“The most important aspect of a camera for LED volume shooting, is reproduction and dynamic range. And in the past, the challenge has been how to balance the colors in both of those worlds, especially skin tones. And so I really wanted to see how shooting the person in front of the volume wall would look using the exact same color science as the ‘thing’ on the volume wall! Being able to shoot plates at ultra-high resolution with 16 stops of latitude, has been something only a specialist camera could do.

The URSA Cine can shoot at even higher resolutions in 12K 3:2 (12,288 x 8040) for the backplates. And for the principle cinematography, you have a range of options from 2.4:1 12K (12,288 x 5112) at 120 fps, 8K or 4K at 220fps, and also Super 35 (4-perf equivalent) in 9K up to 100fps. With these tests, I would’ve liked to have pulled back and had something in the foreground like some trees. Just to have some middle ground, given I was using Cooke’s flagship S8/i FF spherical lenses and the Hawk C Series anamorphic 2X lenses. However, these tests were more about shooting 12K foreground and 12K background elements. Which onset, I gotta say looked absolutely fantastic.”

“I have been a DP on large network TV series for Shondaland and Jerry Bruckheimer TV (How To Get Away With Murder, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Lucifer) as well as theatrical feature films (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, REAGAN, Feardotcom, Final Destination: Bloodlines). And so, I will always choose a camera that won’t let me down at midnight when we're in the middle of a scene! I have used Blackmagic’s cameras for ten years now, immediately falling in love with their color science and image quality. They produce very natural and pleasing tones and I find they’re equally strong for network shows and big theatrical screens. They deliver on image quality and there’s no headache in final color correction.”

“Going with a full frame 3:2 12K sensor on the URSA Cine is simply genius. I honestly don’t want to go back to Super 35 now. Just being able to shoot wider or tighter on the same lens by changing the sensor mode (and slightly cropping), saves me when every second on the set counts. This camera can shoot Super 35 (4-perf equivalent) in 9K at 100fps and FF 8K and 4K (2.4:1) at 220fps! With that extra resolution you can even shoot 12K 3:2 open gate at 80 fps and 12K 2.4:1 (12,288 x 5112) at 120 fps! The amazing thing is, being able to shoot in 4K, 8K, or even 12K, using the entire sensor without cropping and still retaining the full field of view of your lenses.”