News

Press Release

Blackmagic Design announced that several Pocket Cinema Cameras were used to shoot behind the scenes footage and B roll for the Foo Fighters' eight part “Sonic Highways” series for HBO. Blackmagic Design's HyperDeck Studio Pro SSD recorders and Teranex 2D Processor were also used as the backbone for the mobile production unit.

Directed by Dave Grohl, each of “Sonic Highways” one hour episodes is devoted to a different musical landmark, chronicling the unique history, cultural environment and people that define a city, including local legends. With episodes set in (in alphabetical order) Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington, D.C., the series airs Fridays at 11:00pm ET/PT on HBO starting October 17.

Executive Producers James A. Rota, Roswell Films, and John Ramsay, Therapy Studios, oversaw all technical aspects of the production, which required a mobile, reliable and easy to use workflow to capture more than 480 hours of recordings, performances, interviews and behind the scenes footage.

“In turning 20 years old, the band wanted to do something special, and they have,” said James. “They didn't just fly around to different cities to record music. They went to iconic locations that have significance to the musical fabric of America, and those places inspired the album. Sometimes we were in a recording studio and sometimes we built a recording studio in a venue, such as Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Each location was a little different, and we wanted to document that process too.

“The concept around using the Pocket Cinema Cameras was anyone, a band member, gaffer, me or John for example, could pick one up and shoot if they saw something interesting happening. Because of the compact form factor, it was a great grab and go camera that still provided a really nice image,” he continued.

“By recording the album this way, it pulls back the curtain so you can see the band write and record the music. It’s a special opportunity as a fan to be able to watch the creative process,” said John. “The locations weren’t always the easiest places to record music in, but it was incredibly easy for us to set up cameras for static shots, plug them into the HyperDecks, put in the SSDs and have them record all day.”

Six HyperDeck Studio Pros were dispersed among six flypacks, which were placed near static cameras set up around the venue to capture the action from all angles. The camera feeds were sent via HDMI and SDI directly into the HyperDeck Studio Pros, which have dual SSD recording slots for continuous recording.

“With the HyperDecks, we could record in DNxHD, which saved time on transcoding, as well as playback footage if needed, jam it with timecodes and basically ‘set it and forget it’ all day. It was like having a never ending tape machine,” said James. “We would set the packs down near the cameras like little stations and when finished, carry them down to the truck and move on. At the end of the day, we would hand off the drives to the DIT, who would send the media back to L.A. for post, and bam you have the majority of your basic footage.”

“When the band wanted to do an impromptu performance in D.C., instead of having to hire a mobile truck, we could throw the camera and HyperDeck setup together and record a live performance on the fly,” said John. “It really allowed us to have a flexible, smaller, tighter crew instead of having to rent a big crew and deal with a complicated workflow.”

The DIT used a MultiDock Thunderbolt based disk dock to back up and manage the media, and a Teranex 2D Processor standards and format converter was also used in conjunction with one of the HyperDeck Studio Pros to record in the frame rate needed, as well as to smooth out any cadence issues.

“Teranex was great because we could record in whatever frame rate we needed, and when we started cutting episodes in post, we also used Teranex for the archival footage to get the formats and frame rates needed. We also used a few UltraStudio Express and Intensity Extreme devices for capture and playback,” said James. “Blackmagic Design has tools that are helpful and solutions for people who are actually doing the work.”

“The documentary process really became part of the music, and any production issues would have affected the album,” said John. “But we didn't have to worry about anything. Blackmagic Design makes end to end solutions and workflows that are very easy to use and very efficient. Anytime you think of a widget you need, Blackmagic Design has it, and it works well and is affordable.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera, HyperDeck Studio Pro, Teranex 2D Processor and MultiDock are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/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.

Press Release

NewTek unveiled TriCaster Mini -- the world’s most complete and compact multimedia studio. The ultra-portable system allows anyone who doesn’t speak or understand the technical language of video production or broadcasting to transform an ordinary presentation into engaging multimedia content that looks like network-style TV in a matter of minutes. Marketers, corporate employees, small business managers, community administrators, educators, trainers, non-profit and worship service volunteers, and entertainers who are interested in delivering their messages like seasoned television professionals can now use TriCaster Mini to assemble visually sophisticated multimedia presentations––and stream them live, publish to social media or upload to a website from the office, an event, or any location with an Internet connection. The tiny, sleek design, support for virtually any camera, and comprehensive toolset make TriCaster Mini easy to carry in one hand, setup, create and share content.

