Creativity and technology coalesce at Framefloor, a boutique creative shop where experimentation with technologies like augmented reality (AR) and high dynamic range (HDR) is highly encouraged. Based out of Cologne, Germany, its three-person crew provides motion graphics, editorial, animation, and other services to deliver incredible audience experiences for a range of corporate and sporting events and film projects. Producing highlight reels and promo materials for events is often part of the job and requires heavy editorial and graphics. To view, monitor, record, and playback content for this work, the studio uses AJA Io 4K Plus and Ki Pro Ultra 12G.
A custom workflow for every project
Framefloor’s workflow varies depending on the project and scope. If shooting and editing a single interview, Framefloor Creative Markus Bledowski might record footage in-camera. Alternatively, he may opt to ingest it into a portable MacBook Pro laptop equipped with an external monitor and an Io 4K Plus. This setup allows him to view the footage and complete editorial through color correction. After the customer has reviewed the content, he’s then able to confirm that the footage is graded correctly and export the cut into whatever format is required.
“This kind of monitoring setup is necessary, especially as we move toward HDR workflows and need a way to go from HDR to SDR or auto-adjust SDR streams,” Markus Bledowski explained. “It ensures I have SDR and HDR compatibility to get the best quality output, which is crucial when working with HDR or Log content. I’m only able to achieve it with technology like the Io 4K Plus.”
When a project involves several cameras, the Framefloor team may instead capture feeds via a Ki Pro Ultra 12G recorder or record the footage to SD cards in the cameras. For video highlights and reel work, they often remotely plug into the broadcaster or venue server to acquire live camera feeds directly into Framefloor’s server. The team feeds that footage into their mobile workstations, which include Io 4K Plus boxes that help output the content to external monitors for color grading and clipping. They usually have a 16-channel audio output, so they must also mix those channels and add voiceovers, graphics, and color before export. Once they complete graphics, they edit and color the highlight reels and then export them to the server for broadcaster access.
If a broadcaster needs to play out directly from a timeline, Framefloor employs a similar approach, but if they’re preparing content for advertising and promotional purposes post-event, they might just export an MXF file to the server. For live corporate product launch events, Framefloor may also opt to use a Ki Pro Ultra 12G for video recording and playback. In this scenario, the team would record multiple HD feeds, obtain the recordings, and then ingest them into their edit suites.
Finding the right technology fit
For Markus Bledowski and the team, finding the right gear to deliver the results clients expect is paramount. He explained, “We need reliable, solid, and portable solutions to do our job right, and AJA delivers all three. They make high-quality gear that provides exceptional performance, and I never have to worry about the setup because of the flexible input and output options on the I/O devices. Instead, I get to focus on the creative.”
Also sharing his experience with Ki Pro Ultra 12G, Markus Bledowski concluded, “Ki Pro Ultra 12G makes it easy to bring material into our workstations, even HDR and higher resolution content, because of the 12G-SDI connectivity. It helps us produce standout content consistently for clients. AJA’s regular software updates for both products are also helpful and a welcome bonus.”
About Io 4K Plus
Io 4K Plus is a cutting-edge capture and output solution available over Thunderbolt 3, offering a full set of professional video and audio connectivity with support for the latest 4K/UltraHD devices, high frame rate, high dynamic range, and deep color workflows. Thunderbolt 3 connectivity enables Io 4K Plus to handle various formats from SD to HD, UltraHD, and full 4K with frame rates up to 60p over both 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 via a single cable, plus HDR support over HDMI and SDI for the latest HDR workflows. Complementary AJA Desktop software releases are optimized for Apple silicon-based systems. www.aja.com/io-4k-plus
About AJA Ki Pro Ultra 12G
Ki Pro Ultra 12G is a multi-channel Apple ProRes recorder offering up to 4-Channels of simultaneous HD recording, or in Single-Channel mode, a 4K/UltraHD/2K/HD Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR recorder and player. Avid DNxHD MXF is also supported up to HD formats in Single-Channel mode. Ki Pro Ultra 12G offers 12G-SDI single cable simplicity for large rasters up to full 4K, (the 4x 3G-SDI inputs/outputs can be used for Quad Link operations as required) and HDMI 2.0 digital video connectivity with HDR support for both recording and playback. A wealth of analog and digital audio connectivity answers any project’s demand for efficient, powerful, and flexible workflows. For distance and remote needs, 12G and 3G Fiber SFP+ options are available. Ki Pro Ultra 12G also offers the ability to record genlock-free sources with frame sync support on inputs. Designed to be either portable or rack mountable with half rack wide, 2RU high dimensions, Ki Pro Ultra 12G is well suited for use in any environment. www.aja.com/ki-pro-ultra-12g