IMAX has published its BTS version of Creed III, bragging that this is the first sports movie to be shot on IMAX cameras. Indeed, Creed III is a “Filmed for IMAX” movie, that was shot on a very interesting combination of RED Komodo, Sony VENICE, and RED V-Raptor. For the vintage touch, the team has also utilized the mighty ARRIFLEX 35 III.

Creed III

Creed III is an upcoming American sports drama film directed by Michael B. Jordan (in his feature directorial debut). The sequel to Creed II (2018) and the ninth installment in the Rocky franchise, the film stars Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, and Phylicia Rashad. This is the first film in the franchise without Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, though he still serves as a producer for his Balboa Productions banner.  Creed III was shot by cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, A.S.C, who has also shot Creed II.

Plot

After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fighter. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian—a fighter who has nothing to lose. Watch the trailer below:

Collaboration with RED Digital Cinema

RED Digital Cinema has collaborated with Jordan to design a custom Komodo for his production company Outlier Society, drawing inspiration from Marvel’s Black Panther and his friend Chadwick Boseman to help design this one-of-a-kind cinema camera. However, this specific Komodo was not used in the set of Creed III.

As our investigation shows, a Stormtrooper Komodo was utilized to shoot the powerful punches in the ring, in an FPV (First Point View) style. According to a BTS picture posted by Morgenthau, a custom rig was built in order to attach the Komodo to a helmet. Explore the BTS picture below:

Technical specifications: ARRI, RED, and Sony

Creed III was shot on a very intriguing combination of RED, ARRI, and Sony. The cameras used are ARRIFLEX 35 III, RED Komodo, RED V-Raptor, and Sony VENICE. The codecs are the REDCODE RAW 8K (from the RED cameras), and the Extended Original Camera Negative ST 6K (from the Sony VENICE). And of course film stock from the ARRIFLEX. The credit for the glass is deserved by Panavision. There’re not many projects that utilize so many cinema camera manufacturers, unless it’s needed to preset different imagery, as an integral part of the storytelling process, which is the case of Creed III.

For instance, have a look at the BTS picture below, which shows the ARRIFLEX and the VENICE shooting the same scene. That’s definitely an unusual camera mix.

“The first sports movie to be shot on IMAX cameras”

IMAX states that Creed III is the first sports film to be shot on its cameras. However, that is not entirely correct. IMAX has certified the Sony VENICE and the RED V-Raptor, but not the Komodo. The RED Komodo is not included in the ‘Filmed in IMAX’ program. Only V-Raptor and VENICE are IMAX-approved. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to explore which sequence was shot by which camera, and what made the DP and Director choose this camera over the other. From our personal view, it seems that most of the film was shot on the Sony VENICE, and the action was captured thanks to the global shutter capability of the RED Komodo. In between, the V-Raptor was brought into play. Anyway, as a part of an aggressive marketing approach of IMAX, a dedicated BTS video has been released. Watch it below:

Creed III is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 3, 2023, by United Artists Releasing. As explained, there will be an IMAX screening as well. We’ll be there!

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