News

Panasonic announced new firmware update for the LUMIX G Interchangable Lens Camera, DMC-GH4. The firmware Ver.2.1 will enhance the performance and controllability with upgraded functions of HDMI output, which will be highly valued in professional video production. With this firmware, time code and recording control signal can be embedded to the HDMI output signal, when connected with the products of ATOMOS Global Pty. Ltd. or the products complying with the extended specifications of ATOMOS. Now both FHD at 30p/25p native or at 60p/50p is selectable to output via HDMI while recording video in FHD at 30p/25p. The Interface Unit DMW-YAGH will also be updated with the new firmware 1.1 to support these functional upgrades of GH4. Plus, 60i/50i (30PsF/25PsF) or 60p/50p is selectable for the output via SDI. The new firmware programs are scheduled to be released in December, 2014.

Blackmagic Design has released a Camera v1.9.9 update. This release contains new features for Blackmagic URSA camera, including:

New RAW 3:1
The first feature is a new compressed RAW format called RAW 3:1. The format will enable to record up to twice as much RAW footage using RAW 3:1 with great quality. This format will also be needed to record high frame rates on URSA. For example, you can record about 7 minutes of RAW on a 128 GB CFast card but 14 minutes if you use RAW 3:1. The great thing is that it is still 12-bit RAW.

URSA's frame rate is now 80 fps in 4K!
Blackmagic Design has also increased URSA's maximum frame rate to 80 fps in 4K and all existing URSAs will have this enabled when the software is updated. To shoot up to 80 fps, users will need to use ProRes or the new RAW 3:1 codec. Even at 80 fps using RAW 3:1, users can still record to single CFast card!

Variable frame rate settings
URSA now features two new settings: a Project Frame Rate and a Sensor Frame Rate. The Project Frame Rate is the native playback frame rate of the recorded footage and in the standard video frame rates like 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 and so on. The Sensor Frame Rate sets up how fast the URSA sensor is running and can be selected from 5 to 80 fps in 1 frame increments. This makes it really easy to shoot off-speed in camera now. If you set the Sensor Frame Rate to 48 fps and the Project Frame Rate to 24 fps, you’ll end up with a 2x slow motion clip. The great thing about this is that the clip is tagged as a 24 fps clip so you can immediately play the clip back and view the off-speed effect in camera! It also plays back in the desired speed when you import the clip into Resolve without having to manually change any clip properties.

New Frame Guides and Dashboard
Blackmagic Design has also added the following frame guides that can be enabled on the 10” display as well: 2.40:1, 2.39:1, 2.35:1, 1.85:1, HDTV, 4:3, and Thirds. There is also a new URSA Dashboard view that can be toggled by the DISP button. This will allow you to display options for formatting the CFast card, turning zebras on/off and also the front SDI output overlays on and off. There are also added scrollable menus in URSA. For example, in the Display settings, you can individually adjust the brightness of each display or turn on or off the overlays on each screen or SDI outputs.

In-camera formatting
URSA now supports in-camera media formatting. This allows the user to format the CFast 2.0 cards in URSA. We recommend you to format your media in the cameras as they optimize file system for the best performance.

Press Release

Blackmagic Design has announced that the long standing daytime drama Moving On has returned to BBC One for a new series and was filmed entirely on the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K.

The program, which debuted on British television in 2009, is now in its sixth series and was commissioned by Damien Kavanagh. Featuring cinematography by Andy Clark, each of the five self contained 45 minute dramas has its own cast but shares a central theme, following someone who is going through a big change in their life.

“Moving On has transformed daytime viewing, it was the first drama to be commissioned for daytime in many years leading the way for the current crop of drama in the daytime output. In terms of program ratings, we have always won our slot by a significant margin, and the series has also performed well when being re shown during primetime, which is very significant when you consider the gulf between daytime and primetime production budgets,” said Patrick Hall of LA Productions.

He goes on to add: “Not only did I look after the edit and grade, but I also designed the production workflow from acquisition through to delivery. We were very lucky to have a crew that embraced the opportunity of working with these cameras. They saw the quality of the output and believed that the changes to the production workflow, which had remained largely unchanged in five years, would be well worth it.”

