allows customers to record full sensor 4.6K images at up to 120 frames per second, windowed 4K DCI at up 150 frames per second, and windowed 1080 HD at an amazing 300 frames per second. That makes URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 ideal for capturing stylized fast action documentary work, nature photography, sports and more.

In addition, URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 can capture Blackmagic RAW images in both film and extended video modes, making it perfect for high end feature films, television shows, commercials, and indie films as well as broadcast news, studio and even live multi camera production.

Blackmagic RAW is a revolutionary, next generation codec that gives customers visually lossless images, extensive metadata support and highly optimized GPU and CPU accelerated processing. Blackmagic RAW combines the quality and workflow advantages of traditional RAW formats with the speed and ease of use of standard video codecs. With Blackmagic RAW, customers can choose compression levels up to 12:1 and still get stunning images that can be used for feature films, documentaries and broadcast programming. Blackmagic RAW settings such as 12:1 are important to allow customers to get the highest frame rates from the camera, and this means only Blackmagic RAW can allow high frame rates while retaining enough quality for professional results.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 also uses Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science for superior imaging that results in extremely accurate skin tones and gorgeous, lifelike colors that rival those of cameras costing tens of thousands of dollars more. Blackmagic RAW images are encoded using a custom non-linear 12-bit space designed to provide the maximum amount of color data and dynamic range. These formats can be recorded onto CFast or SD cards, as well as direct to flash disks using the new USB-C expansion port.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is designed to be extremely tough and fully featured. It includes everything customers need in a compact handheld magnesium alloy body that’s durable and light enough to use anywhere. There’s an external high visibility backlit LCD status display for viewing critical shooting information, a foldout touch screen for reviewing shots without needing an extra on-set monitor, professional connections such as 12G-SDI, XLR audio, built in high quality stereo microphones and more. Plus, every single control on the camera is redundant, including the power, so if anything should go wrong in the field, the camera can still be used.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 features neutral density (ND) filters with IR compensation for quickly reducing the amount of light that enters the camera. The 2, 4 and 6 stop filters are specifically designed to match the colorimetry of the camera and provide additional latitude, even under harsh lighting conditions. That means customers can use different combinations of aperture and shutter angle to achieve shallower depth of field, or specific levels of motion blur, in a wider range of situations. The IR filters evenly compensate for both far red and infrared wave lengths to eliminate IR contamination. The ND filters are true optical filters with a precision mechanism that quickly moves them into place when the ND filter dial is turned.

The broadcast camera design of URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 puts powerful external control buttons, switches, knobs and dials on the outside of the camera, giving customers direct access to the most important camera settings. The controls are laid out in a logical order that makes them easy to remember so cinematographers can operate the camera without having to look at the buttons, hunt through menus, or take their eye off of the action. URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 also features a high visibility status screen that displays important information such as timecode, shutter and lens settings, battery, recording status, and audio levels. The status display features a backlight and is designed to be clearly visible in both dimly lit studios and outside in direct sunlight.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 comes standard with an interchangeable EF lens mount for working high quality photographic lenses. If the camera is being used on a high end film or commercial shoot that calls for large cinematic lenses, simply remove the EF mount and replace it with the optional PL mount. There’s even a B4 broadcast lens mount for working with broadcast HD lenses. URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 also includes a standard 12 pin Hirose lens control connector.

Featuring both dual C-Fast 2.0 recorders and dual SD UHS-II card recorders, customers can choose the media that works best for their projects. C-Fast cards are ideal for full resolution Blackmagic RAW 12 bit recording, while UHS-II SD cards are inexpensive and commonly available, making them perfect for recording Blackmagic RAW 8:1 or 12:1 for Ultra HD and regular HD files. With dual slots for each media type, the camera never has to stop recording because when the first card is full, it automatically continues onto the next card. Full cards can be swapped for empty ones, all without stopping the camera.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 also includes a new and innovative high speed USB-C expansion port for adding accessories such as an SSD for external recording. That means customers can now record for even longer durations without stopping. Plus, they can record directly onto the same external disks they will use for editing and color correction.

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 includes the full DaVinci Resolve Studio software, giving customers a complete post production solution. This powerful software combines professional nonlinear video editing with the world’s most advanced color corrector for importing, editing, color correcting, finishing and delivering projects shot on URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2. DaVinci Resolve Studio works natively with Blackmagic RAW files from the camera, so customers can take them directly into post production without having to convert or change them. Every single bit of quality is preserved because it is a true lossless workflow. Using DaVinci Resolve Studio is the fastest and highest quality way to work with Blackmagic RAW files from URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2.

“The original URSA Mini Pro has been an extremely successful and very popular camera,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is exciting because it gives customers second generation electronics and an even higher performance image sensor so they can shoot at extremely high frame rates for crystal clear slow motion images. URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is powerful enough to be used on high end feature films and television shows, versatile enough to be used for broadcast news and live multi camera event production, and affordable enough for indie filmmakers and even students! It’s like getting 3 cameras in one!”

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 Key Features

Digital film camera with 15 stops of dynamic range.
Super 35mm 4.6K sensor with Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science.
Supports project frame rates up to 60 fps and off-speed slow motion recording up to 120 fps in 4.6K, 150 fps in 4K DCI and 300 fps in HD Blackmagic RAW.
Interchangeable lens mount with EF mount included as standard. Optional PL, B4 and F lens mounts available separately.
High quality 2, 4 and 6 stop neutral density (ND) filters with IR compensation designed to specifically match the colorimetry and color science of Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2.
Fully redundant controls including external controls which allow direct access to the most important camera settings such as external power switch, ND filter wheel, ISO, shutter, white balance, record button, audio gain controls, lens and transport control, high frame rate button and more.
Built in dual C-Fast 2.0 recorders and dual SD/UHS-II card recorders allow unlimited duration recording in high quality.
High speed USB-C expansion port for recording directly to an external SSD or flash disk.
Lightweight and durable magnesium alloy body.
LCD status display for quickly checking timecode, shutter and lens settings, battery, recording status, and audio levels.
Support for Blackmagic RAW files in Constant Bitrate 3:1, 5:1, 8:1 and 12:1 or Constant Quality Q0 and Q5 as well as ProRes 4444 XQ, ProRes 4444, ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422, ProRes 422 LT, ProRes 422 Proxy recording at 4.6K, 4K, Ultra HD and HD resolutions.
Supports recording of up to 300 frames per second in HD, 150 frames per second in 4K DCI, and 120 frames per second at full frame 4.6K.
Features all standard connections, including dual XLR mic/line audio inputs with phantom power, 12G-SDI output for monitoring with camera status graphic overlay and separate XLR 4 pin power output for viewfinder power, headphone jack, LANC remote control and standard 4 pin 12V DC power connection.
Built in high quality stereo microphones for recording sound.
4 inch foldout touchscreen for on-set monitoring and menu settings.
Includes full copy of DaVinci Resolve software color grading and editing software.

Availability and Price

URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is available now from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$5,995. Also available from resellers are the optional URSA Mini Pro PL lens mount for US$245, optional F lens mount for US$375 as well as the optional URSA Mini Pro B4 HD lens mount for US$385. URSA Mini Pro comes standard with an EF lens mount, and additional replacement mounts can also be purchased for US$175.

