Sony collaborates with “the world’s largest esports fighting-game event”, the Evolution Championship Series (“EVO”) 2022
“The EVO Championship is one of the largest and longest running fighting game events”, enjoyed by thousands worldwide. Sony provided EVO with a range of production solutions, including the new system camera, HDC-F5500.
EVO is one of the biggest competitions in the world where people compete in fighting games. It’s the one time out of the year where people will travel, join in on the camaraderie and just enjoy fighting games in general.
Mark Julio
EVO Director of Global Business Development
An electrifying exhibition
For 20 years, EVO has brought together the best of the best from around the world in an electrifying exhibition of skill and fun, where players and fans converge to honour their competitive spirits in an open format tournament.
Taking place in August, this year’s 2022 Championship event in Las Vegas was also marked by a special technology collaboration with Sony to take enjoyment of EVO to the next level.
“At EVO 2022 it’s our first year working with Sony officially. It’s been fun to see the different types of ways we could really level up the event. You can see it in the production, and you can see it in the venue itself – it’s been a great relationship so far.”
Large sensor, larger-than-life entertainment
To capture high-adrenaline gaming thrills during the final at the 12,000-seat Michelob ULTRA Arena, Sony provided the HDC-F5500 Super 35mm 4K system camera that brings spectacular image clarity and realism to live sports and events production. While the camera shares familiar ergonomics and powerful control options with other Sony system cameras, its large format sensor also allows the HDC-F5500 to achieve a uniquely ‘filmic’ look with a shallow depth of field.
“When I choose new technology we first and foremost need to see how practical it is” notes EVO Executive Producer Chris Ceglia. “We must see how it works within our workflow, as well as the ease of use. From there we look at things like image quality and special features that the technology might have. It was clear to us that we had to have the HDC-F5500.”
The image quality of the HDC-F5500 was amazing, as well as its ease of use and practicality. The camera fit into our workflow seamlessly.vv
Chris Ceglia
EVO Executive Producer
Cinematic quality and colour
“The HDC-F5500 I think gives us a lot more flexibility” confirms EVO Producer David Rockwell Saunders. “It’s a nice bridge between what we typically experience and use in a broadcast environment and shifting that focus a little bit more towards using cinematic quality lenses. I definitely think that the sensor and the camera body open up a lot of options for us, especially the S-Gamut3.cine kind of colour range aspect. It really gives us a lot of options in terms of longer lenses with shallower depth of fields.”
Taking fighting gaming to the next level
“The collaboration with Sony and EVO is extremely important because it really is paving the way to the future for the fighting gaming community” affirms EVO’s Mark Julio. “The Sony team has been so supportive in terms of equipment, ideas and technology. The things that they bring to the table really lets people know that we are taking EVO to the next level. And that’s something that we didn’t have two, three, four years ago. Right now everybody is seeing the difference in terms of quality of the event. And that’s the thing that I love to see, and I’m sure everybody appreciates it as well.”
