A new action 6K cinema camera was developed by the team of Top Gun: Maverick. This camera is being utilized in the forthcoming Formula 1 film, rumored to be called Apex, starring Brad Pitt. The new camera was spotted at the set, attached to a modified Formula 2 race car. Our assumption: It’s a stripped-down version of the Sony Cinema Line FR7. The goal: To take the viewer into the Formula 1 cockpit. Read on.

Top Gun: Maverick — But on the ground!

A new high-octane action film in the making, starring Brad Pitt. Storyline: Follows a Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor and team with a younger driver. Name: probably Apex. But news outlets call it an “Untitled Formula 1 Movie”. Most importantly, this film is being directed by Top Gun: Maverick director, Joseph Kosinski. Pitt replaces Tom Cruise in the cockpit. But instead of the fighter-jet cockpit, there’s the Formula 1 cockpit. And guess what, many cinematography techniques are being implemented from Top Gun: Maverick. Including a specially-made mysterious cinema camera that is rigged on a modified Formula 2 car driven by Pitt. Production has just begun (July 2023).

Lessons and methods learned from TGM

According to sources, the team spent 18 months taking what they learned on Top Gun Maverick to develop the “smallest moveable 6k camera ever designed to take the viewer into the cockpit”. A cockpit in which their star will actually drive. That’s right. Brad Pitt is driving an F1 car (sorry – a modified F2). Furthermore, we forgot to mention that the cinematographer is Claudio Miranda who was (you guess right) the Director of Photography of TGM (Top Gun: Maverick). So there you go. TGM in the ground! Moreover, the car has been designed by Mercedes and is already testing. And as rumors indicate, the team wants to deliver the most accurate, most impressive race movie anyone has ever seen (Remember the six cinema cameras inside the father-jet cockpit?).

Another interesting (and logical) rumor is that Tom Cruise has already offered to do some extra driving if they need him. As for what audiences can expect, Kosinski told The Wrap (via Deadline) in June 2022 that he was determined to bring the same cinematic thrills that he delivered to Top Gun: Maverick to the world of race car driving, promising a lot of “in-camera action.” Indeed, a new mysterious cinema camera was captured on BTS leaks, by a Reddit user.

A new 6K cinema camera was spotted

As written, a new camera was spotted by a Reddit user. The camera is mounted on the race car and intends to film Pitt inside the cockpit. But what is this camera? Many users thought that this is the Sony VENICE Rialto, as implemented on TGM. But it is not. The structure reminds us more like a PTZ camera. And when you look carefully you can see the “S” logo, which indicates a camera by Sony. We’d guess that the camera is a version of the stripped-down Sony Cinema Line FR7. This is the first PTZ camera that is Netflix approved and can be defined as a PTZ camera that can be utilized for high-end filmmaking missions.

However, the FR7 is only 4K, compared to the 6K camera being used in Apex. Nevertheless, we’d expect a new upgraded FR7 camera (as mentioned above, this camera is the “smallest moveable 6k camera ever designed to take the viewer into the cockpit”). If so, it would probably be a Sony Cinema Line PTZ 6K camera which has not been released yet.

On the other hand, in one of the BTS pictures we see the CEO of RED Digital Cinema, Jarred Land. For that reason, many users thought that this is a RED camera, as Land is visiting on the set. However, Land is also Pitt’s good friend. Thus, the camera is most probably not connected here. And here is what Pitt says about this technique of cinematography: “You’ll see the cameras mounted all over the car. You’ve never seen speed, you’ve never seen the G-forces like this. it’s really amazing. As a civilian, I had no idea what it takes to be a driver. The aggression and dexterity, I have so much respect for it. This should be as authentic as we can get it”.

Only practical effects (again…)

As stated regarding TGM, Kosinski says that Apex will be based on ‘In-camera’ practical effects rather on VFX and CGI, as stated: “By using practical effects, the director hopes to bring viewers into the driver’s seat at 200mph much like he invited them inside Cruise’s high-flying cockpit. Certainly seeing people react to an in-camera, authentically captured film like Top Gun makes us all feel good that our approach works and is appreciated by audiences…It’s almost funny to me to see people who are so enamored with real photography. Younger people almost haven’t seen a lot of it. They’re so used to CGI [computer-generated images] being a tool of big movies that when you shoot something for real, it feels innovative…That’s exactly the approach for Formula One … to shoot at the real races and real cars and capture them. It’s going to be a huge challenge but an exciting one for me”. However, we all know the true story of TGM utilizing more than 2,000 VFX (read: Top Gun: Maverick is Not so ‘Practical’ – Includes More Than 2,000 VFX Shots). To sum it up, the audience will defiantly get immersed. And what the Rialto did in TGM, this mysterious Sony Cinema PTZ cameras (?) will do on Apex. Of course, we’re going to update you o that matter, Stay tuned.