BARCELONA—Sony is reporting that around twenty cameras from Sony`s Cinema Line including the Venice 2, ILME-FR7 and ILME-FX6, were selected to cover the historic visit of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona on June 10th.
The live HDR production, led by 3Cat (TV3), which is the National Catalan Broadcaster, covered Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the basilica as part of the centenary of the death of architect Antoni Gaudí. It coincided with the official inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the cathedral's main tower.
Paulí Subirà Claramunt, director of photography at 3Cat said that “Catalonia’s national television broadcaster has always been at the forefront of audiovisual technology and, as such, on such a special occasion—the completion of a monument as iconic as the Sagrada Familia—we had to rise to the challenge. We had previously produced the musical Mar i Cel in the Broadcast Cinematography format, gaining experience with the tools and workflows; the big difference is that, with the Sagrada Familia, the live broadcast adds an extra layer of complexity. When we began to bring the creative narrative to the screen, we saw clearly that the technology used had to be adapted to tell the story properly. Transporting the viewer to this very special moment, with an emphasis on aesthetics, using hybrid tools and workflows that blend television and cinema, and defining working standards at both national and European levels, has been a priority for the team and for the 3Cat group.”
The unique architecture of the Sagrada Familia – with its variable natural lighting, hard-to-access spaces and the colossal scale of the site – also placed exceptional demands on the team.
For the event 3Cat deployed ten Sony Venice 2 units, seven Sony ILME-FR7s and three Sony ILME-FX6s with Fujinon Duvo lenses and Sony E-mount lenses.
The Venice 2 deliverd the highest quality image for the main shots, with exceptional low light response during the night artistic show, where the light is the main protagonist.
As remote-controlled cameras, the Sony ILME-FR7s allowed for coverage of hard-to-reach angles without interfering with the proceedings.
The compact and lightweight Sony ILME-FX6s provide the mobility required for the most dynamic shots. All three models share Sony’s colour science, ensuring total colour consistency in the final result and simplifying the live production workflow.
The event holds dual historical significance. On one hand, Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the Sagrada Familia, the first papal visit to Barcelona since Benedict XVI consecrated the basilica in 2010. On the other, the official inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ, the central tower of the basilica, which, at 172.5 meters (566 feet), makes the Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world. June 10 2026 marks exactly a century since the death of Antoni Gaudí.
The live television production of the show was handled by 3Cat, Catalonia's national television channel, with Pauli Subira at the helm.
The technical deployment of Sony Cinema Line equipment was combined with PhotoCine's OB3 mobile unit, integrated with the Sony XVS mixer and Sony PVM-X and BVM-HX reference monitors. The technical direction of the project was led by British broadcast consultant Hector Sole-Bradshaw Beltran, with a team from the 3Cat (TV3) Technical Department (IDT).
Hector Sole-Bradshaw Beltran, project manager / production technical manager, 3Cat Cine Live added that “with its Cinema Line range of products, Sony is able to provide solutions for all the necessary segments of a project of this scale. For the main cameras, the cinematic heritage of the Venice and the 4000 ISO sensitivity of the Venice 2’s sensor makes these cameras the perfect choice for a night-time spectacle where light takes centre stage. The FR7 and FX6 complete the line-up in roles where compact size is essential, yet image quality and consistency are of the utmost importance. For quality control of the international UHD-HDR HLG signal, having the technology of the 4000 cd/m² Grade 1 mastering monitor, the BVM-HX3110, allows us to work in HLG1000ETX and 2000EXT, guaranteeing the quality of the image distributed worldwide.”
‘We were looking for a cinematic image, rich and profound, capable of conveying the essence and narrative sensitivity inherent in this story,” explained Igor Cortadellas, creative director, Igor Studios. “We wanted the audiovisual language used to transmit a timeless message that blends immersion in the traditions of an ancient spiritual culture with its integration into the present. Ultimately, we found ourselves with a visual poem in which light is much more than a technical resource: it is the soul of the story. It is not simply about capturing reality, but about revealing the emotion that lives within it.”
