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10/07 ISSUE 5
VisionARRI
The Biannual International Magazine from the ARRI RENTAL & POST PRODUCTION ENTERPRISES
THE BOURNE
ULTIMATUM
DoP Oliver Wood discusses
his experiences shooting the
third Bourne instalment
PERFORMANCE WITH POWER
Introducing the ARRI/Zeiss Master Zoom 16.5 – 110.
A high performance T2.6 lens that maintains
outstanding optical image quality, covering the entire
ANSI Super 35 frame throughout the zoom range.
Tin Man
The ARRIFLEX D-20 returns
to Oz for TV miniseries
This powerful zoom produces a high-contrast, high-resolution
image which is comparable to that of a prime lens, while
displaying virtually no breathing or ramping. Its unique optical
design reduces spherical aberration and keeps the image
geometry free of distortions - so straight lines stay straight,
even up close.
The Kite Runner
Interview with DoP
Roberto Schaefer ASC
Behind the Scenes of
the Mazda2 Spot
Now you can choose from more ARRI/Zeiss lenses than ever
before. The Master Zoom further expands the ARRI/Zeiss lens
family, providing you with a robust, comprehensive choice of
matched lenses of the highest optical and mechanical quality.
ARRI Film & TV Commercial
create dynamic advertisement
for the Mazda2
ARRI/Zeiss Master Zoom 16.5 - 110mm
ARRI/Zeiss Master Primes - 14 lenses ranging from 14mm to 150mm
Eastern Promises
ARRI/Zeiss Lightweight Zoom 15.5 - 45mm
London sets the scene for
David Cronenberg’s Russian
mafia movie
ARRI/Zeiss Ultra Primes - 16 lenses ranging from 8mm to 180mm
ARRI/Zeiss Master Diopters - 3 diopters (0.5, 1 & 2)
Available
worldwide from
Mongol
The challenge of bringing the story
of Genghis Khan to the big screen
Your creative possibilities are endless.
arri.com
ARRI SERVICES GROUP NETWORK
ARRI SUBSIDIARIES
AUSTRALIA
ARRI Australia, Sydney
Cameras, Digital
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Stefan Sedlmeier
T +61 2 9855 4300
[email protected]
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AUSTRIA
ARRI Rental Vienna
Cameras, Digital
Gerhard Giesser
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CZECH REPUBLIC
ARRI Rental Prague
Cameras, Digital, Lighting, Grip
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GERMANY
ARRI Rental Berlin
Ute Baron
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ARRI Rental Cologne
Cameras, Digital
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ARRI Rental Munich
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ARRI Film & TV Services, Munich
Film Lab, Digital Intermediate
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Cinema
International Sales
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National Sales
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ARRI Schwarzfilm Berlin GmbH
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Schwarz Film GmbH
Ludwigsburg
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[email protected]
VISIONARRI
4 THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
DoP Oliver Wood describes his hand-held approach to the
camerawork on the latest Bourne film
ARRI PARTNERS & ASSOCIATES
LUXEMBOURG
ARRI Rental Luxembourg
Cameras, Digital
Steffen Ditter
T +352 2670 1270
[email protected]
SWITZERLAND
Schwarz Film AG,
Ostermundigen, Zürich
Philipp Tschäppät
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[email protected]
UNITED KINGDOM
ARRI Lighting Rental, London
Lighting
Tommy Moran
T +44 1895 457 200
[email protected]
ARRI Focus, London
Short term lighting hire for
commercials & promos
Martin Maund, George Martin
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[email protected]
[email protected]
ARRI Media, London
Cameras, Digital, Grip
Philip Cooper
T +44 1895 457 100
[email protected]
ARRI Crew, London
Diary Service
Kate Collier
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[email protected]
USA
ARRI CSC, New York
Simon Broad,
Hardwrick Johnson
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[email protected]
[email protected]
ARRI CSC, Florida
Ed Stamm
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[email protected]
AUSTRALIA
Cameraquip, Melbourne,
Brisbane
Cameras
Malcolm Richards
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T +61 7 3844 9577
[email protected]
BULGARIA
Boyana Film Studios, Sofia
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Lazar Lazarov
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[email protected]
CYPRUS
Seahorse Films,
Nicosia, Paphos
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FRANCE
Bogard, Paris
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GERMANY
Maddel’s Cameras GmbH,
Hamburg
Cameras, Grip
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HUNGARY
VisionTeam, Budapest
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T +36 1 433 3911
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ICELAND
Pegasus Pictures, Reykjavik
Snorri Thorisson
T +354 414 2000
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IRELAND
Illumination Dynamics, LA
The Production Depot,
Lighting, Grip
Co Wicklow
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John Leahy, Dave Leahy
[email protected] T +353 1 276 4840
[email protected] [email protected]
[email protected]
Illumination Dynamics,
North Carolina,
JAPAN
Lighting, Grip
NAC Image Technology Inc.
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Tokyo
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Cameras, Digital
[email protected]
Tomofumi Masuda
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NEW ZEALAND
Camera Tech, Wellington
Cameras
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ROMANIA
Panalight Studio, Bucharest
Diana Apostol
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RUSSIA
ACT Film Facilities Agency,
St. Petersburg
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SCANDINAVIA
BLIXT Camera Rental,
Denmark, Norway & Sweden
Cameras, Digital
Björn Blixt
T +45 70 20 59 50
[email protected]
SOUTH AFRICA
Media Film Service,
Cape Town, Johannesburg,
Durban, Namibia
Cameras, Digital, Lighting,
Grip, Studio
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SPAIN
Camara Rental
Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga
Cameras, Grip
Andres Berenguer, Alvaro
Berenguer, Sylvia Jacuinde
T +34 91 651 3399
[email protected]
[email protected]
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[email protected]
8 A VIRTUAL SPOT FOR REAL ASSETS
ARRI Film & TV Commercial animate 3D spot for investment bank
10 THE KITE RUNNER
Irving Correa
T +1 818 761 4440
[email protected]
DoP Roberto Schaefer ASC discusses his latest collaboration
with Director Marc Forster
12 LONDON’S UNDERWORLD
Director Wayne Wang talks about his latest
feature film
33 A SYMPHONY OF SOLOISTS
34 THE STORY OF A YOUNG KILLER
DoP Rob Hardy reflects on using the ARRIFLEX
416 and Master Primes for feature Boy A
Co-Producer Tracey Seaward, DoP Peter Suschitzky BSC and
Gaffer John Colley talk about creating David Cronenberg’s
Russian mafia movie Eastern Promises
16 BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAZDA2 SPOT
ARRI Film & TV Commercial generate powerful advert for
car manufacturer Mazda
22 RETURN TO OZ
Fantasy world captured by the ARRIFLEX D-20 for TV
miniseries Tin Man
24 ARRIFLEX D-20 BRINGS IDEAS TO REALITY
An update on recent ARRIFLEX D-20 projects
38 MONGOL
Director Sergei Bodrov recreates the story of
Genghis Khan
42 COPACABANA
Television drama combines traditional film
techniques with digital technology at
ARRI Film & TV
44 SEVEN DAYS SUNDAY
Up and coming director supported by
ARRI Film & TV and ARRI Rental
25 SHADOWS
46 SIDE EFFECT
28 EAST OF EVERYTHING
48 THE POWER TO DREAM, THE VISION
Director Milcho Manchevski and DoP Fabio Cianchetti post feature
Shadows at ARRI Film & TV
ARRI Lighting Rental and ARRI Media help
budding filmmakers shoot short film
TO INNOVATE
ARRI Australia supply television drama
ARRI celebrates 90 years of product innovation
52 25 YEARS OF ARRI FILM & TV
Managing Director Franz Kraus reflects on 25
years of postproduction at ARRI
CONTENTS
4
10
55 STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY AT
ARRI SCHWARZFILM BERLIN GMBH
ARRI SchwarzFilm Berlin upgrades facilities
56 MOMENTS IN TIME
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the hand-held
affair with the ARRIFLEX 35
59 PANALIGHT
The ARRI Rental Group’s Romanian rental partner
38
Fletcher Chicago, Chicago
ARRIFLEX D-20 Representative
Stan Glapa
T +1 312 932 2700
[email protected]
GOOD PRAYERS
The ARRIFLEX D-20 shoots 150 musicians for
Sony commercial
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Filmquip Media, Dubai
Anthony Smythe, Hugo Lang
T +971 4 347 4909
[email protected]
[email protected]
USA & CANADA
Clairmont Camera Hollywood,
LA, Toronto, Vancouver
ARRIFLEX D-20 Representative
30 A THOUSAND YEARS OF
VisionARRI would like to thank the following contributors;
Susanne Bieger, Clemens Danzer, Mark Hope-Jones, Ingo Klingspon, Tracy Mair, Heike Maleschka,
Dylan Michael, Tommy Moran, Sinead Moran, Andrea Oki, Judith Petty, Bastian Prützmann,
Angela Reedwisch, Andrea Rosenwirth, Stefan Sedlmeier, Marc Shipman-Mueller, Iain Struthers,
Michelle Smith, Andy Subratie, Ricore Text, An Tran, Sabine Welte
60 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
63 DID YOU KNOW?
63 TAKE 10
64 PRODUCT UPDATE
68 PRODUCTION UPDATE
VISIONARRI
The Bourne Ultimatum was shot on Kodak Vision2 250D
(5205) and 500T (5218) with ARRICAM Lite and ARRIFLEX
235 cameras, Cooke S4 primes and Nikon mini-zooms.
Camera equipment was supplied by ARRI Media in London,
ARRI Rental in Munich and ARRI CSC in New York, all
working together to provide the international service available
from the ARRI Rental Group.
VisionARRI: Director Paul Greengrass was with you
again on this third film; was it easy to slip back
into the working relationship?
Yes, we just went back into the same mode right
away. It was very much an extension of what we’d done
before; we had worked out a style on The Bourne Supremacy
which was very successful and I just kind of updated it with
different equipment. We had quite a big prep and the
assistants made up these cameras to be able to work handheld; very lightweight and very fast.
Oliver Wood:
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
DoP Oliver Wood discusses frenetic camerawork,
international locations and lighting by satellite.
