Filming In 5.7K Blackmagic RAW With The Panasonic EVA-1

With 14 Stops of Dynamic Range and The Ability To Output 5.7K RAW Video, Let’s Look At The Benefits of Filming In Such A High Resolution On The Panasonic EVA-1 Cinema Camera

Behind the scenes photo by Lizzie Page

Looking back at one of my most popular blog posts dating back to 2015 ‘Out Filming With The Sony a7S and Atomos Shogun in 4K’, I thought that it was about time to put together a new review looking at a nifty high resolution setup, with the addition of Blackmagic RAW.

I have been filming with the Panasonic EVA-1 for a number of years. As an all-round cinema camera capable of internal 10-bit 4K, super slow motion and exceptional colour science. The additional feature of external RAW recording in 4K and up to 5.7K in BRAW was why I chose the camera over the Sony FS7, which is of course a fantastic camera in it’s own right. Please do keep reading, there is some essential information and links later in this article.

5.7K Blackmagic RAW Footage From The Panasonic EVA-1

Before we look deeper, let’s first check out some sample footage from the EVA-1 and VA 12G setup. When the camera sends the RAW signal to the VA, it is always in V-LOG.

For the best viewing experience, click the cog and watch in 4K.

The Land Where The Belties Roam Free

The footage in the video above was shot in Constant Quality Q5 RAW compression with a mix of 5.7K, 4K DCI and 2K DCI (upscaled).

The VLOG linear correction LUT was first applied to bring back the contrast in the image. Minor corrections to the exposure, highlights, shadows and white balance were then made to aid in matching the contrast and colour. Lastly, a creative LUT was then applied to make the rich heathy colours or the bracken and evergreens pop.

There is some noticeable noise in the up-scaled 2K 200fps footage as you would expect, but I thought that it would be beneficial to include it in this example.

Why The Blackmagic Video Assist 12G Over The Atomos Shogun Recorders?

For ease of writing, I’ll be referring to the Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G 5-inch (such a mouthful) when I mention the ‘video assist’ or VA 12G for the rest of this piece.

Behind the scenes photo by Lizzie Page

First off, I’m writing this just after the Atomos Ninja V Pro Kit update which enables up to 5.7K ProRes RAW recording via the SDI module. That overall package costs £990.00 (inc VAT) if you want the whole package. For existing Ninja V users, the Atomos SDI module is just over an additional £190.00. To compare, the VA is around £700.00 plus the cable.

Behind the scenes photo by Michael Westcott

Both the Video Assist and the Atomos Shogun 7 (now Ninja V Pro Kit) can record up to 5.7K from the EVA-1. I decided to use the Blackmagic VA 12G 5-inch model purely because of it’s size. I find 7-inch monitors too large and heavy on smaller cameras, and puts it off balance somewhat. The Video Assist 5-inch is a superb external monitor (considerably better than the EVA-1 viewfinder), with all of the regular features such as scopes, frame guides and LUT overlays. As you can see in the photos, rigging or handholding the EVA-1 and VA 12G 5-inch is a comfortable setup size in hand, and not as heavy as a 7-inch monitor would be.

The key differences between the VA and Atomos recorders are:

• Recording format: BRAW/ProRes and DNx on the VA.

• Recording format: ProRes RAW/ProRes and DNx on Atomos.

• Recording media: SD card or external drive on the VA.

• Recording media: On board, removable SSD on Atomos.

• One NPF type battery on the Atomos Ninja V Pro.

• Two NPS type batteries on the VA and Atomos Shogun 7.

Filming in RAW and in VLOG

To make it much easier to switch between system settings, I highly recommend setting up shortcuts that are stored on an SD card in the camera. This tip was given to me by Jonathan Warner. I set user button 3 to a settings memory which recalled the 7 common RAW/HDMI system settings saved. That way it is much easier and considerably faster to navigate between 5.7K, 4K, 2K 200fps etc while shooting.

Two Stops Over for VLOG? Not Quite.

Unlike Slog which often requires the exposure to be raised two stops over 0 to increase detail in the shadows, VLOG is a bit more sensitive. When I have previously shot in VLOG I have made this mistake and often over exposed the highlights in the process. Depending on the composition, I used the full screen waveform monitor to set the highlights to between 50% and 70%. This retained detail in the highlights while providing enough information to increase detail in the shadows. As you can see from the images below, and the belted Galloway cattle with their white and black coats, this was a good example of retaining said detail.

