Lega Serie A and Sony worked together at the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa final to evaluate their camera applications and use of new techniques to enhance game excitement at sports events.
Italy's biggest football event of the year, the 2024 Coppa Italia Frecciarossa final, determined the winner of the 77th edition of Italy's premier football competition, between finalists Atalanta and Juventus. The match took place on 15 May in Rome's legendary Stadio Olimpico, and led to victory for Juventus.
This is the third consecutive year that Lega Serie A and Sony have worked together at the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa final to evaluate innovative applications they have developed for cameras and other capture equipment to enhance the spectacular nature of the content. Their collaborative efforts have resulted in a partnership dedicated to using new techniques to enhance the excitement for fans at sporting events.
For the final this year, the partnership has grown into a large-scale filming operation, using cinematographic techniques and gear to highlight drama, improve on-screen detail and capture emotion. Among the equipment employed on the day was the Sony VENICE 2 LIVE Configuration camera, adding a cinematic look to the images shot from behind goal posts, with creative shots designed to emphasise the depth of field and bring out colour details.
VENICE 2 uses one of two 36x24mm full-frame image sensors, either 6K or 8K resolution, with oversampling for 4K images. The sensors have high sensitivity, a fast shutter and wide latitude and gamut for colour rendition with up to 16 stops of latitude. VENICE 2 can exceed the BT.2020 colour space, with a colour range wider than DCI-P3, allowing Lega Serie A to use Sony’s S-Log3 workflow and Ultra-wide Colour space, S-Gamut3. For capturing slow motion, VENICE 2 can shoot at speeds of up to 120fps at 4K and 90fps at 6K.
The BURANO camera was also used, in this case at the edge of the field on a gimbal, to capture the depth of the pitch and the players at close range. Also a full-frame 8K cinema camera with 16 stops of latitude, the Burrano is lighter and more compact than the VENICE, and can be configured for a single operator or a crew. The camera is built for power efficiency and supports CFexpress media.
BURANO stands out as a PL and E-mount cinema model with the Sony electronic variable ND filter system and in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) – both built-in. It is also the first full-frame CineAlta camera with fast hybrid and subject recognition auto focus with AI.
To record spontaneous footage in the player's tunnel, the Sony FR7 full-frame, interchangeable lens PTZ camera was set up. It gives Lega Serie A 15+ stops of dynamic range using S-Cinetone colour science, and records 4K (QFHD) HFR images at up to 120fps. Made for bringing cinematic looks to live productions, it has fast hybrid and real-time Eye AF, and uses E-mount lenses. Eye AF literally focusses automatically on a subject's eye, without letting other elements in the frame pull the focus away.
Luisella Fusco, Media Operations & Broadcast Director from Coppa Italia Frecciarossa Organiser, Lega Serie A commented, "The Coppa Italia Frecciarossa is always packed with action, and with people watching worldwide on screens, it is very important that we deliver as much of that drama to audiences as we can. Thanks to the Sony team and innovative imaging, we are transforming sports content by using techniques normally used in entertainment formats."
"The Coppa Italia Frecciarossa is one of Europe's biggest football events and it's exciting to be involved with bringing the action to fans across the world. Working with Lega Serie A and their partners has been a real pleasure," said Koji Andachi, Head of Media Solutions Marketing at Sony. "We are constantly pushing the capabilities of our cameras to create the best viewer experience ahead of the final, and hope that this set up brings across the excitement, drama and beauty of the game." pro.sony