The third instalment of a hugely successful film franchise based on
novels by Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Ultimatum sees Matt Damon
return as amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne. Robbed of his identity
and pursued across the globe, Bourne must turn the tables on the
government agency that trained him but now wants him dead in
order to avenge his murdered girlfriend and uncover the truth about
his past. The second Bourne film directed by Paul Greengrass and the
third photographed by Oliver Wood, Ultimatum has thrilled audiences
worldwide since its August release and very quickly exceeded the
international box office returns of both preceding films.
4
Paul’s style was to be completely loose and spontaneous, all
the way down the line, from the script onwards. He got that
from United 93, when he had complete control of the script
and it became a daily thing that he wrote it himself with the
actors. It wasn’t just the camerawork, it was the way he
worked with the actors and everything – that’s where he
wants to go; he wants to make it all like that.
The editors would often come back with reshoot lists of what
they were missing, but I had dailies DVDs so if we needed to
go back to a scene, I could watch the DVD and see what we
did that day. Also the sets were done with [specialist lighting
company] Light by Numbers, so we had computer records
we could punch in and everything would come up the same
as before.
VA: You chose ARRICAM Lite and ARRIFLEX 235
cameras. What made them right for the job
and how did you use them to achieve what
Paul envisioned?
They were the most reliable cameras I could find. Size
of course was a top priority – size and weight, and then
ergonomics. We stripped every bit of weight off the kits we
could and anything we could add that was lightweight rather
than heavy, we did. OW:
5
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
VISIONARRI
STEADICAM OPERATOR Florian Emmerich keeps pace with Matt Damon
PAUL GREENGRASS directs Matt Damon
DOP OLIVER WOOD (right) supervises the ‘C’ camera crew
The ARRICAM Lites were used pretty much whenever there
was sync dialogue and we had to have a silent camera. In
certain cases, where there was some dialogue but the camera
had to be very mobile, then we went to the 235 – in exterior
situations where you couldn’t hear it so much. And then we
made it even lighter if we had to put it in a running shot or on
a Pogo-Cam. The 235 functioned as the smallest possible
camera; it basically went down to the tiniest, lightest, handheld configuration we could get.
There were always at least two cameras, but there was no rule
about how they were allocated. The ‘B’ camera was usually an
ARRICAM Lite but was sometimes a 235 if it was on a
Steadicam and we had to run with it. The ‘A’ camera could be
either a Lite or a 235. I would have liked to carry two 235s
actually. It was used for exteriors, for all chase sequences – of
which there were many – like in Waterloo station, in Morocco
and anywhere the sound could be worked out. The sound man
was very forgiving with it.
VA: You had Cooke S4 primes and some specially
made Nikon zooms. How did you put them to use?
The mini-zooms were the result of collaboration between
me and ARRI Media. I said I wanted to have two lightweight
zooms and the suggestion came up that we fish around for
stills zooms. We found these two Nikon digital zooms, a
28-76mm and a 70-200mm; ARRI thought they could adapt
them and they did it. The Nikons became the basic lenses
for the whole show; they were used all the time because the
constant priority was for lightweight, ergonomic kit. The other
question was speed; I needed a lens that went to T2.8,
because that’s where I needed to work.
OW:
6
I’ve always been very fond of Cooke lenses; I just like the look.
We used the 150mm Cooke quite a bit on the Steadicam, but
we were mostly on the zooms.
Shooting fast action scenes with hand-held
cameras and wide lens apertures must have been
challenging for your crews.
VA:
I was very kind to the focus pullers, I said “if you make
mistakes, don’t get bent out of shape, just carry on, it’s fine.
If it buzzes it’s all part of the look – zooming in and missing,
zooming in and not being sharp so quickly pulling the focus –
make that part of the camerawork.” Saying that made
them much more confident and in camerawork confidence
is everything.
OW:
We had extremely good operators, some of the best in the
world. I went in there and almost told them to forget everything
they’d been taught and start again, but because they were
such good operators it came naturally to them. They loved
letting go of all the restrictions of having to be smooth and in
focus all the time and executing perfect zooms. It was a fertile
area for them to work in and they loved it.
The way we kitted out these cameras was another treat for
them; no expense was spared. The producers were great
about getting everything I needed; I had a kind of open door
in that area.
Photos by: Jasin Boland © 2007 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved
“THE 235 FUNCTIONED
AS THE SMALLEST
POSSIBLE CAMERA; IT
BASICALLY WENT DOWN
TO THE TINIEST,
LIGHTEST, HAND-HELD
CONFIGURATION WE
COULD GET.”
cables and extra bits and pieces that were put together at
ARRI Media. Some had been custom made, so basically those
two suitcases went with us around the world. In New York for
instance I took the two cases from ARRI Media and the Nikon
lenses that were made and then we rented the basic camera
package from ARRI CSC in New York.
Each time we had new assistants I had to instruct them in how
it all went together. Basically in Europe and England we had
the same crew. In Germany we had a new crew, although I
took the ‘A’ and ‘B’ camera focus pullers and operators, and
everyone else in Berlin had done Supremacy with me so they
were pretty much up to speed. Then when we got to New York
it was a whole different ball game, but they were brilliant too;
they came up with their own rigs and were very creative. All
the different crews contributed; it was an organic process.
The camera crew list is about four pages long, and then on top
of that there was a second unit. There were three cameras on
the second unit; they had to put their own packages together,
based on ours. When we scouted it, this was all planned out –
we decided what was going to be first unit, what was going to
be second unit – but once we were shooting there was no way
I could be there; they were completely autonomous.
You were also shooting all over the world.
Did that present any particular difficulties?
In Berlin you had to light a large area of the city
for the film’s opening sequence. How did you go
about planning that?
Yeah it was challenging. First of all, the package we had
was highly specialised; we had two suitcases that formed a
“gizmo” package as we called it, which was all the little
That was an enormous lighting set-up. I flew in for a
weekend with my German Gaffer Ronnie Schwarz, who
VA:
OW:
VA:
OW:
actually lit the second movie, so he was very aware of what
I needed. We scouted the two basic locations; one was a
drugstore and other was the station, but they were huge. They
were supposed to be in Moscow; that’s the reason we chose
East Berlin, because the communist architecture is very similar
to Moscow. Then I went back to London to start shooting again
at seven o’clock on the Monday morning. Ronnie put his plans
down on a Google Earth document, so we got on the phone
and sat with computers, bringing up Google Earth documents
with little flags all over them. It was an absolutely brilliant tool;
I could see his plans as he made them and suggest changes
right there over the phone.
The film has gone through a DI. What is your
approach and attitude to this process?
VA:
I consider the DI a lighting tool. I’ve completely stopped
using filters or any kind of unusual lab processes. I process
everything absolutely normally and never filter anything; I do
any kind of grad or image work in the DI. The only exception
really was a streaking out-of-phase shutter effect in some
flashbacks. Half of that was done digitally, but it worked a lot
better in camera.
The biggest achievement of the DI was taking this huge wealth
of material that was shot all over the world by a million
different people, putting it together and making it look like the
same movie. I
Mark Hope-Jones
7
VISIONARRI
A Virtual
Spot for
Real Assets
ARRI Film & TV Commercial pulls
out all the stops for Investment
Bank Cortal Consors
Amid the numerous TV spots promoting
financial products and services on German
television there is one that stands out: an
avant-garde, 3D animated commercial for
investment bank Cortal Consors, the onlineaffiliate of BNP Paribas. This successful
collaboration between Cortal Consors,
advertising agency Serviceplan and ARRI
Commercial has proved it possible to create
visually impressive television spots for a
financial institution.
“In the financial sector the products themselves are
very interchangeable and therefore it is extremely
important to establish the product by giving it a
distinct and trendy visual style,” says Daniela Bardini,
Creative Director of Munich-based agency
Serviceplan Zweite. “It is vital that the spot stands out
and grabs people’s attention, leaving an indelible
impression on their minds.”
The most recent 17-second TV commercial promotes
10 successful mutual funds, which Cortal Consors
offer at an attractive price with the slogan: “The best
mutual funds at the best prices.” Previous spots have
extended different offers but all have one thing in
common: they are all virtual commercials and were
created entirely on 3D computers at ARRI.
The first step was to find a solid, visual icon to
represent the mutual fund, which is an essentially
abstract product, to star in the TV spot as the
story’s hero. From discussions emerged the idea
of developing an award statuette character, along
the lines of an Oscar, for the world of banking
commercials. The task of developing this character
was put in the capable hands of ARRI’s Head of 3D
Animation, Christian Deister, and Character Animator
Vladan Subotic. From a selection of scribbles and
illustrations the production team chose a statuette that
resembles a young, dynamic manager. The character
was rendered entirely in 3D and plated in virtual
chrome, ready for its starring role.
“Initially we did not have an agreed-upon
storyboard,” remembers Christian Deister. “Together
with the client and the agency, we worked as a team
to create the story; everyone contributed ideas.”
Head of ARRI Commercial Philipp Bartel adds:
“It’s very motivating when the client grants the
postproduction house and the agency so much
creative freedom. Often they went with our ideas
and allowed us to implement them single-handedly.”
While still in the fine-tuning stages of characterdevelopment, the 3D team created an animatic
for previsualisation of the spot. Christian Deister
explains: “I thought it would be best to approach this
commercial as if it were a conventional live-action
film.” Using a dummy, various camera movements
were tested in an attempt to discover the best methods
of filming the statuette. “Playing the appropriate music
in the background, we wanted to create a powerful
plot to give the statues an epic quality in this short
17-second spot,” he continues.
8
WIDE SHOT final render
CLOSE-UP final render
After initial pre-rendering, the test footage was
edited to music on an Avid and so within just a few
days the client was able to approve the spot as a
“living-and-breathing” storyboard. “Pre-rendering is
a fast process,” says Philipp Bartel, “but it provides
everything that is needed to properly adjust the
camera in the edit. Subsequently, in the final
rendering, only those frames which became part of
the animatic after the picture had been locked have to
be rendered. That saves time and money.” The final
steps toward completing the spot involved giving the
various elements a sophisticated look, matching the
colour grading to that of Cortal Consors’ corporate
identity, and fine-tuning the camera movements and
edits before completing the final compositing.