I would of course recommend testing and trying it out for yourself, but of course be mindful of what you are filming. For scenarios with a wide dynamic range, yes use VLOG, but remember that RAW will only be recorded in VLOG externally; no internal proxies to a REC.709 colour profile.

The footage is really nice to work with, and I did come up with a few alternative looks for the video that showed how flexible it is. The brown bracken and trees with no leaves lended itself to a warmer, autumnal feeling. It could also be a colder scene with a bleach bypass look. I would be curious to know what version you prefer.

Any Secrets?

I used two lenses for this; the Sigma 18-35 F/1.8 and 70-200 F/2.8. Despite the pleasing bokeh, I never shot wide open to retain better image sharpness and depth of field control. The wider shots on the 18-35 were mainly at F/2.8 and F/4, while the telephoto shots on the 70-200 were also at F/4 and F/8 for the shots with much more depth.

Behind the scenes photo by Lizzie Page

Aren’t RAW Data Rates Huge?

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Yes, they can me huge, but even RAW is going through some kind of compression. The Video Assist has a number of Blackmagic RAW flavours to choose from in Constant Quality and Constant Bitrate settings. Both have varying levels of compression and therefore varying file sizes too. For this video I chose to use the Constant Quality Q5 setting to make the resulting file size manageable. I had no need for huge files, and truth be told I haven’t the storage for it either! Please check out the table below for a breakdown of common RAW formats and the resulting amount of footage that can be captured on a 128GB V90 SD card and a Samsung T5 1TB SSD drive.

Working With Blackmagic RAW Footage In Premiere Pro

First off make sure that you have the sidecar file installed, which allows Premiere Pro to work with the BRAW file format. They are not recorded as common ProRes files which can be opened in VLC or without converting.

When imported, the clips have a sub menu allowing the editor to adjust the Master file. Depending on camera metadata or clip setting selected, the white balance, colour spaces, exposure, colour temp and tint can be adjusted. Your primary adjustments can be made here.

In the Colour workspace and Lumetri, you can then apply the linear curve, further adjustments, creative looks and secondary corrections. This is particularly useful for matching clips.

When it comes to playback and rendering, it is comparatively faster than internal camera files which are encoded in .MOV or .MP4 formats (much more compressed). This did make the post process more enjoyable and less time consuming.

How Far Can You Push and Pull The Blackmagic RAW Footage?

First off this depends on whether you have sufficient information across the image; in the shadows, mid tones and highlights. If that information hasn’t been recorded due to incorrect exposure setting, it won’t be possible to ‘recover’ it. To give you an example of this, I have selected a clip which has sufficient detail across the image with no crushing or blowing out. It should give you an idea of noise in the image when the exposure is adjusted.

Again, make sure that you set to watch the video in HD.

IMPORTANT NOTE

You must choose the correct SDI to micro-SDI cable for the VA 12G 5-inch model, as it is DIFFERENT to the original 3G cable.

You will need THIS type of cable - Micro BNC to Male Full Size BNC. Not THIS type of cable - Male BNC for Blackmagic Video Assist. So be very careful that you purchase the correct one.

Size Comparison…

That is the ANDYCINE C7 (7-inch) 4K monitor on the EVA-1. It still takes 2 x NPF type batteries, but does not have an internal recording feature.

Compar-ed to the Video Assist

5” monitor (with 2 x NPF type batteries).

Formats and resolutions

There are quite a few…

What About Other Formats and Resolutions?

The different sensor readouts and whether you are outputting via SDI or HDMI will determine the range of formats the EVA-1 can send to the VA 12G to record. I have done my best to list them all below.

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So, What Are The Benefits of Shooting in RAW and 5.7K?

As the title question poses, what are the benefits?

First and foremost is the full sensor readout in a higher resolution. Yes the camera can record a down-sampled 4K image internally but at a considerably lower data rate. You can take the full resolution of the EVA-1 and pair it with a manageable RAW file for post. That goes for the other resolutions available too, albeit a small crop in 4K DCI and 2K DCI.

There is also the 14 stops of dynamic range to make use of too, which if exposed correctly can be fully taken advantage of.

