China’s Hit Web Series “Ex Model” Shot on Blackmagic Design Cameras

Blackmagic Design today announced that Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera were used to shoot China’s hit web series “Ex Model.” The web series is produced by Drunken Dragon Productions, a Paris based production company co founded by Chinese producer and actress Xin Wang and French director and writer Emmanuel Sapolsky, for Youku, one of the world’s largest Chinese video websites.

Directed by Emmanuel, “Ex Model” tells the story of the young Chinese girl Xin Xin, played by Xin Wang, pursuing her dream of modeling in Paris but getting too old for it. She tries to find her way in the French city not knowing the path to success, and this personal journey generates some funny, crazy and unexpected moments. The first season of the web series, which consists of 10 episodes, is now airing on Youku and has built up more than 22 million views since its premiere on April 1st.

As one of the earliest European owners of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera EF and the Pocket Cinema Camera, Emmanuel has shot many popular shorts, as well as his first feature film “The Eyes of Silence,” on his Blackmagic Design cameras. Because of his successful experiences already, he decided to continue relying on the cameras to shoot the “Ex Model” project.

“In a web series like ‘Ex Model,’ you have to be able to shoot fast, with less light and not that much space, as we shoot entirely on location,” said Emmanuel. “I love the form factor and the compact size of these cameras. You can add accessories or remove them as you go, so they fit everywhere!”

Shot completely on a Blackmagic Cinema Camera Emmanuel mounted the camera on a tripod and an Edelkrone slider for dynamic shots. He used aPocket Cinema Camera as a B camera, mounting it in a Movi stabilized camera gimbal or roller skate camera, which captured special and hyperactive shots, with all of the footage recorded to Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) in both cameras.

“To me, the ability to record ProRes in camera is one of the two best assets for shoots because you don’t have to deal with an external recorder or some conversion in post. That is a time saver,” said Emmanuel. “Dynamic range is my other favorite feature because we can’t afford to put that much light on set. Not only because of budget, but also because in Paris, sometimes you shoot in very old places that are preserved. You can’t just come in and put some 2K HMI there without risking damage. And both the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Pocket Cinema Camera have the same stop range, so it was not hard to match the images in post.”

Emmanuel also noted that the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera helped him shoot retakes and B roll even long after the shoot was over because it is so compact and portable that he could take the camera out whenever necessary. “Sometimes I was in the middle of editing and suddenly I realized that I would need an Eiffel Tower shot or Xin Xin walking on the streets of Paris. I couldn’t just call everyone for additional shots like these, so I grabbed the Pocket Cinema Camera and voila,” he concluded.

Product photos of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesing.com/press/images.

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.