Frames from various out-takes of this production were
used for the print and online campaigns in order to
give the entire media campaign a consistent look.
Budget Director Clemens Dreyer concludes: “Our
Cortal Consors spot is now being emulated by other
banks, which to me means that, together with ARRI,
we did a great job.” I
Ingo Klingspon
Client:
Cortal Consors S.A.
Director of Marketing:
Brand Manager:
Kai Wulff
Konelija Klisanic
Agency:
Serviceplan Zweite Werbeagentur GmbH
Management:
Joachim Schöpfer
Budget Director:
Clemens Dreyer
Creative Director:
Daniela Bardini
ARRI Film & TV Commercial:
Head of Commercial:
Philipp Bartel
Producer:
Phil Decker
Head of 3D:
Christian Deister
Character Animators:
Vladan Subotic,
Gregoire Barfety
Flame Artist:
Rico Reitz
Colour Grading:
Janna Sälzer
9
Photos by: Phil Bray
An interview with DoP Roberto Schaefer ASC
The Kite Runner
VISIONARRI
DIRECTOR MARC FORSTER instructs the child actors
DIRECTOR MARC FORSTER
DOP ROBERTO SCHAEFER ASC (left) and ‘A’
Camera/Steadicam Operator Jim McConkey (right)
VA: Why did you shoot on
3 perforation/2.35:1 and
how did that work for you?
We chose to shoot 3 perforation to
save money on stock and lab costs to
put into the post needs for the DI and
grading work. When we abandoned
anamorphic, 3 perforation seemed only
natural. The lighter weight, smaller and
less cases, and faster lenses definitely
made that the right decision looking
back on it.
RS:
Khaled Hosseini’s debut novel, The Kite Runner, was first published in 2003 and has since sold more than
seven million copies worldwide. Set against the political events of Afghanistan, the story is about the
doomed friendship of two childhood friends; Amir, the son of a powerful Kabul businessman, and Hassan,
the son of the faithful family servant.
The boys are inseparable until one fateful day when Amir is determined to win a local kite-flying tournament to secure his father’s
approval. On the afternoon of the contest Amir finds Hassan being brutally attacked by a local thug. He does nothing to help,
shattering their relationship. Shortly after, Amir and his father leave Afghanistan, fleeing the Russian invasion to begin a new life
in America. But Amir can’t forget what happened to Hassan and after 20 years of living in the US, returns to a perilous
Afghanistan under the Taliban’s iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and to set things right.
Shot by Director Marc Forster and DoP Roberto Schaefer ASC for DreamWorks Pictures, The Kite Runner is the duo’s seventh
collaboration. Their partnership has spanned more than a decade, producing films such as the award winning Monster’s Ball and
Finding Neverland, and has recently seen them embark on their eighth project together, the latest instalment of the James Bond franchise.
Authenticity was a hugely important factor of the production. Due to the obvious dangers of the conditions in Afghanistan the
production team sought alternative locations for filming, finally settling on China which was considered to be the best fit in terms of
appearance. Much of the film’s dialogue is in Dari, the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and most of the actors involved,
including the child actors, were native speakers.
The film was shot in 3 perforation with an ARRICAM Lite, ARRICAM Studio and ARRIFLEX 235 provided by ARRI Australia.
VisionARRI spoke to Roberto Schaefer about his approach to the project and his experiences shooting in China.
VisionARRI: Can you tell us briefly
what the movie is about?
The Kite Runner is
based on the best-selling novel of the
same name. It is a story about
friendship, betrayal, loss and redemption
set against the events occurring in
Afghanistan between 1977 and 2001.
Roberto Schaefer:
Which look was intended for
the film and why?
VA:
The story is intended to be seen as an
epic in the tradition of Sergio Leone and
David Lean. The part of the film set in
Afghanistan in the seventies has a rich
RS:
10
and warm feeling, like the friendship of
the two boys. The parts set in the US and
Afghanistan in 2001 are cooler and less
saturated as the life is drawn out of the
characters and they face harsher realities.
but the Xinjiang province in far western
China had all of the right ingredients.
VA: What was the reason for
shooting this film in China?
What was your impression of
China as a shooting location, and
was it difficult working there
with an International team from
Asia, Australia and China?
RS: We shot principally in China due to
the look of the landscapes and local
architecture, which closely resembles that
of Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan.
It would have been too dangerous to try
and shoot there. Other places that were
considered were Turkey and Morocco,
China provided us with magnificent
locations that were truly on the epic
scale we wanted to portray. It was
difficult for many reasons, extreme
weather being just one of them. We had
to bring in everything from Beijing or
beyond. There is no film community in
VA:
RS:
Kashgar where we were based, even
less in Tashkurgan. There were many
challenges for a largely western crew
that was mixed with many Chinese and
local Uygur help. Most of the department
heads, and a good deal of the key crew
members, came from the US, Australia
and the UK. We had to have many
levels of translators, from English to
Chinese, Uygur, Farsi, Pashtun and
Urdu, and all the permutations within.
What were the main
challenges facing the production?
VA:
The main challenges in filming were
the logistics of shooting in a place that
was an eight hour plane ride or eight
day drive from the nearest center of
production supplies. On top of that we
had a very hot summer and fall, and a
bitter cold winter. Film had to be shipped
back to Beijing for developing and then
either printed there and shipped back,
or sent to L.A. for telecine dailies and
shipped back. That process took from
four days at best, to three weeks,
depending upon our location.
RS:
VA: Were you satisfied with
the ARRI equipment, especially
on rough locations such as the
Chinese mountains?
Yes, it all held up magnificently, as I
had expected. We did bring a camera
technician from the US with us, who
ended up repairing everything from hair
dryers to sewing machines and
RS:
Technocrane circuits. With the camera
gear, he mostly just cleaned everything
each night and made sure that it was all
in perfect condition everyday.
What aspect influenced your
decision to take the camera and
lens set-up you used?
VA:
RS: I initially wanted to shoot
anamorphic. I went to Germany and
spent several days testing and evaluating
Hawk lenses. But when I got to Kashgar
and Tashkurgan and the road between
the two, I realized that too many of our
interiors were tiny with few windows,
the exteriors were exposed to harsh
elements like dust storms and extreme
temperatures. I felt that it would be more
than we could handle to shoot entirely in
scope. I then wanted to shoot all of my
big exteriors on anamorphics and the
interiors and dark night exteriors with
spherical lenses since we were definitely
doing the DI [Digital Intermediate] right
from the start. Unfortunately, due to
budgetary restrictions and the schedule,
I couldn’t afford to carry full sets of both
types of lenses, as well as 3 perforation
and 4-perforation camera bodies for
the entire shoot. So we decided to use
3 perforation to save some money for the
DI when it was decided to go spherical.
That was when I tried the Master Prime
lenses and fell in love with them. I used
the T1.3 –2 range often and found them
to be really quite amazing.
VA: You were one of the first
DoPs to try our new ARRI/Zeiss
Lightweight Zoom, the LWZ-1
15.5-45mm. What was that
experience like?
We used the new lightweight zoom
a lot. It held up beautifully to the Master
Primes in quality of image. We also used
it on our viewfinder as a variable prime
for setting up shots, and it practically lived
on the Steadicam. It also matched well
with the longer Angenieux Optimo zooms.
RS:
VA: How are the Master Primes
compared to the Optimo Zooms?
The Master Primes were a perfect
match to the longer Angenieux
Optimo zooms.
RS:
VA: Did you consider shooting this
movie on HD or did you think that
35mm was the only way to go?
Originally I toyed with the idea of
looking into shooting in HD. I thought
about the ARRIFLEX D-20, Viper or
Genesis. What worried me was how
the equipment would hold up to the
conditions, the distance we were from
any service, and storage of data and
transferring that back to the editor in L.A.
I recently shot a pilot on HD and was
extremely happy that I had decided to
do The Kite Runner on 35mm. I
RS:
www.kiterunnermovie.com
Clemens Danzer / Andrea Rosenwirth
11
LONDON’S
UNDERWORLD
VISIONARRI
Peter Suschitzky BSC films the dark side of London for Eastern Promises
The latest film from legendary Canadian Director David Cronenberg is a violent tale of the
Russian mafia in London, touching on the global sex trade that exists in today’s society.
Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) works for one
London’s most feared organized crime
families. His path crosses with Anna
(Naomi Watts), a midwife at a London
hospital where a 14-year-old Russian girl
has recently died during childbirth. In a bid
to uncover the teenager’s identity and find
a home for the baby, Anna looks for clues
in the dead girl’s diary, but she unwittingly
holds damaging information that could
lead to the unraveling of the family’s
criminal network. Nikolai must make sure
this doesn’t happen. Several lives hang in
the balance as a chain of murder, deceit,
and retribution reverberates through the
darkest corners of London.
The script for Eastern Promises was
originally developed at the BBC but was
picked up by Focus Features, a division
of Universal Pictures, who sent it to
Cronenberg to direct and Paul Webster
to produce. “We were so pleased
when David was appointed,” recollects
Co-producer Tracey Seaward. “He’s a
masterful director and was always in total
control of the shoot. David creates an
almost instinctive relationship with each
and every department.”
The film is Cronenberg’s first to be shot
entirely outside of Canada. Although he
brought most of his heads of department
with him, a strong UK crew was
assembled to work with them. Seaward
was involved in planning how the
production would best organize filming
at locations around London, as well as
3 Mills Studios: “About half of the
location shooting took place at night,” she
says, “which was quite complicated due
to the fact that many of the sites were in
residential areas and therefore we had to
respect the local residents.”
12
The dark, rain-slicked streets of London
were photographed by Peter Suschitzky
BSC, with an ARRICAM Studio, ARRICAM
Lite and Master Prime lenses supplied by
ARRI Media, and lighting equipment
supplied by ARRI Lighting Rental.
Eastern Promises marks Suschitzky’s
eighth film with director Cronenberg.
