Fremont, CA, USA - Blackmagic Design today announced that a wide range of its products, including the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K digital film camera, DaVinci Resolve Studio, DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel and DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel, are being used in the New Media and Image program at Aichi University of the Arts.

Launched in 2022, the New Media and Image program offers a curriculum that covers a wide range of modern media forms, including film, animation, media art and computer graphics. With only 10 students accepted per year, the program is designed for a select group of talented individuals to engage in diverse artistic production. To support this, the program introduced numerous Blackmagic Design products, including the URSA Mini Pro 12K, at its inception.

The university houses two grading rooms equipped with DaVinci Resolve Studio, UltraStudio 4K Extreme 3 capture and playback device, DeckLink 4K Extreme 12G capture and playback card, Teranex AV standards converter, SmartView 4K monitor, SmartScope Duo 4K monitor, and Blackmagic Audio Monitor 12G. Each room features a grading control panel, one room with the DaVinci Resolve Advanced Panel and the other with the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel. These rooms are used for classes as well as individual student projects. Additionally, 10 DaVinci Resolve Micro Panels have been introduced to allow students to use control panels during grading classes and for work outside of the facility.

“I joined the program in its first year and was involved in discussions with other faculty members during the planning phase regarding the equipment to be installed,” said Associate Professor Yasunori Ikeda of the New Media and Image program. “I’ve personally used DaVinci Resolve Studio in my own creative work for years, and I started using the URSA Mini camera early on. I now own a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K. So, when it came to building grading facilities, it was natural to center the system around Blackmagic Design.”

Separate from the grading rooms, the URSA Mini Pro 12K and Blackmagic Video Assist 12G HDR monitor/recorders have also been made available for students to freely use in their own productions.

“Rather than assigning the URSA Mini Pro 12K as fixed classroom equipment, I teach students how to use it as needed when they are working on production projects through their seminars. I also use it for my own work and sometimes lend students my personal Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K,” said Professor Ikeda.

“Using Blackmagic Design products allows students to learn practical, professional grade quality control,” he continued. “Of course, it’s possible for students to purchase DaVinci Resolve Studio and study on their own, but by providing this kind of grading environment, students can learn to use a waveform monitor during grading, select the most appropriate camera for their projects, and consider the technical specifications needed for submitting work to international competitions. From preproduction to final delivery, they’re able to learn the entire workflow. I believe offering such hands on environments leads to deeper and more meaningful learning.”