Three of the latest blockbusters have been shot with the Sony VENICE 2 E-Mount Cinema Camera.
The modular platform is able to come apart with the lens and imaging assembly connected to the 6K or 8K interchangable image sensor through the Rialto Extension Cable System.
Did you know these top blockbuster movies from 2022 were shot on Sony´s VENICE camera? 🎬🎞️ 🎥
1⃣ Avatar: The Way of Water
2⃣ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
3⃣ Top Gun: Maverick
#Sony #Avatar #TopGun #BlackPanther #SonyVenice #Cinealta pic.twitter.com/sU2kfy4n9p— Sony UK (@SonyUK) January 15, 2023
The VENICE 2 camera platform has a unique ability to use one of two different 6K or 8K image sensor packages, which are encased along with the E-mount lens assembly in a modular housing and connected by the Rialto Extension cable to the processor and camera brain.
This ability to configure the camera was of huge benefit when shooting Top Gun: Maverick, as director Joseph Kosinski was able to mount the lens and image assembly with multiple angles onto the cockpit instrument panel, where space was extremely limited.
This gave the filmmakers great cinematic images of the film’s star, Tom Cruise, without having to compromise through the use of a more mobile option like a GoPro.
Image Credit – SONY
The image sensor on the VENICE 2 is also able to capture an aspect ratio that is very close to the demands of shooting for IMAX, which gave Paramount the option of releasing the film on an even larger cinema screen.
The Venice 2 Full Frame aspect ratio of 1.5:1, and provides coverage from the entire full-frame sensor, thereby giving an oversampled image that can be used in IMAX’s 1.4:1 aspect ratio.
Another film that used Sony’s VENICE 2 was Avatar: The Way of Water. The film’s director, James Cameron, was able to mount two VENICE 2 cameras with their lens assemblies mounted to an Achtel Beam splitter in order to produce a dual, stereoscopic cinema image underwater while mounting the heavier sensor package mounted into a backpack that could be carried alongside, freeing the camera operator of that additional weight.
In explaining why Cameron has stayed with Sony over most of his epic cinematic career, the director praised the company for delivering the goods.
“They listen to the filmmaker about what features they want in a camera, and they’ll go way out on a limb. I know that they’re going to deliver the engineering. If they say they can do it, they will do it.”
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw chose the VENICE 2 in order to get sequences of fire up close.
Coupled with a Panavision Auto Pantar Super Speed Anamorphic Lens, the VENICE 2 was able to capture the fire medium, which can be unruly and unpredictable, with a high-quality cinematic image and remarkable bokeh without risking the entire $55,000 camera platform.
“How much fall off do you want? How far do you want it to reach to the center of the lens? So if I’m photographing you right now and I want it to be blurry on your hair, but have your eyes snap in — you can do that,” Arkapaw said. “It’s that precise.”
The title sequence was no different. Perception, which created the fire effects for the opening credits, relied on the Venice 2 to keep the color science consistent, but also to take advantage of the Venice’s unique design.
“While shooting the sequence, we made sure to get as much footage as possible because we didn’t know exactly what pieces would go where,” Doug Appleton, chief creative director at Perception told Tech Crunch,
“and when working with something as unpredictable as billowing fabric and fire we wanted to embrace the unexpected moments that we could never have planned for.”
So is having to shoot in tight spaces and in situations that could be considered dangerous for camera equipment now the domain of modular camera systems over the largely expendable GoPro? It sure looks like it, with Sony’s VENICE 2 leading the way.
[source: Sony Alpha Rumors]
Order Links:
- Sony Venice 2 Cinema Camera (B&H)
- Sony Rialto Camera Extension System 2 for Sony VENICE/VENICE 2 (B&H)
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