Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

How cinematic tech is adding artistry to the world of sport

14/09/2023

TVBEurope speaks to a cinematic lens manufacturer, service provider and leading sports broadcaster to get their thoughts on why cinematic technology is seeing broader adoption, how it enhances the viewing experience, and how the trend will continue

By Jenny Priestley

Published: September 14, 2023 Updated: September 22, 2023

TVBEurope speaks to a cinematic lens manufacturer, service provider and leading sports broadcaster to get their thoughts on why cinematic technology is seeing broader adoption, how it enhances the viewing experience, and how the trend will continue

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>

In recent years the use of cinematic lenses and cameras has become more prevalent in live sports broadcasting.

The Super Bowl, La Liga and next year's Olympic Games are among the tier-one sports employing cinematic technology to bring their viewers closer to the action.

But why is the technology seeing broader adoption, how does it enhance the viewing experience, and how will the trend continue? TVBEurope spoke to a cinematic lens manufacturer, service provider and leading sports broadcaster to get their thoughts.

The lens manufacturer: Carey Duffy , director of product experience, Cooke Optics Why do you think using cinematic technology has become so important to sports broadcasters in recent years? Cinematic technology of one sort or another has always been present in capturing sports. If the question relates to the quality of the image. My personal opinion is that sporting bodies and broadcasters are understandably trying to enhance their offering. Certain cinematic techniques add a layer of emotion that goes beyond just recording an image. If we are talking about the use of lenses. One has to know about the characteristics of a lens series and how they can add dimensionality and texture to the image, which will have a bearing on the outcome of the images captured. This is what cinematographers spend their working lives trying to perfect for the stories they are employed to capture.

How do you think it enhances the viewing experience? For me that only happens when the correct tech is used sympathetically to enhance the brief. For example in the FIFA World Cup, fast lenses were used at wide open T stop, to separate the players in the tunnel pre-match from the background and add dimensionality. To me the images looked plastic! There was no organic dimensionality because they were using cheap auto-focus photographic lenses that don't have soul or character in them. Obviously the idea was to make it look cinematic, so someone decided that this tech was good enough . That's where using the wrong tech which delivers a poor version of the nuanced look of a cinema lens causes issues.

Cooke's new SP3 range, which can be used to film sport Shallow Depth of Field when used sensitively is a great tool, but used for the sake of using it without craft and technique, is not cinematic. It can even be detrimental to what you are trying to capture, as cutting between shallow depth of field and deep depth of field can be visually off-putting. Also one has to consider the environment you are filming in and how cinematic techniques can enhance the viewing experience. One thing for certain is that people want to look good or have a flattering representation of themselves portrayed on screen this is where our lenses excel.

How do you see this trend continuing? I see sensitive people embracing the technology to do great work, whilst others will use simple tricks to try and attempt to deliver what they see as a cinematic image.

Tell us about your cinematic technology. Cooke lenses are renowned for capturing motion images in an organic and flattering way, especially faces. After all, when someone is speaking we tend to spend our time focusing on their face. In that environment, our lenses offer a unique look. That's the design philosophy we employ in our lens series, it's to lesser or greater degrees depending on the optical design of a series but that's what defines the Cooke Look.

The production company: Martyn Edwards, project director, EMG Why do you think using cinematic technology has become so important to sports broadcasters in recent years? New technological developments make it a possibility now, including RF technology. Shooting on film had its advantages in the old days, such as sharpness, depth of field, and colour gamut, but it also had disadvantages, such as time and cost for development. In the case of live sport, using film was extremely challenging and multi-camera switching was out of the question. With today's cameras and technology we can use cinematic lenses as part of a regular' multicamera environment. In particular we can now use cinematic cameras and lenses for depth of field and so-called bokeh' to create interesting effects.

How do you think it enhances the viewing experience? It enhances the viewing experience with dramatic effects and adds perhaps a little bit of artistry to the world of live sport. Within the last decade producers have tried to push the boundaries of what is possible to achieve a cinematic representation within broadcast. This approach offers a live event the same sense of visual gravitas as a cinematic experience. Surely a live event deserves that attention to detail? Especially when you think of the impact that key moments in sport have had on a fan's life. The shift towards a more cinematic approach enhances the viewer experience and sets milestone moments apart from traditional coverage.