If you don’t really need RAW, you can always output HDMI from the EVA-1 to the VA and record in ProRes 4K/25, 4K/50 et al (no crop). That is a solution that I used I have employed in the past.

But I get 6K from the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, with RAW internally?! Yes! But you also don’t have internal ND’s, professional audio and a form factor that suits multi-use filming scenarios.

Behind the scenes photo by Lizzie Page

Final Thoughts

I will be selective when choosing to shoot in BRAW. Extensive post workflow, yes. Wider dynamic range situations, yes. Productions that don’t necessarily warrant the storage or colour work, probably not. That being said, if you are being selective with your shots or are in a controlled environment, you will have more time to compose the lighting, movement and talent. That will result it a more efficient flow of image capture, where the amount of data handled can be reduced.

As I use BRAW more, I will make sure to update this post and our social channels. Keep up to date by giving us a like or follow. You can also ask any questions, or leave comments at the bottom of the article too.

2018 Has Been The Best Year For APVideo!

We’re celebrating! Not just because it’s Christmas, but because 2018 was our most successful year producing video content in Surrey and Internationally!

Let’s take a look back at what we’ve been up to… First up, CVP Pro Repairs.

Earlier this year we were very excited to release the three videos we produced for CVP, promoting their Pro Repairs department with a rebrand. We worked with the CVP engineers to capture the intricacy and details of deconstructing Cooke cinema prime lenses, stripping the Sony F55, and analyzing the optical performance of lenses in the testing room.

The video content was paramount to the marketing campaign which included showing the 30 second edit before and after every presentation at BSC 2018. We’re really proud of this production, and CVP love it!

The Jockey Club - Epsom Downs Racecourse

At the beginning of the year we also began working with The Jockey Club, in particular Epsom Downs Racecourse to produce a series of fashion based videos to support the Investec Derby campaign. The series featured local milliner, Jessica Rea. We also edited the videos in 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios so the videos can be published on a variety of social media platforms.

Preparing for the world class racing at Epsom Downs.

JVC Professional

We embarked on a large studio production for JVC Professional all about their professional video and broadcasting products. Based at South Essex College, we took over the theatrical space and shot the footage for 5 videos that will be used online and at trade shows across the world.

We also collaborated with Atomos, Shape, Bright Tangerine, SoftPanels and Manfrotto to bring the production to life.

Screen Subtitling Systems

We’ve worked with Screen Subtitling Systems for a number of years, producing bespoke animations for a range of their leading global subtitling products and solutions. The products are complex, so animation was the perfect medium to communicate what the products do, and why broadcasters need them.

Additionally, we produced a series of software walkthroughs to demonstrate how to use their ‘WinCaps’ software. The series is based upon screen recordings and voice overs that go through the software operations step by step.

Manfrotto - The Great Outdoors

As part of the global photography and filmmaking equipments Spring marketing strategy, we worked to produce an adventure based video about bushcraft and stand up paddleboarding while demonstrating the use of the new Pro Light Cinematic Expand Backpack.

You can check out the ‘making of’ blog here.

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Don’t use video? You’re missing out.

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ZEISS Lenspire

We also collaborated with ZEISS on this production, and reviewed the Milvus Super Speed prime lenses, as well as contributed to their Lenspire blog.

Sandown Park Racecourse - The Jump Finale 2018

We LOVE filming events, so it was really exciting when Sandown Park Racecourse approached us to create an after movie for The Jump Finale Raceday. It’s exhillerating filming live events like this, that’s why producing event video content is our speciality! (We do film conferences, presentations and award ceremonies too).

Shot on Sony a7SII, a6500, Manfotto grip year, Zhiyun Crane 2.

Sandown Park Racecourse - Brigadier Gerard, Apres, Promoting the Coral Eclipse Summer Festival with GB Ladies Hockey Players.

After the success of The Jump Finale 2018 video production, we returned to Sandown Park Racecourse to capture the Brigadier Gerard raceday and the Apres area. To promote the Coral Eclipse Summer Festival we also produced a series of videos with members of the GB Ladies Hockey Team! This was great fun, but a challenge to keep up with the ladies! DJ Reggie Yates gave a sterling set after the racing, he was great to film.

