Blackmagic Design today announced that production company south&browse transitioned all aspects of post, including editing, color correction and finishing, to DaVinci Resolve Studio.
The Munich based company has already conceived and produced more than 60 television formats and serial productions in the last 20 years. Creating content for many of Germany’s leading broadcasters requires both speed and versatility, which is where the transition to DaVinci Resolve Studio came into play.
“Previously, we relied on several editing solutions depending on the project and primarily used DaVinci Resolve Studio for color correction and finishing,” recalls Tim Heinrichs-Noll, technical director post production at south&browse.
He adds, "However, the range of capabilities within Resolve has increased to a point where the program now offers everything we could need, whether for smaller productions or large documentaries, and that was our tipping point."
Heinrichs-Noll and his team now work almost exclusively in DaVinci Resolve Studio, including its 4K HDR production pipeline. “We edit, mix, color, do some VFX and finish all in the one program,” he notes.
To enable collaboration with as little friction as possible, the studio is equipped with on premise Linux PostgreSQL database servers linking ten edit suites, with six equipped for SDR and HDR grading and one for audio mixing in DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Fairlight. There is a host of online editing and VFX workstations that also rely on DaVinci Resolve Studio, with the edit and color suites also incorporating a DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor and DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel for editing and color correction respectively.
"The fact that our colorists can begin working on the grade while the edit is still in progress ensures we can turn around projects of any scale in a fraction of the time,” explains Heinrichs-Noll. “Likewise, Resolve's HDR toolset means we can deliver both SDR and HDR master files all within the one environment. It really is a win win.
"Everything is always one click away, whether editing, grading, sound design and mixing, or finishing. Historically, these processes were overly complex, with time and money lost on conforming and reconforming projects as updates were made. Now they run smoothly through one single pipeline.
DaVinci Resolve Studio also ensures that minor corrections are just that. “If, for example, I have to go back to an edit sequence because of a spelling mistake in the title, I simply access the project file, correct the mistake, and then I can master again,” says Heinrichs-Noll. “That is very convenient and helps us enormously to avoid bottlenecks in production.”
Likewise, exchanging projects with external colleagues, such as audio mixing, also works smoothly. “We send over the project files, our collaborators then provide us with the audio mix, and our teams can continue uninterrupted, allowing us to work faster and smarter than others,” he adds.
“Not only do we save an enormous amount of time, but the hardware and software price points were another deciding factor,” concludes Heinrichs-Noll. “There are no subscription fees, and you get updates without rebuying the software."
