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HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio by Chainsaw’s Joe Finley

Fremont, CA - November 12, 2015 - Blackmagic Design today announced that Joe Finley of LA based post production facility Chainsaw, a SIM Group company, is grading HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series “Game of Thrones” with DaVinci Resolve Studio. Joe has graded the series with DaVinci Resolve Studio since 2012, and with season five’s finale in June, anticipations are already high for the season six premiere in 2016.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, HBO's “Game of Thrones” is an epic story of treachery and nobility, set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years. 

Joe explained that the use of different color palates takes you on a journey and allows the viewer to know exactly where they are throughout the seven kingdoms of the realm.

Joe relies on DaVinci Resolve’s custom curves, secondaries, keyer and compositing to help create the nuanced looks and colors of the show. And he is able to show different looks in real time. “Resolve is fast, and this is part of why I love using it. It works in real time with no rendering, which is very helpful if I have to show different looks,” said Joe.

While nuanced color is important for distinguishing between locations and storylines, for the overall look of the show, Joe is tasked with delivering a very rich film look. “Regardless of the theme of the episode and whether we are going for a vibrant or muted color, I always give the footage a real film look. The highest possible feature look you can get without actually shooting on film,” said Joe. 

“When working with LOG material, you need a great starting point to give it a film look. The ability to use the LOG rhythmic side of color correction in harmony with linear, regular color correction to manipulate the whites and the blacks is a tool in Resolve that I use constantly,” Joe concluded. “DaVinci Resolve never hinders you creatively, it only enhances.” 

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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/au/.

About SIM Group
Backed by Toronto-based investment firm Granite Partners, the SIM Group is a leading supplier of production equipment, workflow and post-production solutions, with offices across the US, Canada and China. Our diverse services can be utilized on any production at any stage. In Canada, our offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax service grip and lighting from PS Production Services and can be complemented with SIM Digital cinematography and playback equipment for any production’s needs. Bling, Chainsaw, Pixel Underground, Tattersall Sound and Picture and Post Factory NY provide an array of services from dailies, to online and offline editing, to final color/DI and visual effects, to sound editorial and mixing. Bling’s services, which include a comprehensive workflow solution, are offered at all offices across the US and Canada, as well as off-site service through POD (Post on Demand). Chainsaw’s full-service facility in Hollywood provides creative editorial and extensive finishing services with some of the top colorists in the industry. Rounding out the family of companies are Pixel Underground, a Toronto-based post-production company, and its associated service, StationEX, which provides physical and file-based media fulfillment and encoding/distribution services, Tattersall Sound and Picture, a provider of sound editorial and mixing for motion pictures and television and Post Factory NY, one of the East Coast’s top independent post-production facilities. For more information, visit simgroup.com.

About New Magic Australia Pty Ltd
 (Australian and New Zealand Blackmagic Design master distributor)
New Magic Australia Pty Ltd is a recognised leader in the distribution and marketing of multimedia hardware and software, representing a carefully selected range of innovative, leading manufacturers and catering for both the professional and consumer markets. New Magic Australia established in 1993 is the Australian distributor of Blackmagic Design, Convergent Design, Hauppauge Computer Works Inc, Cubix, Matrox Video and Telestream Wirecast Software products. www.newmagic.com.au.