Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Opera Grand Rapids & Colvin Theatrical Film Stinney: An American Execution Opera with Blackmagic Design

15/01/2025

Opera Grand Rapids & Colvin Theatrical Film Stinney: An American Execution Opera with Blackmagic Design

Brie Clayton January 15, 2025

0 Comments

Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 and DaVinci Resolve Studio used to create one of the first streamed multicam cinematic live opera films.

Blackmagic Design today announced Opera Grand Rapids and Colvin Theatrical used Blackmagic Design cameras, switchers and DaVinci Resolve for editing and grading the cinematic opera film Stinney: An American Execution. The film, which premiered on PBS, is one of the first live operas to be shot cinematically, using six Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 digital cinema cameras and DaVinci Resolve editing, color grading, visual effects (VFX) and audio post production software for editing and color correction.

Opera Grand Rapids is the longest running professional opera company in Michigan, and since 1967 has engaged some of the world's most talented artists, stage directors, conductors, choreographers, set designers, costume designers, and others, in addition to the regional Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Grand Rapids Chorus and Children's Chorus.

Stinney: An American Execution spotlights the agony of the injustice of the 1944 wrongful execution of George Stinney Jr., the youngest person to be legally executed in America. The opera was composed by Frances Pollock with libretto by Tia Price and Pollock.

Opera Grand Rapids has been one of the world's first opera companies to jump into cinematic filming and streaming of operas, and was the first company to complete a streaming production of a live opera in 2020.

Executive Director Emilee Syrewicze has grown Opera Grand Rapids to become one of the world's most respected and forward thinking opera companies, through the use of film and streaming, as well as new programming, such as Hip Opera, to help new audiences connect with the art form.

She explained how Stinney builds on that vision: Grand opera is meant to be big and impressive just by its volume. It is spectacle. Stinney' is different. It's a contemporary work that is deep and visceral with a social message.

When Opera Grand Rapids announced its production of Stinney, Syrewicze met with filmmaker Cody Colvin to develop a film capture concept for the contemporary opera. Colvin, the founder of Colvin Theatrical, a film and media company with experience in cinematic multicamera captures, directed the film capture and managed the film production process.

Colvin explained the planning, pitching and advantages of shooting cinematic opera performances: When Emilee and I began discussing Stinney,' I felt it would shine if shot on cinema cameras, but couldn't find an example of a full length opera filmed that way. Opera captures have been traditionally shot with broadcast cameras, which are more forgiving than cinema cameras. Cinema cameras, which use shallow depth of field and require high precision operation, are typically considered too difficult to deploy in live environments. However, my team and I had used Blackmagic cinema cameras in live theatre environments before, and felt comfortable using the Blackmagic cinema workflow for Stinney.' We are very happy we did.

He continued: Shooting with cinema cameras provided us with a level of detail that we think will set a new standard for filmed opera going forward. Capturing performers' minute expressions, shifting focus from one actor to another, and capturing opera's ultra dynamic lighting fixtures are all possible using Blackmagic Design gear. Additionally, Blackmagic's competitive and affordable price point makes this kind of capture accessible to smaller regional performing arts companies.

Specific features of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 were also instrumental in helping Colvin shoot with a full audience. The Pockets are tiny, even when they're fully rigged, and they fit on light tripods. We were able to shoot without interrupting the live audience's experience, and the compact size of the Pocket helped us make sure we didn't block anybody's view.

Colvin also cited the Super 35 sensor of the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 as an advantage in shooting live performances. The crop factor of the Pocket 6K allowed us to shoot with affordable 70-200mm telephoto lenses, giving us a functional focal length of 300mm plus, which was very helpful when filming from the audience.

Following filming, Colvin had to meet a very tight PBS deadline. To do this, he used DaVinci Resolve Studio for everything from editing to color correction, and made extensive use of DaVinci Resolve Studio's multicamera editing feature. He was able to use DaVinci Resolve Studio to adjust the final version to meet PBS's strict broadcast standards, as well as formatting the footage to render the film with PBS mandated interlaced delivery. With Resolve, we can export a public television version, a web version, and a cinema version all from one timeline. Using Blackmagic's built in broadcast safe' and gamut limiter' features allowed us to spec the film for public television quickly, while retaining our other color grades for digital and theatrical delivery.