Epsom Downs Racecourse - Investec Derby and Summer Nights Live Music

Continuing our relationship with The Jockey Club, we were asked to film at the world famous Investec Derby 2018. This involved visiting the many areas and attractions of the racecourse and ‘The Hill’, capturing content for sponsorship purposes.

Later that month we also produced four videos to play on the racecourse CCTV and giant screens around the racecourse. This included using archive footage from Derby winners throughout the decades, and creating bespoke animations for iconic moments too.

Fennies - Promotion, Recruitment and the Day of Inspiration

In 2017 we began producing video content for Fennies, a leading nursery group based in the South of England. This summer we were invited back to produce a range of videos to promote the nurseries and it’s facilities, to show their staff in action, and to capture their staff ‘Day of Inpiration’. It’s great fun filming at the nurseries, all of the staff are extremely friendly and the results really work for the nursery group.

KIX18 - Surrey Scouts

Adam is a Scout leader and member of the Surrey Scouts media team. This Summer, Adam travelled with 500 Scouts and leaders to Kandersteg, Switzerland, and captured the journey and adventure all of the young people (and adults) had!

You can read the ‘Sense Of Belonging’ blog post by The Scouts here.

cinema5D - IBC (Amsterdam) and Photokina (Cologne) 2018

We’ve contribued to the worldwide online cinematography and filmmaking website, cinema5D.com for a number of years. Part of the role includes reporting all of the glorious tech news from global trade shows like IBC and Photokina. We produce fast turnaround video edits and articles during the trade shows to ensure cinema5D covers the news extensively and to the highest quality.

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Don’t use video? You’re missing out.

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Screen Subtitling Systems - Animations Galore!

As it’s written above, we work with Screen Subtitling Systems on a regular basis which includes updating their animations with new products. This animation is core to the global companies marketing and promotion at worldwide tradeshows.

Kempton Park Racecourse - 32Red Winter Festival Stingers

We were over the moon to expand our video productions for The Jockey Club into Kempton Park Racecourse. On Boxing Day and the 27th, Kempton Park Racecourse will play host to the infamous Winter Festival, sponsored by 32Red. We were tasked with producing a range of stings to count down to the festival. The shoot was challenging; a lovely sunny day when we really wanted cloud!

We adapted to meet the racecourses needs by grading the footage and applying effects to give the stings a wintery feel. This was accompanied by custom graphics, again, following the wintery theme.

Yosemite - On Top Of The World

In October we travelled to Yosemite National Park on a collaborative project between APVideo, Manfrotto, ZEISS, Sennheiser, GoPro and Zhiyun-Tech. We wanted to demonstrate how to capture incredible photos and video while having an adventure. We were priviliged in using one of the first ZEISS Batis 2/40 CF lenses available, as well as capturing 360 degree sound using the Sennheiser Ambeo Smart Headset. This project is currently in the post production stage.

APVideo Wins ‘Best Business For Design or Technology’

We are over the moon to have been recognised for our hard work at the business awards! We support both local and global businesses, organizations and events with bespoke video content, and getting the award brought home all of the hard work we put in for our fantastic clients.

The Ashley Centre - Christmas Light Switch On

For the last four years we’ve worked with The Ashley Centre, another local business in Epsom to capture the Christmas Light Switch On. It’s family fun at it’s best with entertainers, the pantomime cast and of course Santa! It’s wonderful to support another local business.

Fennies International - Multi Language Video Poduction

Fennies is expanding internationally, and with that they wanted a narrative based video production with multi language subtitles. From start to finish, we worked closely with the Fennies marketing team to develop the storyboard, narrative content and the creation of the subtitles in both English and Chinese. We provided a range of video delivery options including ‘burnt in’ subtitles in both languages, as well as the subtitle text files for use on online video platforms.

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To Review…

As you can see, APVideo has had an incredible year, and we can’t wait for 2019 to start so we can continue the filmmaking adventure. We’re looking to invest into more equipment, expand our team and continue to grow to be the most successful video production company in Surrey.

As well as all of those video productions (and more we can’t share just yet), we’ve also been very grateful to work with our filmmaking friends like Teralon, Warner Vision, JHWF and providing guest lectures and workshops at Kingston University. Collaboration is key in this industry, and we’re always looking to join new teams and crews to produce fantastic content.

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So, you’ve seen what we do, let’s work together to create something amazing.