Blackmagic URSA Mini Accessories

The Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is compatible with the full range of URSA Mini accessories available from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide:

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro PL, B4 and F lens mounts each sold separately.
Additional Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro EF lens mounts also sold separately.
Blackmagic URSA Mini Shoulder Kit features built in rosettes, rail mounts, viewfinder mount, integrated tripod quick lock release and top handle.
Blackmagic URSA Viewfinder is a high resolution viewfinder that includes a full HD OLED display and true glass optics for perfect focus.
Blackmagic URSA Studio Viewfinder featuring 7” screen, variable tension mounting points, grab handles, external controls and more.
URSA VLock Battery Plate provides a VLock compatible plate for attaching third party batteries.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design Congratulates 2019 Oscar Nominated Films

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 14:39:41 +0000

Fremont, CA - February 25, 2019 - Blackmagic Design would like to congratulate the 2019 Oscar nominated films and the production professionals whose hard work and creativity helped bring them to life. Blackmagic Design is honored that its products, such as URSA Mini Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio and Fusion Studio, were used on groundbreaking films including“A Star is Born,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Marvel Studios “Avengers: Infinity War.”

Oscar nominated films that used Blackmagic Design products include:

Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” used DaVinci Resolve, UltraStudio, Smart Videohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor and a variety of converters for on set work by DIT Kyle Spicer;
“BlacKkKlansman” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Tom Poole at Company 3;
“Bohemian Rhapsody” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Greg Fisher at Company 3;
“The Favourite” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Rob Pizzey at Goldcrest Post;
“Green Book” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio at FotoKem;
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Dave Francis of Technicolor PostWorks;
“Minding the Gap” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Tyler Roth of Company 3;
“A Quiet Place” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3;
“RBG” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Ken Sirulnick of Glue Editing & Design, along with using Fusion Studio for stabilizing work;
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Natasha Leonnet at EFILM;
"Solo: A Star Wars Story” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Joe Gawler of Harbor Picture Company;
“A Star is Born” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3; and
“Vice” graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio at FotoKem.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve Studio, Fusion Studio, URSA Mini Pro, UltraStudio, Smart Videohub 40x40, DeckLink Quad 2, DeckLink Mini Monitor all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Roy Wagner ASC Shoots Latest Film Stand! Exclusively With Blackmagic Design Cameras

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 14:40:36 +0000

Fremont, CA - February 5, 2019 - Blackmagic Design today announced that acclaimed cinematographer Roy H. Wagner, ASC shot the upcoming musical drama “Stand!” using several URSA Mini Pro cameras for principal photography, along with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K for select shots.

Juliet” style love story set in the violent events of the era. Starring Gregg Henry (“Guardians of the Galaxy”), Laura Wiggins (“Shameless”), Marshall Williams (“Glee”), and Hayley Sales (“Deadpool 2”). “Stand!” is slated for release in 2019.

Shot on location in Winnipeg, Roy knew he needed a reliable camera system that would withstand the rigors of location shooting, but also would be easy to use. “This is a camera I’ve done extensive tests with and have found it incredibly competitive with the most expensive camera systems. The camera crew had never used the camera and yet were able to pull a brand new camera out of its case and have it fully prepped within three days.”

The style of photography called for dynamic lighting contrast, deeply detailed shadows and brilliant highlights, requiring a camera with enormous exposure latitude. “What amazed me shooting with the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro,” said Adetuyi, “was that it allowed us to get into low light situations and still capture really thick, rich blacks. We went for a very aggressive style, and the images allowed us a lot of latitude for interpretation in post production.” Wagner was incredibly happy with the detail in the shadows. The resolution, the sharpness, they dynamic range will please any demanding cinematographer. We were filming with atmospheric smoke, filming through layers of lace and open weave material that would have caused aliasing with other cameras”

The project put a high demand on unique imagery, both for its period setting but also its musical style. Adetuyi knew Roy was up to the task. “It was a great challenge to capture 1919 in its fullness, yet tell a poignant and dramatic story. There were a lot of typical issues with time that meant the cameras were under combat style conditions. We never waited for camera problems nor was I ever told I couldn’t accomplish a difficult task. The cameras were incredibly light and small enough to place wherever I needed. Roy created such beautiful images for this story.”

Wagner’s past work helped him develop a unique style that was not afraid of contrast, yet embraced the story within the imagery. Wagner has driven the visuals of such diverse and innovative shows such as “CSI”, “House” and “Elementary.” He is a multiple Emmy Award winner, and is a member of both the American Society of Cinematographers as well as being an honorary Fellow in The British Royal Photographic Society.

Wagner has seen the transition from photo chemical film to digital, and was deeply involved in early development of high definition imaging, photographing the very first dramatic episodic network television series in high definition, “Pasadena”. While always eager to embrace new technologies, he has not always been pleased with the results. “I’ve done extensive tests with the URSA Mini Pro and knew I was able to let the highlights over expose and then bring them back in post production,” said Wagner. “I could expose for the shadows and print for the highlights, which is what we used to do with the photo chemical process. I was astonished at how it reproduces skin tone. I’m not having to use cosmetic rouge on the key light, like I’ve had to do with virtually every other digital camera.”

Wagner was impressed with both the image quality and the technology. “Most modern cameras are like using medical devices. I’m having to put a great deal of diffusion in front of the lens, or something between the lens and the sensor in order to protect the actors. That was not the case with this camera. The filtration choices I made were creative. This camera loves what’s in front of it.”

“This camera gives me a chance to be an artist again,” said Wagner. “It can compete with any camera on the market now. But most of all, I’m excited about Blackmagic Design team because they love cinematography as much as I do.”

View the teaser trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JllrjJ_XpQ&feature=youtu.be

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Cinema Camera, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Pocket Cinema Camera, Micro Studio Camera 4K, Production Camera 4K, Video Assist 4K, DaVinci Resolve, Fusion, ATEM, Videohub, SmartView Duo, SmartScope Duo 4K, UltraStudio, DeckLink, Intensity Shuttle, Media Express, Converters and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

New Steve Vai VFX Heavy Music Video Completed Entirely with DaVinci Resolve 15 and URSA Mini Pro

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 15:05:52 +0000

Fremont, CA - January 22, 2019 - Blackmagic Design announced today that guitarist Steve Vai’s new music video for his latest single, “Dark Matter,” was completed utilizing a full Blackmagic Design pipeline, including editorial, visual effects and finishing in DaVinci Resolve 15. The video was also shot using Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro.

Long known as one of the top guitarists in rock and roll, Vai has won three Grammy Awards and worked with artists such as Frank Zappa, David Lee Roth, Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne and a myriad of others. In producing his newest music video, Vai wanted to do something special. “I wanted to create something that not only looked other worldly, but was also shot uniquely as well.”

Vai teamed with Moai Films to produce the video. Director Lukas Colombo decided the video would be shot entirely on green screen, something to which he was not accustomed. “My natural tendency is to capture all the actions and visuals in camera as much as possible,” said Colombo. “But because of time constraints with Steve, and also the diverse alien landscape concepts for the video, it made more sense to shoot this way.”

Moai Films brought in two URSA Mini Pro digital film cameras, along with building a “video village” with SmartView 4K monitors and several Video Assist 4Ks. “We chose the URSA Mini Pro as our acquisition tool of choice, and one of them lived primarily on a 20 foot jib,” said Colombo. ‘Our B camera was moving around on sticks.”

Vai wanted to capture each band member in their own unique way. “The idea that I came up with was to shoot the base player, Phillip Bynoe, playing to the track, but twice as fast. So when you bring that speed down to normal, and you watch it, he’s playing in sync with the track, but his motions are slow motion, so to speak,” said Vai. “For the drummer we did the opposite. The idea was to shoot him very slow, because drummers are very dynamic, especially Jeremy Colson. When you bring that up to speed it looks like he’s in sync with the track but the actions just look like there’s something interesting and bizarre about them, that just doesn’t look normal.”

