News

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.

Press Release

Blackmagic Design today announced that the latest television commercial for Mitsubishi’s hybrid car, the Outlander PHEV, was graded using DaVinci Resolve by Tokyo based production and post production company Helmet Inc., founded by Horibe Toshi.

Helmet also used Blackmagic Design’s SmartScope Duo monitor and UltraStudio 4K capture and playback device to complete the commercial, which is airing throughout Japan. .

Outlander PHEV is the latest crossover SUV from Mitsubishi and is the world’s first 4WD plugin hybrid SUV. Helmet, a boutique production company known for its visually stunning commercials and music videos, showed the power and elegance of the new PHEV by featuring the SUV driving through the majestic landscapes of New Zealand.

“The goal for this commercial was to show the audience the coolness and power of the car. People have the impression that a hybrid car is a family or city car. However, we wanted to emphasize that the hybrid car is not just for city use by showing it driving around rough mountain roads. We shot in New Zealand for three weeks, and we shot in 4K or 5K so that we could resize in post production,” explained Takashi Chiba, a cinematographer at Helmet, who shot and color graded the commercial.

“I took a lot of care to make the car look really cool,” said Chiba. Many car commercials for family or city use tend to have a soft and less contrasty look, however, with this commercial Helmet tried to show a sharper image of the car. “I tried to create a look which is sharper and more contrasty look so that the car looked powerful and classy.”

He continued: “When we went back to our hotel after each day’s shooting, we picked the best takes. We then applied gamma for the cameras we used for shooting and exported as ProRes 422 LT for offline. We did the offline edit when we came back to Japan using XML files to pass around data with Resolve.”

When grading the commercial on DaVinci Resolve, Chiba had to reproduce the body color of the car and the natural colors in the nature. “I used Power Windows to make masks and added more contrast to the pale blue color of the body. Also I used Resolve’s sharpen tool to make the edge of the car more obvious, which gave a cooler look to the car. Also, since some of shots were done on cloudy days, the backlit shots tended to make the color green a bit too dark, so we used Resolve’s curves functions to bring some green back.”

Chiba and his crew also used an UltraStudio 4K for monitoring DaVinci Resolve’s output, as well as a SmartScope Duo for waveform monitoring in their Tokyo offices. And they use a wide range of Blackmagic products, such as Audio Monitor, Teranex 2D Processor and Mini Converters, in their day to day work.

“Blackmagic products have a consistency in their design, so they look very nice when mounted together in a rack. We sometimes bring Blackmagic equipment in a fly away kit to use on set. Helmet Inc., owns its own equipment, allowing us to do everything in house, such as planning, directing, shooting and editing. Resolve is a powerful tool for jobs which require flexibility and speed, and we are now planning to do more on set grading with Resolve,” concluded Chiba.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve 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.

Press Release

Blackmagic Design announced that three Pocket Cinema Cameras are being used to shoot footage for Esquire Network’s hit television show “Brew Dogs,” including driving scenes, food and beer photography and character hero shots. DaVinci Resolve is being used to color grade the series by Kelly Reese of Deluxe, a global leader in media and entertainment services.

“Brew Dogs” follows James Watt and Martin Dickie, owners of the UK’s fastest growing brewery, as they travel across America visiting different beer towns, celebrating distinctive craft beers and creating their own locally inspired drafts. Director and Executive Producer Jared Cotton, of “Brew Dogs” production company Custom Redtail Partners, works closely with DP Todd Bell to create a documentary style show with a cinematic look to it.

“There is very little time to produce an insane amount of content, all while ensuring it has a cinematic aesthetic,” said Jared. “Since the aesthetic is so important, and driving scenes are such a big part of each episode, we wanted to do more than suction cup cameras to the dash, while not fully rigging a car with large cameras. Once we saw what the Pocket Cinema Cameras were capable of in terms of small footprint and image quality, we were hooked. We use them in almost every single scene because we want the entire series to feel cinematic.”

“One of my favorite driving scenes was shot at night on the Las Vegas strip using the actual car from ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.’ We couldn't damage a piece of film history, but we still wanted to get a great scene,” said Todd. “We mounted the cross shooting Pocket Cinema Cameras inside the car, which was much safer and would have been impossible with our main unit cameras because of their size. It was one of our most visually stunning scenes of the season. The detail, dynamic range and skin tones from the Pocket Cinema Camera are really impressive.”

In addition to driving scenes, the Pocket Cinema Cameras are used to capture multiple angles and wide shots and are often mounted on main unit cameras to capture different shot sizes from the same perspective.

“The show is about the process of making artisan, hand crafted beers, and the images should have that same love and attention to detail put into them,” said Todd. “I am blown away by the Pocket Cinema Camera’s dynamic range. The amount of detail we are able to hold in the highlights outside of car shots, while holding detail in the shadows within the car, is amazing. The sharpness is even better than I had imagined, and rigging with the cameras is really fun and rewarding.”

“Previously, rigging a vehicle could take three hours and multiple crew members, but now we are ready to go in under 30 minutes,” said Jared. “The cameras also have a huge impact on product shots. We can leave our second unit DP, Jessica Fisher, at a location with a small lighting package and a Pocket Cinema Camera, not only saving time, but utilizing the camera's amazing sensor to properly showcase the real star of the show, the beer.”

Shot in ProRes in Log to utilize the sensor's entire dynamic range, colorist Kelly Reese benefits from having room to play with different looks during color grading with DaVinci Resolve.

“Jared and Todd are passionate about color correction and don't want the typical over saturated reality show look. It needs to be more natural, more filmic,” said Kelly. “To help achieve this, they shoot in Log mode, which I’m very excited about as it allows me more range to work with and helps retain more highlight detail.

“Because nearly all the footage is shot in Log, but from different cameras and under varying lighting conditions, I use color corrections before and after LUTs for maximum quality. I love that DaVinci Resolve allows LUTs to be applied on a node,” he continued. “For additional control of the gamma curve, I adjust the custom curves to get just the right amount of detail in the lower gamma and the upper gamma. In video color correction, it’s easy to fall into the trap of just adjusting the Lift, Gamma and Gain and to forget about the in between areas. Custom curves are a good way to address that.

“The bottom line is to apply organic looks, but with around 1,600 events per show, it has to be done quickly and efficiently. I use preset memories set for different looks and cameras, and I still have to modify the corrections for each shot, but they serve as great starting points,” Kelly concluded. “Our online editor works in his bay while I’m color correcting in my bay, which also makes for an incredibly efficient workflow. When there are new or revised shots for the show, he passes them to me, and I drop them onto a new track in my timeline. Having multiple tracks in Resolve really helps me stay organized.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and DaVinci Resolve 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.

About Deluxe

Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. is a global leader in media and entertainment services for film, video and online content, from capture to consumption. Since 1915, Deluxe has been the trusted partner for the world’s most successful Hollywood studios, independent film companies, TV networks, exhibitors, advertisers and others, offering best-in-class solutions in production, post production, distribution, asset and workflow management, and new digital solution-based technologies. With operations in Los Angeles, New York and around the globe, the company employs nearly 6,000 of the most talented, highly honored and recognized artists and industry veterans worldwide. Deluxe is a wholly owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. For more information visit www.bydeluxe.com.

The new Desktop Video software update adds uncompressed 8, 10-bit YUV and MJPEG to 4K capture presets in Adobe Premiere Pro CC (Windows and Mac OS X), as well as general performance and stability improvements (Windows, Mac OS X and Linux) for DeckLink, H.264 Pro Recorder, Intensity, and UltraStudio product lines.