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Behind The Scenes

We shoot in 4K, HD, in slow motion. We integrate with your teams, work together, collaborate and have adventures. We experiment, we create, we succeed. We are APVideo and love making video content. If you haven’t got yours, get in touch with us now!

"A Sense of Belonging" Featured Blog By The Scouts

“In the darkening night, up in the mountains which host Kandersteg International Scout Centre, Adam Plowden had only 15 minutes to fly his drone above the campfire and snap this beautiful photograph.”

The above quote is taken from The Scouts blog post.

During the Summer of 2018, over 500 Surrey Scouts visited the Kandersteg International Scouting Centre in Switzerland. Part of my role in the County media team was to document the trip and share the amazing experiences with the world.

Little did I know that the above photo would become so famous. It’s been used extensively by The Scouts as it embodies everything that Scouting is about; worldwide friendship, adventure and a sense of belonging.

“The shot was captured using a drone.

I could see the camera downlink from the drone to my phone, which helped get it into position to capture some video footage. You can’t fly directly over the top of people for safety, which is why I composed it with the group slightly off centre, getting the tents and parts of the forest in there too. The drone itself can only fly for 15 minutes before you have to change the battery, which doesn’t give you a lot of time to fly, film and take photos! In the mountains it gets dark very quickly, so it was quite a challenge to get the drone to the right height, the right angle and in the right position – I was battling against the fading light and fast-moving cloud, which would quickly cover the drone.”

— Adam Plowden

You can read the full article by The Scouts here.

Check out our KIX18 highlights reel:

Capturing The Photo: DJI Mavic Air

The aerial photograph was captured using the DJI Mavic Air in HDR mode just as the sun set. The flood lights made the sea of red and surrounding forest glow out of the darkness.

Scout Monopoly Board Game

The photo resounded with The Scouts so much that it has been selected as an ‘Image Of The Year’ and has also been included on the first Scout Monopoly board game, which is on sale now in the Scout Shop.

More Photography From Kandersteg, Switzerland

Zhiyun-Tech Crane 2: The Best Hand Held Gimbal Out There?

Zhiyun-Tech has taken the indie film world by storm over the last year. Their products are affordable and produce results that can be easily compared to much more costly gimbal systems. I've been using the Crane 2 for months now, here is my experience of using it.

Note: I am a Sony shooter so won't be looking in depth at the capabilities of the Crane 2 with other manufacturers, I have done some follow focus tests with the Canon 5D III as an example.

Feature wise, the Zhiyun Tech Crane 2 packs much more into the gimbal than the Crane 1 and Crane v2 combined. It's increased payload means that shooters using Canon 5D's or Sony a7's with Metabones adapters can comfortably operate the gimbal with less stress on the motors. I've even seen Canon cinema cameras, RED cameras and Sony FS5's rigged on them!

Using the Zhiyun Crane 2 while filming for Manfrotto

A brand new feature is the follow focus, in which I've seen some great examples of Crane 2 operators pulling and tracking focus on moving subjects. Zhiyun Tech has since updated the gimbal firmware so that a number of the camera control features are now available when filming on Canon, Sony, Nikon and Panasonic cameras!

The biggest improvement for me has been using a Manfrotto standard quick release plate, that simply slides on and off the gimbal. It means you can go from filming on a tripod or monopod straight onto the Crane 2. No hassle, no screws to undo and then re-balance the gimbal. It's simple, and it works.

On a recent shoot, I swapped between filming with the Sony a7S II and Sony a6500 on the Crane 2, which was ideal!

Dual handles for the Crane 2 allow for more accessories such as a monitor or microphone to be added to the setup. There is also a follow focus unit now available too, that hooks up to the focus wheel on the handle. For more info about the gimbal and accessories, check out the product page here.

I use the Zhiyun Crane 2 on pretty much all of my video shoots, and combining it with 4K or slow motion really adds a level of production value that I hadn't been able to achieve before. Check out the next blog on the making of 'The Great Outdoors' for more gimbal action with the ZEISS Milvus Super Speed Primes!

Epsom Business Awards 2015

APVideo was a finalist in the Epsom Business Awards 2015 in the 'Best Young Entrepreneur' category. Unfortunately we didn't win, but it was good fun to spend the evening with What's On In Epsom, Mary Zoeller Associates and AJ's Tanning, Nail and Beauty.