For Vai, he chose the most complex solution; he decided he should play his track backwards. “I had to actually learn the song backwards on the guitar,” said Vai. “This is a daunting task because it’s never the way you think it is. You have to completely mirror your perspective because everything is backwards. So when you strum, the tendency is to strum down but that comes out looking like an up strum. There are all these little complexities, which is a fun challenge, but it’s almost like wearing a straight jacket and trying to run a forward marathon with eyes only in the back of your head.”

The production unit used the URSA Mini Pros to shoot at several different frame rates to achieve the unnatural and unearthly movements of the band members. Vai focused on not only reversing his own guitar playing, but also applying the same thinking to his hand and body motions. Vai and Colombo watched frequent takes back on set to make sure they were getting what they needed, but in the end, they were both pleased. “You know when you say, ‘I wonder if that’s going to work. It SHOULD work…,” said Vai, “you start picturing it, you sculpt the picture in your head and then it comes out better than you expected, and it’s like “yeah, baby!”

In post production, Moai Films brought in VFX Supervisors Bruce Jurgens and Nick Torres to help guide the design. The concept of the video was to place the band members in a variety of alien worlds using a combination of multi planar matte painting and effects within the Fusion page of Resolve. Torres appreciated the node based layout of Fusion. “The node workflow gave us the maximum flexibility to manipulate footage. Unlike a more layer based approach, nodes are non destructive and allow for many more possibilities, and a much more efficient workflow.”

Jurgens, a veteran Supervisor from Legion Entertainment, was responsible for the extensive matte painting work, as well as the execution of the “Ice World” in the video. Together with matte painter Juliana Arrietty, they were able to plug the work directly into Fusion composites. “Maintaining a consistent look was key,” said Jurgens. “Resolve 15 came through with flying colors, if you’ll pardon the pun.” The team was able to preview color grades directly through Resolve before the composite, helping maintain an integrated look.

The VFX team combined 2D and 3D elements to create the unique environments. “We wanted to have a completely alien environment,” said Torres, “with tall spires as mountains and a glassy still ocean with a fast rolling fog on top.” Arrietty’s 2D elements were brought into Fusion for manipulation utilizing the 3D compositing tools in Resolve. From there it was easy to see shots within the edit, due to Resolve’s all in one design.“The workflow makes my job easier,” said Colombo. “I don’t have to manage files across so many applications and worry about transcoding or consolidation. It just works the way you would expect. It takes the dynamic linking feature from other applications to a whole new level!”

Torres particularly enjoyed the keying and matte tools in Resolve. “There was extensive cleanup that was required. Essentially we created mattes with multiple UltraKeys masked together and each adjusted for their respective problematic areas. Hair, for example, for both Steve and bassist Philip Bynoe, had to have their own instances of fine tuning to keep all the detail. A lot of roto was needed for Jeremy Colson’s drums, cleaning up all the chrome on the drum kit. There were quite a few shots with a lot of motion blur from the band. Luckily with the nodes in Fusion, we could simply copy polygon masks and effects from one shot to another.”

Vai also sees the value of such a collaborative tool. “I’m always futzing around with the editing of my videos, and having to export and tweak footage in various programs is time consuming and cumbersome. But to have all these advanced tools all under one roof is the way of the future.”

The final product is not only an amazing vision of creativity, but also a testament to collaboration, both as a team and with DaVinci Resolve 15. “We came from another editing package, but the switch over to Resolve was painless,” said Colombo. “And now with Fusion incorporated into Resolve, we could live almost exclusively inside the walls of Resolve 15. The software is already the standard for color in the industry, and I expect it to become the standard for editing, sound and visual effects over the next few years, where all projects are going through Resolve and staying in Resolve. I don’t see why not. Everything you need is there.”

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

About Blackmagic Design

More than 55 of the 2018 Fall Television and Streaming Series Rely on Blackmagic Design

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:57:38 +0000

Fremont, CA - December 13, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the company’s production and post products are being used to complete many of the fall 2018 season’s new and returning television shows and streaming series. More than 55 shows rely on Blackmagic Design’s digital film cameras; Fusion Studio visual effects (VFX), compositing, 3D and motion graphics software; and DaVinci Resolve Studio editing, color correction and digital audio software; as well as its switchers, routers, monitors and capture and playback devices.

Growing on the more than 40 fall TV shows announced in 2017, the 2018 shows, such as “Charmed,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “The Big Bang Theory” join the hundreds of top shows created with Blackmagic Design products.

DP Judd Overton relies on the URSA Mini Pro and Micro Cinema camera to capture unique angles and provide additional coverage on “No Activity” for CBS All Access. “I shoot a very cinematic look on a tight schedule,” said Judd Overton, cinematographer for “No Activity”. “I need to know my camera has the latitude and flexibility I need. The Ursa Mini Pro and Micro Cinema Cameras are designed to work for post production and I know they have the image quality I need for the show. I’m always eager to put the Blackmagic cameras into play on a scene.”

Los Angeles based InvisEffects relies on DaVinci Resolve for a number of fall shows: “We use DaVinci Resolve almost every single day. It’s a vital part of our VFX workflow,” said Mike Gaines, owner of InvisEffects. “We use Resolve to conform and export hundreds of shots every episode, and it has saved us many times, such as when we tried to conform RED 8K to 4K and HD in a couple of different aspect ratios. It’s pretty incredible.”

Hollywood based VFX studio Muse VFX depends on Fusion Studio for VFX work and compositing on a wide range of shows. “Fusion Studio is a major part of our pipeline,” said John Gross, Founder and Creative Director of Muse VFX. “It’s a powerful creative tool with great flexibility and low overhead. It easily competes with other node-based compositing options at a fraction of their cost.”

Some of the 2018 fall series using Blackmagic Design cameras and hardware include:

“Jack Ryan” DP Richard Rutkowski used Micro Studio Camera 4Ks as action and crash cameras, as well as to capture unique, remote angles;

“Madam Secretary” DP Learan Kahanov used Pocket Cinema Cameras for specialized shots, including webcam, surveillance cameras and cell phone footage;

“No Activity” DP Judd Overton used URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Cinema Camera and Video Assist 4k;

For On-set Grading and DIT Work:

“Bull” DIT Gabe Kolodny used Smart Videohub 40x40 router, Videohub Smart Control, SmartScope Duo 4K monitor and UltraStudio Express;

“God Friended Me” DIT Abby Levine used UltraStudio 4K, UltraStudio HD Mini, DaVinci Resolve, and Mini Converters;

“Madam Secretary” DIT Keith Putnam used Smart Videohub 20x20, Mini Converters, UltraStudio Mini Monitor, Media Express and DaVinci Resolve Studio for viewing camera original media, reviewing VFX comps from post, pulling high quality stills and PowerWindow work;

“Splitting Up Together” DIT Francesco Suata used Smart Videohub 12x12;

“Station 19” DIT Andrew Lemon used Smart Videohub 40x40;

“The Goldbergs”DIT Kevin Mills used Smart Videohub 16x16, Mini Converter SDI Distribution, DeckLink Mini Monitor, DeckLink Mini recorder, SmartView Duo, DaVinci Resolve and Clean Switch 12x12;

“All American” DIT Urban Olsson used DaVinci Resolve, Smart Videohub 12x12 and 20x20, UltraStudio Mini, DeckLink Mini Recorder and DeckLink Mini Monitor;

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” DIT Sam Mconnville used ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, SmartView Duo monitor, SmartScope 4K, Micro Converter HDMI to SDI, DaVinci Resolve and DeckLink Mini Recorder;

