Tokyo Metro: content creation with Blackmagic

The ATEM Mini Extreme ISO mixer and HyperDeck Studio HD Plus recorder from Blackmagic Design They emerge as key teams in the filming of internal productions of Tokyo Metro, a rail service operator that manages the network of metro lines in the metropolitan area of the Japanese city.

Con nine lines and 180 stations, the Tokyo Metro is listed as one of the Japan's most extensive transportation systems, and is used by more than 6.8 million passengers daily. With the aim of increasing the skills of its workers and raising awareness about safety issues, the company has promoted the filming of a training video series, which are created from a five-story headquarters created expressly for educational work.

Toshiyuki Sekiguchi, deputy director of the center, details the particular educational culture of Tokyo Metro: "Our center supports all departments of the company; all new employees receive their initial training here. For administrative staff, the induction lasts a week, while, for other departments, it can take a month or even longer. After completing the training with us, practical learning begins. Those who wish to become train drivers must first accumulate several years of work experience within a station, and also as train supervisors. After passing the exam, they return with us to receive specialized training.”

In 2023, Tokyo Metro decided to embark on improving these facilities with a recording studio, which is equipped with a chroma, an editing booth and a recording booth: "During the coronavirus pandemic, we had to teach remotely using very basic equipment, for example, putting webcams in the classrooms. That's when we started to feel that there was a need to have a specialized studio for that purpose. Even after the pandemic subsided, it was still necessary to do internal broadcasts and create audiovisual learning materials, so we decided to build the studio."

Blackmagic at Tokyo Metro

The facilities have a recorder HyperDeck Studio HD Plus and a mixer ATEM Mini Extreme ISO; Two HDMI cameras, an audio console and a computer are connected to the latter. MacBook Pro. By shooting against a green background, the Tokyo Metro team can create composites using their favorite backgrounds and switch between camera footage and presentation footage, with the resulting content recorded using the HyperDeck Studio HD Plus. In addition, the mixer's isolated signal recording function simplifies post-production by using DaVinci Resolve Studio, which is ideal for correcting errors that occur when alternating signals, or for making advanced edits.

The company also offers annual DaVinci Resolve training sessions to his employees, many of whom install the program on their computers or iPad devices to participate: "When we advertise the courses, we offer them to all subdivisions of the company, and they are extremely popular. On one occasion, there were more than 200 interested people from a single department. Since the studio is equipped with DaVinci Resolve Studio, those employees who want to explore the AI based features after the sessions can use the facilities to practice editing. Recently, there was a collaboration between several teams to make a video of training, to which logos, text and transitions were added to create a clear and attractive final product,” explains Maa Nagasawa, who is in charge of planning at the center.

"Now that we have the studio, we can film whenever we want, and the quality of our audiovisual material has improved significantly. At the moment, when someone wants to use the facilities, our team is there to help them. However, we plan to offer workshops on how to use the equipment, so in the future employees will have more freedom to use the studio," he concludes. Sekiguchi.