RENTAL SPECIAL P38 WHAT’S NEW
IN UK & US MARKETS
December 2018
£4.99
LARGE FORMAT All existing cameras rated
FIRST TEST
WALKING IN SPACE
RED HYDROGEN ONE
Virtual reality gets a shove
New Lisbeth gets LARGE treatment
K 4 C I G A M K C BLAd for hybrid cams? P54 The en
PLUS! BRAW IN POST // ONE-TAKE WONDERS // CHANNEL 4 MOVES NORTH // BEASTS POST
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W E LC O M E
BRIGHT PUBLISHING LTD, BRIGHT HOUSE, 82 HIGH STREET, SAWSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE CB22 3HJ UK
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EDITORIAL Editor Julian Mitchell 01223 492246 julianmitchell@bright-publishing.com Editor In Chief Adam Duckworth Contributors Phil Rhodes, Gary Adcock, Adam Garstone Chief sub editor Beth Fletcher Senior sub editor Siobhan Godwood Sub editor Felicity Evans ADVERTISING Sales Director Matt Snow 01223 499453 mattsnow@bright-publishing.com Sales Manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com Key Accounts Nicki Mills 01223 499457 nickimills@bright-publishing.com DESIGN Design Director Andy Jennings Designer Lucy Woolcomb Senior Designer & Production Manager Flo Thomas Ad Production Man-Wai Wong PUBLISHING Managing Directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook @definitionmagazine Twitter @definitionmags Instagram @definitionmags
DOP Ed Moore’s Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K has gone straight to work as a head cam.
WELCOME
W
hen was the last time you bought a small camera? Was it for stills with the occasional video or the other way around? If you shoot video on your hybrid camera do you ever use it for stills? We have reported on the use of small cameras for in- and on-car shooting for shows such as The Grand Tour and Top Gear, and also for shooting in tight places and for crash cams. (There’s also the continual search for a camera to avoid the GoPro look...) But is it time to look beyond the hybrid camera for something more dedicated to video? There are a couple of new video cameras that come to mind: Blackmagic’s new Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and ZCAM’s E2. The new 4K Pocket cam shoots ProRes and Raw, and might even receive Blackmagic’s new BRAW codec – you can shoot on CFast, SD and perhaps more importantly via the USB-C output to incredibly fast SSDs. There is off-speed with 120fps at HD, the interface is child’s play, and there is a dual native ISO architecture for low light. The E2 shoots 4K at 120fps and claims 16 stops with WDR activated. We haven’t tested the camera yet, but hopefully we will be for the next issue.
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JULIAN MITCHELL EDITOR
Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
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ON THE CHAISE LONGUE
© 2018 Warner Bros
Actors William Nadylam, Eddie Redmayne and Katherine Waterston talk to director David Yates on the set of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald – with various levels of interest. Katherine seems quite animated, Eddie definitely less so. Our interest lies in the tech: ARRI Rental’s Alexa 65 camera twinned with its Prime 65S lenses. Also used on the shoot were Leitz’s new Thalia lens range for large format cinematography.
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S E T- U P | M A J O R B R OA D C A S T M OV E
ABOVE It’s hoped Channel 4’s move to Leeds will benefit all of the UK and support up to 3,000 production jobs.
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NORTHERN BROADCASTING POWERHOUSE PRODUCTION FOCUS
It’s hoped Channel 4’s decision to move its HQ from London and up the M1 to Leeds will benefit the region’s production community massively W O R D S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L / P I C T U R E S W I L L G R E E N
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n the biggest event in Channel 4’s history, which it is calling ‘4 All The UK’, the broadcaster is moving its HQ 200 miles north to the centre of Leeds. Birmingham and Manchester were also competing homes for this broadcaster’s outof-London move, but in the end Channel 4’s chief executive, Alex Mahon, and the Channel 4 board confirmed Leeds as the location of its new national HQ, with Bristol and Glasgow its two new Creative hubs. Why Leeds? The decision was influenced by the ability to establish a presence close to independent production companies in Yorkshire and the north-east, which aren’t being served by other broadcasters. Channel 4 announced its 4 All the UK strategy in March 2018, revealing the new locations in October, with plans to move next year. Centre to the strategy is a significant increase in the organisation’s nations and regions content spend – from 35% to 50% of main channel UK commissions by 2023, worth up to £250m more in total. This increase in Channel 4’s spend will benefit all areas of the UK, not just the specific locations and will support up to 3,000 production jobs in the nations’ and regions’ economy. The new National HQ and Creative Hubs will be home to 300 Channel 4 jobs when fully established, including key creative decision makers who will be responsible for commissioning Channel 4 content and programmes from producers across the UK. The new bases are at the heart of the 4 All the UK plan to ensure that Channel 4 better represents all the UK, on- and off-screen, as well as to help further the increased nations’ and regions’ production spend.