“The Kominsky Method” DIT Dane Brehm used a Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12, ATEM Production Studio 4K, Smart VideoHub 12x12, SmartView Duo, Smart Scope Duo 4K and an UltraStudio 4K;

“Jack Ryan” DP Richard Rutkowski used Micro Studio Camera 4Ks as action and crash cameras, as well as to capture unique, remote angles;
“Madam Secretary” DP Learan Kahanov used Pocket Cinema Cameras for specialized shots, including webcam, surveillance cameras and cell phone footage;
“No Activity” DP Judd Overton used URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K, Micro Cinema Camera and Video Assist 4k;

For On-set Grading and DIT Work:

“Bull” DIT Gabe Kolodny used Smart Videohub 40x40 router, Videohub Smart Control, SmartScope Duo 4K monitor and UltraStudio Express;
“God Friended Me” DIT Abby Levine used UltraStudio 4K, UltraStudio HD Mini, DaVinci Resolve, and Mini Converters;
“Madam Secretary” DIT Keith Putnam used Smart Videohub 20x20, Mini Converters, UltraStudio Mini Monitor, Media Express and DaVinci Resolve Studio for viewing camera original media, reviewing VFX comps from post, pulling high quality stills and PowerWindow work;
“Splitting Up Together” DIT Francesco Suata used Smart Videohub 12x12;
“Station 19” DIT Andrew Lemon used Smart Videohub 40x40;
“The Goldbergs”DIT Kevin Mills used Smart Videohub 16x16, Mini Converter SDI Distribution, DeckLink Mini Monitor, DeckLink Mini recorder, SmartView Duo, DaVinci Resolve and Clean Switch 12x12;
“All American” DIT Urban Olsson used DaVinci Resolve, Smart Videohub 12x12 and 20x20, UltraStudio Mini, DeckLink Mini Recorder and DeckLink Mini Monitor;
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” DIT Sam Mconnville used ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, SmartView Duo monitor, SmartScope 4K, Micro Converter HDMI to SDI, DaVinci Resolve and DeckLink Mini Recorder;
“The Kominsky Method” DIT Dane Brehm used a Smart Videohub CleanSwitch 12x12, ATEM Production Studio 4K, Smart VideoHub 12x12, SmartView Duo, Smart Scope Duo 4K and an UltraStudio 4K;

For VFX with Blackmagic Design cameras, DaVinci Resolve and Fusion Studio:

Muse VFX Founders and Visual Effects Supervisors John Gross and Fred Pienkos and their team use Fusion Studio to composite “Charmed,” “Madam Secretary,” “NCIS” and “The Neighborhood”;
BluFire Studios Owner and VFX Supervisor Matt Hoffman and his team use Fusion Studio for “The Outpost;”
Crafty Apes VFX Editors Brock Shekelton and Heather Taylor use DaVinci Resolve Studio as part of their VFX editorial work on “Legacies”;
VFX Supervisor Lesley Robson-Foster uses an URSA Mini Pro and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K for VFX plates on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”;
InvisEffects owner Mike Gaines used DaVinci Resolve for conform, plate output for VFX on “Speechless,” “Single Parents,” “Happy Together” and “Mixtape”;
Filmworks/FX NY VFX Supervisor Mike Warren and his team uses DaVinci Resolve as an integral component of their VFX pipeline, along with an Intensity Shuttle for Thunderbolt for playback and Production Camera 4Ks for VFX shots for “Blue Bloods;”
Fuze FX created a driving plate rig using Micro Cinema Cameras for use on a variety of projects including “Happy Together”;
VFX Legion used DaVinci Resolve used DaVinci Resolve to manage plates in their VFX pipeline.

For Post Production with DaVinci Resolve Studio:

Technicolor’s David Aaron Waters grades “Lore”;
Technicolor’s Roy Vasich grades “The Man in the High Castle”, “Station 19”, “Grace and Frankie” and “Prince of Peoria”;
Sim International’s John Persichetti grades “Dynasty”;
Technicolor’s Sparkle grades “Mom,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “How To Get Away With Murder,” “Supernatural” and “Man With A Plan”;
Technicolor’s Tony Dustin grades “Camping” and “Tell Me a Story”;
Company 3’s Siggy Ferstl grades “Narcos: Mexico”;
Deluxe’s Mark Wilkins grades “Bull”;
Technicolor’s Tim Vincent grades “Criminal Minds” and “Dead To Me”;
Encore’s Tony D’Amore grades “Elementary,” “The Punisher”, “Jessica Jones” and “Daredevil”;
Encore’s Tim Stipan grades “God Friended Me”;
Sim International’s Todd Bochner grades “Madam Secretary” and “Jane the Virgin”;
Picture Shop Post’s Mason C. Young grades “NCIS”;
Digitalfilm Tree’s Patrick Woodward grades “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “American Housewife”;
Deluxe’s George Delaney grades “NCIS: New Orleans”;
Company 3’s Tim Stipan grades “Ozark”;
The Foundation’s Phil Azenzer grades “Black-ish”;
Point 360’s Aidan Stanford grades “Fresh Off the Boat”;
ColorTime’s Russell Lynch grades “A Million Little Things” and “Life In Pieces”;
LA Studios’ Michael Mintz grades “Speechless”;
Level 3 Post’s Scott Ostrowsky grades “The Goldbergs”;
Company 3’s Dave Hussey grades “The Rookie”;
Technicolor’s Tom Forletta grades ““Haunted”;
Picture Shop Post’s George Manno grades “The Kominsky Method” and “Arrow”;
Digitalfilm Tree’s Dan Judy grades “The 100”;
Fueldfilms’ Kevin Kerwin grades “American Horror Story”;
EFILM’s Tom Reiser grades “Riverdale”;
Apache’s Shane Reed grades “Chef’s Table”;

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Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, Micro Cinema Camera, Pocket Cinema Camera, Cinema Camera, Video Assist, DaVinci Resolve Studio, SmartView Duo, SmartScope Duo, UltraStudio, DeckLink, Converters and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

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

About Blackmagic Design

"The Oath" Shot with URSA Mini Pro and Edited with DaVinci Resolve Studio

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 14:27:00 +0000

Fremont, CA – November 12, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the new film “The Oath” was shot with several URSA Mini Pro digital film cameras and edited and graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio, its professional editing, grading, audio post and visual effects software.

Written, directed by and starring Ike Barinholtz, “The Oath” also stars Tiffany Haddish, Billy Magnussen, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein and more. Recently premiered at the LA Film Festival and currently in theaters, the independent film explores how in a politically divided America, a man struggles to survive Thanksgiving without destroying his family. After the government mandates that all American citizens sign “The Patriot’s Oath,” tensions mount as everyone gets together under one roof for the holiday.

DP Cary Lalonde used an URSA Mini Pro PL and two URSA Mini Pro EFs while shooting the film, along with a Video Assist 4K monitor and recorder, and then Colorist Mark Sachen and Editor Jack Price used DaVinci Resolve Studio during the film’s post production. The post production work was done at Los Angeles based post facility Sugar Studios LA, which was equipped with a DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel for the grading work.

“The URSA Mini Pro’s design and interface are very intuitive. During the shoot, all three cameras were equipped with URSA Viewfinders, and everything from their placement to the cameras’ dials and buttons felt very natural,” said Lalonde. “Having ND filters available at our fingertips helped save time while shooting, since we were able to easily dial ND in and out as lighting conditions changed during exterior shoots.”

According to Lalonde, the URSA Mini Pro footage easily matched the other cameras in the shooting package, so they didn’t need to worry about consistency issues. “For example, in one setup we used the URSA Mini Pro PL alongside two other cameras to capture a six person group scene. We used three cameras to shoot in three different directions at the same time, which was the most efficient way to shoot a four page scene in one setup. Each camera was set to a flat two shot, which worked well for the improvisational nature of the scene.”

