
Blackmagic Design announced today that Lightstorm Entertainment used an extensive array of Blackmagic products, including the Teranex AV, Smart VideoHub 40x40 12G, ATEM 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K and more for their recent work during production for the Avatar sequels.
Known for cutting edge filmmaking techniques since its inception, James Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment has always been at the forefront of new technology. With titles such as The Terminator, The Abyss and Titanic, the company has never allowed limitations in technology to stop the telling of powerful stories.
With the release of Avatar in 2009, the company once again proved that there were no limits in filmmaking. The results were breathtaking, and the audiences agreed. Avatar would gross over $2 billon worldwide, and lead to the announcement of multiple Avatar sequels.
But just as the story of the Na'vi will evolve in the sequels, so will the technology behind the films. A key element is the ability to evaluate content as it's being shot, rather than waiting until post production. We evaluate live camera feeds in a manner as close to the theatrical experience as possible, so we can make real time decisions on set, said Geoff Burdick, Senior Vice President of Production Services & Technology for Lightstorm Entertainment. This saves time during shooting, benefits Weta Digital, our visual effects vendor, and helps streamline our post production and mastering process.
This necessitated the need to view live feeds from multiple 3D camera systems, simultaneously. In the past, we viewed live and playback material in 3D HD at 24fps, said Burdick. Now, we acquire at 4K 3D, and feed through our pipeline at various resolutions and frame rates. These include 3D 48fps in 2K and 4K, 3D 24fps in 2K and 4K, and 3D 24fps in HD.
Blackmagic Design provided a unique and comprehensive product set that allowed for numerous solutions throughout the pipeline. It was very challenging for our engineering team to come up with a signal path to enable this workflow, said Burdick. Not many companies had incorporated this kind of support in their products. Luckily, Blackmagic Design stepped up to the plate.
The key to the workflow was creating seamless viewing and playback, despite the massive amount of data necessary. When incorporating new formats and techniques, said Burdick, it's critical that we don't cause a delay or disruption for any department.
Having the ability to review multiple resolutions and frame rates in real time allowed the team to remain in step with issues that may have gone unnoticed before, only to be found later in post. This is very important as we move into shooting higher resolutions, frame rates and dynamic ranges, with lenses that are resolving details we are not used to seeing and projector technologies capable of displaying all this and more to the discerning movie goer.
While Blackmagic Design played a critical role at many points along the path, one of their simplest products became a production workhorse. What appeared to be a mundane piece of equipment, the Teranex AV, did much of the heavy lifting for us, says the Lightstorm team. The Teranex family allowed for a hybrid HD 24fps/4K 48fps workflow onset. Without these products, we would not be able to perform the necessary real time conversions and image transforms our process demands. Having the ability to mix and match key pieces of equipment and having support for non standard formats across a very deep product line throughout our R&D and production process would allow us to see what was possible very quickly.
And in the end, how did this affect production? Not at all, which was the goal at the start. At the end of the process, said Burdick, these technologies were invisible to the creative teams on set.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
23/04/2026
Partnership between ARRI and SmallHD brings new Hi-5 license
Configurable monitor overlays adapt to individual working styles
Supported by SmallHD monitors ru...
23/04/2026
Lighting Master Cronenweth ASC brings a unique look to each grid world with the help of Astera
Jeff Cronenweth on the set of Disney's TRON: ARES. Photo by...
23/04/2026
DP Chloe Smolkin ( The Late Show, Kidz Bop ) joins director Danielle Beckmann and writer/actor Raji Ahsan behind the camera for the heartfelt short comedy Dr...
23/04/2026
Apply now to join the 2026 Producer Delegation to TIFF: The Market 23 April 2026
Screen Australia, in partnership with Ontario Creates, has opened application...
23/04/2026
Dermot Bannon's Celebrity Super Spaces airs Sunday 26 April and 3 May on RT ...
23/04/2026
GeForce NOW is doubling down on what matters most: gamers. This week's upgra...
22/04/2026
Solid State Logic is advancing its System T platform with a stronger focus on IP...
22/04/2026
From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused on the fut...
22/04/2026
Shallow depth-of-field cameras have taken the industry by storm. Its debut a han...
22/04/2026
Riedel Communications (Booth C4908) announced that Eastern Kentucky University (...
22/04/2026
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. He...
22/04/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the URSA Cine 12K LF 100G, a new model in the URSA Cine family adding 100G Ethernet for SMPTE 2110 live production output up to ...
22/04/2026
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, NEP is leaning into hybrid production with the...
22/04/2026
NEP VP, Platform Dan Murphy sits down at the 2026 NAB Show to unpack what NEP P...
22/04/2026
Spotify and the New York Liberty are teaming up to give music and basketball fan...
22/04/2026
New 20-minute documentary explores iconic design The Focusrite Room in Mesa, Arizona, where John Aquilino hosts the Studio Console 005.
In 2025, Focusrite co...
22/04/2026
Offers compact wireless solution for pedalboards
Taiwanese audio brand Cloudvocal have announced the availability of a new pedalboard-friendly wireless syst...
22/04/2026
Latest hybrid sampling/synthesis instrument arrives
Arturia's Augmented series offerings rely on a mixture of sampling and synthesis, allowing users to ...
22/04/2026
Combines three distinct analogue EQ emulations
The latest addition to Acustica Audio's ever-expanding collection of analogue-emulation plug-ins combines...
22/04/2026
Final instalment in vintage-inspired instrument series
Analog Empire: Bass & Lead marks the final instalment in Melda Production's vintage hardware-insp...
22/04/2026
Fuzz pedal joins all-analogue Series A line
Given that Strymons reputation was built on unapologetically digital pedals, it was a little surprising to see t...
22/04/2026
SBS names shortlisted brands for 2026 SBS Media Sustainability Challenge
22 April, 2026
Media releases
National broadcaster also releases its second annual...
22/04/2026
Why Low Band Electronic Warfare Matters...
22/04/2026
The nation unites around football team's World Cup dream
Warsaw, Poland, 20.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and media intell...
22/04/2026
Warsaw, Poland, 22.04.26: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data...
22/04/2026
New market intelligence offering gives businesses a clearer view of local consum...
22/04/2026
Glookast Unveils New UX, YouTube and Social Media Connectors, Premiere Panel, Ci...
22/04/2026
Lightcraft Technology to Preview Spark Story at NAB 2026 with Interactive Previs...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/04/2026
22 Apr 2026
VEON's Banglalink to Bring Starlink Mobile to Customers in Bangladesh Bangladesh becomes the third market where VEON and Starlink Mobile partne...
22/04/2026
U have unveiled exclusive first-look images for their six-part police thriller Hit Point, starring Nick Blood (Day of the Jackal) and BAFTA nominee Saffron Hock...
22/04/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...
22/04/2026
Wednesday 22 April 2026
Sky announces fifth year of WNT Fund with 30,000 bursa...
22/04/2026
Back to All News
This Earth Day, Discover the Sustainable Productions Behind Our Films and Series
Emma Stewart, Ph.D.
Netflix Sustainability Officer
Enterta...
22/04/2026
The move from Retail Media to Commerce Media is about broadening the scope of th...