Ben Davis, BSC shoots Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel action with Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera

31/05/2019

--

Blackmagic Design has today announced that its Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera was used in the filming of key action sequences on Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel. The twenty first installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was lensed by cinematographer Ben Davis, BSC ( Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ).

Opting for a large format digital camera paired with a mix of Spherical and vintage Panavision glass, as the principal package, Davis required a smaller, more versatile camera to provide him with alternative options during filming. We tested various options searching for that magic combination of size and quality, and the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera was the clear winner, he begins.

According to Davis the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera setups were kept as small as possible, breaking out the wireless transmitter into a backpack worn by a camera operator. The camera's expansion port gave us lots of options for creating rigs for remote operation and monitoring. Coupled with the fact you can record RAW onboard using SD cards also helped to keep everything small and compact.

In the past I've made the mistake of rigging small action cameras with big lenses, not to mention a protective cage, a motor to drive focus, a monitor to frame and then a transmitter to transfer the information, continues Davis. But then you've defeated the very reason you're using it in the first place.

He adds: For Captain Marvel', we also built cages for the cameras but in the end made little use of them. The structure of the body is so solid you don't need to cage it in my opinion.

Davis would use clamps or arms to mount he cameras onboard vehicles for example, and fixed focus. He'd then check footage after the sequence had run, make any adjustments, and reset ready for another take.

That's where this camera comes into its own. They're very quick to rig. We'd often run two or three at the same time on sequences like the go kart track. We'd just line everything up, power them up and hit record. There was a lot of vibration and heavy hits on those karts but there was no corruption of files at all.

The Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera was used throughout the principal photography, which largely took place on location in Los Angeles and Louisiana, by Davis and the film's second unit.

The bar for action sequences has been raised so high that for these to work you have to be very creative with the cameras you use, concluded Davis. I want to put the audience in amongst the action so having a small camera you can rig very quickly is great for that. That's what I like about action cams like those from Blackmagic Design. They can get you into places you can't always go with ordinary cameras.

About Captain Marvel

Set in the mid-1990s, Captain Marvel follows Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larson), a former US Air Force fighter pilot, as she turns into one of the galaxy's mightiest heroes. She joins elite military team Starforce, before returning home with new questions about her past and identity when the Earth is caught in the centre of an intergalactic conflict between two alien worlds.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world's highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design's DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company's Emmy award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

###

LINK:	https://news.creativecow.net/story/897152...
	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 ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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 Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

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

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026