The Urbi et Orbi blessing will have a cinematic look with Sony

On the occasion of the Urbi et Orbi blessing on December 25, from St. Peter's Square in Rome, Vatican Media will carry out a special experiment for global live broadcasting using the new HDC-F5500V 4K camera from Sony, equipped with a Super 35 sensor, which will allow the event to be produced live with a cinematic look.

The initiative, carried out during one of the most watched celebrations of the year, aims to explore new visual languages capable of combining cinematographic quality with the technical requirements of global broadcasting. Thanks to Super 35 sensor and to the advanced color management and the depth of field, la HDC-F5500V permite una more immersive storytelling, enhancing the emotional dimension of the event.

This initiative continues the long collaboration between the Dicastery for Communication and Sony Europe, a relationship that over the years has fostered the progressive introduction of cutting-edge technologies at the service of the Holy See's communication. The project is aimed at promoting innovation and quality, while ensuring that the Pope's message remains accessible to audiences around the world.

The experiment will be harmoniously integrated into the official broadcast, using an existing system of cámaras HDC-5500V high profile, without altering the structure of international production, but helping to outline new perspectives for future papal live broadcasts and enriching the collection of contents of the Vatican's audiovisual archive.

The engineer Francesco Masci, Director of Technology of the Dicastery for Communication of the Holy See, highlights that “in line with our mission, the Dicastery for Communication continues to invest in research and collaboration with leading technological partners such as Sony, so that the visual narrative of Holy See events increasingly reflects the depth of the message we defend.”

Masci adds that "even technologies, when put at the service of the person and beauty, can become tools that help make visible what inspires, unites and uplifts the spirit. Our experimentation in the field of cinema goes precisely in this direction: to explore, with prudence and creativity, new languages that can support the mission of the Church and reach the hearts of people in all parts of the world."

Benito Manlio Mari, senior commercial director of regional sales for the south of Sony Italia, underlines that “the collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication represents extraordinary added value for Sony Europe, as it allows us to continually refine the performance requirements of our solutions, putting our technology to the test in one of the most important live production contexts in the world.”