Sphere Entertainment Co. ("Sphere Entertainment"), a premier live entertainment and media company, announced the launch of Sphere Studios, dedicated to developing the next generation of original immersive entertainment exclusively for Sphere through proprietary and cutting-edge technology, tools and production facilities. The first of the Studios' many groundbreaking immersive innovations includes Big Sky – an ultra-high resolution camera system.
"Sphere Studios is not only creating content, but also technology that is truly transformative," said David Dibble, Chief Executive Officer of MSG Ventures, a division of Sphere Entertainment focused on developing advanced technologies for live entertainment. "Sphere in Las Vegas is an experiential medium featuring an LED display, sound system and 4D technologies that require a completely new and innovative approach to filmmaking. We created Big Sky – the most advanced camera system in the world – not only because we could, but out of innovative necessity. This was the only way we could bring to life the vision of our filmmakers, artists and collaborators for Sphere."
Sphere Studios is home to an interdisciplinary team of creative, production, technology and software experts who provide full in-house creative and production services, including strategy and concept, capture, post-production and show production. With multi-sensory live entertainment experiences that immerse audiences visually, as well as through sound, haptics and environmental elements including heat, wind and scent, the Studio is redefining the future of entertainment by bringing together the world's leading filmmakers, directors and producers to transport Sphere's audiences to places both real and imagined without leaving their seats.
The studio campus in Burbank spans 68,000-square-feet of development facilities; production, editing and post-production suites; sound stages for mixing spatial audio; and camera and 3D printing labs. The campus also includes Big Dome, a 28,000-square-foot, 100-foot high custom geodesic dome with a quarter-sized version of the screen at Sphere in Las Vegas. Big Dome serves as a specialized screening, production facility and lab for content at Sphere, including Sphere Immersive Sound, haptic seats, and more that will be featured at Sphere.
Big Sky, a groundbreaking ultra-high-resolution camera system and custom content creation tool, was created by Sphere Studios to capture the stunning images and video required for the world's highest resolution LED screen at Sphere. Developed in-house at Sphere Studios' research and development labs, every aspect of Big Sky represents a significant advancement on current state-of-the-art cinema camera systems, including the largest single sensor in commercial use capable of capturing incredibly detailed, large-format images.
"Big Sky is a giant leap forward for imaging and a testament to the innovative teams at Sphere Studios who made this technology a reality," said Deanan DaSilva, the lead architect of Big Sky at Sphere Studios. "Big Sky allows us to capture cinematic content at a level of detail never before possible, opening up extraordinary possibilities and pushing immersive imaging technology forward in a way that will resonate throughout the entertainment industry."
The Big Sky system boasts the world's sharpest cinematic lenses capable of delivering the unparalleled edge-to-edge optical requirements for Sphere's 16K x 16K immersive display plane. That allows Sphere Studios filmmakers to capture incredibly detailed, large-format images from a single camera, without having to stitch content together from multiple cameras – avoiding issues common to stitching including near distance limitations and seams between images.
Sphere Studios began developing Big Sky in early 2021, with the camera system's first shoot taking place in October 2022 – progressing from concept to reality at an unprecedented pace of innovation. SphereLab, an internally developed image processing software, was also created specifically for Big Sky. Prior to Big Sky, image capture for Sphere's ultra-high-resolution screen required large camera arrays of 10 to 15 commercially available cinematic cameras. To date, the team has filed eight patents – and counting – associated with Big Sky technology.
Postcard from Earth, the first Sphere Experience to harness the full array of Sphere's technological capabilities, is currently in production, with Sphere Studios film crews traveling the world to film scenes with Big Sky camera systems. Postcard from Earth will provide an unparalleled storytelling journey and offer a unique perspective on the magnificent beauty of life on our planet.
Be among the first to experience this unparalleled immersive production and the quality of content created by Sphere Studios when Postcard from Earth premieres at Sphere on Oct. 6, 2023. Tickets are currently on sale at www.thespherevegas.com.
About Sphere Entertainment Co.
Sphere Entertainment Co. is a premier live entertainment and media company. The Company includes Sphere, a next-generation entertainment medium powered by cutting-edge technologies to redefine the future of entertainment. The first Sphere venue is currently under construction in Las Vegas. In addition, the Company includes MSG Networks, which operates two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG Network and MSG Sportsnet, as well as a companion streaming service, MSG GO, delivering a wide range of live sports content and other programming. More information is available at www.sphereentertainmentco.com.
