Blackmagic unites cinema and the ProAV world in the final scene of 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues'

Cameras, mixers, switchers, converters and software Blackmagic Design They met in the final scene of the new film 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues', a mockumentary directed by Rob Reiner that follows a fictional heavy metal band that reunites after 15 years to give one last concert.

To capture this iconic concert, the film's production team decided to opt for a workflow that would combine cinematographic elements and proAV controlled from the camera. mobile unit. Three digital transmission cameras were used in the deployment Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 and two Blackmagic Micro Studio Camera 4K G2, which captured the band's performance projected on the stage's large LED monitors. Additionally, a live production mixer was used ATEM Constellation 8K, an advanced panel ATEM 2 M/E for change live feeds from Blackmagic Design cameras, and broadcast decks were used HyperDeck Studio HD Pro for ISO recording. Also used was a iPhone with the app Blackmagic Camera as a free mobile camera.

Donnie Pascal, founder of the film and live production company Diamond Productions, designed and managed the live multi-camera setup for the film, working directly with Robert Barr, the DIT of the film. This union of formats and work models was quite a challenge, according to Barr: "It was a cross between a large live concert and a high-end Hollywood film production. Donnie's setup included the five Blackmagic cameras feeding IMAG, which were used along with five other cameras recording the actors and the audience. All of these, along with the iPhone, had to be captured and viewed by Rob Reiner's team near the stage and then by the producer's team. This was all done in a real concert hall that required very long cables." "Donnie and I worked closely and knew Blackmagic would have the products we needed. In addition to the cameras and switches, I have Blackmagic microconverters built into Pelican cases that I used as distribution amplifiers to boost the signal and do long SDI runs on stage," adds the DIT.

In addition to the IMAG workflow, Barr also used several Blackmagic Design products with his DIT car for filming the concert and as the core of several custom-made suitcases. Barr's DIT cart and distribution boxes included more than 20 Blackmagic Micro Converters diferentes, routers Smart Videohub 20×20, capture and playback devices DeckLink y DaVinci Resolve, which was used for quality control. Your customized iPhone image management kit included the app Blackmagic Camera and several Bidirectional Micro Converters.

"During principal photography, we had an iPhone that we used to record footage that would be used in practical ways, like when the characters were watching YouTube videos. For those setups, we wanted Rob Reiner to interact with the camera just like he did with our main cameras. So I built a rig that we could put in a backpack and use with our existing wireless transmitters," he explains. Barr, highlighting the importance of the Blackmagic mobile app: "I used the Blackmagic Camera app with its HDMI output feature, along with timecode sync and Bluetooth. This allowed our sound mixer to continue with its usual workflow, but also record the sound in-camera to give the editor options. With this setup, we could have Reiner view it like any other video feed."

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