Their collaboration began in 1988 with
Dead Ringers, when a strong rapport was
established from day one. “I think we
immediately knew that we were right for
each other, I never had any doubts
anyway,” states Suschitzky. “Things
worked very quickly between us and we
were soon able to work with very little
verbal communication. On our very first
day of shooting I knew that this was
going to be the most important working
relationship of my life. And so it turned
out to be.” Both have a very intuitive way
of working and don’t set out with the idea
of a ‘look’. “To tell the simple truth, we no
longer talk about style,” he continues.
“Things just happen naturally, growing, I
hope, from within the material of the film
and the narrative. We both work very
instinctively. We never talk about making
a film look this way or that way.”
For Eastern Promises, Cronenberg’s
requirements were simple: “The early
indications that David gave me were that
he was looking for a rainy London, a
grey London,” says the cinematographer.
“Naturally we had to shoot with the
weather that we had, but we were able to
afford to wet down streets and produce
rain when there wasn’t any. The only
thing I did was to hold the idea in my
head that he wanted it to look grey. I
don’t believe that you can put style on like
an item of clothing - it has to flow from
inside the film, from inside your soul if
you like. Everything has to work together;
the costumes, the sets, the choice of
colour of the costumes and sets, the
camera work, and the direction of course.
It all has to go together.
“I have more or less the same approach
when considering any film. I read the
script, I look at the locations, sets or
concepts of sets, the costumes and casting
that are possible choices for the film,
and of course I speak with David
approximately about what we are going
to do. He is somebody who does a lot of
thinking about what he is going to do
with the subject, but he also leaves a lot
open to inspiration on the day, inspiration
that comes from seeing the actors
rehearse and from the set or location.
He doesn’t storyboard anything. So we
rehearse and then we discuss where we
are going to put the camera for the scene
and I spend whatever time I need, within
the constraints of the production schedule,
preparing, but I don’t know exactly what
I’m going to do until I start doing it.” 13
LONDON’S UNDERWORLD
VISIONARRI
Photos by: Peter Mountain © 2007 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.
John Colley, Suschitzky’s Gaffer on
Eastern Promises, recalls: “There were
two sets in particular where we had to
allow for the possibility of a 360-degree
camera angle. The first was the
bathhouse and the second was the
restaurant. In order to be able to look in
all directions Peter and I decided that a
combination of Image 80s in the grid,
feeding back to a dimmer desk, was a
much better alternative than any other
space light or hard light scenario. With
over 50, we had total control of the
contrast throughout the sets. We were
able to control backgrounds and set
levels without affecting the colour
14
Another set-up that Colley recollects was a car scene that was
shot without rear screen projection or bluescreen. “Both David
and Peter wanted a traveling car scene to look as realistic as
possible,” he says. “Initially, there were a few late nights in the
studio, but the decision was made that the real world was the
best way to provide the actors with an opportunity to deliver their
dialogue. The location department worked overtime to provide us
with a suitable backdrop and flexible working conditions. We
must have looked like a space ship traveling down Upper Street
on a low loader. There were about 15 or so small ARRI lamps,
from 650W to 2kW, with various colours to match the
surroundings of the streets. I sat next to Peter at the camera with
a dimming desk on my lap while he called out where the lights
should play.”
Shooting at night around London had its advantages for Colley.
“It’s the best time to go to work,” he claims. “You’ve got total
control of lighting and contrast ratios. We used a combination
of Wendy lights with an underslung ARRI T24 or T12 to focus
on specific areas, which worked very well for us.” Some nights
proved to be pretty hectic from a logistical point of view:
“On more than a few occasions there were six or seven cherry
pickers and Genie booms, as well as four or five generators.
Credit to Rigging Gaffer Vince Madden and Best Boy Andy
Cole for keeping things running smoothly.”
Having worked with ARRI Lighting Rental on many films in the
past, Colley was confident in their level of service: “I knew they
would be able to deliver the service and equipment needed in
order to meet the demands of the schedule,” he affirms. “By
working closely with Sinead Moran we were able to maintain a
balance between budget and schedule.” Seaward also has a
long standing association with both ARRI Lighting Rental and
ARRI Media. “I have a close and trusting relationship with both
companies, they always provide great technical support and
service. It’s important to know that someone is always there at
the end of the phone to help you 24 hours a day.”
All involved agree that working on the film was a truly
rewarding experience. “I’m really proud to have worked on
Eastern Promises,” reflects Seaward. “It was a calm environment,
we were always on schedule, the crew were fantastic and there
was a great camaraderie with the cast – so much so that one
day Viggo Mortensen decided it might be a good idea to
become my assistant, the next thing we knew he was handing
out cakes to all the cast and crew!”
Colley adds: “I was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with
David and Peter. Occasionally I had to pinch myself that I was
actually on set with them. It made all those heavy lamps and
dirty cables in the pouring rain worthwhile. They had such a
great understanding with each other and their energy was
tempered and directed. Once we had captured the scene, we
moved on. The crew and cast involved on this film all worked so
well together.”
DIRECTOR DAVID CRONENBERG
A notable scene in the film is a dramatic
fight-to-the-death between two knifewielding assassins and the nude Nikolai
in an old London bathhouse. Filmed on a
set due to concerns about the difficulty of
working in a confined location, it took
many months of planning, weeks of
rehearsals and three days to shoot. This
particular scene had to be approached in
a far less controlled manner than any
other in the film because of its intense
action. “I had to allow for the camera to
be able to move around freely,” explains
Suschitzky. “David felt that he wanted to
have considerable freedom and little
delay between shots so I had to light that
scene so that it was filmable with very
small adjustments in any direction,
whereas with other scenes I was able to
light in a more controlled manner.”
temperature. For the restaurant alone there were over 100
practical channels, which initially may have seemed like over kill
but the time we saved when it came to shooting and keeping a
rhythm made it all worth the expense and effort.”
Photo courtesy John Colley
However, Suschitzky did make a stylistic
decision about his choice of lenses,
choosing the Master Primes. “On all the
films that I have worked on with David
I’ve opted for Primo lenses. I decided,
without any intervention from David at
all, to change everything on this one.
I tested all sorts of lenses and I chose the
Master Primes. They looked very sharp,
I felt that they had slightly less depth of
field than some other lenses and I thought
that they would give the story the right
sort of feel.” Generally, a very small
number of lenses have been used on their
films together. Suschitzky remembers that
A History of Violence was shot almost
entirely on just a 27mm. “For Eastern
Promises we shot mostly on a 27mm and
25mm, but we would occasionally use a
21mm or 35mm.”
AT THE CAMERA DoP Peter Suschitzky BSC, to the left 1st AD
Walter Gasparovic
“I am proud of the whole film, because it’s a good one, through
and through, with everything working together; writing, acting,
direction and visuals. All are seamlessly interlaced - I hope that
my work is integrated well into the whole and feels organic,”
concludes Suschitzky.
This article is dedicated to the memory of Production Manager
Lisa Parker, who sadly passed away several months after
completing the project. Tracey Seaward worked with Lisa Parker
for many years and pays tribute to a close colleague and
friend: “Lisa was an extraordinary and unique person; she had
an amazing passion and energy and was devoted to her job.
She was well thought of by those who had worked with her
over the last 15 years. I truly believe the industry suffered a
tremendous loss, and as a colleague and friend she will
be irreplaceable.” I
Michelle Smith
15
VISIONARRI
Behind the
Scenes of the
Mazda2 Spot
ARRI Film & TV Commercial
and Hager Moss Film produce
powerful TV advertisement.
Television spots for major car
manufacturers are among the most
demanding of commercial productions
and usually command budgets that run
to six figures. Few of these extravagant
commercials are made in Germany,
so Munich-based production company
Hager Moss was especially pleased
when it was commissioned to create
television spots for the Mazda2
campaign. Hager Moss in turn brought
ARRI Film & TV Commercial on board
and the result was an impressive
television commercial that proves
Germany to be capable of taking on
productions of any scale.
An advertising campaign focusing on
the ‘sportiness’ of the product leaves no
doubt about its target market. The
Mazda2, which is the most recent and
most compact model in the Mazda fleet,
is aimed at young drivers looking to buy
their first car. In order to best appeal to
this demographic, the manufacturer and
their advertising agency, J. Walter
Thompson, agreed to steer clear of
familiar campaign concepts. The
approach had already been established
with a print campaign featuring a surreal
collage of images juxtaposing naked
bodies in sporty poses and cold blue
tones with a metallic-green Mazda2.
16
17
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAZDA2 SPOT
VISIONARRI
“WE SHOT A LOT OF
FOOTAGE AND
VERY LITTLE WAS
BUILT AFTERWARDS
IN 3D, BUT DESPITE
ALL THAT, EACH
FRAME IS A
COMPOSITE AND
THEREFORE A
STAND-ALONE
WORK CREATED AT
ARRI DURING
POSTPRODUCTION.”
DoP Rolf Kesterman found the solution
to this problem at the Roman Coppola
Studio in Los Angeles, where he came
across the Photobubble, an inflatable
device made of lightweight, synthetic
material that provides a reflection-free,
bubble-shaped space and a 360-degree
area of view. The manufacturer of the
Photobubble was able to provide a
custom-made, walk-in “soft box” with
white walls, which delivered the perfect
chroma key for postproduction. Only the
floor of the studio had to be painted white.
“WE NEEDED A HIGH FRAME RATE
OF 100FPS, SOMETIMES EVEN
250FPS, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE
THE INTENDED IMAGE QUALITY
IN POSTPRODUCTION.”
A similarly avant-garde concept was
developed for the television spot, in
which a young Mazda2 driver plays
cat-and-mouse with five acrobatic, female
dancers in an abstract, virtual space. The
principal objective of the production was
to visualize and communicate the key
messages: agility, sportiness and
lightness. It was immediately clear that
the project would require a good deal of
postproduction work. Hager Moss chose
to count on the specialists at ARRI Film &
TV Commercial to help meet this
challenge, having collaborated
successfully with them in the past.
Initially, the main task was to come up
with a convincing design for the virtual
space in which the commercial is set.
