07-23-2025 - Behind the Scenes Video
Discover the Sony Prototype Camera that Made the Impossible F1: The Movie a Reality
By: Yaroslav Altunin
F1: The Movie is now racing across theater screens all around the world. However, crafting such an epic tale in a never-before-seen, immersive environment was an impossibility when the idea first came to life.
To make this film a reality, director Joseph Kosinski, DP Claudio Miranda, ASC, ACC, and 1st AC Dan Ming worked with Sony to create a prototype camera capable of capturing the custom-built F1 cars from within the cockpit.
Gerald Undone, Patrick Tomasso, and Matti Haapoja were invited to speak with the creative trio to learn more about this new camera, how it was implemented into a production workflow, and what it took to capture the fastest race in the world.
Filmmaker Interview: Matti Haapoja Interviews Claudio Miranda ASC, ACC About F1: The Movie
Toronto-based DP and YouTuber Matti Haapoja sat down to interview DP Claudio Miranda during the production of F1: The Movie, where they unpacked how physics dictated the decisions around camera and lens choice.
From choosing wide-angle Voigtlander and ZEISS Loxia lenses to capture F1 cars racing at 150 mph, to how the team shot during actual Formula One races around the world, Miranda shares insight into how the production team became the 11th racing team.
Filmmaker Interview: Gerald Undone Explores the Sony Prototype Camera With 1st AC Dan Ming
In an interview with 1st AC Dan Ming, Canadian-based Video Maker and Tech Tester Gerald Undone explores the Sony prototype camera that was developed to capture F1: The Movie. An FX3/FX6 sensor was stripped of its IBIS and pared down to create one of the smallest cinema cameras in the world, featuring only a single internal glass ND filter, a versatile E-mount, and the efficient XAVC-I codec.
With four cameras per car and four FR7 recorders tucked underneath the floor trays, Ming shares how the Sony prototype captures 4K on a full-frame sensor to match the imagery of the VENICE 2.
Patrick Tomasso Speaks with Director Joseph Kosinski and 1st AC Dan Ming
Finally, Toronto-based filmmaker Patrick Tomasso met with both Joseph Kosinski and 1st AC Dan Ming to dive deeper into the prototype camera system and how Kosinski envisions it can evolve the future of filmmaking.
Everything about the Sony prototype was designed to save weight. Even the camera head was milled out as much as possible to save every gram, but for the production team, it was all about capturing the speed of Formula One.
With the Sony VENICE 2 and the Sony prototype camera, F1: The Movie was filmed with IMAX in mind. See the film in theaters now to experience the immersive cinematography that puts you into the driver's seat of a Formula One car.