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S H O OT S TO RY | T H E G I R L I N T H E S P I D E R ’ S W E B
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T H E G I R L I N T H E S P I D E R ’ S W E B | S H O OT S TO RY
WORLD WIDE WEB
Cinematographer Pedro Luque shot the new movie from the Dragon Tattoo series with a large format aesthetic, but it wasn’t all about a shallow depth-of-field W O R D S P H I L R H O D E S / P I C T U R E S C O LU M B I A P I C T U R E S
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P O S T S TO RY | FA N TA S T I C B E A S T S 2
WORKING WITH BEASTS For the new Fantastic Beasts movie, Technicolor managed a huge and complex pipeline from dailies to deliverables
Q U E S T I O N S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L / P I C T U R E S WA R N E R B R O S
Definition: What was the Technicolor dailies process? How were colour decisions made and what about the data flow with the ARRI Alexa 65 camera? Technicolor: When we first heard that we were working with the Alexa 65, we needed to determine whether the system would use the industry adopted A65 workflow, which involved creating a proxy file with the Codex Vault and do the dailies out of them. Or if there was some way of working with the original camera files as we do with all other cameras. As we are vendor agnostic, we don’t influence the camera or formats that productions use. We instead work to provide solutions and normalise our processes to accommodate to their needs. Our aim is to provide the same speed, level of service and quality in every scenario. We always try to do this by working with the original camera files. For Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we did just that by building a system that can process Alexa 65 material with the same turnaround times and level of quality our clients are accustomed to.
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We knew early on that we needed to build something completely new. We didn’t want to create something that we were going to use only once; we wanted to create something long lasting that could be integrated with our pipeline and processes going forward. Our engineers in London and Los Angeles worked with us and FilmLight to build a completely new system, integrating our dailies software with their Daylight system. This enabled us to bring together FilmLight’s hardware and software ability in processing original Alexa 65 files with the versatility and standardisation we have achieved over the years using our proprietary Technicolor Dailies Manager Systems. We ended up building a system for Fantastic Beasts 2 that was capable of processing original Alexa 65 Raw files at full debayer. We were able to bring to our clients a service where acquiring, processing and backing up Alexa 65 data feels much like a normal Alexa SXT workflow, with the added bonus that we were effectively QC-ing their actual OCN.
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We ended up building a system for Fantastic Beasts 2 that was capable of processing original Alexa 65 Raw files at full debayer Definition: Can you explain more about the workflow and colour pipeline. Was it an ACES show? Technicolor: The colour pipeline was built by our DI colourist, based on an ACEScct colour space. We worked closely with the DIT on-set, Peter Welch, to provide him with all the colour science and transforms for his on-location system. The dailies colour grade was completed on FilmLight’s Daylight system by our Dailies Colourist. We received a daily Colour Decisions List (CDL) made on-set. In the near-set, our Dailies Colourist graded the dailies using Peter’s CDLs as a starting point. These colour values were then transferred into our Pulse system where it was stored as metadata per clip. When a pull was requested via Pulse, the CDL values were exported per shot as support files (ccc, cc, cdl) for automated delivery to VFX or 3D Stereo Vendors. Original camera files were stored on our Pulse system for instant access during post-production, whether this was a pull requested for VFX work, 3D Stereo-Conversion work or a trailer DI grading session.
