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Our entire production pipeline is Resolve. I’ve been pushing Adobe users to move to Resolve for years, because of the pricing and pace of innovation. We’ve been

Our entire production pipeline is Resolve. I’ve been pushing Adobe users to move to Resolve for years, because of the pricing and pace of innovation. We’ve been using a device from SNS for remote collaboration and this release just removed the need for that. Every release is packed with fundamental new value, and doesn’t sacrifice stability or performance - it usually improves both. Great software engineering! Combined with the hardware innovation - like the first raw format that managed to bypass RED’s patent stranglehold - this company is setting up to dominate the entire film production pipeline. We use Resolve, Ursa G2, Ursa 12K, pocket cine 4K and 6k. We also use their ATEM switcher and mini color grading console. They’re all great gear. If you’re looking to set up a small production house with end to end workflow in a single application and want to actually own the gear instead of renting, look no further than BMD.

35mm 5y ago
What do you use as an After Effects equivalent?
- eole666 5y ago
  The Fusion part of Davinci Resolve is a sort of node based after effects. I might try it someday, apparently it can even import 3D scenes from blender.
- emllnd 5y ago
  Like sibling comment mentioned, Fusion. Was using it to deliver advertising video VFX work on the daily for a couple of years, it's great. We were a mixed group of After Effects and Fusion (and many more apps) users and I would say generally you can accomplish the same things with both and some tasks are easier in one or the other. I would recommend downloading the standalone Fusion Studio though, it's included with a Resolve Studio license (~$300 one-time). Managing anything but the simplest project within Resolve's Fusion page seems like a nightmare. Being able to use a separate app that saves its own files is a much more straightforward workflow. Then check out VFX Connect if looking for more sync between the apps.
- mmaunder 5y ago
  You can do a surprising amount without even going into Fusion inside Resolve. But if we need planar tracking etc it’s there and we’ve done it. Edit: for CG or routine stuff like screen replacement we use a VFX house in Denver but we have done that ourselves in Fusion. Not hard, except that one time a guy with a beard leaned across and obstructed the screen with his beard. Try to avoid that. ;-)
cs702 5y ago
I'm rather curious: Why and how does a software security business like yours use or need professional nonlinear video editing solutions like Resolve?
- mmaunder 5y ago
  Started with Open.film (visit the site) which is a mini doc and then doubled down on production. Now have a educational media pipeline along with sports sponsorship project and a few others in the works. We have a 6000 sq ft studio in Centennial, CO. Full time producer (via the Fallon show) and full time DP/director. Just getting started.
  - mmaunder 5y ago
    Some recent stuff from the past couple weeks. This is a set we built from the ground up in a warehouse with bare concrete floor. Fake window and sunlight. Lights are ARRI skypanel s120 and S60. Cameras are a BMD Ursa G2 4.6k and 12k. Pretty basic 2 cam shoot and post workflow. Producer/director works remotely from NYC via video conference. DP is on site with PA and talent. https://twitter.com/maddyosman/status/1516153700179492872?s=21&t=3o6TfCtEpAyeY4UmFgshAg https://twitter.com/maddyosman/status/1516153700179492872?s=...
    - cs702 5y ago
      Thank you for the detailed answers! I take it you guys concluded it would be better and/or more cost efficient to do all this media work in-house instead of outsource it to a variety third parties. Interesting.
      - mmaunder 5y ago
        Yes we were working with a company that was doing a great job but barely staying afloat, so I hired some of the team, and the rest had a soft landing. Then built from there. Was a conscious decision to vertically integrate this. Yeah so the Ursa is around $5K. And just FYI the 12K Ursa dropped from about $11K to about $6K a few months after launch, so just be aware that that kind of thing happens. A new ARRI is $20 to $30K although I haven't looked lately. Also RED is very expensive. So with Ursas you get 14.5 stops of dynamic range, raw and the Resolve workflow which braw integrates into beautifully. You essentially have Hollywood quality gear for a fraction of the price, and you're using the same color grading workflow that Hollywood actually uses - since Resolve is the standard for color grading for big films. And the grade is really where you figure out how good your camera actually is - and since the folks who make the grading software make the cameras and developed the partial debayered raw format they use, the product you get is pretty damn good! Now lenses are a different story. We standardized on Canon cine lenses which work great on the Ursas - and the cameras are adaptable to PL mount if you ever want to rent lenses. Just a final note. I know a lot of folks reading this are budget concious. Don't make the mistake of getting a nice collection of Sony E mount lenses or another mirrorless standard with a short flange distance. You will not be able to use those lenses on many other cameras that have lens adapters because the flange distance is too small - so you simply can't adapt them. Standardize on a lens with a big flange distance that is adaptable to a lot of cameras if you move from renting to actually buying lenses. Canon Cine lenses are great - but Canon L lenses are also bloody good and excellent value for money. For example the f1.2 50mm prime is a brilliant multi use film lenses that you can use on the Ursa and get amazing results - and it's quite a bit cheaper than a cine lens and uses the same mount as the cine lenses. Because the L lenses have the same mount, you can do some pretty crazy shit like putting a f4.0 600mm prime on an Ursa and shoot film with it. Try finding a cine lens like that!
filmgirlcw 5y ago
BMD has really carved out a great market for themselves. Adobe and Avid are still the 300lb gorillas but I love what BMD is doing on the hardware and software side. Resolve is so impressive to me because it’s a relatively small dev team from what I understand, but they’ve put out a really great product. And the few hardware things of theirs I’ve used have been excellent too. Nice to hear you run your whole production pipeline using Resolve.
- mmaunder 5y ago
  Thanks. Australia has some great film companies.
pwython 5y ago
> "like the first raw format that managed to bypass RED's patent stranglehold" For what it's worth, BRAW is not really "RAW." It is a codec processed in-camera with baked-in profiles for Resolve. ProRes RAW is closer to "real RAW." That said, it's an awesome codec to use in Resolve (former P4K, P6K, & UMP 4.6K user).
- mmaunder 5y ago
  Oh god no. It’s partial debayering. ProRes raw doesn’t come close to it. Baked in profiles??
  - pwython 5y ago
    https://ymcinema.com/2022/03/28/braw-vs-prores-raw-which-is-better/ https://ymcinema.com/2022/03/28/braw-vs-prores-raw-which-is-... > "Sherif analyzed noise levels by comparing ProRes RAW and BRAW and found that ProRes RAW has significantly higher noise levels than the external BRAW. Furthermore, Sherif has used a blue channel as an X-ray to explore macro-blocking that appears in highly compressed media (H.265 for instance), and that compression is presented by pixels structure that indicates an unbaked image that came straight out of the sensor. Yeah… it’s a bit complicated. To make the story short, ProRes RAW demonstrated much better (and real) raw compared to BRAW. In a sentence, ProRes RAW has defeated BRAW" > "According to Sherif’s analysis, ProRes RAW is more… real raw than BRAW. And external BRAW is less accurate (in terms of White Balancing) compared to internal BRAW from Blackmagic cameras. But generally speaking, ProRes RAW won. However, it must be taken into consideration that ProRes RAW is not natively available in Resolve." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB6wrVKHiw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB6wrVKHiw > "...partial debayering theory regarding BRAW. The reason being is that Black Magic does that to get around RED' RAW patent of pure internal RAW. That's why prores Raw is only acquired through external devices."
  - AussieWog93 5y ago
    I actually worked on the BRAW SDK a couple of years back. Not going to go into specifics, but there's a far bit more going on than just that! I think a big part of it had to do with Red's patents, actually.

