Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Award Winning Short Deadline Produced with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio

17/08/2023

Award Winning Short Deadline Produced with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio

Brie Clayton August 17, 2023

0 Comments

Directed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) based filmmaker Shihan Shoukath, Deadline tells the story of a customer service worker in a rather unusual call center who finds his shift going from bad to worse. In this film, Shoukath sought to explore themes as profound as grief and personal identity through a lens of introspection and empathy.

Deadline had a successful festival run in 2022, perhaps most significantly picking up three awards for Best Original Story, Best Acting Debut and Best Director Short Film at the monthly Cannes World Film Festival in July of that year.

The success continued into 2023, with a US festival run bringing a limited cinema release in May, further public and festival screenings globally, and a return to Cannes in June, this time to walk the red carpet and claim the Cannes World Film Festival's prize for Best Original Story, at an event that has previously honored the likes of Clint Eastwood and Jennifer Lopez.

As a viewer, from Deadline's opening shot, you are struck by a rich tonal quality that belies the film's guerrilla origins.

Shot in one night with a single actor (Shoukath's brother Ishan) on screen and Shoukath tripling up as writer, director and cinematographer, Deadline explores new storytelling techniques that challenge conventional norms and stimulate meaningful conversations.

Shot in 6K, Shoukath employed a set to post Blackmagic RAW workflow, with acquisition on a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera.

Choosing the right camera was crucial given the short shoot. There was no room for error as the lead was flying out of town the following day, coupled with the minimal equipment and crew available. We did a lot of research before investing in the 6K Pocket camera because we didn't have a big budget, Shoukath says. Factoring in the camera's size, battery duration, and its abilities, this was the right one.

Even with a bigger budget, bigger crew and more color supervisors on board, we would still choose this camera.

It's the perfect cinema camera, with great dynamic range and color science. Its false color feature played a vital role in the visual storytelling, helping us to monitor exposure levels accurately and light on set while maintaining the desired tonal range to create visual contrast, points out Shoukath.

The camera's dynamic range helped us to capture a broader range of highlight and shadow detail, resulting in visually stunning and immersive imagery, which enhanced the narrative's depth and atmosphere, he continues.

Capturing in Blackmagic RAW also came with further advantages, as post and editing took place in DaVinci Resolve Studio.

Deadline's shoot may have been a one night affair, but Shoukath allowed himself a more leisurely post process, partly through necessity since key crew were based abroad, including Italy based Color Supervisor Valerio Morini.

August 21, 2023Anthill Films' Editing and Grading Workflow Now Twice as Fast with DaVinci Resolve StudioBlackmagic Design today announced that Canadian production house Anthill Films was able

August 14, 2023Environmental Doc Common Ground Relies on Blackmagic DesignBlackmagic Design today announced that the full length feature documentary Common Ground

Post production, including editing, color grading and audio, relied on DaVinci Resolve Studio. Three to four months of video conferenced editing, soundtracking, color grading and post ensued, which Shoukath says was his favorite part of production.

The camera's ability to capture footage in Blackmagic RAW ensured maximum flexibility and control during color grading. This seamless integration allowed us to easily fine tune the look and feel of the film, achieving the desired grade and overall visual aesthetic, notes Shoukath.

The powerful tools and efficient workflow within DaVinci Resolve, combined with the native support for Blackmagic RAW, facilitated a streamlined and cohesive post production process, saving time while preserving the integrity of the captured imagery, he adds.

The initial concept for Deadline was to create a short film specifically for online platforms like Instagram and YouTube. However, as Shoukath progressed through the production process and witnessed the exceptional results, he realized the film's potential for a broader audience.

The title Deadline was chosen through an interactive process involving Shoukath's Instagram followers. He explains, I wanted to engage with my audience and involve them in the creative decision making for the film. I conducted a poll, and after evaluating the responses, Deadline' emerged as the clear favorite. The title perfectly encapsulates the film's central theme, reflecting the high stakes, time sensitive narrative that unfolds within the story.