VFX shot reviews were conducted on a Technicolor-supplied FilmLight Daylight System. Each VFX Vendor submitted their shots following the same support-file-pershot workflow. This allowed each VFX shot to be reviewed with the colour grade set by VFX supervisors. The Daylight system also allowed the colour grade to be revised on-the-fly and passed on to VFX Vendors. VFX shots with their CDL support files were then sent to 3D for stereo conversion and stereo reviews, as well as to Technicolor for the final DI. Definition: How did you prepare for the digital intermediate? Technicolor: The workflow supervisor’s role was to support the DI Team. He gathered information from the production, editorial and VFX departments, then worked with our DI team to establish the best workflow methods to meet production’s expectations for a successful DI. We had two immediate challenges. VFX Production wanted to use its own ExpeDat server for shot submissions instead of using Aspera Faspex or Shares.
IMAGES VFX shot reviews were conducted on a Technicolor-supplied FilmLight Daylight system.
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D I R E C TO R S TO RY | T H E H AU N T I N G O F H I L L H O U S E
HAIR-RAISING HILL HOUSE
The brilliant The Haunting of Hill House currently on Netflix had some scarily long takes in episode six. Writer and director Mike Flanagan reveals how they were achieved W O R D S M I K E F L A N AG A N / P I C T U R E S N E T F L I X
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received a lot of questions about episode six of The Haunting of Hill House. Netflix released a brilliant behind-the-scenes video (bit.ly/DefHillHouse), but for those that would like a little more information, here’s a snippet. Episode six was part of the very first pitch for the show, promising an episode that would look like one continuous shot. Most of the camera choreography was included in the script itself, which meant that the draft for the episode was a really tough read with notes, such as ‘Camera pivots left/tracks right down left aisle, keeping Steven in MS profile’ breaking up the dialogue.
The sets for both Hill House and Shirley’s funeral home were designed with episode six in mind. They were built on adjacent stages and had to accommodate a hallway that would physically connect them so that Hugh Crain (actor Timothy Hutton) could walk directly from the funeral home to Hill House in shot one. The sets needed to include hiding places for crew and equipment, specific lighting rigs, and even a handmade elevator that would lower into place from the ceiling to bring a cameraman down to the first floor for shot four. Immediately, we began doing weekly walk-throughs of the episode in prep.
SCHEDULE CHANGE We initially intended to shoot it last, to give us as much time as possible. Budget issues resulted in the studio moving the episode up to the beginning of our third production block – rapidly accelerating our prep time. Production was shut down and rehearsals for episode six began 6 March 2018. We rehearsed daily with our second team stand-ins who performed the entire episode as actors as we learned the camera, lighting and acting choreography. They were heroes and made the whole thing possible. The episode comprised of five long takes; three took place in the funeral home, two in Hill House. We would rehearse one segment, while another was prepped/programmed for lighting, and then switch. Sets were still being painted and constructed to accommodate the episode. Rain special effects were put in both stages and specialty lights were brought in to create the lightning. The water would sometimes flood the sets and the studio initially didn’t want to pay for the extra ‘lightning’ lights, proposing to cut the storms from the episode entirely. REHEARSALS The actors arrived on set on 26 March to begin rehearsals. On their first day, we sat
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The episode comprised of five long takes; three took place in the funeral home and two in Hill House IMAGES The set of Shirley’s funeral home, left, was physically connected to the set of Hill House itself, seen below.
them down and showed them the entire episode, shot on a DSLR, with the second team performing. They could see each shot executed successfully and the goal they were trying get to. Rehearsals then began in earnest. The actors would be on one stage, practicing the scene and the performance, while our camera operators worked on the other stage with the second team refining camera blocking and lighting cues. There were hundreds of individual lighting cues, not only for effect but also for beauty lighting. If a cue was late, an actor wouldn’t be lit properly. If an actor missed their mark, or if a cue was early or delayed, it meant actors went dark, or you’d see a camera shadow.
SHOOTING We began shooting finally on 6 April 2018. We shot in episode order, so the first shot was 14 pages long and in Shirley’s funeral home. We did tech rehearsals in the morning and started shooting, in case we got lucky. We only had to get it right once. This first segment involved hiding the younger actors playing the Crain children around the corner in the viewing room, so they could run in and replace their adult counterparts during a 360-degree move centred around actor, Timothy Hutton.
