Two cool items for Friday: Cinematic Broadcasting, and Karate. ARRI has announced that the AMIRA Live cameras paired with powerful cinema-broadcast lenses (FUJINON 25-1000mm PL Box lens, Canon PL 25-250, and Canon 15-120) were used to shoot the World Karate Championships in Budapest. How cool it that? 

AMIRA Live X 3

As stated by ARRI: “The ARRI Multicam System continues to deliver truly cinematic images and the best viewer experience for sports broadcasting. For the 2023 WKF World Karate Championships in Budapest, the International Sports Broadcasting Company (ISB) in cooperation with Antenna Hungária Zrt. integrated three ARRI AMIRA Live cameras into their production workflow. Lenses included Fujinon PL Box Lens, Canon PL 25-250, and Canon 15-120”. The ARRI AMIRA Live (“The Cinematic Super 35 Live-TV Camera”) was announced in March 2021, with the goal of enhancing the connection between cinema and broadcast, term we define as “Cinematic Broadcasting”. You can read more about the AMIRA Live here and here. Explore below the cool BTS pictures from the event:

AMIRA + FUJINON Zooms: A lethal combination

Many cinematographers use their AMIRA combined with the best of FUJINON zoom lenses when they have to deliver cinematic imagery at a sports event. One of the best examples is filmmaker Domenick Satterberg, who prefers utilizing top-tier cinema cameras and lenses for getting the most cinematic shots even when filming sports events. That allows him a versatile one-operator setup, and still getting the best shots available. However, regarding the Karate event, a whole different lens was used. And that would be the mighty FUJINON Duvo 25-1000 Cinema Box Lens. This is the first time (as we know it) that this beast was paired with the AMIRA. We say some cases with the Sony VENICE though (for instance, shooting the Super Bowl Halftime Show). In fact, FUJINON made these lenses to be paired with large sensors in order to achieve the cinematic look even with ‘super-zoom’ broadcast lenses.

Final thoughts

Major cinema camera manufacturers invest solid efforts to implement their tools in live events, by sharpening dedicated techniques, so the results will look like a Hollywood movie. Utilizing cinema cameras and PL ultra-zoom lenses can be a complex process and with a lot of challenges (read: David Guetta Dubai Show was Captured Live by Four ARRI Cameras). Hence, these methodologies are being used mainly on major high-budget events with deep pockets. Is it worth the hassle?