Blackmagic Design at New York Fashion Week
Virtual reality with Blackmagic Micro Studio Cameras and Video Assist
American fashion house Chromat, a rising force in the fashion industry, presented its Fall/Winter 2016 collection at New York Fashion Week and commissioned SUPERSPHERE PRODUCTIONS to cover the event. Director Winslow Porter in collaboration with Josh and Jason Diamond used 9 Micro Studio Camera 4Ks and 9 Video Assists by Blackmagic Design as part of the “Diamond EYE” shooting platform 360 degree shots.
The VR rig was located at the top of the U-shaped catwalk to capture the best possible viewing angle and main runway view. “We shot the shots from the press room so that viewers not only felt like they were present at the fashion show, but also had the exciting experience of being integrated into the space of journalists and paparazzi,” explained Josh, one of the producers.
As Jason explains, “the show was characterized by total darkness with flashes of neon light from the clothes, to the absolute bright lighting. Because we couldn’t adjust the camera or shutter settings on the air, we needed a reliable camera that could capture and handle the wide range of lighting. The dynamic range of Blackmagic Design Micro Studio Camera 4K was necessary to capture the great difference between darkness and light in the same shot. We turned to ProRes, 10-bit, 60 fps and in 1080p to get the most information from the camera sensors. Some of the most desirable ingredients for shooting Virtual Reality (VR) include larger sensors and dynamic range, production-ready file formats, high frame rates and the ability to use high-quality lenses, all in a very small size, so that cameras can be placed very close to each other. The Micro Studio Camera 4K offered us everything we needed and much more. 'Top quality picture, connections SDI and HDMI, recording in Video Assist in ProRes HQ 1080p, 60 fpss and this is extremely important”.
The “Diamond EYE” rig has a central mounting point, and all Micro Studio Camera 4Ks were connected and calibrated on it. Each of the nine Micro Studio Camera 4Ks was connected via SDI with its own Video Assist, and all were mounted on tiny rotating mounts. The cameras and Video Assists were powered by Switronix Gold Mount Batteries.
Josh notes that the Video Assist’s versatility proved invaluable on set. “It’s small, lightweight, has a touchscreen, stable mounting points, and recording ProRes on SD cards, all of which make our job easier.” And he concludes “The breakout cable of the Micro Studio Camera 4K and the fact that Blackmagic Design has open protocol "It greatly increases flexibility. You can use whatever cable suits your needs."
