23/07/2026
Shooting into the depths of Bedlam with URSA Cine 17K 65.
Set in 1750s London, Bedlam follows bare knuckle boxer Jack Slack, played by Scott Adkins, as he attempts to free his sister from the notorious asylum that gives the film its name.
For cinematographer James Butler, the world of Bedlam needed presence, texture and depth, shaped by firelight, smoke and constrained interiors. With 65mm cameras often out of reach for independent productions, the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 offered a way to bring large format capture to the project.
The production used two URSA Cine 17K 65 cameras for A and B camera work, alongside a Blackmagic PYXIS 12K for stunt sequences. Shooting in Blackmagic RAW, the team captured in 8K at 5:1, balancing image quality with storage efficiency while retaining the full 65mm sensor readout and native field of view.
The workflow also extended into post through DaVinci Resolve Studio and Blackmagic Cloud. Proxy uploads allowed the editorial team in London to start syncing and rough cutting scenes while production was still ongoing, creating a daily feedback loop for the director, cinematographer and producer.
By the final day of principal photography, the material was already ingested into a shared DaVinci Resolve project, with backups, viewing grades and proxies prepared. Just a few days after wrap, the team could review a full assembly of the film.
A powerful example of how URSA Cine 17K 65, Blackmagic RAW, DaVinci Resolve Studio and Blackmagic Cloud can support a scalable, cost-efficient pipeline for independent feature filmmaking.
Blackmagic Design
