Back to the Beginning: Sony BURANO and VENICE 2 cameras capture Black Sabbath final show

When I got the call to shoot Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning, my first thought was “how do you capture ten hours of some of the biggest names in rock for a live stream, future-proof it for IMAX, and still make it look like a film?”

Stage design was an important consideration when discussing the camera plan with director Tim van Someren. One challenge was finding shots that added a sense of scale. Flown or wire cameras were ruled out for practical considerations, while traffic restrictions put paid to hopes for a high hoist outside Villa Park. Then 24 hours before the event we found out a no-fly zone would be put in place, further limiting our options. So Tim and I decided to embrace the limitations and treat the capture like a true documentary, with naturalistic handheld and on-stage cameras evoking music films of the 70s, 80s, and 90s when Sabbath were in their heyday.

Other constraints included ‘VVIP’ areas in the pit and FoH: these couldn’t have any obstructions that might disturb a fellow artist’s view while they were watching the show. The fans were also key to the event. As with all live productions, mounting large cameras that could restrict viewpoints was a big consideration. People had travelled from all over the world to be at Villa Park and we didn’t want to spoil the day for them. In concert environments it’s always important not to separate the artist from their crowd and vice versa. As Ozzy once said “I have a genuine love affair with my audience. When I’m on stage they’re not privileged to see me. It’s a privilege for me to see them.”

From the start my goal was to let the visuals evolve with the day. We kicked off in warm daylight. For the earlier part of the live stream I pushed for a slightly flatter look with lifted blacks, softer tones and desaturated colours. The clouds were my friend, as we would have struggled with a hard sunlight constantly coming in and out across the stage. But thankfully it held off for most of the day.

Into the night we built slowly toward heavier shadows, richer hues and more contrast. By the time Metallica hit the stage the look had become punchier and more dramatic. And when Ozzy and Black Sabbath finally appeared it was unapologetically dark and moody. It felt like we’d gone on a visual journey that matched the music, from nostalgia to full-blown, end-of-days Sabbath power. I was excited to build a progressive live grade that told a story in real time – a journey through rock, from light to dark.

I worked closely with Creative Director Patrick Woodroffe and Lightning Designer Terry Cook, who along with other band LDs had built stage looks for the performances. With Terry I focused on colour temperatures, saturation, intensity and how the lighting would react to the artists on stage to make sure the cameras were achieving the look we wanted. I had to consider both the live aspect of the show and the capture to future-proof the legacy of the event.

We wanted it to look cinematic, not like a TV broadcast or just another live stream. With expert guidance from Dan Studley and Vicky Holden at Vida TV we built the camera package around Sony’s Cinema Line:

• VENICE 2 and BURANO for full-frame hero shots, the backbone of our cinematic look.
• F5500 (S35) on the long lenses and Jimmy Jib crane system.
• FR7 hidden on stage, for high wide shots and as a pit Towercam.

While I would have preferred to use a VENICE 2 in this key role, sightline concerns meant the FR7 allowed us to have the shot but with a much smaller silhouette for anyone watching the show. Controlled by operator Dave Emery, the camera performed brilliantly amongst its much bigger brothers.

I often work with VENICE, especially in Multicam mode. Adding BURANO allowed us to have some smaller, lighter cameras for handheld use – a huge advantage across the ten-hour shoot.

Dynamic range of the Sony Cinema Line cameras is exceptional, coping with bright sun one minute, black outs and then flashing strobes while still giving us all the detail. The highlight roll-off was gentle and filmic, and skin tones held up beautifully, even under wild LED lighting.

By the time Ozzy appeared and the first chords rang out, it felt like everything had come together. The lighting, the cameras and the energy in the stadium all climaxed in that goose bump moment: this was a memory I shall hold on to.

Would I use the VENICE 2 and BURANO again? Absolutely. In fact it’s hard to imagine doing a large-scale live show without them, bridging the gap between live capture and a cinematic experience. We went from blinding daylight to the heaviest darkness, and from delicate acoustic intros to full-on wall-of-sound chaos. And all the way through the pictures were our constant – cinematic and beautiful. It was loud, long, and at times chaotic, but the Sony cameras didn’t miss a beat… they performed brilliantly.

DOP and camera operator Jonny Rhodes gives his own perspective on documenting the crowd’s reactions with BURANO at a once-in-a-lifetime musical celebration.

“Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning was a joyous occasion, with a lot of emotions. I was out in the crowd on my Sony BURANO, getting reactions from fans. It was a really intense day, from the initial rush of people arriving through to when the fireworks went off at the end. In all I was on camera for 14 hours, from before 11am until late at night. Mostly I was flying solo. I’d had some notes from Nathaniel, saying what he was looking for. But basically he let me do whatever I wanted. And all that time everything went without a hitch.

Me and my AC (Assistant Camera) had a security guard who could basically take us wherever we wanted to go. I was right in the mosh pit with BURANO on an Easyrig camera harness. The guard was saying “do you really want to do this?” and my AC urged “no, keep going”. I’ve been doing this stuff at music festivals for years, and I’m quite a big guy so it takes a lot for somebody to push me over. Most of the time the crowd go around you. They’re quite respectful, especially metal heads to be honest.