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Press Release

Blackmagic Design announced that Blackmagic Cinema Cameras EF were used to capture complex action sequences in the new film “The Expendables 3.” Second Unit DP Paul Hughen, ASC, placed the cameras directly in the action in order to get incredible shots, including exciting scenes of car races, intricate boat chases and large scale action sequences.

In “The Expendables 3,” the mercenary group returns to battle with the team's co founder turned ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, who in this latest installment has made it his mission to destroy The Expendables. With an all star cast, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Kelsey Grammer, Victor Ortiz, Ronda Rousey and Kellan Lutz, there is no shortage of action and adventure.

“I was looking for a stunt camera that offered maximum resolution and ease of workflow, and I wanted the action footage to be as close to the main unit resolution as possible,” says Peter Menzies, First Unit DP. “The Blackmagic Cinema Camera’s RAW image is the best quality available in a camera of that compact size and versatility, and the image is very sharp and has great latitude.”

“The Blackmagic Cinema Camera’s form factor was perfect for the many complex camera positions that Second Unit Director Dan Bradley and I came up with,” explained Paul. “We wanted to mount the cameras to different vehicles with the smallest amount of rigging possible. We mounted them to boats, tanks, and trucks; and in one of the most involved and exciting sequences, three Blackmagic Cinema Cameras were attached to the front and sides of a high speed military train.”

The Blackmagic Cinema Camera’s light weight also allowed Paul to attach the cameras to the front or side of a motorcycle because the form factor kept rigging and cables to a minimum and made it safe to carry for the rider. “The cameras were so easy to use that we often found ourselves giving them to stuntmen who turned them on and ran with them on top of trains or rode with them in the backs of Jeeps. The light weight and easy handling made the cameras the action unit workhorse,” said Paul.

Because of the nature of the action unit, Paul and his team knew that the Blackmagic Cinema Cameras were going to be in harm’s way. While the camera’s form factor sometimes afforded them the opportunity to use metal crash cages to protect them, other times they simply mounted them and hoped for the best. As such, affordability was key.

“Affordability was a major factor in deciding to shoot with the Blackmagic Cinema Cameras. However, over the course of shooting we only lost one camera, and the exciting shots we got far outweighed the cost of a replacement,” said Paul. “The camera that was destroyed was attached to the bottom of a free falling elevator. Upon action, the camera was turned on and allowed to fall with the metal cage of the elevator nine stories to the bottom of the shaft. While the camera was destroyed in the fall, the SSD was protected, and we were able to retrieve the information from it and get a great shot.”

Press Photography

Product photos of Blackmagic Cinema Camera 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.

Sky Glide Cinema, top of the line of Sky Glide camera stabilizers, offers computer-controlled balancing in 3 axis with remote control, 3 joystick controls, and 3 modes of operation (simple, stabilization, and tracking). This digital, brushless 3-axis gimbal is suitable for cameras weighting up to 6 kgs. The stabilizer is made of carbon fiber and aircraft-grade aluminum materials and features an intergrated 2600 mAh Li-Poly accu, plus a hard travel case. Suitable for Blackmagic Production Camera 4K, Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, Sony F55 or FS700, Panasonic DMC-GH4, RED EPIC, ARRI ALEXA M, Canon C500, Phantom Miro, and other digital cinema cameras.

Sony's PXW-X500 solid-state memory shoulder-mount camcorder offers superior picture quality with three-chip 2/3-inch type new CCD image sensors. The camcorder is designed to be a flexible 1080p acquisition tool for a broad range of HD production applications such as TV dramas, live productions, ENG and sports productions. To be available in October 2014.

Metabones released the new Canon EF to Micro-4/3 mount Speed Booster adapter. The adapter makes the lens 0.71x wider, increases maximum aperture by 1 stop, and also increases MTF. The adapter features built-in electronics to control lens aperture by the controls on the camera body, and is also powered by the camera's body. The adapter is an ideal companion for Blackmagic Cinema Camera MFT or the mirrorless Panasonic GH4 models.

Press Release

London's Goldcrest Post continues the expansion of its Academy Award and BAFTA winning post production services with the addition of three new digital intermediate (DI) theatrical grading suites featuring DaVinci Resolve.

Goldcrest has already used its theatrical grading suites for the DI on Kingsman: The Secret Service, Inbetweeners 2, Breaking the Bank, Suite Francaise and Stephen Frears’ Lance Armstrong biopic. With access to the very latest in DI creative technology and workflows of DaVinci Resolve 11, Goldcrest’s Lexington Street picture post department, which includes leading colorists Adam Glasman, Rob Pizzey and Lee Clappison, is now the only facility in Soho to offer its clients complete audio and picture finishing services for major theatrical releases all under the same roof.

The DaVinci Resolve workflow for Goldcrest’s main DI suites relies on multiple 4GPU Linux DaVinci Resolves for editing and grading, and also includes multiple 1 GPU Linux and Mac Resolves for preparation and lab work. Goldcrest’s two main DI suites feature a 10 meter throw with 6.5 meter screens including the latest Barco DCI projector. All DaVinci Resolve workstations are connected to a half Petabyte San Media storage system insuring playback and realtime grading for multiple 4K streams.

Blackmagic reseller Jigsaw24 proposed the highest specification DaVinci Resolve servers to run the grading and online suites, all on Linux. “This ensured a uniformity across the creative suites, providing easier support and interoperability in the facility,” explained Jigsaw’s Jamie Allan. “The grading and online systems were all built identically, so online playback could be achieved in realtime, without the need for rendering from a grade. All of the systems are powered by Nvidia Titan GPU processing cards.”

“The scope and scale of the features that will go through our facility means that our project management has to be watertight,” said Laurent Treherne, chief technology director of Goldcrest Post who oversaw the upgrade “Using DaVinci Resolve throughout our editorial pipeline has given us a more efficient and flexible workflow because we are using a centralized database. DI, online editing and conform can now be done using the same project files without the need to render any files or translate and check XML data. Jigsaw’s technical consultancy and extensive knowledge of DaVinci Resolve has been essential to the project’s success.”

“This new post production infrastructure demonstrates our commitment to entering the UK picture post arena. As we have secured some of the very best talent in the industry, we had to ensure that our colorists, editors and assistants had an environment offering the highest technological and aesthetic qualities in which to work,” explains Goldcrest Post managing director Patrick Malone. “Our heritage in film financing and distribution establishes our credibility within the feature production industry, and by adding world class post production services to our facilities, clients will have access to a unique, fully integrated service.

Press Photography

Product photos of 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 film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, 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 stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.

About Goldcrest

Goldcrest is a vertically integrated entertainment company. From offices in New York and London Goldcrest offers a unique integrated solution for producers of filmed entertainment globally. Highly skilled talent, expertise and experience underpin the company’s activities in three distinct operational areas:

– Goldcrest Films oversees the distribution and marketing of films produced by Goldcrest and third-party acquisitions in addition to monetising Goldcrest’s celebrated library of over 100 titles and recently announced they will be financing and distributing Brooklyn Bridge to which Daniel Radcliffe is attached to star, starting at the forthcoming European Film Market in Berlin.

– Goldcrest Post is a market leading supplier of Academy Award and BAFTA winning post-production services.

– Goldcrest Finance raises funds and structures transactions in the media sector and has funded films ranging in budget from $3 million to $98 million, of which four have opened at number 1 at the US box office.