Lalonde and the crew also used the two URSA Mini Pro EFs to capture establishing shots. Lalonde explained, “This was especially helpful during the ‘magic hour’ as the sun was setting. To help show the progression of the film, we wanted to establish the house in daytime and nighttime, with traditional and nontraditional camera angels, so we could match the style of the house to the mood of the film. The film starts very traditionally but there’s a sense of derailment as the story progresses.”

Sachen then used DaVinci Resolve Studio on set to grade dailies, as well as for the final grade. While working on set, Sachen also helped with assistant editing work by inputting metadata, synching the dailies, creating string outs and more with DaVinci Resolve Studio. Price was then able to stay in DaVinci Resolve Studio to complete the film’s edit.

“While editing, I’m a big proponent of using split screens for different takes to ensure that we’re using an actor’s best performance, even if it’s a nonverbal reaction. This came into play a lot in ‘The Oath,’ especially since the characters are being inundated with news broadcasts throughout the film,” explained Price. “Picture in picture comps and image stabilization were a piece of cake in DaVinci Resolve Studio.”

“Overall, DaVinci Resolve Studio’s layout and keyboard shortcuts are very intuitive. With editing, ultimately the less time spent trying to leap over technical hurdles and the more time spent on storytelling and emotion, the better,” continued Price. “There’s an astronomical number of bells and whistles within DaVinci Resolve Studio. If you’re looking for a certain feature, chances are it’s there. Its video playback is also extremely sophisticated, to the extent where I was able to edit native 2K ProRes 4444 files on a MacBook Pro with ease.”

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Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, DaVinci Resolve Studio, Video Assist 4K, DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel, URSA Viewfinder and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

Weezer’s Africa Music Video Shot Using Blackmagic RAW and URSA Mini Pro

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 14:31:46 +0000

Fremont, CA - October 22, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced Weezer’s new music video for their hit song “Africa” was shot using an URSA Mini Pro with the newly announced Blackmagic RAW codec. Post production, including grading and editing, was done using DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Directed by Crush Music’s Jade Ehlers and Brendan Walter, the video is for the band’s hit remake of Toto’s classic “Africa.” The video was also aimed at redoing a classic by recreating shot for shot Weezer’s iconic “Sweater Song” music video.

The video is a moving one take shot that captures the band playing in front of bright blue walls, with the camera maneuvering in and out of the band. Starting in front of the band, the video moves between well lit and dark parts of the set, as well as low and high up shots looking up and down on the band.

“A week before we were going to shoot, Blackmagic RAW was announced and it was just perfect timing. It answered everything we were looking for. The original ‘Sweater Song’ video was shot on film, so we were looking for a mix of a digital camera that could capture a filmic look, with a shooting and post workflow that could fit into a tight budget and crazy tight schedule. The combination of Blackmagic RAW with the URSA Mini Pro was perfect,” said Ehlers.

Blackmagic RAW is a new and modern codec that gives you stunning image quality and blazing fast performance in an intelligent new file format. Featuring advanced de‑mosaic technology and a revolutionary intelligent design, Blackmagic RAW gives you both the quality and benefits of RAW with the speed, ease of use and file sizes of traditional video formats.

The Blackmagic RAW codec features an intelligent design that moves part of the de-mosaic process into the camera where it can be can be hardware accelerated by the camera itself. This gives you incredibly efficient encoding and small file sizes. Blackmagic RAW files are much more than just a simple RAW container because they combine image data along with information about the unique characteristics of the camera’s sensor. This gives you much better image quality, even at high compression settings. Plus, you get total control over RAW settings such as ISO, white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation and custom color spaces. Blackmagic RAW also includes extensive metadata support including user customizable sidecar metadata files, plus GPU and CPU acceleration, new Blackmagic Design Generation 4 Color Science, different encoding options for constant quality or constant bitrate and more!

“We have used the URSA Mini Pro on a number of shoots before, but Blackmagic RAW was like we all of a sudden got a new camera with an amazing new sensor in it,” Ehlers said. “Before Blackmagic RAW became available, we were planning on using one of the compressed formats and just making do, but then we could easily shoot it in RAW.”

One of the advantages Blackmagic RAW brought was being able to capture a huge amount of data in each image in order to make up for the production’s difficult lighting situation. The set had a bright blue background wall, with five lighting technicians handling different sections of the stage. Each technician was working to match lighting changes to a constantly moving camera, while trying to make sure each part of the shot mirrored the original older video exactly. The result was spotty lighting in much of the original footage.

“The blue wall captured light differently in different places, and we got a number of dark splashes in several spots. We had to shoot down a couple of stops and at 800 ISO because we were worried and had to hope that we could fix in post,” Ehlers continued. “Blackmagic RAW really saved us here. We were able to bump it up in post to 1600 ISO, adjust saturation to what we needed in DaVinci Resolve Studio, see every detail, and adjust quickly and easily. It gave us great image quality, fine detail and incredibly small files.”

With Blackmagic RAW you can shoot, edit and grade projects all from a single file format. Picture adjustments and settings that you make in the camera will come into DaVinci Resolve via metadata and are completely editable. You can even make changes to the RAW settings in DaVinci Resolve, open the files in other applications that support Blackmagic RAW and automatically see the settings. You get a consistent look and controls between software applications, even on different platforms. Blackmagic RAW is the world’s fastest and highest quality RAW format.

“With Blackmagic RAW, we were able to get extra color in each shot. And what really blew me away was that we could play back the RAW files right away on the laptop we had on set. We could be shooting and then editing and grading the same files,” Ehlers said. “This advantage alone saved us half a day to eight hours of work. Instead of being slowed down by exporting for hours, we were free to work in post with the original camera files. This was just insane.”

For the video, Ehlers and Presley needed a camera that captured high quality, filmic images while still being lightweight due to the one take nature of the video. The URSA Mini Pro’s weight of just more than five pounds, combined with its Super 35mm 4.6K sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range, gave them the camera they needed.

“It took us six shots to get the shot we needed, and that meant Nathan was carrying around the camera and all its rigging, lens and media for every second of each take. The fact that the URSA Mini Pro could be kitted out with a full rig and hit around 28 pounds, with a very small profile, helped him get the shots he needed without being a huge weight burden,” Ehlers continued.

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

About Blackmagic Design

USA Network’s Queen of the South uses Blackmagic Design Cameras to Capture Gritty Style

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 13:43:11 +0000

Fremont, CA - October 2, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that USA Network’s “Queen of the South” used Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Cameras extensively, and URSA Mini Pro, to capture a wide range of imagery for season three of the series. Director of Photography Abe Martinez, who started with the show as 2nd Unit Cinematographer, took over reigns as first unit DP this season, and immediately brought his passion for innovate camera work to the show’s main unit.

Queen of the South tells the story of Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga) and her beginnings in Jalisco, Mexico, where in an effort to escape her life of poverty, she begins to date a member of a successful drug cartel. But when her boyfriend is murdered, she must go on the run to save her own life. Escaping to America, she teams up with an unlikely partner to take down the leader who took her boyfriend’s life, and in the process creates her own rival cartel.

Shot entirely in practical locations for season three, production started in Malta, and moved to Dallas, Chicago, Bolivia and Arizona throughout the shoot. “Since we used practical locations,” said Martinez, “we had to be quick, on the move and squeeze into a lot of tight spaces.”