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F E AT U R E | R E N TA L S P E C I A L
CONFESSIONS FROM A RENTAL COMPANY THIS TIME LAST YEAR WE RAN A RENTAL SPECIAL. NOW WE REVISIT THE TOPIC TO FIND OUT WHAT’S CHANGED IN 2018 Q U E S T I O N S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L
Definition: What gear has been the most popular this year, and has it surprised you in some cases? Judy Doherty, Head of Marketing, Panavision US: With the evolution of largersensor digital cameras, large-format cinematography is flourishing, and thus has emerged as a popular trend. Additionally, large-format optics with vintage characteristics are also a popular choice for feature and series production. Panavision is renowned for its full line of top-quality optics, including the biggest selection of large-format lenses and anamorphic glass.
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As demand for these lenses has risen, Panavision has been responding – and will continue to – through our investments in both the restoration of classic lenses and designing new ones with a variety of classic looks optimised for large-format photography. Filmmakers now have more choices than ever before to create new looks, and Panavision is poised to offer a range of solutions for their creative intent, whether it’s content for the big screen, television or streaming services. Danny Howarth, Head of Sales and Technical operations, ProVision: It probably won’t
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surprise you to hear that in the most part, the Alexa Mini has reigned supreme in 2018. However, we have also seen an increase in Raw/4:3 Cameras. Q4 of 2018 has seen a significant further demand for Sony Venice. Matt Marner, Director, Video Europe: The Arri Alexa Mini has continued to be our most popular camera this year. We now own over 60 of them and they are continually on hire. New cameras such as the Sony Venice, Arri Alexa LF and RED GEMINI are also performing very well since we purchased them.
R E N TA L S P E C I A L | F E AT U R E
The Alexa Mini has continued to be our most popular camera this year, we own over 60 of them
Definition: Is customising products or developing products part of your future plans? Is this a new trend for rental companies? Judy Doherty: When a filmmaker comes to Panavision with a vision, we deliver. That has been the culture since the company was founded. At its heart, Panavision is really a global technology company. From research and development to engineering, and then to the actual manufacturing, and in particular the breadth of technology on the optics side, it’s a very strategic, vital part of the company. Depending on the set-up and what is required for a filmmaker to achieve their vision, we can even customise and manufacture accessories and brackets in-house. The spirit of collaboration is our way of life, and the dialogue between the filmmaker and Panavision’s engineers
drives almost everything we do. Our understanding of the filmmaking process, supported with our expert engineering departments around the world, make us one of the most fast-moving and proactive rental houses in the world. Danny Howarth: Providing bespoke and customised one-off solutions is all part of our service; modifications of existing products and finding new and innovative ways to assist production is key for us at ProVision. Matt Marner: Yes, this is something we’d like to do in the future for sure. I’ve seen other rental companies do it and it’s a great service to be able to offer to your customers: well DOPs to be precise! If you’re going to do it though, you need to do it properly with the right set-up which includes personnel, investment and tight relationships with a range of manufacturers. Definition: The drama market is expanding: are you finding you are investing more into it? Judy Doherty: Panavision is a fullservice, international company that works on everything from big-budget features to student films. Meeting the needs of the production crew is a priority for us, whether it’s a short film or a ten-part series for Netflix or Amazon. Our staff have the expertise to understand that, whether they need something as small as an adjustment to some gear or an order
STILLS Movie and television productions helped by rental companies in the UK and the US.
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F E AT U R E | S PAC E R AC E 4
MO-SYS AND HP TEAM UP TO TAKE VIRTUAL REALITY FROM THE STATIONARY TO FULL MOVEMENT W O R D S J U L I A N M I TC H E L L / P I C T U R E S H P/ M O -S Y S
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he world of virtual reality is so open-ended that in years to come we won’t believe that at this point in time we couldn’t actually physically move in this space. But a new partnership is changing this. We’re not just talking about virtually moving in VR either, but actually walking or cycling while also moving virtually. HP, using its new mobile computing hardware, and London-based Mo-Sys, using the power of Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) and its new VR tracking technology, is empowering location-based entertainment, gaming, engineering, training and architecture visualisation.