How do you see this trend continuing? Historically technology suppliers have been limited by what is suitable to integrate into the broadcast environment. For us at EMG, a more cinematic method started out in concerts and one-off events, using cameras like the Alexa in a st
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/live-production/how-cinematic-tech-is-adding...
See more stories from tvb

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

28/04/2026

Sound for the NFL Draft Show Balances Often Conflicting Goals

The audio team for the entertainment event must blend speech intelligibility with full-range music reproduction while considering the broadcast Last week's...

28/04/2026

Pac-12 Releases New Primary Mark Ahead of 2026-27 Season

The Pac-12 Conference has released an updated primary mark and logo as the starting point of the new league's brand identity. The mark was soft-launched acr...

28/04/2026

DP World Tour to Become First Professional Sports Organization to Use Amazon Leo Satellite Connectivity

The DP World Tour and Amazon Leo have signed an agreement making Amazon's lo...

28/04/2026

Pixellot and HELIOS Announce Automated Hockey Shift Video Integration

Pixellot and HELIOS have announced an integration that automatically converts full-game hockey video into individualized shift videos for each athlete, without ...

28/04/2026

Daktronics Installs New LED Video Display at Asheville Tourists Ballpark

Daktronics has partnered with the Asheville Tourists to manufacture and install a new LED video display. The installation was completed in late 2025 and is now ...

28/04/2026

Eutelsat and PCTV Renew Long-Term Video Distribution Partnership in Mexico

Eutelsat has announced the renewal of its partnership with PCTV, a content aggregation and distribution company in Mexico and part of Megacable Holdings, for co...

28/04/2026

Gary SouthShore RailCats Install New Daktronics LED Display at U.S. Steel Yard

Daktronics has partnered with the Gary SouthShore RailCats to install a new LED video display at U.S. Steel Yard, replacing the previous Daktronics display inst...

28/04/2026

Telos Alliance and College Radio Foundation Award Omnia.11 Processor to Wright State Universitys WWSU-FM

Telos Alliance and the College Radio Foundation have announced that WWSU-FM of W...

28/04/2026

Inside the Mix: A1s Florian Brown and James Deason on Golfs Biggest Broadcasts

Golf viewership is growing. The 2025 Ryder Cup drew five million viewers in the UK, a 45% increase over the 2023 event. The US Open was the most streamed golf e...

28/04/2026

The CW Network Acquires Exclusive Broadcast Rights to WWE NXT Premium Live Events

The CW Network and WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), have announced t...

28/04/2026

NAB 2026: AIMS Wins NAB Show 2026 Product of the Year Award for IPMX

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced that the Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX) suite of standards and specifications has been named...

28/04/2026

NAB 2026 SportsTechBuzz in Review: A Look Back at the Big News From 150+ Companies in Vegas

The 2026 NAB Show is in the books and the show once again served up a cavalcade ...

28/04/2026

Gray Media, RAJ Sports Launch New Womens Sports RSN in Portland - Rose City SportsNet

Gray Media and RAJ Sports have announced Rose City SportsNet (RCSN), a new netwo...

28/04/2026

Spotify Reports First Quarter 2026 Earnings

Today, we announced our First Quarter 2026 earnings, starting the Year of Raising Ambition with strong momentum across the business and continued innovation acr...

28/04/2026

Spotify rapporterar resultat fr frsta kvartalet 2026

I dag presenterade vi v rt resultat f r det f rsta kvartalet 2026. Vi inleder ret med starkt momentum i hela verksamheten och fortsatt innovation p plattforme...

28/04/2026

Mojave introduce the MA-C vocal mic

New handheld promises studio performance for the stage Mojave have just introduced a new live-focused handheld vocal mic created by award-winning designer D...

28/04/2026

VSTOPIA announce Dynamic Split Module for Ableton

Max for Live device offers AI-powered stem separation Dynamic Split Module (DSM) is a new Max for Live device created by Ostin Solo, a developer and musican...

28/04/2026

Focusrite unveil the ISA C8X

First interface equipped with ISA preamps Focusrite have just announced the launch of a new high-end audio interface that features a pair of their legendary...

28/04/2026

Nielsen and Triton Digital Collaborate to Bring Greater Visibility to Podcast Audiences in Nielsen's Media Impact Tool

Triton Digital's Podcast Metrics Demos+ Data Integration Enables Comprehensi...

