Alice in Wonderlight Filmed with URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF
Play captured in 8K60p as part of national initiative to digitally archive Japanese art and theater.
Blackmagic Design announced today that the new stage production by Ayaka Ono Akira Nakazawa Spacenotblank, “Alice in Wonderlight,” was filmed using URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF digital film camera as part of Eternal Performing Arts Archives and Digital Theatre (EPAD), a new initiative to digitally store Japanese art projects and theater.
“Alice in Wonderlight” is a play written by playwright Shuntaro Matsubara and directed by Spacenotblank, a performing arts collective founded by duo Ayaka Ono and Akira Nakazawa, who first premiered the work in 2020. The production was revived in 2024, with Tomoka Araki and Yuki Koga reprising their roles from the original cast, joined by new cast members Saho Ito and Masahiro Higashide.
The new production was filmed with URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF to create a digital archive under the support of EPAD, an initiative by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to collaborate broadly across the performing arts industry. EPAD facilitates the digital archiving and utilization of stage footage, scripts, artwork, posters, and other materials, while also supporting standardized practices for recording, preservation, distribution, performances, and educational use, alongside copyright management assistance.
Akio Hikage, who was in charge of filming and post production for the project, explained: “Since EPAD required the final delivery be in 8K60p, I needed a camera capable of high resolution and long term stable capture, which is why I chose the URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF. As it was a full stage archival recording, I used the camera as a fixed camera, without camera work. Since I started filming from the moment the actor Higashide performed during the audience’s entrance, the recording time exceeded two hours. We recorded onto an external SSD, and with implementing heat management measures, we were able to ensure stable recording. Additionally, for promotional purposes, I shot rehearsals and shared the content on social media, using both the URSA Mini Pro 12K and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K.”
Hikage continued, “I’ve been using Blackmagic cameras since the first generation Blackmagic Cinema Camera, so I was able to use the new equipment without any difficulty. While the final delivery was in 8K, I shot in 12K. There’s an impressive scene where a large amount of smoke reflects the lighting, and the level of detail in the smoke is something only the 12K resolution could achieve.”
For rehearsal shooting, the URSA Mini Pro 12K OLPF was used as a stationary camera, while the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera was handheld. “The Cinema Camera 6K’s gyro sensor is very powerful, and even with handheld shooting, I was able to achieve high precision stabilization using DaVinci Resolve, which was a big help.”
For color correction in DaVinci Resolve Studio, Hikage also used the DaVinci Resolve Micro Color Panel. “While I had been using the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, I switched to the Micro Color Panel because I liked its portability. Bluetooth connectivity is amazing. Of course, the Mini Panel has superior aspects, like its build quality, but the affordability of the Micro Panel made it a very welcome addition.”
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