NEW POSSIBILITIES The enterprise-level system from Mo-Sys is called StarTracker VR, an inside-out tracking solution like no other. Inside-out tracking is when the sensor moves outside-in when it is stationary.
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StarTracker VR is perfect for team or collaborative events as, thanks to the patented optical tracking method, it is not susceptible to occlusion (when another user is blocking your VR headset) or drift. Using reflective stickers stuck to the ceiling, an upwards-looking sensor known as StarTracker is mounted on to the headset, calculating its position in real time using the stickers as a reference. The camera sensor uses infrared to shine up at the stickers and they reflect back into that sensor. The data is processed using the Unreal engine, which gives you the real time rendering and the great quality. This new method is resilient to changes in light and enables wall-towall, multi-level tracking across the largest of environments, even when objects are partially obstructing the StarTracker sensor. Using the HP backpacks gives the system much more quality and the way that
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ABOVE The StarTracker VR is resilient to light and enables wall-to-wall, multi-level tracking.
S PAC E R AC E 4 | F E AT U R E
LEFT A mock-up of how VR can be used in the automotive world and below at a recent Triumph motobike launch with only a virtual bike.
one system isn’t affected by another nearby points towards multi-player systems. Mo-Sys founder and owner, Michael Geissler, commented: “The strength, precision and reliability of our tracking really shines through when you can even cycle in VR. StarTracker VR truly delivers unlimited freedom of movement with the power to interact with moving objects or navigate around static obstacles.”
BIKING IN VR Most recently, the British Motorcycle giant, Triumph, chose StarTracker VR to showcase a top-secret prototype bike that’s coming out next year to its most privileged dealers. Mo-Sys claims that no other system could provide robust tracking and prevent occlusion issues when multiple users stand close together within the same scene. With around 1200 visitors attending the event, 14 StarTracker VR systems allowed Triumph to process up to 200 visitors every hour, meaning everyone could see their top-secret concept. For the presentation, each visitor was given a headset and a backpack, and could get close to the bike and see the details. Security was tight so it wasn’t possible to leak a picture of the new model as it lived in the virtual world only. To achieve this, Mo-Sys mounted StarTracker sensors to HP’s Windows Mixed Reality headsets, enabling users to get lost in ultra-sharp visuals with 1440x1440 pixels resolution per eye. In addition, HP Z VR Backpack PCs, with their 32GB dual-channel DDR4 system
StarTracker VR delivers freedom of movement with the power to interact with moving objects
DIRECTOR’S VIEWFINDER
memory, were crucial to the project. Their ability to work steadily under heavy VR data loads provided seamless frame-toframe transitions.
SENSE OF SCALE IntelliGO created the virtual scene using UE4, which gave the sense of scale necessary to create close to photo-realistic, believable worlds. The power of UE4 blueprints made it possible to implement the multi-user functionality, processing the StarTracker tracking input very quickly and in a user-friendly fashion. StarTracker VR has also been applied in other areas, too. For military training and for immersive multiplayer experiences, such as Dark Realities’ interactive, freeroaming experience, which is opening soon in Birmingham, UK, darkrealities.com.
A StarTracker is mounted to a small monitor that tracks every movement. The director can grab the monitor and use it as a window into the virtual world. It allows them to frame the scene, create and practise camera moves, without having to guess where the virtual objects are. With this, you can visualise the scene on-set, so that the director can make decisions quickly, as if they are filming for real. This reduces the amount of retakes required.
STARTRACKER VFX Another visual market that Mo-Sys uses the StarTracker technology in is VFX. This enables pre-visualisation in real time so directors and VFX supervisors can make snap decisions on-set. They can tell the actors where they need to be standing without having to re-shoot because someone is out of position.
