Kutztown University replaces old equipment with Blackmagic ecosystem

The production and post-production curriculum at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania is now built around Blackmagic cameras and DaVinci Resolve Studio software.

Kutztown is a public academic institution attended by many students who represent the first generation of their families to attend college and many others from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The Film, Television and Media Production department offers an introduction to cinematography, audio, post-production, television studios and live broadcasting through advanced courses, and the curriculum is designed so that students can acquire advanced skills even as early as their freshman year.

Following the university’s renovation, all projects are now captured with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2. In addition, the new post-production suites feature not only DaVinci Resolve Studio, but also DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor keyboard, DaVinci Resolve Editor Keyboard, DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel and DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel devices.

For Michael Johnson, assistant professor and head of the Film, Television and Media Production department, it was very important to provide students with solutions that would prepare them for real production environments: “We wanted the curriculum focused more on workflow and the jobs associated with that workflow so that our students understand the pipeline and the tools involved from screenwriting, to camera, to color, to delivery. When it comes to teaching workflow, Blackmagic Design offers every tool in the pipeline from production to post at any incredibly affordable cost.”

Jonathan Joy, his teaching assistant, also highlights the ease of use of the Blackmagic cameras: “We wanted the curriculum focused more on workflow and the jobs associated with that workflow so that our students understand the pipeline and the tools involved from screenwriting, to camera, to color, to delivery. When it comes to teaching workflow, Blackmagic Design offers every tool in the pipeline from production to post at any incredibly affordable cost.”

Full post-production workflow with DaVinci

Kutztown University complements its commitment to Blackmagic camera capture with the use of DaVinci Resolve software, accompanied by various peripherals and add-ons such as different desks and the DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor keyboard, which Joy notes “has positively impacted the way even I edit.”

“The multicam functions, source tape and quickly transitioning to the project timeline, and all of the intelligent keyboard edit modes help me put together an assembly quickly. Students enjoy the live overwrite function, as well as the power of the source tape and quickly moving between it and the timeline. They have also incorporated functions keys into their work, especially the sync bin,” he emphasizes.

All these decisions have been made not only to make it easier for students to learn, but also to take into account the cost of the degree and the university’s tight budget. As Joy concludes, “The development of our current curriculum is steeped in affordability, ease of use and workflow. The biggest and dire leap our department needed to take was the transition to a full 4K workflow, which we seamlessly achieved with Blackmagic Design products. This generation of students embraces the tools, techniques and technology. Even I couldn’t help myself with the introductory cinematography course in fall. I had them using the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 by mid semester.”