The reaction from the first audiences was breathless stunned silence and then thunderous applause. Syrewicze explained: This is a new way to experience opera. A good example is that we were able to get in close to the main character, George Stinney, and zoom into his eyes. You felt his pain at an emotional level that was more powerful than what you feel sitting in the audience. And to say that about an opera, which is already one of the most emotional theater experiences you can have, is amazing.

Stinney: An American Execution is available to stream at pbs.org.

January 20, 2025Sonnet Announces Industry's First
LINK: https://creativecow.net/opera-grand-rapids-colvin-theatrical-film-stin...
See more stories from creativecow

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

09/06/2026

Kiswe Expands Partnership With ONE Championship To LaunchGlobal Subscription Platform

Kiswe announces an expanded long-term partnership with ONE Championship (ONE), t...

09/06/2026

SiriusXM to Carry All 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 Matches via FOX Sports Commentary

SiriusXM will broadcast FOX Sports' English-language commentary for all 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches from June 11 through July 19, available to subscribe...

09/06/2026

EVS Broadcast Equipment Rebrands as EVS

EVS has announced it is changing its corporate name from EVS Broadcast Equipment to EVS, reflecting the company's expanded portfolio beyond broadcast equipm...

09/06/2026

FOX and NFL Announce Multi-Year Agreement for NFL Coverage in Mexico Starting in 2026

Fox Corporation and the NFL have announced a multi-year agreement to bring NFL c...

09/06/2026

FOX Sports and ReachTV to Carry All 104 FIFA World Cup 2026 Matches Across U.S. Airports

FOX Sports and ReachTV, an airport media network, have announced an agreement to...

09/06/2026

Cosm Atlanta Opens with Private Preview, Public Opening Set for June 10

Cosm Atlanta, a 70,000-square-foot, three-level immersive entertainment venue located within Centennial Yards adjacent to State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Sta...

09/06/2026

NESN Wins Five New England Emmy Awards

NESN captured five awards at the 2026 Boston/New England Emmy Awards, including four program honors and one individual award. These awards reflect the passion...

09/06/2026

Ateme Referenced by Apple at WWDC26 for Apple Immersive Video Workflow Support

Ateme has announced that its support for Apple Immersive Video workflows was referenced by Apple during its 2026 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC26). Atem...

09/06/2026

Axel Springer Deploys Bitmovin Player Web X for WELT Audio News Experience

Bitmovin has announced that Axel Springer SE has deployed Player Web X, Bitmovin's web video player, to power audio readouts of news articles and an audio-o...

09/06/2026

Grass Valley and Lawo Announce Technology Collaboration on AMPP and HOME Integration

Grass Valley and Lawo have announced a technology collaboration to validate orch...

09/06/2026

LiveU Deploys Remote VAR for Oceania Football Confederation, First in Pacific Islands

LiveU has announced a deployment with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) t...

09/06/2026

Globecast Launches Content Exchange Platform Powered by Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Globecast has announced the launch of its Content Exchange platform, powered by ...

09/06/2026

OT7 Championship Weekend to Air on NBC and Peacock for First Time

NBC Sports will present live coverage of Overtime's OT7 football league Championship Weekend from Sullivan Field at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angel...

09/06/2026

UFC Freedom 250: Inside the One-in-a-Lifetime Production Behind the White House Fight Card

We're in three different locations, three different production teams. Coveri...

09/06/2026

Murray States Brandon Banks on Firing Up Racers Basketball Fans Through Creative Video

The intro video for Men's Basketball won Outstanding In-Venue Video in the C...

09/06/2026

SVG Sit-Down, Part 2: FIFA's Oscar Sanchez, HBS's Paul King Dive Deep Into IBC Operations, Commentary, and Ref Cam

Today is match day minus two for FIFA and HBS. On Thursday, there will be two ma...

09/06/2026

Designing the Modern Scorebug: How Broadcast Graphics Teams Are Rethinking the Most Important Element On Screen

Since their debut, the clock-and-score graphic has drawn the affinity and ire of...

09/06/2026

Watch LE SSERAFIM's PURE FLOWERS LIVE Performance Videos and Fan Q&A, Only on Spotify

Last month, Spotify hosted PURE FLOWERS LIVE, a special event celebrating the re...