In the words of the filmmaker, its great success can be attributed to a combination of factors. Firstly, the film's compelling storytelling, which engages viewers on an emotional level, played a significant role, coupled with the recognition at renowned film festivals, which highlights the film's ability to resonate with audiences, states Shoukath.

And secondly, the technical excellence a Blackmagic workflow delivered elevated the production quality, resulting in a visually striking and immersive experience, he concludes.

Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, vid
LINK: https://creativecow.net/award-winning-short-deadline-produced-with-poc...
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 ...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

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...

23/07/2026

Brian Jones Named NCTCs New CFO

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

Scripps Unites TV Operations Under Dean Littleton's Leadership

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

23/07/2026

2D House is First North American Rental Facility to Offer...

David Dvir, 2D founder (left), Sundeep Reddy (center), and Jean-Marc Bouchut (right), both of Zeiss...

23/07/2026

Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program

Screen Australia announces new national documentary accelerator program 23 July 2026 Screen Australia has today announced the Above the Line Documentary Accel...

22/07/2026

ESPN's AutoMic Technology Pays Off at Wimbledon; Baker Credits Team, AELTC for Successful Fortnight

Among other tweaks to coverage, the broadcaster added announce positions in the ...

22/07/2026

Australian Sports Technologies Network Reports Industry Growth of 16% in 2026

The Australian Sports Technologies Network (ASTN) has reported a sharp acceleration in Australia's sportstech sector, with revenue growth rising from 10% in...

22/07/2026

Production Wins, Man!': Men in Blazers' Founder Roger Bennett on Winning the FIFA World Cup as a Digital Media Brand

From a retrofitted broadcast bus to packed Match Day Live! events, Bennett detai...

22/07/2026

TMRW Sports Appoints Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football

TMRW Sports has named Brendan Donohue as President, Flag Football, where he will lead the company's professional flag football business in partnership with ...

22/07/2026

Stephen Arnold Music Creates Audio for FIFA World Cup Projection Mapping Display at Rockefeller Center

Stephen Arnold Music (SAM) designed and produced soundtracks for nine projection...

22/07/2026

Harmonic Donates $25,000 to Venezuela Earthquake Relief Through Global Empowerment Mission

Harmonic has announced a $25,000 donation to Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) fo...

22/07/2026

Telemundo Acquires Exclusive U.S. Spanish-Language Rights to UEFA Mens Club Competitions Beginning 2027/28

Telemundo has announced it has acquired from UC3 exclusive U.S. Spanish-language...

22/07/2026

The Rest Is Football Returns to Netflix for 2026/27 Premier League Season Through 2028 European Championship

The Rest Is Football, hosted by Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, ...

22/07/2026

Sports Studio and TheSoul Group Announce YouTube and Social Distribution Partnership

Sports Studio has announced a partnership with TheSoul Group to distribute Free ...

22/07/2026

Daktronics Concludes 2026 High School Video Summit

Daktronics has concluded its 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day hybrid event combining virtual sessions with hands-on host school visits across the countr...

22/07/2026

FOR-A America to Exhibit at MMCA 2026 with First U.S. HVS-Q12 Sale Announced

FOR-A America will exhibit at the MMCA Show in Pensacola, Florida (July 21-24), marking the company's first appearance at the house of worship AV event. FOR...

22/07/2026

New York Yankees Select Lumen Technologies for Stadium and Data Center Connectivity

The New York Yankees have selected Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) to connect Ya...

22/07/2026

IBC 2026: Calrec To Exhibit IP Audio Ecosystem, Announce New Products

Calrec will exhibit at IBC 2026 (Stand 8.C47) with demonstrations of its IP-native audio ecosystem built around the Argo console range, and will announce two ne...

22/07/2026

Solid State Logic Appoints Algam EKO as Italian Distributor

Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format consoles in Italy, covering the Live, Broadcast, and Studio...

22/07/2026

FloSports Launches Free Streaming Channel on Prime Video

FloSports has announced the launch of the FloSports Channel, a free ad-supported streaming channel premiering on Prime Video in the U.S. on July 21. The channel...

