BOISE, Idaho–Before the DSLR revolution, working in news was a rite of passage for many videographers, myself included. While I began my video career at the local news station and spent four years learning the ropes, I eventually transitioned to indie filmmaking and more recently, commercials.
Given my career trajectory, I didn’t expect to return to news 11 years later, but when I saw a job listing for a freelance videographer with the main requisites including a background in news and ENG style cameras, but specifically “no DSLR style cameras,” I was intrigued. The gig consisted of live shots and field interviews covering a trial, and even though it had been more than a decade since I did a live shot, I had done hundreds in the past and felt comfortable doing them again.
Trial Coverage
I ended up covering a six-week trial with the Blackmagic URSA Broadcast G2 camera by my side. At a base level, an ENG camera was needed for this workflow as internal audio recording via full-sized XLR inputs was a must for the stick mic, and an SDI output for the LiveU transmitter was also not up for negotiation.
In addition, I knew the URSA Broadcast G2 would give me easy and affordable media options for recording (SD, CFast, SSD), plenty of external connection ports, and on top of the camera’s color being unbeatable, Blackmagic cameras have the best menu systems of anything I’ve used. Being able to jump through menus is very important when working fast in live news.
My lens was a Fujinon XA16x8A-XB4, and this is where the URSA Broadcast G2 really set things apart. One of the best things about using the camera is that its B4 mount creates an affordable opportunity to use some high-quality glass. The Fujinon is an 8-128mm parfocal servo zoom lens with a T/1.9 fixed aperture. It’s inexpensive (I bought it used), sharp, fast, clean and covers the sensor of the URSA Broadcast G2 in UHD mode.
All-Weather Gear
I was outside the entire six weeks, with the weather ranging from 19 degrees F with snow and wind, up to 85 degrees F with the sun beating down on us. The URSA Broadcast G2 never had a temperature issue, and I never had any problems with viewing the screen and EVF or getting proper exposure.
In general, news happens fast and is unpredictable. Interviews are long and, on the fly, so you can’t afford to let your arms get tired. People get pushy, so you need to have a presence. A DSLR-style camera, while more than capable from an image/audio capture standpoint, is not advantageous in a news setting.
Being able to shoulder a camera that has some weight to it, having a sharp viewfinder right at the appropriate eye level, and having all the controls accessible for changing settings without diving into a menu is imperative for a camera in an ENG environment. You only get one take, and I can’t pause the world and waste time diving into menus to change brightness or increase my audio levels. You need those controls accessible on the fly, and that’s right where they are with the URSA Broadcast G2.
For additional information, contact Blackmagic Design at 408-954-0500 or visit
www.blackmagicdesign.com.
