FREMONT, Calif.—“Cusp,” which premiered at the recent, virtual 2021 Sundance Film Festival, had a portion of its post-production work done remotely at the at-home setup of senior colorist Andrew Francis, which was powered by Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, Teranex Mini SDI to DisplayPort 8K HDR converter and UltraStudio 4K capture and playback device.
With post-production occurring during the pandemic, Francis used his Blackmagic setup with an Apple Pro Display XDR monitor. Francis said that he was impressed by the plug-and-play nature of the setup.
“Utilizing the UltraStudio 4K and Teranex Mini SDI to DisplayPort 8K HDR meant I could be confident that the content I was monitoring was color critical,” Francis said. “Additionally, the on-screen scope display was brilliantly versatile in the positioning and sizing options, and I was delighted with how quietly the technology ran.
“Sending my signal from DaVinci Resolve Studio through the UltraStudio 4K to my propriety IP encoder system ensured that my clients enjoyed an ‘in room’ experience independent of geographic locations, which has been crucial over this past year,” he added.
Francis, who is based in London, also worked with Samuel Gursky in New York, using the DaVinci Resolve Studio for the conforming and consolidation of the camera media. Afterward, the two were able to share .drp files to work on the color grade.
Francis also said that using the DaVinci Resolve Studio allowed for his render and QC processes to be consistent.
“Cusp,” directed by Isabel Bethencourt and Parker Hill, follows three teenage girls in a Texas military town as they confront issues of adolescence at the end of a summer. The documentary earned a Special Jury prize for Bethencourt and Hill as emerging filmmakers.
Blackmagic equipment was used on a number of 2021 Sundance Film Festival titles.
