Billboard Women in Music Awards produced with the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2

Hollywood Motion Picture Experience (HMPE) produced the Billboard Women in Music Awards using URSA Broadcast G2 cameras and other Conception Blackmagic solutions.

Executive producers Tim Owens et Jenifer Hersch, who are responsible for the event that honours the music industry’s top female artists, producers and executives, chose HMPE because of its expertise in 4K and 12G content. Comme Todd Fisher, CEO of the production company, explains: “The unique thing about our production truck is that it’s built around Ultra HD and cinema glass, as well as a Blackmagic Design 12G workflow. The event was quite a production because it was broadcast in Ultra HD 59.94 full 12G, which might have been the first of its kind for a live award show.”

HMPE decided to use six URSA Diffusion G2 and two Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 units, which were distributed throughout the venue with Blackmagic Camera Fiber Converter accessories. The signals were sent via fibre optics to the mobile unit, from where they were processed and managed with Blackmagic Studio Fiber Converter solutions, an ATEM Constellation 8K mixer, ATEM 4 M/E Advanced Panel et ATEM Camera Control Panel equipment, and a Smart Videohub 12G 40×40 matrix to distribute the signals. All of these were captured in isolation with multiple HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro recorders.

A cinematic look

Fisher believes that the URSA Diffusion G2 cameras enabled him to deliver an image quality for the Billboard Women in Music that would not have been possible with other devices. He backs this up with key features such as the DaVinci résoudre technology built into the units (“Being able to build LUTs, set them in camera and finesse color grading from there is a huge tool for us.”) and their interchangeable mounts: “We were using high end, PL mounted cinema lenses with some of the cameras. Since we were in a remote truck, Redrock Micro devised a motor, controller and cable solution which allowed for iris control of the lenses for all the locked off cameras using the PL glass. It’s a great solution that gives new life to the sought after non motorized lenses out there.”

“We also have a lot of high end HD and Ultra HD B4 lenses, but many cameras will automatically center crop the image or there will be vignetting with the HD lenses,” Fisher continued. “But that’s not a factor anymore with the URSA Broadcast G2 and its 4K B4 mount. Instead of worrying if the lens will hold up and if I have to crop to make it look good, the URSA Broadcast G2 and the lenses work great with no detectable loss.”

“It’s a seamless way to utilize any high end B4 lens, and there is amazing value there in my opinion as an end user of these lenses,” concluded Fisher.