This session explores the design, capabilities, and creative implications of the Sphere Big Sky Camera, a custom imaging system developed by Sphere Studios in collaboration with STMicroelectronics to meet the unprecedented technical demands of Sphere’s 16K × 16K immersive display. At its core is a 316-megapixel cinema image sensor—the largest ever deployed in a production camera—capable of capturing ultra-high-resolution imagery at up to 120 frames per second with a data throughput of 60 GB per second.

Purpose-built for large-format immersive environments, Big Sky enables filmmakers to capture expansive, high-fidelity imagery in a single exposure, eliminating the need for stitched multi-camera arrays. This session will examine how the camera’s scale, dynamic range, and color performance reshape production workflows, lensing strategies, and post-production pipelines for immersive cinema.

The discussion will also look at how Big Sky supports new forms of large-scale storytelling at Sphere, including productions such as the immersive reinterpretation of The Wizard of Oz created for Sphere’s wraparound screen. Through these case studies, attendees will gain insight into how emerging capture technologies are enabling the adaptation of both original and legacy content for next-generation exhibition formats.

Join us for a technical and creative deep dive into one of the most ambitious camera systems ever built—and what it signals for the future of cinematic imaging.