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RED RH1 | USER REVIEW
RED HYDROGEN ONE P R I C E £ 9 9 7/ $ 1 2 9 5
Is it just a phone or is it part of the mobile cinematography future? © Gary Adcock
WORDS & PICTURES GARY ADCOCK
aiting for delivery of my RED HYDROGEN One (RH1), the latest endeavour for a company that changed the cinematography landscape, has been rather tedious. In the current technology market, delivering a product sufficiently advanced enough to wow the community is difficult, to say the least. However, when production issues and certification delays push the launch out nearly a year beyond the earliest projected release date, it can hurt, especially when products are finally being delivered 68 weeks (15 months) after spending $1295.00 USD to place an order for the device. As an iPhone user, jumping into Android was mildly painful, but I did not meld the data between my RH1 and my iPhone X, keeping the discomfort to a minimum. As with any new tech, the first task was to update the software and apps before any testing could begin. As I found out later online, it was a habit that insured I had a better first experience than others.
SCREEN TECH There are two features that truly stand out with this device. One is the glassless 3D tech via the Leia screen technology, even though some images look more along the lines of the Nishika or lenticular, rather than as immersive 3D – it is a huge step forward in the display tech. The second is the associated A3D audio. If you think about the RH1 as just a camera/phone, you should hear the undeniable quality of the A3D audio output, which, in this reviewer’s mind, is nothing short of unbelievable on this type of device. The RH1’s front and rear facing dual lens cameras offer the user 2D with ‘bokeh’ mode and the ability to capture true 3D content, in the .h4v format. Due to the nature of shooting 3D, the cameras are only capable of recording 3D when the dual lens configuration is oriented in side-by-side mode, so the 3D from the rear camera is in landscape and the 3D from the front facing camera is always in portrait mode.
ABOVE The low light images look astounding with a texture in the out of focus areas resembling the grain of film.
BELOW You’ll be able to add a power pack for increased battery life, expand the phone’s memory or attach a cinema grade camera module.
The h4v format’s readability is based on the device used, delivering 2D when not viewing on a Leia-enabled device. I unsuccessfully tried to see if the content was externally viewable on a 3D compatible TV, but I was not able to display the content correctly in either SBS or OverUnder modes compatible with my LG set while using an Apple USB-C to HDMI adaptor. Hopefully this is a software-only issue with a new released device. Editing is also problematic at this time. There is no software included to edit the images or videos. While Premiere Pro can open the files, this requires changing the suffix from .h4v to .mp4.
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U S E R R E V I E W | B L AC K M AG I C D E S I G N R AW PA R T 2
BLACKMAGIC DESIGN RAW PART 2 P R I C E F R E E D O W N LO A D
In the first part of our explanation of Blackmagic’s new Raw format we described the capture – in this second part we investigate the workflow W O R D S A DA M G A R S TO N E
s we saw in the first part of this piece, Blackmagic’s new Raw codec (BRAW) has several interesting features that should make it an attractive, if not vital facet of capturing fantastic images with this popular camera. Perhaps the most important, practical consideration, however, is how the new codec will fit in with a project’s overall workflow: there’s no point in shooting BRAW if it causes a nightmare in post production. On the camera, the use of BRAW couldn’t be easier. There is a new section for Blackmagic Raw in the codec and quality part of the Record menu. Select either Constant Bit Rate or Constant Quality (meaning variable bit rate, of course) and the corresponding compression settings appear. I’ve always been a fan of
Blackmagic’s menus – they are clear and logical (to me, at least) and this is no exception. As ever, with Blackmagic’s cameras, frame rates and codecs can be freely mixed on the same card.
RIGHT BRAW offers lossless images ideal for high resolution, high frame rate and high dynamic range workflows.
COMPRESSION CHOICE The different compression capabilities of the codec give some flexibility in the cards you use, too. Hypothetically, it’s possible for the Q0 codec to exceed the write data rate of even a reasonable CFast card at full resolution, 30fps or above. In practice, I never had this happen, even at 60fps (using 128GB Lexar 525MB/s cards). On a 128GB CFast card, you get around 19 minutes of Ultra HD at 25fps at 3:1 constant bit rate compression, 33 minutes at 5:1, 53 minutes at 8:1 and 79 minutes at 12:1.
BELOW The codec moves part of the de-mosaic processing from the computer’s CPU into the camera itself.
With Constant Quality, Q0 gives around 19 minutes at the same resolution and frame rate, Q5 around 79 minutes. Of course, the variable bit rate codec makes it harder to predict the final data rate, and hence the storage time per card.