28/04/2026

Paramount Skydance Will be 49.5% Foreign Owned After WBD Merger

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

KEET PBS Deploys PMVG TechBundle Services To Modernize Operations

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

TAG Video Systems Lens Wins Industry Awards for Cutting T...

TAG Video Systems, the leading IP-native Realtime Media Platform, today announced that Lens, its visual service health interface for broadcast operations, recei...

28/04/2026

AIMS Wins NAB Show 2026 Product of the Year Award for IPM...

Open AV-over-IP Standard Recognized in IT Networking/Infrastructure and Security Category The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) today announced that the ...

28/04/2026

VFX History: Slit Scan

VFX History: Slit Scan Graham Quince April 28, 2026 0 Comments How did 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Doctor Who and Star Trek: The Next Generation...

28/04/2026

These DaVinci Resolve Effects Will Make You a More Creative Colorist

These DaVinci Resolve Effects Will Make You a More Creative Colorist Kasia Jarco April 28, 2026 0 Comments Creativity in color grading is not about ha...

28/04/2026

A Simple Introduction to Cavalry: Indexed Circle

A Simple Introduction to Cavalry: Indexed Circle Simon Ubsdell April 28, 2026 0 Comments In this new introductory tutorial for Cavalry we're going...

28/04/2026

Rise Upskill - Applications Now Open for Free Global Trai...

Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for gender diversity in the broadcast and media technology sector, is pleased to announce a new global training programme...

28/04/2026

Clear Com Announces New Roles for Brian Grahn and Ben Tur...

Clear-Com has appointed Brian Grahn as Market Outreach Manager of the Americas and Ben Turnwell as Business Development Manager for EMEA live, expanding their ...

28/04/2026

LiveU Steps into the Future at MPTS 2026 with the Introdu...

LiveU is inviting MPTS visitors to step into the companys new Q Era on Stand D32, at The Grand Hall, Olympia, London (May 13-14). The company will showcase its ...

28/04/2026

IBC launches 2026 Innovation Awards to spotlight real-wor...

IBC today announces the launch of the IBC2026 Innovation Awards, with nominations now open for projects, programmes and initiatives that exemplify breakthrough ...

28/04/2026

WNBA to Stream All Preseason Games for Free

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Nexstar Media Charitable Foundation Sets 30 Days of Giving'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Sinclair's Chief Compliance Officer Jeff Lewis to Retire

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Nielsen Introduces Predictive Sales Lift' Tool

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Sencore's VB440 Monitoring, Analysis Tool Debuts at NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Pinterest Makes a Major Push into CTV Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

28/04/2026

Introducing Nx 3-Strip v2 - A Physics-Based Technicolor Reconstruction for DaVinci Resolve

Introducing Nx 3-Strip v2 - A Physics-Based Technicolor Reconstruction for DaVin...

28/04/2026

Sky Documentaries announces Savage Mountain, the controversial true story behind Kristin Harilas record-breaking 14 Peaks climb

In 2023, Norwegian climber Kristin Harila set out to break a mountaineering reco...

28/04/2026

LinkedIn Top Companies 2026: Where Career Growth Is...

LinkedIn Top Companies 2026: Where Career Growth Is Happening Now Published on Apr 28, 2026 Categories: Data and insights LinkedIn Corporate Communication...

28/04/2026

Into the Omniverse: Manufacturing's Simulation-First Era Has Arrived

Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on how developers, 3D practitioners, and enterprises can transform their workflows ...

28/04/2026

NVIDIA Launches Nemotron 3 Nano Omni Model, Unifying Vision, Audio and Language for up to 9x More Efficient AI Agents

AI agent systems today juggle separate models for vision, speech and language - ...

28/04/2026

RT NEWS ANNOUNCES SEAN WHELAN AS NEW LONDON CORRESPONDENT

RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Sean Whelan as its new London Correspondent. Sean has held the role of Washington Correspondent for the last...

28/04/2026

Six well-known figures delve into the 1926 Census archive

Joseph O'Connor, Eileen Walsh, Louise Duffy, Mick Lynch, Gormfhlaith N Thuairisg and Dermot Bannon take a personal look at life 100yrs ago in new TV docume...

27/04/2026

CES Power Acquires Three Ireland-Based Businesses

CES Power, a provider of infrastructure for live events, has announced the acquisition of three Ireland-based businesses: GH Energy Rental Ltd, Event Power, and...