22/07/2026

Savannah Bananas Deploys Calrec Audio Infrastructure for Banana Ball TV REMI Broadcasts

Banana Ball TV (BTV), the broadcast operation of the Savannah Bananas, has insta...

22/07/2026

SiriusXM and Audacy Announce Agreement To Add 42 Local Stations to SiriusXM

SiriusXM and Audacy have announced an agreement bringing 42 Audacy sports, news, and talk stations from 29 U.S. markets to SiriusXM. Twenty-three Audacy sports ...

22/07/2026

Overtime, FOX One Partner on Social-First FIFA World Cup Series Race to Glory for the Creator Generation

The collaboration produced more than 500 short-form videos across four cities th...

22/07/2026

Green Bay Packers Escalate In-House Video Production With New Content Studio

At 2,600 sq. ft., the new home of digital content houses a main studio, podcast space, and an auxiliary control room NFL franchises are accelerating their prod...

22/07/2026

ERA II Vocal Codex from Eduardo Tarilonte

Library now available in Engine Player Another of Eduardo Tarilonte's popular sample libraries has just been moved over to Engine Audio's Engine Pla...

22/07/2026

Cloudvocals improved FlashTrack FT-15 DSP Microphone

All-in-one mic & DSP interface overhauled Cloudvocal have just refreshed the design of their all-in-one mic, audio interface and DSP processor, introducing ...

22/07/2026

Electro-Harmonix launch the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2

The final boss of the lost dual-op-amp circuit Electro-Harmonix have just introduced the Deluxe Big Muff Pi 2, which they say offers their latest take on t...

22/07/2026

Clear-Com Delivers Integrated Communications for Fryderyk Awards Gala in Krakw

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

22/07/2026

IAB Tech Lab Updates Podcast Technical Measurement Guidelines

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/07/2026

FCC Adopts Plan for C-Band Auction in July 2027

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/07/2026

LTN surpasses 3000 satellite-to-IP migrations as FCC vote...

Proven managed IP solution helps broadcasters confidently navigate the future of broadcast distribution LTN announces it has completed successful satellite-to-...

22/07/2026

Chaos Releases V-Ray 7 Update 4 Connecting Real-Time Work...

Today, Chaos announced V-Ray 7, update 4, eliminating the need for asset conversions and tool switching, which slow down media and entertainment pipelines. Arti...

22/07/2026

An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app

An AI playground for the Project Indigo camera app Marc Levoy July 22, 2026 0 Comments At left is the user interface of our Playground, running on an ...

22/07/2026

RTS Chooses Custom Consoles Desks and MediaWalls for Stud...

Custom Consoles announces the completion of a large technical furniture project for Radio T l vision Suisse (RTS) at the networks recently inaugurated productio...

22/07/2026

Graham Media's WDIV Opens Satellite Newsroom/Coffee Shop

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/07/2026

FCC Approves License Transfer of WTVQ-DT to Scripps

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/07/2026

Spectrum Reach Expands Operations in N.Y.

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

22/07/2026

Miris spatial streaming platform adds support for glTF in...

Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...

22/07/2026

Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K

Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K Brie Clayton July 21, 2026 0 Comments Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...

22/07/2026

AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back

AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026 0 Comments A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...

22/07/2026

From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Through Photos

From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...

22/07/2026

NVIDIA AI Supercomputer Comes Online at Naval Postgraduate School

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang today visited the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, to commission an NVIDIA DGX GB300 system - bringing one...

22/07/2026

Sky Documentaries announces The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door

A poisoned spy, a secret war, and a small English city contaminated by a deadly chemical weapon. Available on Sky Documentaries from 4 AugustWednesday 22 July 2...

22/07/2026

Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement with Spotify, SiriusXM, Triton Digital, Acast, and Libysn

Audio at Parity: Comscore Launches Transcript-Level Targeting and Measurement wi...

22/07/2026

Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership

Arvato Systems and Lobster Enter into a Partnership and Combine the Integration Platform and Managed Services Flexible integration solutions for cloud, hybrid...