HyperDeck, Teranex and Blackmagic Design cameras filming the Foo Fighters' 'Sonic Highways' series

The producers of the series about the band Foo Fighters, broadcast by HBO, find their best allies in some of Blacmagic's solutions.

Various Pocket Cinema Cameras Blackmagic have been used in the recording of complementary shots and other additional materials for the eighth installment of Sonic Highways, the series about the band Foo Fighters that airs on HBO. Likewise, the HyperDeck Studio Pro SSD recorders and the Teranex 2D processor formed the backbone of the mobile platform used in the production.

The one-hour episodes that make up Sonic Highways They were directed by Dave Grohl and are dedicated to different references in the field of music. Each recounts the history, cultural environment and people that define a city, including legendary local musicians. The series broadcast by the American network HBO is set in Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Seattle and Washington.

Executive producers James A. Rota (Roswell Films) and John Ramsay (Therapy Studios) oversaw all technical aspects of the production, for which a reliable and intuitive work process was implemented that allowed for more than 480 hours of recordings, performances, interviews and behind-the-scenes scenes.

"The band wanted to do something different for their 20th anniversary, and they did it. It wasn't enough to fly to different cities to record the songs. They went to different places that marked a milestone in American musical history and were inspired by them when producing the album. Sometimes we worked in recording studios and other times we set them up in certain places, for example at Preservation Hall in New Orleans. Each location had its own thing, and we also wanted to document that process," said James.

"The reason we used the Pocket Cinema Cameras was that any member of the team could pick them up and start filming if they saw something interesting happening. Their compact size means they can always be on hand and they offer very good image quality," he added.

"Producing the album in this way shows the band in a more intimate way, writing the songs and recording the music. This gives fans a unique opportunity to follow the creative process. The locations we chose for recording did not always offer the best conditions. However, it was extremely easy to prepare the cameras for still shots, connect them to the HyperDecks, insert the SSD drives and leave them recording images all day," said John.

Time saving

Additionally, six Studio Pro HyperDecks were installed on the same number of portable systems located near the fixed cameras to capture images from all angles. The camera signals were transmitted via SDI and HDMI connections directly to the HyperDecks Studio Pro, which have two SSD slots that allow continuous recording.

James acknowledges that "thanks to these devices, we were able to record in DNxHD and save time without having to convert the material from one format to another. In addition, we had the possibility of playing the images if necessary, or entering the time codes, preparing the equipment and basically leaving it running all day. It was like having a recorder that never stops. We placed the portable systems near the cameras and at the end we took them to the mobile phone to continue the work. At the end of the day, we handed the units with the files to the technician in digital images, who in turn sent them to the post-production team in Los Angeles. In this way, most of the recorded material was ready.

"When the band wanted to do an impromptu performance in Washington, instead of having to rent a phone, we installed the cameras with the HyperDecks and were able to record live on the fly. It also allowed us to do the work with a small, flexible team, instead of dealing with a much larger group of people and complicated processes," said John..

On the other hand, the digital imaging technician used a MultiDock with Thunderbolt technology to organize and backup multimedia files, and a Teranex 2D processor with one of the HyperDeck Studio Pro to record the material at the desired frame rate and correct cadence problems.

"It was great to have a Teranex, as it allowed us to shoot at the required frame rate. Likewise, when editing the episodes in post-production, we also used the device to convert the footage to the desired formats. We also used various Intensity Extreme and UltraStudio Express equipment to capture and play back content," said James. “Blackmagic Design offers extremely useful tools and solutions for those who actually do the work.”

“The documentation of the entire process was part of the music, and therefore the album would have been affected if production problems arose,” added John. "But we didn't have to worry about a thing. Blackmagic Design provides end-to-end solutions and work processes that are very efficient and easy to use. The company provides you with everything you need at an extremely reasonable price."