35mm 5y ago

What do you use as an After Effects equivalent?

eole666 5y ago
The Fusion part of Davinci Resolve is a sort of node based after effects. I might try it someday, apparently it can even import 3D scenes from blender.
emllnd 5y ago
Like sibling comment mentioned, Fusion. Was using it to deliver advertising video VFX work on the daily for a couple of years, it's great. We were a mixed group of After Effects and Fusion (and many more apps) users and I would say generally you can accomplish the same things with both and some tasks are easier in one or the other. I would recommend downloading the standalone Fusion Studio though, it's included with a Resolve Studio license (~$300 one-time). Managing anything but the simplest project within Resolve's Fusion page seems like a nightmare. Being able to use a separate app that saves its own files is a much more straightforward workflow. Then check out VFX Connect if looking for more sync between the apps.
mmaunder 5y ago
You can do a surprising amount without even going into Fusion inside Resolve. But if we need planar tracking etc it’s there and we’ve done it. Edit: for CG or routine stuff like screen replacement we use a VFX house in Denver but we have done that ourselves in Fusion. Not hard, except that one time a guy with a beard leaned across and obstructed the screen with his beard. Try to avoid that. ;-)

cs702 5y ago

I'm rather curious: Why and how does a software security business like yours use or need professional nonlinear video editing solutions like Resolve?