Certain similarities to the print campaign
18
were purposefully evoked, but the spot
also needed to stand alone as an
original and independent piece. ARRI
Art Director and Flame/Inferno-Artist
Rico Reitz worked with Director Paula
Walker to define a binding framework
for the style. This then allowed specific
arrangements for the shoot and the
subsequent postproduction to be made.
Reitz believes that meticulous planning
during preproduction and the close
monitoring of standards during filming
are the key to a smooth workflow
between production and postproduction.
“The greater the demands on
postproduction, the more involved we
get in the production itself,” he says.
“We feel responsible for our work, which
includes keying, spatial design,
compositing, visual effects, as well as the
blending of the real and virtual elements
into a convincing final image.”
Implementing the concept for the spot
involved filming the Mazda2 and the
dancers in an entirely white space, since
white had been chosen as the key
background for postproduction. “Initially
we wanted to build a concave space
[65 feet deep and 32 feet high] to shoot
in,” recalls Hager Moss Producer Jürgen
Kraus. “But the problem with a concave
space is that you don’t have a ceiling,
which restricts the camera movement
and limits the use of wide-angle lenses.
At some point all the camera can capture
is the studio and the lighting rigs.”
“We were among the first European
productions to use this device,” says
Jürgen Kraus. “The Photobubble was
ideal for creating the sort of world we
had intended for this spot. It provided
excellent working conditions for the
Director and the DoP, allowing them to
shoot at any focal length and move the
camera without any restrictions. In
addition, we had the advantage that
our lighting conditions didn’t change.
As a matter of fact, we lit the space
once and then nothing had to be
changed for the rest of the shoot, which
saved a lot of time.”
The only remaining problem was in
pinpointing the precise spatial
coordinates which would later be
needed during 3D tracking at ARRI. The
Photobubble did not provide any
information about spatial relationships
between individual elements because it
was completely white inside. “We
couldn’t simply place tracking markers
on the Photobubble itself,” explains 3D
Artist Christian Deister. “That wasn’t a
precise enough solution because the
Photobubble constantly moves, although
only slightly, due to changing air
pressure. Instead we had tall poles
made, which we could use as yardsticks
after painting black measurement
markings on them. We distributed these
poles throughout the Photobubble and
measured the distances between them.
This allowed us to exactly recreate the
size of the space and the camera
movements during 3D tracking.”
Filming took place in June 2007 at the
Barrandov film studios in Prague, with
the support of the Czech film production
company Etic. Though the stage was
large enough to house the 164-foot
Photobubble, it transpired that the
Photobubble itself was too small for the
stunt driver to gain sufficient speed for
the choreographed skid scenes. An
access driveway therefore had to be
constructed that ran from outside the
soundstage into the Photobubble.
The spot was filmed on 35mm with an
ARRIFLEX 435. “We needed a high
frame rate of 100fps, sometimes even
250fps, in order to achieve the intended
image quality in postproduction,”
explains Jürgen Kraus. “25fps wouldn’t
have been enough during keying of
crucial scenes because of motion blur.”
During the four days of production 12 to
15 set-ups were shot daily, all of which
required elements to be added in post:
“There isn’t a single shot in this spot
that was created entirely in-camera,”
explains the producer. “We shot a lot
of footage and very little was built
afterwards in 3D, but despite all that,
each frame is a composite and therefore
a stand-alone work created at ARRI
during postproduction.”
The creative teams at Hager Moss and
at ARRI knew that on this type of project,
with an extensive postproduction
component, the approval process can
be very difficult. Jürgen Kraus explains:
“The client and agency representatives
sit in front of a monitor during the shoot
and can watch a green car drive
across a ramp or girls fly through the
Photobubble suspended from wires. They
can’t see a background and they can’t
see a story unfold. All they see is a
white floor that gets increasingly dirty,
which could leave many wondering:
how will this ever end up looking good?
But we were very lucky, because in this
case the client and their agency trusted
our judgement and were able to
envisage our suggestions.”
During the course of production,
exposed negative was processed and
scanned at a film laboratory in Prague
and then sent to ARRI Munich. Within
10 days a 60-second spot as well as
two 30-second, five 20-second and five
10-second spots were offlined. Once
the picture was locked, the actual
postproduction at ARRI started and
took six weeks to complete. 19
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MAZDA2 SPOT
Later on the 60-second spot, consisting
of 67 takes, was scanned again in order
to get even better colour resolution and
to create clean masks. This time the
scanning was completed in two steps on
the Spirit. The spot was scanned in HD
with a 10-bit data depth in order to
avoid problems with the masks and the
steadiness of the images. At this stage
selected takes went to Manuel Voss for
keying and rotoscoping in order to avoid
compromising the agreed-upon timeline.
Rico Reitz explains: “To key 130
individual takes, shot with a moving
camera, was a challenge that kept 10
people busy for 12 days. And that was
a rather fast turn around.”
While the raw material was delivered
from Prague to Munich, the 3D team was
working on two tasks. One was to
evaluate the tracking information from the
camera and the other was to geometrically
reduce the complex 3D construction data
of the Mazda2 that the manufacturer had
provided. This resulted in the creation of a
virtual car, which behaved exactly like the
real car in the film images. “We began by
establishing the camera positions for the
locked camera shots, making sure that
everything was correct in terms of
perspective and depth of field,” explains
Christian Deister. “Then we matched the
real car with the computer-generated 3D
model. This allowed us to generate and
render the 3D shadows and 3D reflections
that were needed for the composite.”
The 3D team was also responsible for
the look of the floor. The problem was
that the floor in the Photobubble was dull
in the first place and ended up getting
quite dirty during the shoot. This led to
20
“TO KEY 130
INDIVIDUAL TAKES,
SHOT WITH A
MOVING CAMERA,
WAS A CHALLENGE
THAT KEPT 10
PEOPLE BUSY FOR
12 DAYS. AND
THAT WAS A
RATHER FAST
TURN AROUND.”
the idea of replacing it with a computergenerated virtual and reflective floor.
Unfortunately there were no reflections of
the real car on the floor and creating
them in compositing proved too difficult,
because of the many different camera
angles. Instead, the reflection of the 3D
model was used and takes of the real
car projected onto its 3D counterpart.
Together they were reflected onto a
virtual surface in photorealistic quality
using XSI Softimage.
The soft light in the Photobubble resulted
in a pleasing soft contrast, but in two or
three shots it made the car’s finish appear
somewhat flat. The 3D team was able to
address this issue on Flame and create a
glossier look. The 3D model of the car
was given a shiny texture and then
placed, as a layer, over the real car.
“The 3D options on Flame are limited, but
when it comes to gloss and finish effects
the tool is perfect,” says Rico Reitz.
The spatial design was also completed
on Flame, with abstract photographic
textures digitally placed on the
VISIONARRI
Photobubble to create the surrounding
environment, a space consisting of
dynamic, blue structures for the
composite with masks from the actual
film. This was followed by fine-tuning of
the lighting set-up, animation of the
background with vibrant lighting effects
and matching of the computer-generated
and the real, filmed elements.
Certain physical improvements were
made to the dancers, who represented
figures from Nordic myths. Masks were
placed on their pupils to create a rather
impressive effect, while a number of
beauty enhancements were made by
retouching the dancers’ eyes, mouths,
lips and teeth to meet the client’s wishes.
This was followed by tape-to-tape colour
grading, to give the entire spot a
consistent look.
The spot aired in the UK immediately after
the official launch of the Mazda2 at the
IAA in Frankfurt and went on to air across
the rest of Europe in October. The board
of directors at Mazda Motors Europe was
very pleased with the final result. Everyone
at Hager Moss and ARRI Commercial
were proud to have completed a
demanding and expensive, yet very
enjoyable production. “The Mazda2 spot
is different. Most car commercials look
very much the same, but the Mazda2 spot
looks more like a music video than a
television commercial,” says ARRI Head of
Commercial Postproduction Philipp Bartel.
All in all, it took only three months to
complete the project, starting with the
request for an initial calculation and
ending with delivery of the 60-second
spot. Hager Moss Producer Jürgen Kraus
believes there are several reasons why
THE PHOTOBUBBLE interior and studio floor were keyed from white to create an abstract space
this complex production went so
smoothly. One was the close physical
proximity of the film production company
and the postproduction house. Another
was the trust that had been established
between Hager Moss and ARRI Film &
TV Commercial on previous productions.
“On a project that requires such complex
and extensive postproduction work, I
want a partner that makes me feel I am
the customer,” he says. “These projects
necessitate intensive support and close
collaboration at all logistical stages as
well as confidence in the partner’s
overall abilities. In my experience,
ARRI has completed all tasks brilliantly.”
Project:
Mazda2 “Competition“
Client:
Mazda Motor Europe
Agency:
J. Walter Thompson GmbH &
Co. KG Düsseldorf
Head of TV JWT:
Marie-Louise Seidl
Creative Director JWT:
Eddy Greenwood
Art Director JWT:
Igor Karpalov
Production:
Hager Moss Commercial
Executive Producer:
Eric Moss
Producer:
Jürgen Kraus
Postproduction Supervisor:
Nilou Tabriz
Director:
Paula Walker
DoP:
Rolf Kestermann
Editor:
Markus Goller
ARRI Head of Commercial:
Philipp Bartel
Philipp Bartel knows all too well that his
team is the pillar of this success: “We
have an exceptional crew at ARRI
Commercial. Together with the team at
punchin.pictures, they have a wealth of
complementary qualifications, which
they employ freely and generously in the
service of our clients. If there are ever
any problems, the team sorts them out
and generates a positive outcome. This
makes for a creative and productive
environment.” I
Ingo Klingspon
Art Director:
Rico Reitz
Telecine:
Stefan Anderman
Flame Artists:
Rico Reitz
Michel Tischner
Stefan Tischner
Rotoscoping:
Manuel Voss & Team
3D Artists:
Christian Deister
Adam Dukes
Jawed Naser
Chris Weingart
Gregoire Barfety
Lutz Pelike
21
Return to Oz
ARRIFLEX D-20 on Tin Man
To create the fantastical world of Tin Man, an upcoming three-part, six-hour
miniseries for the US SCI FI Channel, Director Nick Willing and Cinematographer
Thomas Burstyn chose the ARRIFLEX D-20 to capture a whimsical world that
reimagines Frank Baum’s classic The Wizard of Oz. The production stars
Richard Dreyfuss as a wizard named Mystic Man, Zooey Deschanel as DG (the
granddaughter of the original Dorothy) and Alan Cumming as Glitch, a man missing
half his brain. Although Burstyn is very familiar with working in high definition video,
this was his first foray shooting with the D-20. The DoP ran tests to learn the
advantages and limitations of shooting with the film-style HD camera. “My most
important test was to take the camera out into the darkest forest location we’d be
working in on a gloomy day in the rain and see how the darkness worked in a
situation that I couldn’t light or control. We shot wide open and lit a face very subtly
with one bulb of a Kino Flo wrapped in diffusion and let the forest fall where it may.
