Bringing the Tam Tam basketball team to the screen with the
EOS C300 Mark II

"Basketball is a great blessing for me – I feel like I was born to play it," says 19-year-old King, who is at home on the court in the coastal city of Castel Volturno, Italy.

But as a child of migrants, according to Italian law, he wasn't born to play the sport at all. In Italy, children of migrants do not have a right to citizenship from birth. Without a passport and identification card, they're considered foreigners in the eyes of the law – and can be denied the opportunity to compete.

King's hometown, Castel Volturno, north of Naples, is home to tens of thousands of migrant families from West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana. Here, many live on the fringes of Italian society, undocumented and impoverished. Criminality is rife and the mafia rule the streets.

"African-Italian minors born here should be acknowledged as Italian citizens, but they aren't," says Francesca. "There have been battles for years that have led to exceptions allowing these young athletes to compete. It is clear in the film that the fight is not over."

Shooting on two Canon EOS C300 Mark II bodies (now succeeded by the Canon EOS C300 Mark III) and Canon zoom lenses including the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM, the team captured the delicate balance of fast sporting action and emotive interviews which tell the Tam Tam team's story of hope.

Francesca first heard about the Tam Tam team in Italian newspapers a few years ago, and their story captured her imagination. "I am fascinated by stories of ordinary people who undertake extraordinary feats that can change the course of civil rights," she says. "This story is poetic, international and their voices are really powerful."

So when friend and fellow director Ayed Nabaa got in touch to make a documentary about the team, she jumped at the chance. As the project developed, Mohamed Kenawi took over directorial duties and by the time the shoot came around in the summer of 2021, Francesca, who is usually found behind the camera, was seven months pregnant. She handed over camera duties to DoP Salama Abdo and focused on creative development and producing.

Tam Tam Basket follows four teenage protagonists on and off the court, alongside their coach, Massimo Antonelli. His dedication to social inclusion and to offering opportunities to those not often afforded them have earned him the total respect of his team. "The relationship between the coach and the players is something really powerful," says Francesca. "The teenagers trust him and he is like a second father to them.

"Gaining the teenagers' trust was not easy, but our main connection, the coach, was key in allowing us to connect with them too," she continues. "One of the greatest rewards was seeing their appreciation of the final film. When people recognise themselves in what they watch, it means that we have kept our narrative promises – the human, ethical and journalistic pact of trust."

The team's run-and-gun filming captured high-speed sporting action as well as on-the-fly interviews and reflective moments. "There were so many advantages of using Canon's gear, particularly around usability," says Francesca. "We had the freedom to move quickly with our cameras, without wasting time adjusting depth of focus or for changing light. Everything was really quick."

Ergonomics make a huge difference, adds DoP Salama. "This camera is light and easy to use, both handheld and with a shoulder rig. The top and side handles give you a lot of possibilities, along with the flexible monitor – you can shoot from a low angle, side angle, between your legs or up high. We used the EOS C300 Mark II handheld and on a tripod, and we also filmed some following shots on a gimbal."

Salama even waded waist-deep into the sea with the camera above his head to film the Tam Tam team swimming together. "I was very happy that I was even able to use the camera handheld while half of my body was in the water," he says.

"The best moments in the film are by far the candour of the interviews," says Francesca. "Karim is a very shy boy, but on camera he is extremely poetic and effective. King talks about integration and citizenship in such a simple and understandable way, I was amazed by his wisdom and depth. Their voices speak the same language as millions of teenagers around the world who live in similar conditions."

For the interviews, shot environmentally among the semi-destroyed buildings of Villaggio Coppola and around the team's open-air basketball court, Salama shifted from 50fps to 25fps and leaned on Dual Pixel CMOS AF to keep his subjects in crisp focus while using a motorised slider. "The autofocus on the EOS C300 Mark II is amazing," says Francesca. "It's easy to stay in focus even with zoom lenses, by using the small square sign."

Shooting at the height of summer, the crew had both hot temperatures and bright sunshine to contend with. The camera's wide sensitivity range of up to ISO 102400 (also found on the newer Canon EOS C300 Mark III), coupled with its built-in ND filters, which provide a possible further 10 stops of exposure control (in expansion mode), allowed them to react to changing light conditions – including from the sun's reflections on the water when filming along the coast.

Filming in Canon Log 2 also increased the camera's dynamic range, giving them up to 15 stops to work with. "The dynamic range of the sensor allowed us to get incredible shots, from timelapses on the beach to silhouette shots," says Francesca. "In post-production we found the quality of the files to be excellent, allowing us to work really well on the colours in the grade. The EOS C300 Mark II has everything that a DoP needs." The EOS C300 Mark III takes this image quality a step further, with an innovative DGO sensor that can deliver 16+ stops of dynamic range, and is also compatible with Dual Pixel CMOS AF. The latest model also includes Canon Log 3 and Wide Dynamic Range options for Log recording.

Francesca hopes the audience will be "personally touched" by the Tam Tam team's story. "It is a symbolic, universal film of struggle and empowerment – and a dream that becomes a reality."


Tam Tam Basket won the Best Documentary award at IFF – Integrazione Film Festival (Bergamo, Italy), and has been selected to be screened at the Festival of Migrant Film (Ljubljana, Slovenia). It will be broadcast on Al Jazeera in late 2022, after which it will be released online globally.