TV Globo has Passione for Optimo

Brazil’s TV Globo has been using Angenieux 35mm Optimo Film Lenses for its latest prime-time telenovela shot in Brazil and Italy.

The production, Passione, is one of TV Globo's first to move to full, high-end digital cinema production

“Angenieux’s Optimo zoom lenses on the 35mm digital cameras really give us a measurable upgrade in the quality of the images,” said Marcos Senna, TV Globo's Engineering Manager. “The optical performance of the lens is incredible and they harmonize perfectly with the camera, both on location when we do hand-held shots and in staged studio productions.”

TV Globo bought 17 Angenieux Optimo 35mm film lenses, including the Academy Award winning 15-40mm and 28-76mm lenses and the 24-290mm model (pictured in use on Passione with camera operator Carlos Rogers), after completing a rigorous series of field tests. TV Globo had previously rented the Angenieux 24-290mm zoom for a shoot. Globo had also used Angenieux large format zooms when it first purchased the digital cinema cameras and were impressed with the quality and performance of the lenses.

“We evaluated various manufacturers’ lenses during the test period, based on our criteria of optical features, performance, weight and handling,” said Senna. “The Optimo lenses met all of our needs and, taking into consideration our previous good experiences in using them, we concluded that the Angenieux lenses were best suited to support our pioneering digital cinema operations.”

Telenovelas have become popular globally, helping to make Brazil one of the world's largest television exporters. TV Globo has a massive studio complex in Rio de Janeiro producing some 2,500 hours of programming each year, including telenovelas, serials, reality shows, comedies and children’s entertainment.

Besides Passione, the Angenieux lenses have been used for TV Globo’s medical drama, A Cura (The Cure), filmed on location in the interior of Brazil. “We do a lot of hand-held shooting when on location and the 15-40 and 28-76 lenses are perfect for this type of production because they weigh less than 2kg. In addition, filming on location and shooting in different countries can be rugged. In all circumstances and under all conditions, the Angenieux lenses performed brilliantly," he added.

Due to the zoom range of the Optimo 24-290mm, when it’s used on a crane, they can do a full day of production with a single lens, which saves time. The 24-290mm can focus as close as 1.22m and weighs 11kg.

By David Fox