Initially I was concerned about the camera’s low ISO rating, but it has a lot more
latitude in the shadows than a film emulsion does so that assuaged a lot of that
worry of mine. Moreover, we were very pleased with the look. Great saturation,
incredible accutance and resolution.”
During testing the camera crew also familiarized themselves with the menu settings
the camera has to offer. “We ran through all the settings on the camera, shot tests
with every possible variation, and settled on the one we thought was best and that
was Log F. It was the slowest setting but it gave the least amount of noise and the
greatest amount of latitude. It seemed to be the most ‘film-like’ setting and the one
that allowed the most flexibility in postproduction. We decided that although the
camera requires a lot of lighting, the final result is quite fantastic. Lee Wilson of
Anthem Visual Effects, leader of our visual effects team loved the camera. I think the
look is closer to 35mm than any other camera can give. It was a worthwhile tradeoff. But while the camera output has some of the feel of 35mm, it also deviates from
the modern grainy vogue of 35mm: because the image is so sharp, it feels like an
old-fashioned fine grain film, maybe like Kodachrome but with better colour
rendition, and long latitude range.”
22
An example of some edgy imagery can
be seen in shots from DG’s perspective,
sometimes shot with Willing’s antique
Eyemo and ARRIFLEX 35 IIC cameras
or even with primitive, yet effective
accessories repurposed for the D-20.
“Nick wanted the film to be a
psychoanalysis of our heroine DG.
He wanted a story within a story, so we
devised strange POVs that were altered
in camera. Nick has a lot of wavy glass
taken from old buildings, pieces of
chandelier and pendants from his
precious collection that he loved to
handhold and wiggle in front of the lens.
A lot of those dreams, memories and
subconscious feelings were interpreted
through that glassware.”
The production shot for 60 days in
British Columbia, Canada with three
D-20 cameras provided by Clairmont
Camera’s Vancouver office. The camera
package included a set of standard
speed Zeiss Primes, a few Super Speeds
and three zooms of wide, medium and
long lengths. Since the single,
VISIONARRI
Photo courtesy James Dittiger/SCI FI Channel
Burstyn interpreted the visuals to serve the
story through a combination of traditional
filmmaking techniques and more stylized
looks. He notes, “My biggest tool around
the camera was colour. We used a lot of
colour, but not all at the same time. A
character or a location would have a
single or double colour assignation,
something Nick, Production Designer
Michael Joy and I worked out during
prep. I would describe Tin Man as oldfashioned filmmaking with a twist. Think
Orson Wells and Gregg Toland ASC.
We had a lot of very classic coverage
and we wanted to seduce the audience
into thinking all is well, everything is
normal and then we’d throw in some
jarring imagery or cross the axis to throw
everybody off track. There’s a lot of
clever cutting in there. The Wicked Witch
is transforming the world into a dark,
lifeless place. The darkness is spreading
from her evil factory. Around her factory
and around her army there’s darkness,
and it’s full of shadows and a very nasty
kind of greenish daylight. Now, wherever
DG goes, there’s a fairy tale, golden,
beautiful light around her. In the world
where DG comes from, it’s a normal,
‘American, apple pie’ light. All that said,
there’s an effort to keep these colours
subtle and the look sincere, as real as
you can expect things to be in the Land
of Oz. It was a bit of a visual tightrope
we had to walk, not wanting anything to
become cartoon-like, but staying well
away from the mundane.”
ON LOCATION Director Nick Willng (right), Cinematographer Thomas Burstyn (left)
6 Megapixel CMOS sensor at the heart
of the D-20 has the same size as a
Super 35mm film aperture the D-20 uses
the same lenses as 35mm film cameras.
Says Burstyn, whose credits include
Marco Polo, the pilot of “The 4400”,
City of Industry and The Boys and Girl
from County Clare, “The great thing
about the D-20 and its 35mm perspective
is that you have full use of the palette of
lenses. This was one of the reasons why
Nick wanted the D-20, to be able to be
selective with his depth of focus. We did
a lot of long lens stuff, a lot of very
standard lens (35, 50, 85mm) kind of
coverage and lots of big, wide-angle
shots swooping into close-ups. There’s a
lot of out-of-focus foreground. We took
full advantage of that 35mm depth of
field that the D-20 camera provides.”
Unlike the original adaptation, the
miniseries is not a musical. “Our film is
more of a road trip,” explains Burstyn.
“The main characters are always
moving, hiding and making their way
towards the goal. A lot of the story is
interpreted through the action or through
the many wonderful flashbacks.” To
cover all of these characters on their
journey, the filmmakers incorporated
frequent camera moves. “We took a lot
from The Magnificent Ambersons and
Citizen Kane. The camera flows through
those big sets and arrives into a close-up
or two-shot. The camera always moves
so there’s a lot of crane and dolly work,
a lot of hand-held. We used a lot of
off-angles. Camera Operator Trig Singer
and Dolly Grip Glen Forerider did
amazing jobs, their choreography was
magnificent to observe. Jim Van Dyke
did one day of Steadicam for a scene of
the characters running through a maze.”
In a scene where DG is threatened by
an angry mob, the production used
in-camera and visual effects to bring a
dead tree to fruitful life. “Nobody has
any way of protecting DG, and the Tin
Man, the Lion and Glitch turn to her to
do something. She doesn’t know quite
what to do and without realizing it, her
magic power transforms the tree they’ve
been standing beneath. As it begins to
blossom, the camera rises into its
branches and the light changes from a
somber gloom into a golden glow. As
the camera continues to rise, we fade up
lights behind moving golden gels and
the light seems to grow brighter as we
do a subtle stop-pull. We arrive at the
top of the tree already in full bloom from
the art department’s bit of set dressing.
Visual effects were later put in to make
flowers bloom on camera. It was a
carefully orchestrated effort that was in
concert with the art department, lighting
and visual effects.”
For Burstyn, the opportunity to translate
the story to screen was a creative
challenge partnered with the benefits of
shooting on the ARRIFLEX D-20. “It’s a
beautiful camera. In this age of instant
gratification, cameras that surprise you
with all the wonderful things that they
can do, this camera requires a lot of skill
and a confident hand but it was a great
thrill and a privilege to use,” he says. I
Tin Man airs in December on the SCI FI
Channel in the USA.
An Tran
23
VISIONARRI
Milcho Manchevski’s
ARRIFLEX D-20
Shadows
Brings Ideas to Reality
A growing number of filmmakers have entrusted their visions to the ARRIFLEX D-20 film-style digital
camera in all areas of motion picture and television drama production. Over the last year, the camera’s
versatility has been tested on feature films, TV drama series, commercials, music videos, second unit and
effects shots.
For Afrika, Mon Amour, German DoP
Frank Küpper was confident the
ARRIFLEX D-20 was the right tool for this
historic three-episode television period
drama shot in Kenya, Germany, Austria
and the UK. With many CGI effects and
a tough postproduction schedule,
shooting digital was the logical choice.
“For a production with so many VFX
shots, shooting digital has lots of
advantages. No grain, instant availability
of the full resolution images and the
35mm look all play a vital role here,” he
explained. “It was obvious that shooting
HD with a camera that uses a Super
35mm [sized] sensor would give the best
results and speed up the workflow.”
24
Another production shot in Canada was
Tin Man, a three-part miniseries directed
by Nick Willing for the US SCI FI
Channel (DoP Thomas Burstyn).
VisionARRI: What’s the film
Shadows about?
Feature films to have shot with the D-20
include The Bank Job (Director Roger
Donaldson, DoP Mick Coulter BSC),
RocknRolla (Director Guy Ritchie, DoP
David Higgs), Prisoners of the Sun
(Director Roger Christian, DoP Ed Wild)
and Frequently Asked Questions About
Time Travel (Director Gareth Carrivick,
DoP John Pardue).
ARRI continues to gather invaluable
feedback and respond to requests from
users in order to further improve the
ARRIFLEX D-20 to meet the needs and
desires of cinematographers. The
development of a new software package
has recently increased the sensitivity of
the camera to provide a wider range of
settings for use in lower light situations;
the D-20 can now be set to the
approximate equivalent of 500 ISO
(ASA), or even higher for certain
applications. While a new Sony Fibre
Interface SFI-1 facilitates high-speed
shooting at up to 60fps. The unit mounts
directly on the camera and is connected
by a single fibre cable to a fibreequipped Sony SRW-1 HDCAM SR
recorder. Bill Lovell, Head of the Digital
Department at ARRI Media, comments:
“The D-20 has always been capable of
operating at 60 frames per second, but
recorders have not been able to do the
same. The Sony Fibre Interface
configuration provides the solution,
allowing high-speed shooting, in-camera
speed ramps recorded directly on
the SRW-1 and a cable length of up
to 500m.” I
Milcho Manchevski: It is about a young
doctor in Macedonia who has personal
problems and dies unexpectedly. He is a
bit like Lady Macbeth’s son; he’s that
type of character. I would describe the
premise of the film as: sometimes the
dead are more powerful than the living.
Is the film set in the world of
the living or the dead?
VA:
The film is mostly about the living,
about the journey the protagonist has to
go on in order to recognize that life
offers many possibilities.
MM:
Your film is an international
co-production. How did that
come about?