He chose to rely on the Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera for its high quality and compact size. “We had many rigs that spanned from car work, boat work, plane work… actually, if it moved we had a mount on it with our Micro Cinema Cameras.”

As for the URSA Mini Pro, Martinez found it provided a high level of flexibility over other solutions. “Some of the other cameras out there require a lot of moving parts to be attached. What I love about the URSA Mini Pro is that it has a high level of tactile maneuverability for me. I can get it into tighter spaces as is, and grab it at the last minute if I need it. I can jump into a point of view that normally it would have been hard to get.”

Traditionally, the series has shot using a variety of cameras, but Martinez wasn’t worried about matching the Blackmagic cameras to them. “We had a great team at Light Iron ensuring all the cameras matched seamlessly,” said Martinez. “The thing we like about the Blackmagic cameras is that they could hold their own against any camera. It never worried us to mix up footage.”

Martinez loves working on the show not only because it offers challenges in its photography, but also that the show is shot much like the main character lives in the story. “We actually live on the run just like our main character, which means moving fast, serving a lot of international looks. Our sets and locations are diverse, and so are our shooting methods.”

The show also has a large appetite for stunts, but Martinez is always ready. “We had mounts and rigs for every setup, lots of stunts, explosions and chase work,” said Martinez. “I actually had a full time crew member, Scott Reese, assigned to handle the URSA Mini Pro’s, gimbal, jib and all of our Micro Cinema Camera needs.”

His rigs were extensive, including pole cams, rear view mirror cam, pogo cam and crane cam. “We were always looking for that extra tight angle or perspective to serve the story.”

The Micro Cinema Cameras also served as the main camera for certain car work. “The European car we had for our hero actors was too small for two operators. So we rigged two Micro Cameras on a bungee, with adjacent video assist monitors, and shot them simultaneously. Having one operator shooting with two cameras at once was quite unique.”

Martinez loves working on the show, not only for the challenges of the shoot, but also for the team around him. “I’m thrilled to be part of a show with an amazing cast and crew,” said Martinez. “but the real fun is in the style we shoot with; loose and on the go. We are always looking for ways to make the most of our locations, and having the flexibility of Blackmagic cameras gives us that extra push over the edge.”

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Product photos of the URSA Mini Pro, Micro Cinema Camera and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

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Ultimatte 12 Delivers News Production Hub for The Motorsport Network

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 16:00:05 +0000

Manchester, United Kingdom - September 3, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that The Motorsport Network, a multi-platform news network, has installed the first in a series of greenscreen television studios, built around Ultimatte 12 compositing processors, Ultimatte Smart Remote 4 and URSA Mini 4K.

The network, which provides original news, highlights and analysis for motorsports fans across the globe, needed a production hub that could not only deliver bespoke, original content for Motorsport TV, as well as its online and social media channels, but also act as a blueprint for further studios throughout its global outlets.

Designed by JAM Creative Consultancy, the compact studio is housed within Motorsport Network’s offices, to allow easy access for journalists, experts and engineers to participate in the various segments. “In order to achieve the look and feel of a large scale, professional broadcast studio within a very restrictive office environment, greenscreen and virtual elements were essential elements in our studio blueprint,” explains Julian Okines, executive producer at JAM Creative Consultancy.

The team chose Ultimatte for its superior keying quality and control to ensure program output was as authentic as possible and worked with integrator Broadcast & Production Services (UK) Ltd to implement the solution.

“Because the operating space is so small, it created an almost impossible environment for realistic keying, so we had to make sure we had the right system in place,” continues Mark O’Leary, JAM’s Creative Director. “Using the Ultimatte Smart Remote gives us total control over our keys, so we can refine and adjust edges in real time during a live production to ensure complete realism.”

Each of the three Ultimatte 12 processors are paired with an URSA Mini 4K, delivering a central wide shot, and left and right tight angles on the talent. Backdrops created by JAM’s inhouse graphics team are combined with regularly updated b-roll of the Motorsport Network’s production office to give a insight into the busy newsroom environment, and played back on a series of HyperDeck Studio Pro broadcast decks.

Ultimatte’s layering features are also used to enhance the foreground of the set. “We have additional lights in the studio, which can add spill, so we use additive blends in Ultimatte to blend the light seamlessly onto people’s skin as a flare in the foreground,” explains Mark.

The studio feeds are taken into an ATEM Television Studio Pro HD, which allows for live keying and live vision mixing from a single console. “Not only does this save huge amounts of time in post, it also allows the presenters to see the studio environment in real time, so they can interact with the graphics in a very natural and intuitive way.”

“Although VR backgrounds are now industry standard in television news production, we have been incredibly impressed at how Ultimatte 12’s technology has advanced to a point where the transition between the physical and virtual worlds is seamless,” concludes Julian.

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Product photos of Ultimatte 12, Ultimatte Smart Remote 4, ATEM Television Studio Pro HD, URSA Mini 4K and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.

About Blackmagic Design

DaVinci Resolve 15 Studio and URSA Mini Pro Used for Zurich Extreme Sports Spot

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 17:14:42 +0000

Manchester, United Kingdom - August 21, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that URSA Mini Pro and DaVinci Resolve Studio were used to create two exciting sports themed campaigns for Zurich Insurance, both directed, shot and post produced by Munich commercials team The Directors Duo.

The two spots linked by a ‘Strong Performance’ tagline couldn’t be more different. While the Summer spot follows a female biker skillfully taking on rigorous forest jumps and trails, the Winter spot, ‘Olympia,’ follows an alpine snowboarder risking life and limb on free ride slopes and jumping gaps on Alpine mountaintops. However, both are shot with the cinematic quality and epic scale that has become the hallmark of The Directors Duo, Benjamin Kratzin and Christopher Schlierf.

Kratzin Schlierf took on all the DP and directing duties for the commercials from Zurich’s agency Butter and production company Fireapple. Shooting the Winter spot entailed big, wide shots with a helicopter and drones as well as tightly framed shots, with the duo staying very close to the action, jumping with a snowboarder and trying to be as close as possible with all the cameras.

“We went up there with the URSA Mini Pro and chose anamorphic lenses for a great visual look. Using it on a DJI Ronin 2 on an Easyrig gimbal we could attach it to our body and ski down the free ride slopes,” explained Christopher Schlierf. “What is great about the URSA Mini Pro is that the system is so scalable.”

“Zurich was so happy with our Winter spot that they subsequently asked us for a much smaller project for the Summer season about mountain biking,” said Schlierf.

Kratzin Schlierf decided to complete picture and audio post on the spot through DaVinci Resolve 15 Studio. “We were able to quickly move the focus of the project between the different tabs from Edit to Color to Deliver, eliminating the need for conforms or round tripping. You’ve got everything in one package.”

“The creative opportunities within version 15 are on another level altogether,” according to Kratzin. “Features such as the stackable and tabbed timelines in Edit means you have a solid all round platform to cut on alongside some powerful tools for color, VFX and audio.”

"Its entire interface feels very modern,” he adds. “The interactive timelines in the Edit pages makes the cutting fluid. Simple touches such as how the trimming tools change depending on where you place the mouse in your timeline, for example, make a big difference.”

With the grade complete, Kratzin imported his entire sound design library into DaVinci Resolve where he designed and mixed the audio using Fairlight, which was a first.

"We then normalized the levels and only at the final stage of the TVC version did we export to Orange Sound Studio’s in Munich for the final legal mix,” concluded Kratzin. "While the integration of Fairlight is still a relatively new addition to Resolve, it's already a pretty impressive addition to what is an amazing set of creative tools.”

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve 15 Studio, URSA Mini Pro, Video Assist 4K 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.

