WESTERN ALL MEN ARE WICKED
 SHOT WITH BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

  Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks were put to the test during intense desert shoot.

Manchester, United Kingdom - Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - Independent western “All Men Are Wicked” focuses on three outlaws who find themselves bound and hanging upside down in the desert after being accused of robbing a stagecoach. The scenes were shot practically, with the three lead actors hanging feet first in the air for nearly 40 pages of dialogue. For Director Michael Hansen, this feat required a camera kit that could provide maximum flexibility.

“Having two cameras was essential as it provided maximum coverage for our actors. We only had about eight minutes per take to run as many pages as possible before it became a safety issue,” explained Hansen.

For the film, Hansen and DP Zak Ray selected two Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K digital film cameras. “We shot our daylight exteriors without flags, bounce or diffusion of any kind. We relied on the dynamic range of the sensors and the flexibility of Blackmagic RAW, and timed our scenes with sun position.”

The ranch gate that suspended the actors was constructed in the desert of the San Luis Valley in Colorado, with logs purchased from the Amish.

“There were only dirt roads and no utility power. On dry days it was dusty and on wet days it was muddy. We dealt with a lot of bee stings, but no complaints; it’s a wonderful place.”

CAPTURING THE DARKNESS

In contrast to the harsh outdoor desert scenes, the crew also shot in an authentic silver mine from the 1880s. According to Hansen, “We shot deep in the mine, in total darkness, and created all sunlight and moonlight using a single Aputure 600 diffused through muslin. The Pockets’ dual native sensors allowed us to shoot at 3200 ISO and run the light at only 1 percent intensity. It’s these little advantages that were crucial on a micro budget production.”

The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K’s dual native ISO also came in handy when shooting in a historic cabin without supplemental light or diffusion. As Hansen explained, the cabin is part of a living history museum and required the crew to be extremely low impact. “The space itself was quite constrained and, similar to the mine, would not have been conducive to a larger camera kit or more elaborate rigging. The Pocket’s portable design kept our footprint small. There were also some angry geese roaming the property and it was nice to have a lightweight setup if we needed to make a break for it,” he said.

CONTINUING BLACKMAGIC RAW IN POST

Hansen noted that throughout production the team could rely on the Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks to expedite every process and always produce an exemplary image. They continued to rely on a Blackmagic RAW workflow throughout post production, using DaVinci Resolve Studio to edit, color grade and finish the film.

Hansen concluded, “Resolve’s all in one workflow was a dream for a production with a small post team. Features like DCP creation were invaluable when balancing a tighter budget.”

The film, which was produced by Bodycool Media, is available now on Tubi.

PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, DaVinci Resolve Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/media/images

ABOUT BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

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/uk