“With TriCaster Mini, we have built a product that gives anyone wishing to use video to communicate with others the ability to create content that looks like professionally made television achieved in minutes where traditionally it took hours or days. Our goal is to dispel the myth that it’s too technologically difficult or expensive to produce engaging multimedia content, and we’ve achieved that with TriCaster Mini,” said Dr. Andrew Cross, president and chief technical officer for NewTek. “Video is the fastest growing and most compelling communication medium in history, and to stay relevant, people in all areas are finding it increasingly important to conduct video interviews, webcasts, and presentations that mix slides, video clips, graphics and more. No other system in the world makes it as easy for anyone to get started than TriCaster Mini.”

Anyone familiar with computer software and has access to one or more cameras can use TriCaster Mini to capture and mix multiple live video camera angles with graphics, video clips, audio, titles and special effects. Setup is fast, straightforward and uncomplicated, and within a matter of minutes, users can create a multimedia program that looks professional without any other broadcast studio equipment or a professional crew. An integrated and configurable video screen on the side of the system also serves as a monitor for displaying a range of content selected by the user.

As newcomers become more comfortable with multimedia presentations, they can further explore a wide range of creative tools that come standard with TriCaster Mini, including:

– Mix different visual sources

– Overlay logos, presentations, charts, titles, media files, animations

– Import your own branding elements and have them appear in transitions and animations

– Incorporate a slideshow, web-pages from another computer

– Replace solid backgrounds with a simulated environment

– Webcast programs on a live video stream

– Post clips to YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, your web site

– Have guest speakers call in from their webcams

– Record the program so people can watch it on-demand

– Record all camera footage simultaneously so you can edit the program

– Make keyboard shortcuts for sophisticated sequences with one touch

Pricing and Availability

TriCaster Mini, including the optional integrated display screen and system storage capable of recording approximately 45 hours of footage, is available immediately for $7,995 USMSRP. TriCaster Mini is also available without the integrated display screen and system storage capable of recording approximately 15 hours of footage for $5,995 USMSRP. An optional control surface is available for $2,495 USMSRP, and an optional TriCaster Mini cable-kit with four 100-foot HDMI cables is also available for $495 USMSRP.

About NewTek

NewTek is transforming the way people create network-style television content and share it with the world. From sporting events, Web-based talk shows, live entertainment, classrooms, and corporate communications—to virtually any venue where people want to capture and publish live video, we give our customers the power to grow their audiences, brands and businesses, faster than ever before.

Sony PXW-X200 incorporates an improved 1/2 inch-type Exmor 3CMOS sensor, a new 17x zoom lens and XAVC Intra/Long GOP recording with 4:2:2 10-bit sampling. The successor to Sony's PMW-200, the new camcorder has a 1/2 inch-type 3CMOS sensor and MPEG HD422 (50 Mbps) recording capability. To be available in November 2014.

This latest software update for Blackmagic Studio Camera enables zoom control using LANC on MFT lenses that support electronic control of zoom.

Panasonic shipped new VariCam models. Available in two variants – the VariCam 35 (Super 35 4K camera) and the VariCam HS (high speed 2/3 type camera), the new VariCams feature innovative modular design enabling to separate the head with sensors and lens mount from the recording module. This allows to switch between Super 35 and 2/3 type heads to best suit the shoot. The VariCam 35 comes with PL mount and supports 4K, UHD, 2K and HD resolutions for the most demanding applications in filmmaking and episodic television. The new Panasonic Super 35mm MOS sensor with 4096 x 2160 (17:9) resolution and 14+ dynamic range produces a no-compromise image quality recorded to either RAW or AVC-ULTRA codecs. The VariCam HS incorporates a B4 lens mount and Panasonic's AVC-ULTRA family of video codecs and high speed 1080p image capture of up to 240 fps to produce extraordinary high-definition imagery for the most demanding documentary, sports or SFX slow-motion applications. It also includes Apple ProRes 4444 and ProRes 422 HQ support for HD recording.