Anaheim Union High School District Film Academy Chooses Blackmagic URSA Mini Pros and DaVinci Resolve

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 17:36:17 +0000

Fremont, CA - August 10, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that the the Anaheim Union High School District’s Film Academy utilized Blackmagic URSA Mini Pros and DaVinci Resolve 15 during their most recent summer 2018 session. 30 students from across nine campuses had the opportunity to shoot using the cinema cameras, and then finish their films using the post production software.

Launched in 2017, the Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) Summer Film Academy invites junior and senior class students from high schools across the district to an intensive 4-week program that teaches theory and application of film techniques. The program was conceived by John Bautista, Jeff Numainville, Dean Delgado, and Adrian Olmedo, all instructors within the school district. Originally the plan was to highlight the talents of students via a film festival, but soon the concept grew. “The district was actually asking teachers if they could help create content for them,” said Delgado. “We thought why not help students expand their skills as filmmakers, and let them use their talents to create videos on behalf of AUHSD.” With the support of Superintendent Michael Matsuda, the program came to life.

Senior Hana Chung, from Oxford Academy High School, didn’t know she wanted to be a filmmaker when she joined the Film Academy. “At first I joined the program to exercise my hobby,” said Chung. “Eventually I realized how much I loved making films, and now hope to attend a film school and work in the industry.” Chung, like other students in the program, enjoyed the opportunity to work with a professional camera like the URSA Mini Pro. She was impressed with the quality and affordability of Blackmagic products. “It allowed me to realize that making a film is a viable option for many people.”

Dulce Torre, a senior from Katella High School, was already planning to be a filmmaker, but joined the Academy as a way to work more with other filmmakers, and to discover new skills, starting with Resolve. “At first I was worried about working with brand new software,” said Torre. “But once I started to use it, it became easy. The software made me feel like a professional editor, pushing me to want to think of all aspects of filmmaking. I now have a much bigger respect for editors on big feature films!”

The program also works hard to go beyond the classroom. Instructors Bautista, Delgado, Numainville, Olmedo, and lead coordinator Scott Reindl look for ways to drive the program into a practical approach to filmmaking, requiring students to make films both for AUHSD, but also for local companies. The Academy works with partner organizations such as the United Way, MeridianLink, and Kaiser Permanente, who requested Film Academy students create documentaries highlighting their involvement with AUHSD. Students are required to storyboard, prep, shoot and edit the projects themselves, with only overall supervision and guidance from the instructors.

With a focus on teaching professionalism, the instructors were excited to incorporate Blackmagic Design technology into their workflow. “As budding filmmakers,” said Delgado, “having these professional tools has expanded their skills and abilities in filmmaking. Using DaVinci Resolve for editing has taken their skillset to the next level, helping them understand the important of all aspects of storytelling in post-production.”

The exposure to new software and equipment created a new playing field for the students, many of which had never worked with anything more than a DSLR or consumer editing packages. “I used to be so accustomed to other software since I started making films,” said Annie Nguyen, a senior at Western High School, “that I was reluctant to try DaVinci Resolve. But I realized that Resolve not only honed my editing skills but also my colorist skills. It showed me to never be afraid to break away from traditional methods.”

For many of the students the program is about growing, both as a filmmaker as well as a person. “I learned how to deal with criticism, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with it,” said Nguyen. “Being able to receive criticism and learn how to compromise not only prepared me for future projects but also increased my professionalism and image towards my clients.” But for students like Nguyen, the lessons also went beyond filmmaking. “Being in an environment where creativity thrives and breaking the rules is encouraged - it gave me a new perspective on the world.”

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve, URSA Mini Pro, 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

CNN’s Anderson Cooper Full Circle Uses Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro and ATEM Camera Control Panel

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 17:13:37 +0000

Fremont, CA - July 25, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that CNN’s new “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” Facebook Watch daily global brief is produced using Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro cameras. The show is also being broadcast live using ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K live production switchers, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter and a number of Teranex AV converters.

“Anderson Cooper Full Circle” was launched on July 16, 2018 and airs every weekday on CNN’s Facebook page. Engaging directly with the audience, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, along with a roster of CNN talent reporting from around the world, deliver insight into the daily news stories that Facebook audiences care about most, leveraging the interactivity of the platform to inform each evening’s lineup and engage a new generation of consumers.

The show, which is separate but complementary to Anderson Cooper’s popular “AC360,” is exclusive to the Facebook Watch platform and is broadcast live from CNN’s AC360 New York City newsroom in mobile friendly vertical video.

Distinguishing itself and its content by producing a high-quality broadcast before being sent downstream to Facebook Watch, “Anderson Cooper Full Circle” offers broadcast quality live streaming. To do this, CNN chose a broadcast workflow based around four Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro cameras, five ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4Ks and eight Teranex AV converters and processors.

Including live interviews, four URSA Mini Pros are used to capture various shots of Anderson Cooper and his guests, as well as the newsroom studio itself. Media from the cameras are sent via optical fiber to four ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K switchers and four Teranex AVs for conversions and audio embedding.

An additional ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K for SDI signal control and distribution amplification is also in line. The merged feeds are then forwarded through two Teranex AVs and streaming hardware to Facebook Live. ATEM Camera Control Panel is used to control all four cameras, with the show’s workflow connected with optical fiber using the Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter and Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter to convert video, audio, power, talkback and tally with a single SMPTE fiber optic cable.

The show is designed to be viewed from mobile devices as well as laptops and computers. To handle this, CNN uses the ATEM switcher’s Power Macro feature to automate feeds from the cameras to be rotated from horizontal to vertical to be better viewed on a phone.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini Pro, ATEM 1 M/E Production Studio 4K, ATEM Camera Control Panel, Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter, Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter, Teranex AV and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images

About Blackmagic Design

URSA Mini 4.6K and Pocket Cinema Camera Used for Film Louder!

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 13:36:10 +0000

Fremont, CA — July 24, 2018 - Blackmagic Design announced today that URSA Mini Pro 4.6K, Pocket Cinema Camera and Video Assist were used for “LOUDER! Can't Hear What You're Singin', Wimp!,” a new film by hugely popular Japanese director Satoshi Miki.

“LOUDER! Can't Hear What You're Singin', Wimp!” is a comedy film by Satoshi Miki, who has directed and written a number of prominent works of films, TV dramas and comedy programs. It tells the story of an encounter between Shin, a charismatic rock star with a powerful singing voice and Fuuka, a budding musician with a weak voice. The film features well known and unique actors including Sadao Abe and Riho Yoshioka. It is set to be released October 12th nationwide in Japan.

The director of photography is Daisuke Souma, who has worked on a number of Japanese blockbuster movies such as ‘Helter Skelter,’ ‘Tokyo Tribe’ and ‘Prophecy,’ and is considered one of the leading cinematographers in Japanese films.

“LOUDER! Can't Hear What You're Singin', Wimp!” was shot with URSA Mini Pro 4.6K and Pocket Cinema Camera. Video Assist was used as a monitor and recorder for URSA Mini Pro 4.6K.

“We used three different cameras in this film, including URSA Mini Pro 4.6K and Pocket Cinema Camera. Under usual circumstances you often prioritize cameras like the A camera for important scenes and B camera for less important scenes, but we decided not to choose a main camera in this film and tried to use the camera that was best for each scene. We chose not to match the looks of scenes, hoping to retain the quality and characters of each camera,” said Daisuke Souma, director of photography.

