DaVinci Resolve becomes central to online training for TUIS students (Tokyo)

Tokyo University of Information Science (TUIS) trains its students remotely in post-production using Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve.

The faculty of computer science at TUIS offers a wide variety of academic fields, including systems engineering, data science and audiovisual design, with an emphasis on computer-based computing.

Because of Covid-19, the institution decided to offer a selection of classes remotely. Jun Asakawa, a professor at the university’s audiovisual lab, explains how he ended up opting for DaVinci Resolve to conduct this training: “I couldn’t have all the students using the same software at home that we had been using in the studio, and I did not want them to pay for subscription-based software. That’s how we ended up with the free version of DaVinci Resolve. We had students install DaVinci Resolve on their laptops, which the school gives to all freshmen. They used their smartphones to shoot and edit them in DaVinci Resolve for their assignments.” Since TUIS is an official DaVinci Resolve training center, Asakawa and other faculty were ready to teach how to use DaVinci Resolve.

Unlike conventional film schools, TUIS is not a space that attracts only students with an interest in video and film. Many students who attended the virtual class with DaVinci Resolve had no experience in audiovisual production but were able to complete their work while presenting their own projects using the Zoom platform.

New production methods

TUIS has also recently reinforced its facilities with ten systems consisting of DaVinci Resolve Studio, a DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel device and a DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor keyboard for the more advanced classes, as well as a URSA Broadcast camera, and ten sets of a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and two ATEM Mini Pro mixers.

Asakawa gives more details of this setup, which is used to train students who want to dive deep into the world of production and post production: “We have a limited amount of hardware, so the Blackmagic products are for students who want to learn about advanced video production. They can edit and grade using the dedicated controllers. Before, the equipment we had in the studio was getting outdated, and Blackmagic is by far the most affordable professional equipment, so we also installed a URSA Broadcast and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks. The two ATEM Mini Pros were originally installed last year for online classes, but we will use them for streaming class.”

“DaVinci Resolve has a tool set that is used by professionals and I appreciate that even student can have access to such a toolset. Even though the spec of computers that the students are using are not ideal for video editing, they used proxy mode and optimized media for smoother editing. It was great to see that some of the students were motivated using Fusion and Fairlight features and became more knowledgeable than us.”, adds Asakawa.