CREATION
December 2016
15
Branksome Hall Asia
students showcase talent
with Blackmagic Design
Located on the South Korean island
of Jeju, Branksome Hall Asia was
founded in 2012, and is the sister
school of Branksome Hall Canada,
an independent boarding school
dedicated to teaching, leading
and empowering young women
for more than 100 years.
As a film diploma teacher at
Branksome Hall Asia, Jose Zarate
started an official school-wide
news show in 2015, and brought
together 15 dedicated students
who write their own scripts and
produce interviews about events
going on around school.
Zarate told APB: “The students
and I produce a weekly news show
about all the events happening
at our school and we also have a
film club, where the students shoot
their own films.”
Previously, Zarate and his students used a one-camera set-up for
the main anchor of the weekly news
shot, with the Blackmagic Design
analogue-to-SDI mini-converter allowing the production team to plug
to the SDI video mixer in the studio.
For the interview set-up, a twocamera set-up was initially used.
Like the previously mentioned onecamera set-up, HDV cameras were
used alongside two Blackmagic
analogue-to-SDI mini-converters.
In a bid to further improve the
image quality of the production,
Zarate then made the decision to
purchase a camera that had SDI
connections built-in, as well as the
ability to utilise the school’s existing
Canon EF lenses.
He explained: “The Blackmagic
URSA Mini 4K was the perfect
choice, because of quality and price
point. The ability of Blackmagic
equipment to use the same Canon
EF lenses we already own [also]
allows us to update our cameras
and still use equipment we’ve previously bought.
“Also, portability is a big factor
for us. Our campus is very large,
so having a professional camera
that is not very heavy makes our
productions easy to manage, and
allows the students to use the
equipment easily.”
Zarate and his students have
also begun to utilise the ability of
South Korea’s Branksome Hall Asia has invested in Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini
camera to improve the image quality of an official school-wide news show.
the URSA Mini to shoot in 4K/Ultra
HD (UHD), having shot a recent
graduation ceremony in 4K/UHD.
He said: “For us here at Branksome Hall Asia, shooting in 4K/
UHD allows us to shoot events like
graduation ceremonies from long
distances and then crop the images down to 1080p. This is a huge
advantage of shooting in 4K/UHD,
allowing me to create close-ups
from full body shots without worrying too much about pixelation.”
With the addition of the URSA
Mini, Zarate is now able to deploy a
three-camera set-up, with two HDV
cameras for the anchor and for an
overall shot, while the URSA Mini
is used to feature guests.
Zarate also plans to use the
Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve to
help his students colour correct
their short films, “because it is also
good for the students to learn an
industry standard tool like DaVinci
Resolve”, he concluded.
AJA and Ross Video combine to boost live graphic streams
Los Angeles-based graphics operator James Stevens has adopted a
new AJA/Ross Video configuration,
which sees the former’s Corvid 88
video and audio I/O card supported in the latter’s XPression Quad
real-time motion graphics system.
Stevens explained: “I’ve been
using the XPression for several
years and it has always been a
powerful graphics system. However, with the XPression Quad
and Corvid 88, I am now able to
provide for four output channels
of live graphics via one system! It
is an impressive advancement in
graphics technology by Ross Video
and AJA.”
Having worked on an extensive number of TV programmes,
including American Idol, The CMA
Awards and Chelsea, Stevens recently welcomed the opportunity
to utilise the new XPression Quad
on a high-profile live broadcast
event.
The complex technical aspects
Los Angeles-based graphics operator James Stevens has adopted a new AJA/Ross
Video configuration, which sees the former’s Corvid 88 video and audio I/O card
supported in the latter’s XPression Quad real-time motion graphics system.
of the production tapped the
power and versatility of the Corvid
88. One of the XPression Quad’s
four channels was used for keyable lower thirds, bugs and locator
graphics; another for mortices, a
third channel for a logo loop; and
a fourth channel for a countdown
clock.
The live graphics were deliv-
WTS Broadcast adds Ikegami’s full product
portfolio to bolster its market position
WTS Broadcast has added Ikegami equipment to its
sales portfolio, allowing its customers to gain access
to Ikegami’s full product portfolio of system cameras
and monitors.
Dave Cheesman, sales manager at WTS Broadcast,
explained: “We’ve worked with Ikegami on an ad hoc
basis for a while now, and I am extremely excited to
put a formal agreement in place. This agreement
enables us to make our customers fully aware of
Ikegami’s impressive full product portfolio while
bolstering our position in the market.”
Kris Hill, general manager, UK, Ikegami, added:
“WTS has been in the broadcast industry for over 20
years, and is perfectly placed to maximise Ikegami’s
presence throughout EMEA. The team’s expertise and
reach within the industry means that their customers
will have access to the innovative, quality and robust
solutions that Ikegami has to offer.”
WTS Broadcast has added Ikegami equipment, such as the
HC-HD300 HDTV camera system, to its sales portfolio.
ered at 720p resolution at 59.94fps,
although the system also supports
four output channels at up to
1080p and 4K/Ultra HD (UHD)
delivery.
Stevens emphasised: “Graphics play a very important role in
live event broadcasts. Many are
data-driven with real-time results
coming in on-the-fly.
“Live sports and awards shows
are among the most graphicintensive, featuring anything from
a score ticker and stats, to nominee
identifiers and social media integration. With the XPression Quad
and Corvid 88, graphics operators
are better prepared to meet the
ever-increasing demand for graphics on live events.”
The XPression Quad is now fully
integrated with AJA’s Developer
drivers, enabling graphics professionals to configure XPression
Quad solutions with Corvid 88
cards. This new level of support
enables up to four channels of
live content to be streamed on
XPression Quad, doubling the
previous two stream capacity,
reported the companies.
In a separate development,
AJA has also appointed Robert
Stacy as the company’s new AsiaPacific general manager. Based in
Tokyo, Stacy brings with him more
than two decades of experience in
the digital video technology business. Prior to joining AJA, he was
vice-president of Asia for Newtek.
“I have had many years of
experience in this industry and
firmly believe that AJA’s technology solutions are second to none,
and look forward to expanding
their reach across the Asia-Pacific
region,” said Stacy.
“In the coming months, I look
forward to building a dedicated
team that is exclusively focused
on promoting AJA’s video capture
cards, streaming solutions, digital
recorders, routers, cameras and
more into the region.