SDHC Interestingly, if you shoot Ultra HD at 25fps, at compressions of 5:1 or higher, you can record onto a Class 10 U1 SDHC card. Yes, that’s right folks. Proper, 12-bit camera Raw files onto SD card. You might, for instance, shoot all the general rushes on cheap SD cards and keep a couple of more expensive CFast cards for slow mo – the URSA Mini Pro has a simple toggle switch to change between card types, so both can be loaded in the camera together. Image quality with all the codec settings is excellent. With a well-lit, bright scene it is hard to tell the difference between the compression levels – they all seem to produce
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equally excellent results. However, when you get shadow detail that needs to be brought up in the grade – and that may be why you are shooting BRAW in the first place – the compression setting you choose will have some impact.
NOISE IN THE SHADOWS Q5 definitely shows some more noise in the shadows than Q0, though oddly the sensor’s fixed pattern noise was more obvious in Q0 (perhaps the raising of the overall noise floor in Q5 masks the fixed pattern noise). The same is true of the constant bit rate codecs. As the compression increases from 3:1 to 12:1, so does the apparent noise in the shadow areas. Fixed pattern noise seemed less in 3:1 than in Q0, but it was hard to quantify. The increase in apparent noise as you go from 3:1 to 12:1 is not unexpected – essentially, random noise is incompressible, so as the compression ratio increases
“YES, THAT’S RIGHT FOLKS. PROPER 12-BIT CAMERA RAW FILES ONTO SD CARDS” so does the ratio between the (incompressible) noise and the (compressible) picture. What all that means is, if you are shooting a scene with wide contrast, and you are exposing for the highlights (because you want all that delicious cloud detail) hoping that the shadow detail will hold, choose a higher bit rate codec. That said, the increase in noise is pretty small – remember that with Raw, no noise reduction is being done in-camera. It takes just a tiny bit of noise reduction in post production to clean it up.
POST PRODUCTION At the time of writing, only two bits of software will play BRAW files – Blackmagic’s new Raw player (a
ABOVE Part of the RAW processing is moved out of software and into the camera, where it can be accelerated.
simple viewer) and DaVinci Resolve. Blackmagic have provided a free software development kit, and the code is royalty free, so hopefully the major NLE manufacturers will include support in future releases. In some ways, the success of BRAW hinges on this adoption, so fingers crossed for that. Copying BRAW files is simply a matter of... copying the BRAW files – no more individual frame files in an enclosing folder, like with CinemaDNG – so any of the DIT tools around will do the job, as will Explorer/Finder and DaVinci Resolve’s Clone function. The optimising that Blackmagic have done to the de-bayer in BRAW files mean that they will play with
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4 K C A M E R A LI S T I N G S
DEFINITION’S 4K CAMERA LIST We’ve decided to take the brakes off the list as far as capture resolution is concerned. Now our starting point is 4K; after that the sky’s the limit
ARRI ALEXA LF 90FPS
14 + STOPS
LPL MOUNT
4448X3096
ARRI ALEXA MINI
SXS/SXR
ARRI’s long awaited large format camera arrives with a package of camera, new lens mount and new Signature lenses. Expect plenty of use by Netflix. Sensor tech is still the ALEV-III technology with big photosites.
SPECIFICATION
200FPS
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880X1620
SXS
New features include the EXT Sync function, which allows sensors and operational parameters of up to 15 ALEXA Minis to be synchronised to a master ALEXA Mini. Slaves can assume parameters like frame rate, shutter angle or ND setup of the master.