The Liverpool based independent production company shot just over a quarter of the program in 4K, the remainder was captured in ProRes 1080p25 using the log film mode. “Our storage calculations at the time simply didn’t allow us to shoot the whole thing in RAW. However, anything that we knew we wanted to punch in on during post, or that required specific paint and visual effects work, was all shot at 4K resolution. Otherwise, the 10 bit flavor of ProRes gave us plenty of latitude during the grade. I was able to push and pull significantly where required. I must say that we had a superb starting point for the grade. Andy and his team did such a great job at the front end with light and shape that it meant we were tweaking rather fixing in post.“

“Our ultimate aim is always to achieve a high end look on the dramas we produce, irrespective of the budget or project. What the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K gives you is a filmic look that is really organic, and is comparable with far more expensive cameras for, in this particular case, a tight daytime budget,” concludes Hall. “We used the EF version of the camera which meant we could use some nice cine style prime lenses, again rarely affordable on daytime budgets. The combination of glass, the camera’s native look and fantastic skills from our camera team means it’s very difficult to argue with the high end results we’ve achieved, so much so that we’ll be using the same camera packages on the seventh series, which has already been commissioned.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Production Camera 4K 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.

AW-HE130 is a new HD/SD pan/tilt/zoom camera from Panasonic incorporating recently-developed high-sensitivity, low-noise 1/3” 3-MOS imagers that produce stunning pictures, even in low light conditions. Revolutionary new features include Power over Ethernet+ (POE+) for easier integration, and multi-stream transmission of H.264 HD video and audio (up to 1080/60p at 25Mbps.) Available December 2014.

Press Release

Blackmagic Design announced that Fusion 7, the world’s most advanced visual effects and motion graphics software, is now available completely free of charge.

Fusion 7 for Windows can be downloaded from the Blackmagic Design website now.

Previously getting access to high end visual effects tools such as Fusion cost thousands of dollars, so it was more restricted to elite Hollywood visual effects artists. Now with Fusion 7 being available free of charge there is no limit to block anyone from creating world leading visual effects. Blackmagic Design believes this will revolutionize the industry and consumers will be able to watch dramatically better feature films and television shows in the future.

Also announced was Fusion 7 Studio, a complete bundle of VFX and motion graphics solutions with collaborative tools and unlimited network rendering for creative teams and larger facilities. Fusion 7 Studio drastically reduces the cost of setting up multi user studios. Fusion 7 Studio will be available for $995 from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.

Fusion has been one of Hollywood’s leading visual effects and motion graphic tools for over 25 years and has been used on thousands of feature film and television projects, including blockbusters like Maleficent, Edge of Tomorrow, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spider-man 2 and The Hunger Games, as well as hit television shows like Battlestar Galactica, Orphan Black and many more.

The free of charge Fusion 7 is a fully featured solution and is not limited in it’s features. It has a massive visual effects and motion graphics toolset that can be used for both personal and commercial work. Fusion 7 features an infinite 3D workspace and an easy to use node based workflow for quickly building unlimited effects. Customers get advanced 3D compositing, paint, rotoscope, retiming, stabilization, titling, an amazing 3D particle generator and multiple keyers, including Primatte. Fusion 7 also lets customers import and render 3D geometry and scenes from other applications as well as create their own elements from scratch.

The $995 Fusion 7 Studio includes everything found in the free Fusion 7 software, plus adds extra high end features such as optical flow tools for advanced retiming, stabilization and stereoscopic 3D production, support for third party OpenFX plug ins, and distributed network rendering so customers can render jobs on an unlimited number of computers at no additional cost! Fusion 7 Studio also includes Generation, a studio wide multi user workflow and collaboration tool that helps creative teams manage, track and review versions of every shot in a production. Customers can also move projects from the free Fusion 7 software to a workstation running Fusion 7 Studio and take advantage of workflow collaboration and unlimited distributed network rendering.

Unlike other software, Fusion 7 Studio doesn’t require annual maintenance fees, subscriptions, a connection to the cloud, or per node render license costs. That means customers don’t get tricked into hidden or on going costly payments for software they’ve already purchased.

“Visual effects software has been expensive for way too long and it’s time that this changed. Consumers are screaming for more exciting movies and television programs and so we need to do everything we can to help our customers create stunning visual effects,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “Now, with the free version of Fusion, everyone from individual artists to the biggest studios can create Hollywood caliber visual effects and motion graphics! When combined with DaVinci Resolve Lite, customers can get the world’s most advanced tools for editing, grading, 3D compositing, visual effects and motion graphics, all absolutely free!”

Availability and Price

Fusion 7 software for Windows is available for download now from the Blackmagic Design web site free of charge. Fusion 7 Studio will be available for $995 at all Blackmagic Design Resellers. Existing Fusion 7 customers and customers on a current Fusion support plan can upgrade to Fusion Studio at no additional charge by contacting Blackmagic Design.

Press Photography

Product photos of Fusion 7, and all other Blackmagic Design products, 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.