mmaunder 5y ago
Started with Open.film (visit the site) which is a mini doc and then doubled down on production. Now have a educational media pipeline along with sports sponsorship project and a few others in the works. We have a 6000 sq ft studio in Centennial, CO. Full time producer (via the Fallon show) and full time DP/director. Just getting started.
- mmaunder 5y ago
  Some recent stuff from the past couple weeks. This is a set we built from the ground up in a warehouse with bare concrete floor. Fake window and sunlight. Lights are ARRI skypanel s120 and S60. Cameras are a BMD Ursa G2 4.6k and 12k. Pretty basic 2 cam shoot and post workflow. Producer/director works remotely from NYC via video conference. DP is on site with PA and talent. https://twitter.com/maddyosman/status/1516153700179492872?s=21&t=3o6TfCtEpAyeY4UmFgshAg https://twitter.com/maddyosman/status/1516153700179492872?s=...
  - cs702 5y ago
    Thank you for the detailed answers! I take it you guys concluded it would be better and/or more cost efficient to do all this media work in-house instead of outsource it to a variety third parties. Interesting.
    - mmaunder 5y ago
      Yes we were working with a company that was doing a great job but barely staying afloat, so I hired some of the team, and the rest had a soft landing. Then built from there. Was a conscious decision to vertically integrate this. Yeah so the Ursa is around $5K. And just FYI the 12K Ursa dropped from about $11K to about $6K a few months after launch, so just be aware that that kind of thing happens. A new ARRI is $20 to $30K although I haven't looked lately. Also RED is very expensive. So with Ursas you get 14.5 stops of dynamic range, raw and the Resolve workflow which braw integrates into beautifully. You essentially have Hollywood quality gear for a fraction of the price, and you're using the same color grading workflow that Hollywood actually uses - since Resolve is the standard for color grading for big films. And the grade is really where you figure out how good your camera actually is - and since the folks who make the grading software make the cameras and developed the partial debayered raw format they use, the product you get is pretty damn good! Now lenses are a different story. We standardized on Canon cine lenses which work great on the Ursas - and the cameras are adaptable to PL mount if you ever want to rent lenses. Just a final note. I know a lot of folks reading this are budget concious. Don't make the mistake of getting a nice collection of Sony E mount lenses or another mirrorless standard with a short flange distance. You will not be able to use those lenses on many other cameras that have lens adapters because the flange distance is too small - so you simply can't adapt them. Standardize on a lens with a big flange distance that is adaptable to a lot of cameras if you move from renting to actually buying lenses. Canon Cine lenses are great - but Canon L lenses are also bloody good and excellent value for money. For example the f1.2 50mm prime is a brilliant multi use film lenses that you can use on the Ursa and get amazing results - and it's quite a bit cheaper than a cine lens and uses the same mount as the cine lenses. Because the L lenses have the same mount, you can do some pretty crazy shit like putting a f4.0 600mm prime on an Ursa and shoot film with it. Try finding a cine lens like that!

filmgirlcw 5y ago

BMD has really carved out a great market for themselves. Adobe and Avid are still the 300lb gorillas but I love what BMD is doing on the hardware and software side. Resolve is so impressive to me because it’s a relatively small dev team from what I understand, but they’ve put out a really great product. And the few hardware things of theirs I’ve used have been excellent too. Nice to hear you run your whole production pipeline using Resolve.

mmaunder 5y ago
Thanks. Australia has some great film companies.

pwython 5y ago

> "like the first raw format that managed to bypass RED's patent stranglehold" For what it's worth, BRAW is not really "RAW." It is a codec processed in-camera with baked-in profiles for Resolve. ProRes RAW is closer to "real RAW." That said, it's an awesome codec to use in Resolve (former P4K, P6K, & UMP 4.6K user).

mmaunder 5y ago
Oh god no. It’s partial debayering. ProRes raw doesn’t come close to it. Baked in profiles??
- pwython 5y ago
  https://ymcinema.com/2022/03/28/braw-vs-prores-raw-which-is-better/ https://ymcinema.com/2022/03/28/braw-vs-prores-raw-which-is-... > "Sherif analyzed noise levels by comparing ProRes RAW and BRAW and found that ProRes RAW has significantly higher noise levels than the external BRAW. Furthermore, Sherif has used a blue channel as an X-ray to explore macro-blocking that appears in highly compressed media (H.265 for instance), and that compression is presented by pixels structure that indicates an unbaked image that came straight out of the sensor. Yeah… it’s a bit complicated. To make the story short, ProRes RAW demonstrated much better (and real) raw compared to BRAW. In a sentence, ProRes RAW has defeated BRAW" > "According to Sherif’s analysis, ProRes RAW is more… real raw than BRAW. And external BRAW is less accurate (in terms of White Balancing) compared to internal BRAW from Blackmagic cameras. But generally speaking, ProRes RAW won. However, it must be taken into consideration that ProRes RAW is not natively available in Resolve." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB6wrVKHiw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPB6wrVKHiw > "...partial debayering theory regarding BRAW. The reason being is that Black Magic does that to get around RED' RAW patent of pure internal RAW. That's why prores Raw is only acquired through external devices."
- AussieWog93 5y ago
  I actually worked on the BRAW SDK a couple of years back. Not going to go into specifics, but there's a far bit more going on than just that! I think a big part of it had to do with Red's patents, actually.