Getting started with 4K

Hi all,

I originally posted this in the MAC section weeks ago and after 70 views and no response I thought I would try here.

I am a complete beginner when it comes to BM products.

Ok so I have the new iMac with

a 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 Processor
Memory 32 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX 2048 MB

I have preordered the 4K Production camera so whilst I am waiting I want to prepare my Mac so its ready to go when the camera arrives.

This is my first Black magic camera and first time editing with RAW etc.

Can anyone recommend hardware & workflow etc that is needed.

Thanks in advance.

Start buying a Raid... If you are going to shot in 4k you will need a Loooooot of Gb.

Hmm it seems the blackmagic forum is actually made for complaints and rants about the delay in shipping for the cameras, not so much for help with technical issues lol...

Computer-wise you should be fine for 4K in ProRes, just a matter of storage.
Not sure if you intend to shoot RAW 4K, if so the problem is data rate. RAW is a lot of info, so your HDD will not be able to handle the required data rate. There is a blackmagic disk speed utility that you can download that will tell you what you HDD can handle.

Now I don't know what you are trying to do and what you are trying to shoot, but you should ask yourself why 4K and why RAW? If you're going to shoot a video that will end up in 720p on youtube, you don't really need to shoot 4K for example. I just see so many people doing complete overkill when they shoot just want to point it out. You have to think how much time and money it will cost you to shoot 4K RAW vs HD ProRes in post production. That money could be better spent in production maybe.

Anyway if you still decide to go for 4K RAW then you have two options: The first is real time editing, the other is proxy editing.
Considering the question you ask, real time editing is probably out of the question unless you are ready to spend thousands of dollars in gear for some real expensive RAID drives, lucky you have thunderbolt so it might help.
Maybe this would work, I don't know for sure, you have to do you research, but it is expensive anyway...
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H5187 ... m?fnode=5f

Or you edit with proxies, meaning you make small files in 720 or 1080, edit your film, then re-link the media to your original 4K RAW footage, and then export your final film. It's tedious but it's cheaper.

Finally, since you say you are a beginner I would tell you that you would rather shoot 1080p and invest the money you would put in a drive into a better DP that will give you great footage. People are all hyped up about 4K which is great but unless you will show your film in 4K what's the point? I'm sure a lot of people would disagree... but they probably have no idea what they are talking about

That being said I will get myself a BM 4K when or if it ever comes out according to the original specs. Great camera for the price I think, too bad it doesn't under/over crank that would have been great.