SYDNEY—The decision to deploy multiple Sony ILME-FR7 and Sony BRC-AM7 cameras on Netflix’s reality competition series “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket” highlights the growing role of advanced PTZ production technology in premium television.
Premiered on Sept. 23, the unscripted series places 12 contestants and their partners inside a retro-futuristic chocolate factory for a high-stakes competition inspired by Roald Dahl’s universe with a licensed AI recreation of Gene Wilder’s voice and an appearance by original 1971 “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” cast member Rusty Goffe.
For a production built around spectacle, surprise and immersive world-building, the ability to capture dynamic, cinematic and often hidden angles was essential, making Sony’s latest generation of PTZ and remote camera systems a strong fit.
Cutting Edge Technical services (CETS), a specialist that has supported Australia’s production industry since the 1990s, deployed the cameras for the production. CETS supplied the PTZ camera component of the production, ultimately deploying 50 Sony BRC-AM7 cameras across the living area and 30 Sony ILME-FR7 cameras across the challenge sets, all cabled to a central MCR where seven hot head operators and two CCU positions controlled the system.
Use of the Sony ILME-FR7 and BRC-AM7 on “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket” is significant on two levels. For viewers, it helps support the immersive, polished and visually inventive style expected of a major Netflix reality event. For the production industry, it offers another clear example of how cutting-edge remote camera systems are reshaping the language of television production.
For the challenge sets in particular, the Sony ILME-FR7 proved to be one of the production’s most valuable tools.
The FR7 is a full-frame interchangeable-lens camera with remote pan, tilt and zoom, combining a back-illuminated 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, BIONZ XR processing, 15+ stop latitude and compatibility with Sony’s E-mount lens ecosystem. In practical terms, that means the production could capture cinematic images with shallow depth of field and creative framing while still benefiting from robotic remote operation. Its compact footprint made it possible to hide cameras inside set pieces and install them in positions that would be difficult or impossible with larger traditional systems.
“The FR7 became the biggest utility camera on the production,” said Ray Martin, head of business development at CETS. “If you needed to find an angle, put an FR7 in there. Its small footprint meant we could hide these cameras all over the set and the ability to output 1080 on SDI while recording UHD internally was a great success. Some setups that were originally planned for three FR7s ended up using 10 because they were so effective at capturing angles that had not even been considered during the planning stages. There was a real wow factor in having such a high-quality sensor tucked away in set pieces, capturing amazing shots while remaining small enough not to be seen by the other cameras.”
The Sony BRC-AM7 also offers a set of advantages, including an advanced PTZ auto-framing, high-quality 4K 60p output across a 20x optical zoom range and support for S-Cinetone and S-Log3, helping it integrate more naturally into modern multi-camera production environments.
Sony has focused heavily on interoperability, remote control and AI-driven subject tracking, all of which were highly relevant for a show involving many contestants moving at the same time through a complex set. With 24 contestants on set and 50 PTZ cameras recording back to server, the operators were able to use auto-follow features and the web GUI to help track activity efficiently across the production space.
For sequences involving graphics compositing, selected FR7 cameras also recorded UHD in-camera, giving the graphics team higher-quality source material for final composites.
More information is available on the company’s website.
The official Netflix teaser for “Wonka’s The Golden Ticket” is available on YouTube.
