Blackmagic Design announced today that Chilean production company, AGTV, incorporated a full Blackmagic Design workflow, including six URSA Broadcast cameras, to produce the hit television series “Amor a la Catalán” for Canal 13, the second oldest television station in Chile.
“Amor a La Catalán” is a romantic comedy series created and directed by acclaimed television director and producer, Vicente Sabatini, and telenovela producer and owner of AGTV, Pablo Ávila. Having premiered this summer on Canal 13 with a second season already in the works, the series tells the story of Fernando, a baker who hides a secret from his family for more than thirty years.
To bring the story to life with a higher production value while still staying on budget, AGTV decided to incorporate a Blackmagic Design workflow, starting with the URSA Broadcast cameras.
“We saw how Canal 13 used Blackmagic Design on ‘Runaways,’ and we wanted to recreate the workflow to achieve the same quality,” said Cesar Norambuena, operations manager at AGTV. “For ‘Amor a la Catalán,’ we had the URSA Broadcasts divided into two groups: unit one consisted of three cameras used as our main cameras in studio, and unit two consisted of two cameras used mostly for outdoor scenes. Our sixth camera functioned as a backup for the crew.”
By using three cameras at once in studio, Norambuena and the crew were often able to shoot scenes in one take, eliminating the need for reshoots to capture different angles or reactions from the actors. Unit two was set up for “grab and go” use, with the cameras’ batteries always charged, allowing the crew to grab them as needed to shoot outdoors.
In order to help maximize efficiency during production, the crew used an ATEM Camera Control Panel for monitoring and adjusting color balance, shutter speed and more, freeing the camera crew to focus on other needs during shooting.
“Our shoots can last up to ten hours, and the URSA Broadcasts have never failed us,” Norambuena noted. “They are very reliable, and our crew has been able to quickly adapt and use them efficiently during long shoots. Many members of our camera crew were used to regular broadcast cameras, so we were able to find a camera that is basically two in one, with traditional broadcast controls but cinematic features.”
Norambuena and the crew took advantage of the URSA Broadcast’s ability to shoot in 4K, as well as its rich colors and crisp images, the ability to use their existing lenses and the extensive support for different codecs.
AGTV also incorporated ATEM Television Studio Pro HD and ATEM Production Studio 4K live production switchers, a HyperDeck Studio Mini recorder as part of both camera units for additional recording, a SmartScope Duo 4K monitor, and an ATEM Talkback Converter 4K, which allowed the camera operators to remain in communication with the director while distancing themselves from the URSA Broadcasts in order to let the action happen uninterrupted.
“Using Blackmagic Design on this production has been an incredible experience. The gear has integrated into our workflow seamlessly and the quality is top notch. We’re excited to start the next season of ‘Amor a La Catalán’ and once again trust Blackmagic Design for an incredible production,” Norambuena concluded.