VA:
Our film is a German, Macedonian,
Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian
co-production. When you are making
a film in Europe, it is almost always a
co-production. There are two reasons
why: first of all, it allows you to draw
from a larger pool of talented people
when you are putting together your
team. Secondly, it helps get your film
MM:
financed, especially if the film comes
from a small and poor country. As a
matter of fact, all the films I’ve made
have been European co-productions
involving three to five countries.
Fabio Cianchetti, you also
came to the project as a result of
this co-production arrangement,
is that right?
VA:
Fabio Cianchetti: That’s correct. I am part
of the Italian package, so to speak.
I believe it was the Producer Amedeo
Pagani who introduced me to Milcho
Manchevski; he watched several of
my previous films and after an initial
meeting we both had a good feeling
and so went to work. SILENT WITNESS
The D-20 was also used between
November 2006 and April 2007 to
shoot the eleventh series of the BBC
drama Silent Witness, which consists of
ten one-hour episodes. DoP Kevin
Rowley and Producer George Ormond
felt that the use of the D-20 helped to
bring an even higher quality look to this
popular crime series about a trio of
forensic pathologists. “We felt it would
give the show a very distinctive look –
glossy, classy and expensive looking,
with movie ambitions. It was the depth
of field that made the difference for us,”
commented Ormond. The twelfth series
of Silent Witness is now underway and is
again being shot with the ARRIFLEX D-20.
At ARRI in Munich, VisionARRI
spoke with Director Milcho
Manchevski and DoP Fabio
Cianchetti about their latest
feature Shadows, an international
co-production filmed in
Macedonia last year. Together
they recalled their experiences
making the film.
Shooting recently concluded in Canada
on The Andromeda Strain, directed by
Mikael Salomon (DoP Jon Joffin) who last
year directed The Company for Scott
Free Productions with D-20 cameras; a
highly prestigious US miniseries about
the CIA (DoP Ben Nott ACS).
© Jan Thijs
The first major project to use the D-20
was Hogfather, an adaptation of the
novel by Terry Pratchett for UK television.
Directed by Vadim Jean, with
cinematography by Gavin Finney BSC,
the drama aired on Sky HD over
Christmas 2006 in two feature-length
parts. The producers were so pleased
with how the production turned out that
they shot with the D-20 for a second
time this summer, teaming with Finney
again on their next Pratchett adaptation,
The Colour of Magic.
THE COMPANY
HOGFATHER
25
VISIONARRI
SHADOWS
EDITING a car crash sequence
IN DISCUSSION DoP Fabio Cianchetti, DI Colourist Rainer
Schmidt and Director Milcho Manchevski (left to right)
“THE DI GRANTS YOU MUCH GREATER
FREEDOM AND SIMPLIFIES THE
PRODUCTION. NOT ALL PROBLEMS
HAVE TO GET SOLVED ON SET. THERE
ARE PROBLEMS THAT CAN’T BE SOLVED
ON SET, NOT EVEN WITH ALL THE TIME
AND MONEY IN THE WORLD.”
VA:
Which camera did you use?
FC: We used the ARRIFLEX 535 and a
Steadicam. We also used Cooke lenses.
VA:
What was it like
working together?
hadn’t shot the film last summer, I think
we would never have shot it.
Milcho is an excellent director who
knows what he wants. We shared the
same vision for what we wanted to see
on the screen. We agreed on the light,
as well as the mood the film intended to
communicate. He prefers the American
way of working, whereas I like to
experiment, but we soon found a
common denominator. And in the end
we both got what we wanted.
VA:
FC:
One of your co-producers is
Blue Eyes Fiction, a new German
production company. How did
that relationship come about?
VA:
At the beginning we had contacts
with various companies. When we got to
the crucial point, where decisions needed
to be made, Blue Eyes quickly decided to
come on board. We had very little time
because we wanted to shoot the film as
soon as possible and having them on
board allowed us to pull the trigger. If we
MM:
26
Was it the German producers
who suggested ARRI for the
film’s postproduction?
Yes, and I am very happy we
decided to go with ARRI. Working with
ARRI was the best part of this entire
process, starting at the preparation stage
and all through production and
postproduction. To me, what was most
impressive was the competence of the
ARRI staff. Our project was in good
hands and it was a real comfort,
especially after all the problems we had
encountered at the outset. We felt very
safe here. We were able to solve some
of the problems that we were previously
unable to resolve. ARRI was the icing on
the cake on this project; they saved us!
MM:
What problems had you
encountered prior to working
with ARRI?
VA:
We experienced all kinds of
problems. One was the fact that some of
the visual effects made in Bulgaria did
not turn out the way we had intended.
We had done the work there because of
the complicated co-production contract.
At ARRI we were able to fix the visual
effects; we worked on some of the
problematic set-ups and now they work.
The shoot was very difficult and
complicated as well, and some of our
shots did not turn out the way we had
hoped. Things like that always happen,
but I had never been to a place where
these problems were tackled with so
much competence and enthusiasm. The
people I worked with at ARRI, especially
the DI Colourist Rainer Schmidt of ARRI
Film & TV, were so wholeheartedly
committed. At ARRI people are not just
professionals, they are committed
professionals. To me, that is the only way
to work. If you look at this as just another
job that needs to get done, then it is so
much harder to make it to the finish line.
MM:
Was this the first time you
had finished a film using the
DI process?
VA:
Yes. Before, we had just used the
traditional lab process.
MM:
time and I was very nervous about that.
But in the end we finished everything in
less time then we had planned on. The
most important aspect was that the
biggest bulk of the work had already
been completed when we arrived here.
We only had to fine-tune and make some
creative decisions, which were then
executed promptly.
Would you want go through a
DI again?
For me it was the first feature film
entirely finished in a DI, though I did have
some experience of it from commercials
and from collaborations with Bernardo
Bertolucci. The DI opened up an array of
new possibilities. Rainer [Schmidt] was
very important; he showed us the right
way and I am very happy to have crossed
paths with him. We got along splendidly
and shared the same thoughts on many
issues. He was at my side when things got
a bit tricky and that was very reassuring.
VA:
You had only a week to do
the colour correction. Was that all
you thought you needed or were
you afraid this wasn’t going to
be enough time?
VA: You had very little time to
finish the film, since you wanted
to present it at the Toronto
International Film Festival.
FC:
VA:
I was very much surprised how fast
everything got done. At the beginning I
thought that we hadn’t scheduled enough
MM:
Absolutely. The DI grants you much
greater freedom and simplifies the
production. Not all problems have to
get solved on set. There are problems
that can’t be solved on set, not even
with all the time and money in the world.
What I enjoyed most was the possibility
to shape the emotional as well as the
narrative focus during postproduction.
That is unique.
MM:
That’s true. We got into the Special
Presentation section and really had to
get our act together and work hard.
Again ARRI surprised us; everything was
MM:
finished when they said it was going to
be finished, which wasn’t always the
case on this production.
Could you see yourself
shooting a film in Germany?
VA:
Sure, very much so. I would need
some time to really understand the
nuances, but I do believe that people are
the same everywhere. I’ve shot a lot in
Macedonia, France, England and Japan
and I don’t think I would have problems
shooting in Germany. There are many
things I like about this country, for
example the way work gets done here.
In my experience, working with German
companies has always been very
straightforward, honest and transparent.
I like that; it is a rare thing to find. This
was also the case at ARRI. Now, it is
very difficult for me to imagine working
anywhere but at ARRI.
MM:
I would very much like to work in
Germany again, but there are so many
good DoPs in Germany that it is hard to
find work here. Maybe it would be
possible on another international
co-production. I
FC:
Heike Maleschka / Ricore Text
27
EAST OF EVERYTHING
VISIONARRI
ARRI Australia on location with Cinematographer Brendan Lavelle
East of Everything is a six by one-hour television drama series, shot on location in the
beautiful sub-tropical region of Byron Bay in New South Wales for Australia’s national
broadcaster ABC Television.
Created by highly-regarded writers Deb Cox
and Roger Monk, who both live near Byron Bay,
East of Everything is the story of a restless travel
writer who is called to his dying mother’s bedside
in a ramshackle resort on the eastern most point of
Australia. While there, he is beset by local
difficulties and painful reminders of his past, but
comes to realise that this derelict town, which
became his parents’ ‘paradise lost’, may hold the
key to his own salvation.
East of Everything features a stellar cast of
Australian actors such as Richard Roxburgh, Tom
Long, Gia Carides and Susie Porter. Produced by
Fiona Eagger, whose previous television credits
include The Society Murders and CrashBurn,
the show was directed by Stuart McDonald and
Matthew Saville. Director of Photography Brendan
Lavelle, ACS had already established a working
relationship with both directors on the hugely
successful TV series The Secret Life of Us.
Though digital video formats are becoming
increasingly common on television drama
productions in Australia, the team chose to shoot
the series on Super 16mm film, mainly due to the
isolated filming location and its distance from major
centres capable of providing technical support.
“Film equipment is proven to be robust and
extremely portable,” says Lavelle. “It is well suited
to the tight production requirements of a location
shoot, within the inevitable tight deadlines. In
addition, using film gave us flexibility in capturing
the wide range of textures and contrasts at the
various locations. The different landscapes were
treated as other ‘characters’ in the story and we
photographed them at all times of day and night to
capture their many moods. Because of the short
winter daylight hours during the shooting period,
the film’s exposure latitude also gave more chances
to preserve those moods at either end of the day.”
Lavelle opted for Kodak Vision2 film stocks, making
use of 250D (7205), 200T (7217) and 500T (7218).
The production package was provided by ARRI
Australia and consisted of two ARRIFLEX 16SR 3
cameras equipped with Canon zoom lenses of
11.5-139mm and 7-63mm, plus a set of Zeiss
prime lenses ranging from 9.5mm to 50mm and a
Canon Century 300mm telephoto lens with doubler.
The telephoto lens was mostly used to cover surfing
action at the mythical ‘Broken Head Bay’, where
the series is set, as well as shots of the occasional
migrating whale. Two sets of Schultz tripod legs
with O’Connor and Sachtler 150mm fluid heads
completed the package.
“ARRI Australia representatives Christian Hilgart
and Geraldine Quinn visited the location during
preproduction to ensure we had a package that
suited our needs,” continues Lavelle. “For a short
period we also had the chance to use the new
ARRILEX 416 camera and put it through its paces.
