Southern Oregon University Expands Blackmagic Design Camera and Post Solutions
Digital Media Center upgrades to Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Plus G2 and DaVinci Resolve Studio.
Blackmagic Design today announced that Southern Oregon University (SOU) has outfitted its Digital Media Center (DMC) with three Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Plus G2s, replacing aging HD equipment and providing students with real world 4K production experience. For all post production needs, DMC instructional lab computers are equipped with DaVinci Resolve editing, color grading, visual effects (VFX) and audio post production software, with DaVinci Resolve Studio deployed for advanced projects, such as senior capstone films and the large cohort Crew Experience course.
Named one of North America’s 30 Best Film Schools by MovieMaker magazine in 2024 and 2025, SOU’s state of the art Digital Media Center connects students, community, and industry, using the power of digital media to facilitate creative learning, digital media education and scholarly research, as well as community media production, distribution and professional production services.
“I oversee a program that operates a regional cable network, offers student staffed production services to the community, including creating short videos, live productions and other media, and contributes to instruction and curriculum in the Communication, Media and Cinema academic programs at SOU,” said Brandon Givens, director of the SOU Digital Media Center. “When it came to upgrading our multi camera studio productions to 4K, we needed something that would delivery professionally, and Blackmagic Design was once again the natural choice.”
For nearly 15 years, SOU has relied on Blackmagic Design to support its television studio and master control operations, including extensive use of various converters and a Blackmagic Smart Videohub 40×40 router. The university was an early adopter of the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K digital film camera, which still remains in active use by students 12 years later. As part of the university’s 2024 studio upgrade, three Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Plus G2s were installed and paired with Blackmagic Studio Converters.
“We fell in love with the Production Camera 4K because of its deep, smooth blacks, global shutter and overall rich image. That level of image quality continues to this day, even across to the Studio Camera line,” noted Givens. “We love the light gathering ability of the Studio Cameras while keeping noise incredibly low. Their form factor combined with the highly affordable price point make them the best option for small market TV studios and college studios. No other camera offers a suitable monitor for an operator, essential functions and a great tally light, all integrated into the body in this price range. The value is just incredible.”
The cameras are used across SOU’s multi camera courses, including entry level and intermediate production classes, with upcoming advanced courses such as a live soap opera production class in development. Studio students also collaborate with music and theater production courses to record performances as part of real world training. Additionally, campus and community productions that take place in the studio also benefit from access to the Blackmagic Studio Camera 4K Plus G2s.
“One of our intermediate studio production courses made great use of the Blackmagic Studio Cameras to create a throwback style sitcom. The cameras’ cinematic image brings a versatility to the types of productions that can be achieved,” added Givens.
For post production, SOU benefits from free access to DaVinci Resolve, which is available to students on all instructional lab computers, with DaVinci Resolve Studio available for capstone projects such as students’ thesis films.
“The students love DaVinci Resolve’s interface, and the majority of our cinematography students gravitate to it for editing and color grading. We have ongoing conversations about post production software, and the consensus is to have as many platforms available as possible, but many of our students choose Resolve because it’s both powerful and approachable,” said Givens.
Blackmagic Design solutions have become central to SOU’s philosophy of offering professional tools to students. “We’re always watching what Blackmagic releases next, ever mindful of providing the best tools at the best value to our students,” Givens concluded.
“We will likely be adding more Studio Cameras to our inventory to support live events in the field, and cinema cameras are always on our radar. We also foresee the trend of increased usage of DaVinci Resolve among our students. Blackmagic gear is innovative while providing incredible value. The gear keeps the industry on its toes and gives our students the opportunity to grow with tools they’ll encounter in the real world.”
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