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
CMOS, 36.70x25.54 mm - 4448x3096, ø 44.71 mm
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 23.8x13.4mm – S35
FRAME RATES
ARRIRAW: 0.75 - 90fps ProRes: 0.75 – 60fps
FRAME RATES
Up to 200fps in ProRes
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14+
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14
LENS MOUNT
LPL with PL-to-LPL adapter
LENS MOUNT
PL, EF, B4 w/ Hirose connector
EXPOSURE INDEX
EI 800
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
16 bit linear ALEXA Wide Gamut/Log C colour space. Output colour spaces: Log C, Rec 709 or Rec 2020
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
3.2K: 3200x1800; 4K UHD: 3840x2160 (up-sampled from 3.2K); 4:3 2.8K: 2880x2160 (up to 2944x2160)
RECORDING RESOLUTIONS
Sensor modes – LF Open Gate 4448x3096; LF 16:9 3840x2160; LF 2.39:1 4448x1856
WEIGHT (KG)
2.3 (camera body with titanium PL lens mount)
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4 K C A M E R A LI S T I N G S
ARRI ALEXA SXT EV 120FPS
14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880X2160
ARRI ALEXA SXT W
SXS/SXR
120FPS
> 14 STOPS
PL MOUNT
2880X1620
SXS
SXT ALEXAs get the sensor from ALEXA, the electronics from the A65 and the colour management from AMIRA. In-camera rec is ProRes 4K UHD/CINE. A direct response to requests for cutting-edge digital capture with traditional elements of the film cameras.
Based on the ALEXA SXT Plus, the SXT W has replaced the SXT Plus and Studio models with an industrial version of the Amimon chipset for wireless transmission. ARRI has ruggedised the W mainly for feature work.
SPECIFICATION
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
16:9 or 4:3 sensor mode. 4:3 output only available for ARRIRAW and ProRes 2K recording
FRAME RATES
At 16:9 – 0.75-120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/ speeds adjustable with 1/1000fps precision
FRAME RATES
At 16:9 – 0.75–120fps/60fps max when recording 2K ProRes/speeds
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14+
LATITUDE (STOPS)
+14
LENS MOUNT
PL
LENS MOUNT
54 mm stainless steel LDS PL mount
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x2160 uncompressed ARRIRAW
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620, Uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
SxS PRO 64GB; SxS PRO+ 64GB; SxS PRO+ 128GB; LEXAR 3600x CFast 2.0 cards 256GB; XR Capture Drives 512GB; SXR Capture Drives 1TB & 2TB
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
16-bit linear internal image processing in full ALEXA Wide Gamut/Log C colour space. Target output colour spaces: Log C, Rec. 709 or Rec. 2020
WEIGHT (KG)
6.5 (SXT EV body with PL mount)
ARRI ALEXA 65 60FPS
> 14 STOPS
XPL MOUNT
6560X3100
ARRI AMIRA
SXR/XR
With a sensor larger than a 5-perf 65mm film frame, ALEXA 65 heralded the start of large-format. Now shooting as a main production camera for Netflix, Amazon and the rest. Only available exclusively through Arri’s global network of rental facilities.
SPECIFICATION
14 STOPS
200FPS
PL MOUNT
2880X1620
CFAST
Amira is now split up into standard, advanced and premium. Features include in-camera grading with preloaded 3D LUTs, as well as 200fps slow motion. From reportage and corporate films to TV drama and low-budget movies. Multicam mode too.
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
ARRI A3X CMOS sensor, 54.12x25.58mm active image area open gate aspect ratio of 2.11:1 (6560x3100)
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
Single CMOS, 16:9 (1.78:1), 28.17x18.3mm – 35 format
FRAME RATES
Capable of recording 20-60fps (open gate) using new SXR media. XR drives allow 27fps
FRAME RATES
Up to 200fps in ProRes
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14+
LATITUDE (STOPS)
14
LENS MOUNT
XPL (LDS); LPL; MAXI PL; PL
LENS MOUNT
PL, B4 mount w/ Hirose connector
Crop modes – 1.78 Crop Mode (5-perf 65 mm): 5120x2880 /1.50 Crop Mode (8-perf 35 mm): 4320x2880/LF open gate: 4448x3096/4K UHD: 3840x2160 (SUP 3.0 update)
DIGITAL SAMPLING
2880x1620, uncompressed ARRIRAW/1920x1080
DIGITAL SAMPLING
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
HD 1920x1080, 2K 2048x1152, 3.2K ProRes 3200x1800 4K UHD 3840x2160
RECORDED BIT DEPTH FORMAT AND TIME
Codex SXR Capture Drive 2000 GByte capacity Max. frame rate capability: 60fps (open gate). Recording time: 43 minutes at 24fps
WEIGHT (KG)
4.1 (camera body with PL lens mount)
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