Cinematographer Christian Sprenger was busy this winter, shooting not one but two commercial spots that debuted during Super Bowl LIII. For TurboTax Live, he shot a series of commercials and a teaser leading up to RoboChild, which shows that robot A.I. isnt ready to replace live CPAs. And in the celebrity-filled Not Everything Makes the Cut for Amazons Alexa and its surrounding teasers, he shot a variety of situations where Amazon Alexa integration failed miserably. With so much on his plate, Sprenger turned to Panavision Hollywood as his one-stop camera shop.
What led you to choose Panavision's DXL2 for the TurboTax Live RoboChild spot?
Sprenger: The director was very insistent on shooting anamorphic, which I was super excited about. I also knew that there would be a lot of VFX and paint-outs. I felt like Panavisions Millennium DXL2 was the best option for shooting a visual-effects-heavy, anamorphic project. I hadnt done a DXL2-anamorphic job yet, and I thought this would be a great time to put it to the test. It proved to be the right choice!
What lenses did you pair with the DXL2?
Guy McVicker [Manager, Technical Marketing & Optics] at Panavision Hollywood suggested the G Series anamorphic primes because they had some interesting characteristics without too many lens aberrations so that visual effects wouldnt have problems matching properly. Because it was a longer job and we were filming with two cameras, Panavision ended up building us a combination of T Series and G Series to build the set out, which allowed me to share one lens set for two camera bodies.
How did the mix of T Series and G Series optically work for you?
The Ts are more modern and slightly sharper. There were times where wed put on a G and see a nice bit of softness and a little more blooming. But, in terms of flare color, skin tone, and edge-to-edge sharpness, I felt that they matched close enough that it wouldnt be a concern. Whats nice about Panavisions optics is the effort and pride they put into the different lens series. Even if the lenses are from different time periods, they still have that Panavision stamp, that consistency. They all fit together in the world of Panavision optics.
Did you shoot tests beforehand?
For TurboTax Live, we had very little prep time. I had a couple of phone calls with Guy at Panavision, and then we pulled the trigger and went for it with only a short day to get to know the camera system. Panavision did a great job of preparing everything for us. I think they built a hell of a camera, and we had really no problems with the DXLs whatsoever. They were rock-solid camera systems and rock-solid optics.
What look were you going for in terms of the look for the RoboChild spot?
The teaser leading up to the Super Bowl takes place at night its dark and moody, and I was working in low-light levels with a wide-open stop on the lens. The dynamic range of the DXL2 paired effortlessly with the anamorphic optics, resulting in a naturalistic and smooth image. For the Super Bowl spot, I wanted the daytime garage workshop to feel realistic and not over lit. I shot around an f2.8/4, which felt like the right sweet spot for the lenses optical performance, and because the DXL2s 8K VV sensor was larger than Super35, the depth of field appeared shallower than on a S35 sensor.
Did you take advantage of the DXL2 on-set workflow capabilities?
Our incredible DIT, Matthew Love, had a lot of previous DXL2 experience. We started out using the proxy setup the DXL2 has the ability to record proxies but Matt felt like his system was capable of just handling the RAW. So, we discarded the proxy workflow and just colored off the 8K RAW, using LiColor2 off the camera for viewing and lighting purposes and then importing the files into DaVinci Resolve. Matt and I used a modified version of the DXL color LUT. We would adjust color and create all our dailies on set. At the end of the night, wed hand off the drive. From my perspective as a cinematographer, it felt like a flawless workflow.
For the Amazon Alexa Not Everything Makes the Cut spot, you ironically switched to a Panavised ARRI ALEXA platform. Because you shot anamorphic, which lenses did you choose?
Just coincidental! The full-frame ALEXA LF shoots at 4.5K resolution in anamorphic [Open Gate mode]. Guy expanded the focal lengths of our anamorphic lenses to properly cover the full-frame sensor size. I really liked the G Series that I used on the TurboTax spot and chose them again. They have a perfect balance they are somewhat visually similar to the C Series but with modern upgrades and closer to the physical design of the T Series. The Gs can be customized, but the Cs cannot. Over a couple of weeks of testing, we came up with a really nice combination. Because the G Series only goes up to 100mm, we used a 135mm T Series for a few shots.
What were you wanting to achieve with the custom tuning?
We wanted to adjust the contrast and black levels to emulate filtration that I would use in front of the lens. When its baked into the lens optically, I feel it performs differently than having a piece of glass in front of the anamorphic front element. In addition to that, Guy made an adjustment, which produced blooming of the highlights and created some interesting optical irregularities. Guy also introduced me to their AFA, or Anamorphic Flare Attachment an additional external front element that can adjust or exaggerate the anamorphic effect when appropriate.
What sticks out for you in these spots?
For TurboTax Live, the coverage of RoboChild at night in the teaser, to me, was the result of the perfect camera and lens technology at work. The dynamic range of the DXL2 at such low-light levels paired effortlessly with the anamorphic optics in a very naturalistic and smooth way. For the Amazon Alexa spot, the scenes in space felt like such a great
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
26/01/2026
26 Jan 2026
VEON Unveils the New Beeline Uzbekistan Network Operations Center, ...
26/01/2026
Bookish is created by and stars Mark Gatiss
Images available HERE
Following th...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
New Sky Original Series explores Entertainment Juggernaut, The X Factor
Sky today confirmed it has greenlit a premium, definitive docum...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
Sky confirms major investment to transform Livingston ca...
26/01/2026
Software for Stable Data Management and Lasting Business Success in Uncertain Ti...
26/01/2026
RT is today publishing a statistical summary of the Register of External Activities for the third quarter of 2025.
The RT Register of External Activities com...
24/01/2026
RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive free-to-air coverage of t...
23/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 29 July, 2025 - Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic A...
23/01/2026
Spotify's annual Best New Artist celebration honors the rising stars whose talent, creativity, and dedication have propelled them to the music industry'...
23/01/2026
Paramount is transforming its operations by unifying the media supply chains of their top brands into a scalable global pipeline.
This transformation enhances ...
23/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
23/01/2026
Find out where Sare and Suze are now on RT One and RT Player Thursday 29 January at 10.15pm
Hit drama SisterS, created by, written by and starring real-life ...
23/01/2026
Friday 23 January 2026
Sky appoints Lisa Clark as Commissioning Executive for SNL UK
Lisa Clark headshot
PNG (468KB)
Lisa Clark joins Sky as Commissioning E...
23/01/2026
RT is delighted to announce that the RT and F s ireann / Screen Ireland supported short film Retirement Plan has been nominated for Best Animated Short at th...
22/01/2026
Last November, Ed Sheeran returned to his musical roots for an intimate, one-nig...
22/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
22/01/2026
Thursday 29 January 9:35pm on RT 2 and RT Player
The dating show returns with something old, something new and a dater you may already know
Thursday evenings...
22/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demonstrate successful 5G Broadcast comp...
22/01/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
15/01/2026
15 Jan 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Reaches 3.0 million Customers with Starlink Dir...
Cinematographer Christian Sprenger was busy this winter, shooting not one but two commercial spots that debuted during Super Bowl LIII. For TurboTax Live, he shot a series of commercials and a teaser leading up to RoboChild, which shows that robot A.I. isnt ready to replace live CPAs. And in the celebrity-filled Not Everything Makes the Cut for Amazons Alexa and its surrounding teasers, he shot a variety of situations where Amazon Alexa integration failed miserably. With so much on his plate, Sprenger turned to Panavision Hollywood as his one-stop camera shop.
