Zaxx Installs Blackmagic Products for New 4K and HDR Post House GZ TOKYO ROPPONGI

Blackmagic Design announced today that Nagoya and Tokyo based post production house Zaxx installed a number of Blackmagic products, including DaVinci Resolve Studio, Teranex AV, Universal Videohub and Smart Videohubs for their new 4K and HDR studio, GZ TOKYO ROPPONGI.

Zaxx is a post production house headquartered in Nagoya, Japan with a branch in Tokyo. They include a shooting department and offer a one stop service for movie production, such as data management, editing, grading, CG production and sound design. Recently, Zaxx launched their second studio in Tokyo, GZ TOKYO ROPPONGI.

GZ TOKYO ROPPONGI has been designed to support 4K HDR post production, and Zaxx decided to build the studios workflow around DaVinci Resolve Studio on Linux and Windows systems. The new studio includes a Linux based suite using a DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel as their main grading suite, with the Windows versions installed in one of their online editing suites. Each suites media is managed through the use of Smart Videohub 40 x 40 with SmartControls.

We have used a DaVinci Resolve system in our other studio in Aoyama, Tokyo. The system there is Mac based but we felt the need for a more powerful system due to the increasing number of 4K cameras used for projects, and the need for HDR support, so we installed the Linux version Resolve. It has more scalability, so even though we have to deal with bigger resolutions, we can be very flexible, said Kazuhiko Sato, a senior managing director of Zaxx.

We had also used the Advanced Panel in Aoyama, so we knew how good it was. We have often brought colorists from other post houses or freelance colorists to do projects, and we needed the Advanced Panel for the new studio so that those colorists can work in a familiar environment. As for Resolve on Windows, we installed it so that we can do a final adjustment of color in HDR when online editing, without taking the project to a grading suite for the adjustment at the last minute, said Shin Hasegawa, an DIT/Colorist of Zaxx.

The new studio s machine room also includes a number of other Blackmagic gear, including two Teranex AVs, Smart Videohub 40x40, Universal Videohub 72, Videohub Smart Control, Videohub Master Control, three SmartScope Duos and number of UltraStudio Expresses and Mini Converters.

We knew Universal Videohub was reliable as we had already used it for another studio, so we installed the same thing for this new studio. It is used for HD feeds, and the Smart Videohub is for 4K feeds. We have a total of nine suites here and with Blackmagic, we were able to build the machine room very compact and simple, Sato said.

Zaxx also has built a 4K DIT cart using Blackmagic equipment. It includes an ATEM 1M/E Production Studio 4K switcher, HyperDeck Studio Pro for record and playback, Smart Videohub 12x12 router and Smart Videohub CleanSwitch, Teranex AV, DaVinci Resolve Studio and UltraStudio 4K for Resolve output and capturing external feeds.

We wanted to make a DIT cart for 4K use, so we chose Blackmagic as they have many 4K products. The ATEM switcher is for instant composition on-set, or for overlapping the pictures to check camera angles. Also if we know that the shot needs some subtitles or logos to be superimposed for the online edit, we use the ATEM to show the logo so that we can frame the shot while avoiding the subject being covered by the logo. It is very handy that we can use many subtitles and logos with the ATEM. And DaVinci Resolve is very important. It is not just for grading, it is more versatile as we can also use it for file conversion or simply checking some footage. And as as DIT, I have to not only do color adjustment but also take good care of how I input and output footage with the right setting for each project. There are so many DPs and assistant cameramen who use Resolve, and Resolve now has become a shared language when we speak to crews on-set such, as camera men, Hasegawa concluded.

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