Kawaijuku Group Using Blackmagic Design Workflow to Create Educational Video Lessons

Kawaijuku Manavis Inc. builds new studio around ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO, HyperDeck Studio HD Plus and Blackmagic Design converters to help students enter universities.

Blackmagic Design today announced that a number of Blackmagic Design products, including the ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO live production switcher and HyperDeck Studio HD Plus broadcast deck, have been installed in studios owned by Kawaijuku Group to create new educational content.

Kawaijuku Group offers a wide range of educational services. Kawaijuku Manavis Inc., a part of the Kawaijuku Group, is a prep school targeting high school students aiming for university entrance. The distinguishing feature of Kawaijuku Manavis is the video lessons by top level Kawaijuku instructors and the personalized support provided by dedicated advisors. To provide video content to Kawaijuku Manavis, Kawaijuku owns several video production studios across Japan equipped with professional broadcasting and production equipment that have now have installed Blackmagic Design products.

One such studio, the Yotsuya Studio, established in 2012, has recently added the ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO, HyperDeck Studio HD Plus, SmartScope Duo 4K monitor, ATEM Microphone Converter, Mini Converter UpDownCross HD, Micro Converter BiDirectional SDI/HDMI 12G, Teranex Mini HDMI to SDI 12G and Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G converters.

In this studio, many instructors conduct their classes daily, which are then recorded. The ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO is used to switch between three cameras, while the SmartScope Duo 4K is used for audio monitoring. Recording is done with the ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO and the HyperDeck Studio HD Plus, and video transmission to in studio monitors is managed by the Teranex Mini HDMI to SDI 12G and Teranex Mini SDI Distribution 12G.

Hisashi Iwata, Chief of the System Support Team in the Educational Materials Development Department at Kawaijuku Manavis, said, “This studio has three blackboards, and an instructor writes on them sequentially while an assistant erases the used sections, making it seem like the blackboards can be used infinitely. Each of the three blackboards is captured by a camera, and the images of the blackboard used by the instructor are switched using the ATEM Television Studio HD8 ISO. The popular Kawaijuku instructors we feature have tight schedules, so we can’t afford to reshoot. Therefore, we have built a workflow that allows us to shoot and record efficiently in a short amount of time.”

Iwata continued, “When I was assigned here, I thought it would be better to include more texts and explanatory videos, but after watching the video lessons by the instructors that feel live, I realized that students can concentrate and feel a sense of understanding. Therefore, we decided it was best to let the instructors perform as naturally as possible, as if they are teaching in the regular class room. We’ve created an environment where they can teach without stress and fully demonstrate their abilities. This way, we aim to produce video lessons that feel as engaging as a live classroom experience for the students.”

For video production, the operators read a textbook for the class in advance and understand the lessons’ content. The team pays meticulous attention to details that do not appear in the video to keep the instructors’ morale high, working together to create a live atmosphere.

Yuusuke Akaike from the same team concluded, “By using many Blackmagic Design products, you can slim down the overall system. The ATEM switcher is integrated with the control panel, and with fewer pieces of equipment, we will be less likely to encounter situations where we don’t know where a problem is occurring. I am pleased if the students watching the video lessons produced here feel like they understand and are motivated to study more, and if they rewatch and review any incomplete parts to solidify their knowledge.”