Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K plays starring role in new Kia campaign

Production company Freystil has brought the new Kia Motors Austria commercial to life using Conception Blackmagic‘s URSA Mini Pro 12K camera.

The shoot for the commercial was spread over 10 days, with post-production extending for another week. Michael Frey, owner and founder of Freystil, comments on the reasons behind choosing the URSA Mini Pro 12K as the main camera in combination with the Xeen XC Carbon 8K lenses: “We expected it to take us to the next level when it came to production quality, and it did precisely that. Not only that, we knew the camera was the best tool for the job given the requirements of the shoot and the tight schedule.”

The campaign was mastered in 4K. Subsequently, nine different full HD formats were delivered to fit the requirements of the Austrian national broadcasters. “We shot the bulk of this production in 8K, the rest in the highest resolution possible, and we loved it. The higher resolution was ideal for reframing and cropping in post,” comments Frey.

Climatic challenges

Beyond the restrictions caused by the Covid-19, Frey stresses that the harsh Austrian winter was the main challenge they faced during production: “As for the weather, the only constant was change. However, our URSA Mini Pro 12K never let us down. We shot with it for a minimum of two hours in a row at minus 12 degrees centigrade, on top of a mountain, one hour in the rain at night, a whole day outside in the snow with minus four degrees centigrade, and it worked just fine.”

Among the advantages of the URSA Mini Pro 12K, Frey also highlights the skin tones or the ease of reframing and cropping: “We love the skin tones, which are smoother and truer to life, as well as the ability to shoot 110fps in 8K. There is one shot where the eyes widen, which we filmed in slow motion 8K. It turned out just perfect.”

“We have come to appreciate the camera a lot both from a technical and creative standpoint,” concludes Frey. “Our productions are already benefiting from the oversampled 4K images we get when combining the camera’s resolution with our 8K lenses.”