27th Jul 2021
Superhero Films & TV Shows Shot On Sony VENICE
With Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe and a slate of new superhero-based productions on Netflix, the comic book genre is now more popular than ever. More recently, Sony VENICE has become the camera of choice for DOPs and directors shooting superheroes. We have round up a few recent comic book films & TV shows shot on Sony VENICE and to see what filmmakers say about the camera.
Loki
Credit: Marvel Studios
In Marvel Studios' 'Loki,' photographed by DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw on VENICE, the mercurial villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) resumes his role as the God of Mischief in a new series that takes place after the events of 'Avengers: Endgame.' Kate Herron directs, and Michael Waldron is head writer.
When cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw (“Mainstream”) first interviewed with Kate Herron (“Daybreak”) about shooting “Loki,” it was the first time that a director presented her with a look book. Normally, it is the other way around during prep. Of course, there were stills from “Blade Runner” and “Brazil,” but also “Zodiac,” which figured most prominently in discussions about the central location: the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA). It was definitely a retro look for this trippy sci-fi noir about alternate timelines, Loki variants, and digging deeper into Tom Hiddleston’s God of Mischief.
Arkapaw shot with the Sony Venice digital camera using Panavision anamorphic T series lenses that she had expanded and de-tuned to her liking for flare quality, fall off, and focal length.
Credit: Interview in IndieWire with Bill Desowitz
Jupiter’s Legacy
Credit: Netflix
After nearly a century of keeping mankind safe, the world's first generation of superheroes must look to their children to continue the legacy. But tensions rise as the young superheroes, hungry to prove their worth, struggle to live up to their parents' legendary public reputations - and exacting personal standards.
One of the interesting things about the show is that it was shot in two different aspect ratios. How do you handle that on your end?... did you shoot in a different aspect ratio? Or were you just shooting in 4, 5, 6K?
We masked in the different aspect ratios. We still all shot full frame, but we framed in camera for those aspect ratios, but of course you can move stuff around. 1.78 is full frame, so that is what you get with the Sony. But the 2.39, It could have moved around. I don't think they did very much. I think it stayed pretty true to what we framed stuff.
[But] at the end of the day, to me, the most important thing is the sensor, and the Sony VENICE is great, it's an awesome camera. And we had a great experience with it on the show, and it was perfect for the show, and it's been great for visual effects, and all that good stuff. So, it was a good experience, definitely.
Credit: David L. Lebovitz interviewing Nicole Hirsch Whitaker for Looper
Black Widow
Credit: Marvel Studios
Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Directed by Cate Shortland, shot on VENICE by Gabriel Beristain, ASC, BSC, AMC.
Sony, with their VENICE camera has made great strides in achieving that “filmic” look everyone has strived for, and in a camera that is ergonomic, flexible, and easy to use.
You have to keep up. Just 11 years ago, Steven, I was shooting the pilot for Hawaii Five-O, and the producer asked me if I had shot digital before. I hadn’t. Neither had he. So, we tested every camera on the market. Big, oversized cameras. Cameras that produced terrible images, others that were inconsistent. It is remarkable how far we have come.
And Sony was there throughout, putting out different cameras, none of which I loved. But they persevered and then suddenly, here they are, announcing, "We have a compact, portable, versatile, camera that you can use to generate 4K, 6K, that you can use all your lenses on, you can even go anamorphic, that you can use all your frame rates, that you can use all your formats. Incredibly you can even separate the front end of the camera and make it very compact with their Rialto System."
Credit: Gabriel Beristain in conversation with Steven Bernstein for Sony CINE
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