09/06/2026

Watch RADAR UK Artist Skye Newman Perform Live in London for Her SE9' Album Launch

Last month, RADAR U.K. artist Skye Newman took the stage in East London for a sp...

09/06/2026

Announcement from Wayne Jones Audio

Company to cease operating on 30 June 2026 Australian loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer Wayne Jones Audio have announced that after much consideration,...

09/06/2026

bigBASS from fedDSP

Increases low-end weight and character The latest plug-in release from Sheffield-based fedDSP aims to offer an all-in-one solution for users in search of mo...

09/06/2026

Fender Studio Pro 8.1 arrives

Introduces AI Studio Assistant, Moises Studio integration & more Fender Studio have just announced the launch a significant update that brings an array of n...

09/06/2026

Call for Sediba Scriptwriting Training Programme Bloemfontein, Free State

The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is a statutory body mandated to spearhead the equitable growth and development of the South African film and video...

09/06/2026

BBC Casts Edward Bluemel As Poirot In Hercule,' As BritBox Boards Agatha Christie Remake In U.S.

The BBC has found its Hercule Poirot. After Deadline revealed last month that t...

09/06/2026

Nielsen launches Four-Screen Ad Deduplication measurement on YouTube campaigns in Italy

Media buyers and sellers can now compare YouTube reach from computer, mobile, an...

09/06/2026

Andrew Beaudet Joins Brompton as Head of Sales, Americas

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Mediaset Italia Deploys Mediagenix Platform To Modernize Scheduling

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Mediaset Italia Modernizes Content Supply Chain and Chann...

A project aimed at modernizing scheduling operations across Mediaset's channel portfolio Mediagenix, a global leader in smart content solutions to profitab...

09/06/2026

ACT Entertainment Debuts tvONE 4RU CALICO PRO at InfoComm...

tvONE, an ACT Entertainment brand, debuts its most powerful video processor ever built: the 4RU CALICO PRO (C7-PRO-4200), at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N6813). Engine...

09/06/2026

Composer and Conductor Eric Whitacre to Receive Honorary Doctorate at Berklee Valencia's 2026 Commencement

Composer and Conductor Eric Whitacre to Receive Honorary Doctorate at Berklee Va...

09/06/2026

Comcast Advertising Adds Purchasing Data from Affinity Solutions

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Midwich to Distribute Miri Technologies in North America

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Nielsen: North American Soccer Fans Jump to More Than 136 Million

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Grass Valley and Lawo Collaborate to Advance Open Dynamic...

Technology collaboration to validate AMPP and Lawo HOME orchestration integration, showcasing Dynamic Media Facility principles in practice. Grass Valley and ...

09/06/2026

Bitmovin Player Web X Powers Axel Springer New Audio News...

Bitmovin, a leading provider of video streaming solutions, today announced that Axel Springer SE, international media and technology company, has deployed Playe...

09/06/2026

LiveU Delivers First Remote VAR Deployment Across the Pac...

LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video solutions, today announced a landmark deployment with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) that has brought Video ...

09/06/2026

Sam Craig Joins Grass Valley as VP, Global Pre-Sales

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Arkansas TV Will Continue to Air PBS Programming

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Glensound to Show DARK22M Network Audio Interface at InfoComm 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

EVS Rebrands, Trims Its Name

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for June 25 Open Meeting

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/06/2026

Two Alumni Win Tony Awards

Two Alumni Win Tony Awards Mike Morris and Cedric Leiba Jr. won awards for Best Orchestrations and Best Play, respectively. June 8, 2026 By Tori Donahue ...

09/06/2026

Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a candid and unfiltered account of three decades in the spotlight, coming to Sky and NOW on 8 July

Tuesday 9 June 2026 Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a candid and unfiltered accou...

09/06/2026

Netflix Unveils First Images And Poster For Wrath, A New Brazilian Series Premiering July 29

Back to All News Netflix Unveils First Images And Poster For Wrath, A New Brazi...

09/06/2026

ENNI Will Be Using AEP.EnerS4 Billing Solution

Enni Continues to Rely on Arvato Systems - And Will Be Using AEP.EnerS4 Billing Solution Arvato Systems to implement transformation project for SAP S/4HANA Ut...

09/06/2026

RT Radio 1 is bringing Arena and Cil House to London celebrating 100 years of RT

These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...