by FilmInk Staff
ANZAC horse soldiers’ story told through reenactments created with DaVinci Resolve Studio AI tools.
Blackmagic Design announced that the upcoming historical feature documentary Devils on Horses was shot using Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera and graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio and the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel. Produced by Cold Footed Productions Ltd, the film is the latest project from seasoned Producer Edward Sampson and explores the little known story of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) soldiers and their horses during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign in World War I.
Devils on Horses blends reenactments and interviews to examine the deep emotional bond between soldiers and their animals, while also shedding light on the psychological toll of war. Shot largely on location in New Zealand, the film required both cinematic image quality and an efficient post production pipeline to deliver a compelling story on a modest budget.
Sampson, who also directed the film, explained the choice of camera: “The Cinema Camera 6K was ideal for this shoot. We needed a small, intuitive camera that could capture in 6K RAW and perform in unpredictable outdoor conditions. The five inch screen is excellent and the user interface is the best I’ve used. We were shooting reenactments with horses in beach and desert scenes, and the camera delivered stunning images throughout.”
The production leaned heavily on DaVinci Resolve Studio for the entire post production workflow. Sampson managed the conform and deliver final exports himself, while Colorist Peter Williams flew to New Zealand to complete the grade.
“We used DaVinci Resolve Studio and the DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel for grading,” said Williams. “The DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel has become my go to tool for its size, flexibility and reliability. The grade focused on creating a soft, desaturated look with natural earthy tones to match the film’s wartime setting. We removed greens from New Zealand’s landscapes to better resemble Palestine and added film grain for a vintage, tactile feel.”
DaVinci Resolve Studio’s color grading tools were crucial for enhancing subtle details in interviews and reenactments. “Some of the interview footage was slightly soft due to lens limitations, so we used Resolve’s sharpening tools and vignettes to gently guide focus to the eyes and faces,” explained Williams. “We also used noise reduction and gamma curve adjustments to maintain texture while lifting underexposed shots.”
The film also made selective use of DaVinci Resolve Studio’s AI driven audio tools to clean background noise in interview segments. “For the EPK interviews, we used the dialogue leveler to clean the tracks and it worked beautifully,” said Sampson.
One of the most challenging scenes involved simulating night during a day shoot. “We completed a day for night grade in Resolve using a multi node setup that included sky replacement and tonal shifts. It was tricky but worked out really well,” added Williams.
Despite the film’s complex themes and ambitious shoot, the small team behind Devils on Horses delivered a visually rich and emotionally powerful story using a streamlined and accessible Blackmagic Design workflow. “We are a small crew, often just three people on set,” said Sampson. “With tools like the Cinema Camera 6K and DaVinci Resolve Studio, we are able to punch well above our weight.”
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 groundbreaking 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 visit www.blackmagicdesign.com
