Alister Chapman, Sony MEA Alpha Ambassador Gerry Blaksley, and Pixojam Team hosted the workshop.
Sony Middle East & Africa has partnered with Pixojam Virtual Production to host the region’s first demonstration of the Venice 2 flagship digital cinema camera integrated with a state-of-the-art virtual production set.
The workshop, held on June 30, was hosted by Alister Chapman, Sony MEA Alpha Ambassador Gerry Blaksley and Pixojam Team who curated a variety of scenes involving a model to showcase the virtual production capabilities that the camera and set offer.
During the one-day workshop, Alister ran two identical sessions with a model, a motorcycle and minimal props to orchestrate several scenes with a click of the button – something that would normally require several days of production. Instead, by adjusting basic lighting setups and moving props, this was all done in the comfort of one large, air-conditioned studio.
Speaking about the workshop, Sajeer Shamsu, Head of Digital Imaging at Sony Middle East & Africa, said: “The Venice camera has been the top choice for digital movie production worldwide, including here in the Middle East and Africa. With several new features added, including a compact design, internal recording and the option for two different sensors, the new Venice 2 aims to cultivate and meet the needs of digital cinema productions in the region.”
He added: “The benefit of partnering with Pixojam Virtual Production is the ability to host the first regional demonstration of Venice 2 with a virtual production set to key local filmmakers and cinematographers.”
Pixojam Virtual Productions’ General Manager, Azin Samarmand, stated: “It was a pleasure to collaborate with Sony MEA in organising the first regional demonstration of the Venice 2 integrated with a virtual production set, allowing us to provide actual cinematographic settings beyond basic cinema camera and professional camcorder form factors.”
Since its launch last year, the Venice 2 is equipped with a new 8.6K full-frame image sensor, the Venice 2 system capture visuals in any format, including full-frame, Super35 and Anamorphic – all at the 4K+ resolution now required by many streamers and studios.
Director and cinematographer Gonzalo Amat ASC tested the Venice 2 around New York City in November and will use it on the upcoming season of the Netflix series Outer Banks.
He said: “Venice 2 has the new full-frame 8.6K image sensor and the Dual Base ISO feature, which is really important and can now move between 800 ASA and 3200. The quality of the sensor is first-rate. The latitude, colours, and highlights—everything was even sharper than before while still using a menu similar to what I was used to. You can shoot on a very bright, sunny day without losing detail, plus the rendition of the colour and skin tone of faces is really quite cinematic. It doesn’t feel electronic—it feels more like a film camera.”
The Venice 2 comes in a smaller, more lightweight body with the ability to capture X-OCN and 4K Apple ProRes 4444 and 422 HQ internally.
