The 2026 SOC Awards Celebrates the VENICE Extension System Mini

Celebrating the VENICE Extension System Mini

The SOC Technical Achievement Award recognizes groundbreaking technologies that advance the art and craft of camera operation, including new tools and techniques, as well as advancements and improvements to existing technologies. 

“This year’s Technical Achievement Award process was, as always, highly competitive,” said Simon Jayes, SOC Technical Committee Chair. “The submissions were of exceptional caliber. The Technical Achievement Award Jury engaged in rigorous and thoughtful deliberations, with in-depth discussion of each entry’s innovation, practical application, and meaningful contribution to the art and craft of camera operation.”

For this year's SOC Awards, the VENICE Extensions System Mini stood out due to its compact size. Being 70% smaller than the VENICE 2 Extensions System, the Mini is the size of a standard smartphone yet still contains a VENICE 2 8K sensor with no loss in image quality. 

How the VENICE Extension System Mini Has Been Used on Set

The original VENICE Extension System and VENICE 2 Extension System have been a valuable asset for a myriad of projects, including blockbuster franchises that have pushed the boundaries of how movies are captured. 

Avatar: Way of the Water used VENICE Extension System prototypes to create more compact 3D rigs that capture nuanced performances in restricted spaces without compromising sensor size. In addition, Top Gun: Maverick also modified VENICE Extension System prototypes to squeeze six cameras into the cockpit of an F-18 fighter jet.

Now the VENICE Extension System Mini is flourishing on set of major motion pictures and streaming series, including:

• Digger (Warner Bros) - An upcoming feature film starring Tom Cruise, directed by Alejandro Iñárritu, and shot by Emmanuel Lubezki.
• Apex (Netflix) - A feature film directed by Baltasar Kormákur and shot by Lawrence Sher.
• Lanterns (HBO) – A new DC Studios series exploring the world of Green Lantern, shot by Armando Salas and Florian Hoffmeister.
• Resident Evil (Sony) – A feature film shot by Dariusz Wolski and directed by Zach Cregger.
• Alone at Dawn (Amazon/MGM) – A new film from director Ron Howard, shot by Salvatore Totino.
• Here Comes the Flood (Netflix) – A feature from director Fernando Meirelles and shot by César Charlone. 

The VENICE Extension System Mini was also used by DPs Jon Joffin, ASC, and Mitchell Baxter for their 2026 ASC Awards-nominated music video False Prophet by Pillars of a Twisted City. Read our in-depth interview with Joffin and Baxter to explore how they exclusively used the VENICE Extension System Mini on set.

To see how this toolkit thrives in a commercial setting, Sony Cine spoke with cinematographer Joewi Verhoeven to learn about how he utilized the VENICE Extension System Mini on a project for the realme 16 Pro Series smartphone titled Celebrations, Clear from Near to Far.

The 2026 Society of Camera Operators Awards 

The Society of Camera Operators Technical Achievement Award will be presented as the annual SOC Awards on Saturday, March 7, 2026. 

The 2026 SOC Awards will stream live on Saturday, March 7, 2026. To register for a Watch Party in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta, please visit SOCAwards.com. For more information about the Society of Camera Operators and its Annual Awards Celebration, visit SOC.org.

Visit our Camera Comparison Chart to learn more about the VENICE Extension System Mini and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line.