André Dantzler
“About a year ago, I made a bold choice to switch to chroma keyed virtual production. This led to a complete overhaul of our studio where we constructed a new control room and replaced our physical set studio space with a greenscreen cycwall. Now there was no turning back - we had to figure out how to make the Chroma Key look realistic and how to do it in real time.”
“In 2020, the studio was a side business and mainly used internally for my software company. Then when COVID-19 hit, the developers started working from home and what was supposed to be two weeks turned into the new normal. I realized video solutions were about to be in high demand since people couldn’t meet in person.”
“Then we started building out physical sets. At first this was great and we were pleased with some of the backgrounds, however, it wasn’t long before I realized I accidentally created a construction company. We were constantly building new sets, going to the store and buying art and decorations. We built out a dedicated ‘art cart’ just to store all the paintings I had purchased. This is when I thought, ‘There has to be a better way!’ So with very little experience, and for some unknown reason, I was convinced that we could master chroma keying live.”
“Now at that time, each Ultimatte unit cost about $10K. I found a good deal for one on eBay, but needed five more and I only had about $12k saved up to spend. At this point though, I was already committed to a green screen future. So I emailed my sales rep and asked for a quote for 5 more. It felt embarrassing to send the email, because I knew there was no way to pay for them, but I also knew I had to have them. My rep called me almost immediately after sending the email, but I was too embarrassed to answer, because I knew he would be ready to place the order and I didn’t have the money. So he sent me an email and let me know that literally minutes before my email Blackmagic told suppliers they were introducing a new model. I thought, well at least I can get the new model. Then the next morning I got a text saying that Blackmagic dropped the price of 4K Ultimattes to $2,500 each! With my $12,500 budget, I got the exact number of units I needed, my literal prayers were answered.”
“Our relationship with Blackmagic started small - an ATEM Television Studio HD where I was physically pushing the buttons on the unit. Now, we use the ATEM Constellation 8K switcher and a Videohub 40x40 12G router. Even with the upgrade, we have found ourselves needing more ports, and so we are really excited about the announcement of the Videohub 80x80 12G.”
“SociallyU wouldn’t be where it is today without the wide array of options that Blackmagic offers. The skills transferred over from our small system to their more advanced professional products. Our whole studio runs on their ecosystem and everything integrates seamlessly. The quality is just mind blowing. Working with their products has been an amazing experience.”
“When we were first starting out, I considered using an LED wall instead of a green screen. But this posed multiple issues, like a lack of shadows on the floor making people look like they are floating in space, a lack of support for multiple cameras, and morié issues. Everything was pointing me towards green screen as the only solution.”
“Our green screen space is only about 17x30 feet - pretty compact, but using Ultimatte we can make it appear as if a client is in an expansive space if needed. We pay attention to every detail so that the final product looks completely seamless and polished. We see every hair and most of my industry friends say it’s a better key than they can get in hours of post. “
“Our biggest tip for flawless keying is dialing in the green screen chroma exposure. Nail an even 44 IRE in false color and you already get a pretty awesome key by just hitting File Clear on the Ultimatte. The results are mind blowing, and the “key” ingredient that makes all the difference on our cyc wall is Chromalight paint. It's extremely flat and prevents spill in a way other paints don’t. We think the Ultimatte and Chromalight make an excellent combination.”
“Our specialty is talking head videos - think talk shows, corporate communications, and e-learning. We design environments in Unreal Engine 5 or use plates of physical places depending on the client's needs, and the end result is a space that looks like the talent is really in.”
“We think a lot about workflow, and have systems in place to make our post production speed as fast as possible. While we cut between cameras in real time with the Atem 1 M/E Advanced Panel, there are times during video production where a client has to redo a line, or has to sneeze, or there is some other interruption to recording. So we record the main program output and up to 7 ISOs with our Hyperdecks, and then use Notion with preset buttons on stream decks that mark any moments that need a once-over with a timecode. Once in our editing timeline we can pinpoint and replace any line flubs. These ISOs are also useful for producing behind the scenes content. We like to record a feed of just the raw camera output with the green background so we can show a before and after of what we can achieve.”
“Our technological magic is in the combination of cinematic lighting, professional audio design, Chromalight paint and Blackmagic Design’s amazing gear. For the client, the actual video production feels seamless and invisible. Add to that our extreme level of attention to detail, including hair, make-up, wardrobe, and you get a level of excellence that few can match. We also invest a great deal of energy into the client experience outside of the video production - we have great food, the client’s favorite music, unique snacks and drinks - so that all of our guests feel loved and cared for.”
“Chattanooga, Tennessee is known as the Gig city because we were one of the first cities to have gigabit fiber internet in the country, and now we have up to 25 Gigabit internet available, and our proximity to Nashville and its audio talent combined with super low-latency fiber internet allows a remote audio team to do real-time mixing with only about a 0.2 second delay using Audiomovers. This lets us have our audio engineer sit remote in an acoustically treated studio and completely focus on the sound. We send the audio engineer a zoom link so they can see what's happening both in the studio and in the control room.”
“We sweat every detail to create amazing experiences for everyone involved. I'm amazed sometimes by the result of how all of these elements come together in the finished product. It's truly been an awesome journey!”