He continued: “I was looking for a camera that was suitable for anamorphic lenses. I feel like anamorphic lenses are similar to 70mm film, because you can squeeze the distance between objects and actors more than when you shoot with 35mm lenses. On the contrary to Miki’s previous comedies with sarcastic humor and vacant looks, this film centers around intimacy between Shin and Fuuka, so I went for squeezed looks with anamorphic lenses. I also used 16mm lenses, which are good to describe the nuances of distance and detachment. I wanted to change the lenses depending on scenes to imply the ever changing relationships among characters. That is why I looked for compact and light cameras that support anamorphic lens and can shoot RAW. URSA Mini Pro 4.6K was the only option available to satisfy these conditions.”

“URSA Mini Pro 4.6K was especially valuable on small sets with little space, due to its compactness and flexibility. The set of Fuuka’s house was so small that it would have been impossible to shoot if not for URSA Mini Pro 4.6K. It was not only compact but also lightweight, so I could even put it on a gimbal with wires. There was no situation you couldn’t shoot with URSA Mini Pro 4.6K. In daylight scenes we always used the internal ND filters. It was very helpful to have the ND filters inside the camera body. We also had a relatively small staff for the film so these small things meant a lot to us. URSA Mini Pro 4.6K looks cool but that is not the whole story. I gradually grew aware that this camera is built with careful attention to tiny details,” he said.

Pocket Cinema Camera was used for concert scenes with Shin and Fuuka.

“Pocket Cinema Camera is literally pocket-sized so you can carry it around anywhere. In music concert scenes, a camera operator went into the crowded audience. Normal sized cameras would have drawn their attention to the cameras to the detriment of reality, but with Pocket Cinema Camera the audience remained oblivious to the camera and we succeeded in capturing the real excitement of the concert,” he concluded.

Press Photography

Product photos of URSA Mini 4.6K, Pocket Cinema Camera, Video Assist 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.

My Daughter Was Stolen Uses URSA Mini Pro and DaVinci Resolve Studio for Editing, Grading and Audio Post

nick@zazilmediagroup.com — Thu, 10 May 2018 20:55:46 +0000

Fremont, CA - May 10, 2018 - Blackmagic Design today announced that the thriller “My Daughter Was Stolen” used a variety of its gear throughout production and post, including URSA Mini Pro, URSA Mini 4.6K and Pocket Cinema Camera digital film cameras, DaVinci Resolve 14 Studio for color grading, editing and sound design and Fusion 9 Studio for visual effects (VFX).

“We did the entire project in Blackmagic Design,” said Ari Golan, producer, camera/MoVI operator, drone pilot, post supervisor and colorist, as well as owner of Golan Studios and Atomic Imaging, the production and post houses behind the film. “Everything was shot on five Blackmagic Design cameras and completely edited, graded and finished in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Even the sound mix was done in DaVinci Resolve Studio, as well as green screen compositing. Fusion Studio was then used for VFX work.”

The film, which premiered internationally in select theaters March 1st and subsequently March 9th on the Lifetime Movie Network, takes place in current day Chicago and follows two actresses competing for the same role. When one doesn't get the role of her dreams, she kidnaps the other actress’ four-year-old daughter. 10 years later the girl escapes, but her captor pursues her and begins a murderous rampage culminating in a final chase sequence and showdown.

During filming, DP Don E. Fauntleroy, ASC, used URSA Mini 4.6K PLs as the A and B cameras, as well as an URSA Mini Pro for all gimbal and drone shots, including overhead tracking shots of cars, establishing shots of locations, and the film’s opening shot approaching the downtown Chicago skyline from over Lake Michigan. An URSA Mini 4.6K EF was also used for splinter units and pickup shots, as well as a Pocket Cinema Camera for select stunt drive overs.

“The only non-Blackmagic Design cameras on set were used for still photography,” Fauntleroy explained. “Going into this project, we had just completed ‘Jeepers Creepers III,’ which also used URSA Mini 4.6Ks. We were so pleased with the look and capabilities of the Blackmagic Design cameras that when we started this production, we didn't even have a conversation regarding which cameras we would use. It was a foregone conclusion that it would be the URSA Mini 4.6K and URSA Mini Pro.”

While Fauntleroy cites the cameras’ form factors, dynamic ranges and affordability as additional factors in why they were chosen, it was the image quality above all else. “Blackmagic Design cameras provide the best image per dollar you can get. Also, the RAW CinemaDNG workflow with DaVinci Resolve Studio is seamless, robust and versatile,” he said.

As Editor Roger Wolski noted, in post, the team was able to switch back and forth for editing and color grading in DaVinci Resolve Studio through the use of collaboration mode. “We used the collaboration mode during the edit because I started editing while the film was being shot. First thing in the morning, the previous day's footage was copied to the server via the clone tool. Then Assistant Editor Nick Scurto would edit the metadata and label the clips by scene and take, all while I was editing clips already finished. This not only allowed the assembly edit to be completed just a day or two after filming wrapped, but also allowed Ari to grade simultaneously,” he explained. “I also found DaVinci Resolve Studio’s trim tool pretty intuitive to use. It made trimming and fine adjustments very quick.”

During grading, Golan was tasked with creating a warm, happy feeling for the beginning of the film; however, as tragedy and drama unfold, the look moves to cooler tones. He relied heavily on several of DaVinci Resolve 14 Studio’s new features throughout his work, including the Match Move filter which allowed him to easily replace pictures and video, for example replacing images on television screens and cell phones.

“It saved us from having to use another program outside of DaVinci Resolve Studio, which on a greater scale, was true for the majority of the post workflow in general,” Golan said. “The only thing not done in DaVinci Resolve Studio was VFX in Fusion Studio, as well as some sound effects and foley editing, but that was brought into DaVinci Resolve Studio as stems.”

VFX Artist Adam Clark relied on Fusion 9 Studio’s planar tracker for a number of shots, including tracking fire to objects and bullet wounds to an actor. “In conjunction with the new powerful planar tracking options, I leveraged Fusion Studio’s superb roto tools to isolate tracking areas,” he said.

Dialogue Editor Terry Shaughnessy was in charge of adding in sound effects, music and creating the final mix. “While my audio editing was done in DaVinci Resolve Studio’s edit page, we used the Fairlight page for setting up sub groups, main outs, dynamic filtration and final delivery stems,” he added.

“With the addition of Fairlight audio to DaVinci Resolve 14, we can deliver projects the way we want without having to send out to other programs,” concluded Golan. “Not only do we have advanced color grading and editing in one program, but we also can set up subs and mains and route everything accordingly, output the master, and separate left, center and right surround channels all in one step.”

Press Photography

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

About Blackmagic Design

NAB Show NY: Blackmagic Brings URSA Mini Pro 4.6K for Film and TV

TV Technology Staff — Thu, 28 Sep 2017 10:22:00 +0000

NEW YORK—Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro 4.6K combines high-end digital film quality with the ergonomics and features of a traditional broadcast camera, making it suitable for use in feature films, television shows, and commercials, as well as broadcast news, studio and even live multi-camera production. It features tactile control buttons, switches and dials that make it faster to use, built-in optical ND filters, a new interchangeable lens mount, dual CFAST 2.0 and dual SD/UHS-II card recorders.

The URSA Mini Pro features an external, high-visibility LCD status display for viewing critical shooting information, a foldout touchscreen for reviewing shots without needing an extra on-set monitor, professional connections such as 12G-SDI, XLR audio and built-in high-quality stereo microphones.

When it comes to image quality, URSA Mini Pro features a custom 4.6K image sensor that captures up to 4608x2592 pixels with a massive 15 stops of dynamic range and a super wide color gamut. Third-generation Blackmagic Design color science is used to process the raw sensor data, enabling rich skin tones, natural color response and dynamic range.

Blackmagic Design will exhibit in booth N825.