This ALEXA-Look Emmy commercial was shot on the URSA Mini Pro 12K. Cinematographer Vance Burberry takes us behind the scenes and demonstrates how this complex project which combined three Blackmagic Design cinema cameras, was shot and graded in a flash.
Emmy spot shot on URSA Mini Pro 12K
The URSA Mini Pro 12K is the camera behind these ALEXA-like visuals of Kia Motors & Emmy spot. The Kia Motors America spot titled “Emmys® Delivery Training,” created as the introduction to the 72nd Emmy Awards broadcast was shot entirely with Blackmagic Design cameras and is one of the first projects shot extensively using the new Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K camera, which was announced four months ago.
Cinematographer Vance Burberry
The commercial was shot by Vance Burberry which is well experienced with Blackmagic cinema cameras. Burberry’s career covers a wide range of commercial, documentary, and narrative projects, including expertise in underwater photography.
Single-day shoot
The schedule of shooting and delivering the commercial was exceptionally tight. Furthermore, the execution was pretty complicated. The production has decided to film car chase and narratives, which elevated the challenges. The production knew the spot included standard narrative style coverage, in-car camera work, as well as performance driving. Burberry decided to use a full Blackmagic camera kit, giving him a wide array of formats to choose from. “The schedule was so tight, we ended up using two 12Ks for the dialogue, then I threw one onto an Ultimate Arm rig. The Blackmagic Pocket 6K was used for drive-bys, while the Pocket 4K cameras were used for the interior car work,” he adds.
The schedule was so tight, we ended up using two 12Ks for the dialogue, then I threw one onto an Ultimate Arm rig. The Blackmagic Pocket 6K was used for drive-bys, while the Pocket 4K cameras were used for the interior car work.
Cinematographer Vance Burberry
BRAW all the way
Burberry found shooting with the three different cameras was seamless, particularly because all of the cameras shared Blackmagic Design’s Generation 5 color science. “What was great was being able to pull Gen 5 color science into all of the cameras, the 4k, 12K, and the 6k. Every shot, no matter what it was shot on, matched really easily.” For production, Burberry shot at full resolution on the Pocket Cinema Cameras and 8K on the URSA Mini Pro 12K. He chose Blackmagic RAW constant quality Q0 for the Pocket 6K and Pocket 4K, and Blackmagic RAW constant bitrate 5:1 for the 12Ks. He was pleased that the 12k easily converted to 8K without any crop.
What was great was being able to pull Gen 5 color science into all of the cameras, the 4k, 12K, and the 6k.
Cinematographer Vance Burberry
Color grading has competed within a few hours
Once the edit was completed, the project was conformed in DaVinci Resolve Studio. Then, colorist Marshall Plante applied the final color. “We literally colored that whole 75-second spot in a single morning, on Friday,” said Burberry. “We started grading at 9 am. We were exporting at 1:15 pm.” Plante found working with the 12K files a pleasant surprise. “The sensor is fantastic, delivering an amazing image. I found I could really push the color and dynamic range if I needed to, without degradation.” Plante had little trouble matching the 4K, 6K, and imagery from the 12K, and also marveled at how fast it was to conform. “It was incredibly easy.”
Watch the spot below:
Initial thoughts
In our opinion, the commercial looks really polished and professional. The skin tones are precise and the imagery reminds the “ALEXA look”. Moreover, executing this kind of project which includes several cameras and pursuit systems within a day, is quite an impressive achievement. Glad to see the URSA is being utilized in high-end commercials.
