Advanced Television

Sony, TAV team for Vasco Rossi concert and film

August 7, 2024

Trans Audio Video (TAV), an industry player and one of the leading brands of cine-video-photo production products, and Sony Europe supported the creation of exclusive images during Vasco Rossi’s live concerts held in Milan from June 7th to the 20th and then in Bari from June 25th to the 30th. For the first time as many as 22 cameras were used, most of them with full-frame sensors, all part of the Sony line up to create a film about the iconic rock star during the live events at the San Siro stadium.

The Stadio Comunale in Bibione on June 2nd hosted the zero dates of Vasco’s tour, where filming with the same Sony cameras was tested and optimised.

The director Pepsy Romanoff, with the Except production company and the technical supervision of the production services company EMG Italia, wanted to give a typical cinematographic connotation to the filming. The aim of conveying the intense emotions experienced in the evocative setting of the San Siro was achieved thanks to the perfect integration of the Sony Cinema Line.

At this unprecedented event in terms of the number of spectators, which exceeded 500,000, every detail of the incredible setting was captured using a combination of Sony’s 4K 2/3″ HDC-4300 cameras and a new HDC-5500V – ND Filter version, together with the Full Frame line starting with the FX-3 up to the VENICE and BURANO, which boast exceptional quality of image and colorimetry along with a highly flexible camera set-up.

The use of large, high-resolution scenic LED walls, constantly capturing the originality of the stage scenery together with the special lighting, pushed the performance of the camera sensors to the extreme, creating maximum intensity in storytelling.

The innovative production solutions were as follows:

  • A brand new HDC-5500V used to capture and master recording in excellent quality and in continuous mode directly on board its control unit in XAVC-CLASS 480 S-Log3 S-Gamut3.CIN, delivering all the close-ups of Vasco Rossi with its unique VND (Variable Neutral Density filter) technology. This allowed for continuous depth-of-field control while adopting a 2/3″ lens, unleashing the director’s creativity, integrating seamlessly with LFS cinema cameras and contributing to the signal for the huge LED wall even from a distance of over 50 metres.
  • Six HDC-4300 4K HDR system cameras were used for live footage transmitted on the LED screen over 1000 m2 without any interference and delivering exciting images with unrivalled colour, dynamics and definition.
  • A VENICE 2, the digital camera with full-frame sensor and internal X-OCN recording and 8K and 6K sensor range, was mounted on a dolly track and positioned together with the HDC-5500V at a considerable distance in front of the impressive stage.
  • A brand new BURANO was positioned under the stage, used by Dop Emanuele Cerri, to film Vasco in close-up.
  • Four ILME-FX6s, one ILME-FX3 and four PXW-FX9s, part of Sony’s extensive ‘Cinema Line’, were deployed for subjective shots, including one used on stage directly by director Pepsy Romanoff. An FX6 on TowerCam in front of the singer and one on Air Lift Crane hanging from the Americana above the stage on a 60m cable enabled unique dynamic shots to provide the audience with a highly immersive visual experience.
  • Three ILME-FR7 PTZ cameras with Large Format Sensor controlled by the director via the RM-IP500 panel with SELP1635G optics were positioned on stage to capture footage of the band across drums, keyboards, wind instruments and choir.
  • A very important role was also played by Sony products that worked in the background, offering the solution for an ideal legacy and complete control of a system of such impressive complexity and scale. The new CNA-2 (Camera Network Adapter) that allowed the absolute accuracy of the fundamental parameters related to image quality represented in a clear timeline as Black, Gain, Colour Temperature and IRIS, a clear dashboard on the status of the seven HDC cameras also for fibre connections, diagnostics, matching and log data. The images are converged for accurate evaluation on the sophisticated Sony Trimaster EL model PVM-X2400 4K HDR 1000 nits Monitor also equipped with tools to optimise quality for live and recorded material.

The complete web interface of the equipment further facilitated set-up and control even in adverse weather conditions, guaranteeing maximum reliability.

Pepsy Romanoff, director, said: “I have chosen to portray my stories with Sony for years. Sony’s ability to evolve its cameras to reach where they are today – including the BURANO, VENICE II and especially the amazing HDC-F5500V – has enabled me to create the perfect mix of cinema and broadcast.

“22 cameras from the entire Sony Cine line-up helped to portray the incredible Vasco Live XXIV show at San Siro. I tried to tell the story of Vasco in every little detail from the very close-up with the BURANO, from a distance of 4/5 m, to the wonderful aerial images that we shot thanks to Moovie, developing an air lift crane capable of rotating 360 degrees and moving from side to side of the stage from a height of 28m down to the stage floor. This technology was developed specifically for the show and gave us the capacity to portray a concert in a unique way that we will soon see in cinema and on other platforms.”

Emanuele Cerri, Director of Photography, said: “The exceptional latitude of the Sony BURANO allowed me to handle the extreme range of exposures typical for a musical event of this magnitude. From the blinding spotlights to the most subdued corners of the stage, every detail was captured with precision; and with the BURANO the ability to contain saturations and produce a crystal clear image with a ‘Hollywood’ look exceeded my expectations. The vibrant colours and intense contrasts added emotion to the footage, doing justice to the energy of the concert. The perfect ergonomics and compact size of the camera were crucial for operating with fast movements in the limited space of the San Siro stage. Thanks to Sony BURANO, the filming of Vasco Rossi’s concert was achieved with a cinematic quality that will enhance the visual experience for fans. I hope to soon have the opportunity to test this exceptional machine also in documentary and film. On this basis, the future looks bright thanks to BURANO.”

Matteo Robazza, Sales Manager Cine, Trans Audio Video, commented: “Our collaboration with Pepsy Romanoff on numerous Vasco Rossi productions has always given us the opportunity to test the best technologies available, and we were finally able to set up an entire Sony camera plot, ranging from studio to cinema line cameras, to achieve uniform images of the highest quality and provide the audience with truly unique footage.”

Francesco Intiglietta, Live Production Solution Specialist, Sony, added: ‘Thanks to Sony’s advanced technology, including the new HDC-5500V ND filter version and our line-up of film cameras, camera operators were able to capture every moment of the live show with exceptional image quality, even from a distance, in moving situations and in often challenging weather conditions.”

Categories: Press Releases

Tags: ,