“The production was keen to have the cost and
time-saving benefits of 800ft film magazines, which
are not typically seen on ARRI cameras in Australia,
but the team arranged to have these imported for us
from ARRI Germany and they were used to great
effect. In fact, it was the first time these magazines
had been used on a local production in Australia
and they were of great benefit, with increased
running time and greatly reduced wastage. In spite
of the extra weight, they were also successfully used
for hand-held shooting on many occasions, mounted
on an Easyrig camera support and equipped with
zoom lens, matte box and follow focus.
“The shoot was completed successfully and on time,
with no losses due to equipment or weather,”
concludes Lavelle. “All involved feel that we have
made a television series to be proud of and which
does justice to the beautiful region of Byron Bay.” I
Tracy Mair
DIRECTOR OF EPISODES 4, 5, & 6, Matthew Saville, looking
through the camera with DoP Brendan Lavelle; Cast and crew at
Main Beach, Byron Bay; Susie Porter as Eve Pritchard; Director
of the first 3 episodes, Stuart McDonald; The crew on location at
Broken Head; The art department team work on the construction
of the main set, the Far Out East resort; DoP Brendan Lavelle
(from top left)
28
29
VISIONARRI
A THOUSAND YEARS
OF GOOD PRAYERS
“I NO LONGER STRIVE TO
CONTROL AND PERFECT
EVERYTHING. INSTEAD I’VE
LEARNED TO USE WHAT IS
REALLY IN FRONT OF ME AND
MAKE IT SERVE MY ULTIMATE
GOAL FOR THE FILM.”
An Interview with Director Wayne Wang
people and the culture of the Chinese in
America. And, I always try to make films
about what I know best.
VA: You overcome the gap
between Asian and western
culture so easily. What is
your secret?
© 2007 Good Prayers, LLC Philipp Koller, Photographer
WW: There is no secret. There is only the
on-going process of accepting the conflict
and using the best of both cultures.
VA: How did the fact that you live
in America affect your point of
view on China?
It gives me a more objective view
of China, I think. It makes me appreciate
what’s unique and positive about China
and yet see the problems more clearly in
the same way. I’m dealing with being
both American and Chinese.
WW:
VA: After 17 movies, what has
changed for you personally
in filmmaking?
I learned that being truthful to the
characters in the film is the key to
everything. And to find the conflict in
what the characters want gives me the
tension that I need to build each scene.
WW:
DIRECTOR WAYNE WANG
YILAN (FAYE YU) and her father
Mr. Shi (Henry O) at Yilan’s apartment
Wayne Wang’s latest film, A Thousand
Years of Good Prayers, based on a
short story by award-winning author
Yiyun Li, marks the director’s departure
from mainstream Hollywood movies and
a return to his roots in independent film.
A low-budget, character-driven piece,
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is set
in the Chinese American community, a
world in which Wang is very much at
home. He himself is a Hong Kong native
who immigrated to the United States and
later studied film at the California
College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.
The film tells the story of Mr. Shi (Henry
O), an elderly Chinese gentleman who
comes to the U.S. to look after his
recently divorced daughter Yilan (Faye
Yu), though their worlds quickly collide.
30
Mr. Shi is concerned with the loss of
traditional Chinese values while his
daughter, an independent woman
consumed with work and her affair with
a married Russian man, feels her father
is encroaching upon her life. It is the
unexpected friendship with an Iranian
woman (Vida Ghahremani) of his own
age and a trip across the U.S. that
eventually helps Mr. Shi to reconcile
with his estranged daughter.
Wayne Wang’s earlier films include
A Man, a Woman, and a Killer, Chan Is
Missing, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart
and Slam Dance. His Hollywood
breakthrough came with The Joy Luck
Club in 1993, which he followed with
films such as Smoke, Blue in the Face
and Maid in Manhattan. His most recent
film A Thousand Years of Good Prayers
premiered at the Toronto International
Film Festival in 2007, in conjunction
with companion piece The Princess of
Nebraska, also based on a short story
by Yiyun Li.
Less than a month later A Thousand
Years of Good Prayers was awarded
the Golden Shell for Best Film at the
San Sebastian Film Festival.
VisionARRI: Mr Wang, with your
work you seem to be a master
of bringing Chinese themes to a
western audience.
Wayne Wang: I don’t think of myself as a
master. I feel that because I am Chinese
and have been living in America for the
last 30 years I know the community, the
Has your style of
directing changed?
VA:
WW: It has changed a lot. I no longer
strive to control and perfect everything.
Instead I’ve learned to use what is really
in front of me and make it serve my
ultimate goal for the film.
Or has your cultural approach
to China changed?
VA:
It has become a fusion of some
kind. Some people in China recently
said that I’m not Chinese. I’m proud of
that; I’m more than simply a Chinese,
I’m a Chinese-American and a citizen of
the world – a truly contemporary, global
person with a unique fusion culture.
WW:
You are very experienced
now; what is different in your
recent work compared to your
early films?
VA:
Every film is still very different.
I don’t see them as routine; I try to do
different things. Big Hollywood films...
small personal films... but I keep it fresh
so that I learn something new every time.
WW:
VA: What was most important
for you in your new movie A
Thousand Years of Good Prayers?
That there are many things which
determine how your relationship to
different people work, but ultimately there
is something called destiny or fate which
you can affect to a certain degree in
how you are, how you relate to people
and what you do every day – not only in
this lifetime but perhaps in other ones too.
WW:
VA: What did you experience
during this production? What did
you like or dislike? What was fun
and what was difficult?
I enjoyed the freedom I had on
every aspect of the production and
because of this, I was able to work very
instinctively. I worked very closely with
my cinematographer, Patrick Lindenmaier
and we both enjoyed trying to find the
truth in every moment of each scene.
Everything was fun and difficult at the
same time. There are always
contradictions in anything we do.
WW:
Concerning your crew: do you
prefer working in big teams or in
small teams?
VA:
I really like working in a small
close-knit team – the smaller the better.
WW:
VA: How do you choose your crew
for each production? I noticed
that you work a lot with different
people, not with the same editors
or DoPs each time. 31
A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS
VISIONARRI
© 2007 Good Prayers, LLC Philipp Koller, Photographer
A Symphony of Soloists
The ARRIFLEX D-20 captures performances from 150 separate musicians
for Sony’s latest WALKMAN commercial.
WW: I have worked with some people on
several films; my editor has been with
me for four or five films. We have very
similar tastes and have worked out a
shorthand way of working together. I
have worked with some DoPs on several
films – Amir Mokri is one of them. I do
want to work with people on a more
regular basis but it’s very difficult finding
the right person. I enjoyed my
relationship with Patrick Lindenmaier,
we worked together several times, colour
correcting during the transfer from digital
to film and I now appreciate working
with him as a DoP.
VA: During your filmmaking
career, from 1975 up until now,
there has been a transition from
analogue to digital. What do you
think about the developments?
It has not always been easy. In the
beginning I was very suspicious of every
aspect of it; Patrick helped me through
some of that. The technology has really
changed in the last three or four years
and now I believe that the future will
be digital.
WW:
Do you shoot on film or
digital? When and how do you
decide which format to use?
VA:
I think I will use digital more now.
I like the freedom I get from the cameras
that are getting so good and I also like
the fact that it can look so organic in the
end on film. In the future I believe that
film will be phased out when theatres
convert to digital projections.
WW:
lenses from Fujinon. The camera was
one of the first models of this new type.
It had the serial number 17! We used
the so-called CineGamma to avoid
getting excessively stark images in
high-contrast situations.
Is there a technical aspect that
was very important in this movie?
VA:
WW: It was very important for the film to
look natural and not “digital.”
Did you have to make
compromises during the shoot for
technical reasons?
VA:
We had to wait often for the sun or
the light to be appropriate before we
could shoot.
WW:
VA: For A Thousand Years of Good
Prayers you chose to work with
Swiss postproduction companies.
How was this experience, in
particular your collaboration
with Schwarz Film and
Patrick Lindenmaier?
I have worked with Patrick before
at Andromeda Film and Schwarz Film.
I really like their creative capabilities
combined with their expert technical
experience. I have had very good
experiences with them each time.
WW:
How is the technical
equipment and working method
compared to the US or China?
VA:
What equipment did you
use for A Thousand Years of
Good Prayers?
The technical and working method
at Andromeda Film and Schwarz Film is
more precise. And I particularly value
their creative contributions besides their
technical ones. This is the key difference
compared with China or the US.
We shot on an HDW 900R
HDCAM and used zoom and fixed focus
Which digital workflow did
you utilise for your film?
VA:
WW:
32
WW:
VA:
The film was shot on HD 24fps
progressive. The offline was completed
in HD as well. Working on Avid’s,
Adrenalin made it possible to create
subtitles and do a preliminary colour
correction during the initial visualization.
The online edit and the colour correction
were later completed – uncompressed –
at Andromeda Film. Afterwards we
rendered the film in 2K files at Schwarz Film.
WW:
Were you conscious of
significant cultural differences
throughout this workflow?
and Director Nick Gordon (left to right)
VA:
No, as I have mentioned before,
I’m very western and global in my
thinking. The only difference may be the
extreme care of details and precision
which I appreciate a lot!
WW:
Is it inspiring to work in
Europe for you or is it a burden
to travel so far for postproduction?
VA:
I love travelling to Europe and I
love Switzerland. I want to work there
more – maybe even shoot a film there.
WW:
After so many years in
America, could you consider
returning to China to make a film?
VA:
Maybe. I scouted China many
times when I made The Joy Luck Club
and ended up shooting there for
exteriors only because it is very difficult
to work there. They have the latest
technology and the skills, but they don’t
have the care, the organization or the
mental precision to do a really great job.
WW:
VA: Apart from commercial
aspects, which of your movies are
you most proud of having made?
WW:
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers.
Andrea Oki
THE MUSICIANS form a spiral; each play a single note in turn
DIRECTOR NICK GORDON
LINING UP A SHOT: DoP Antonio Paladino, 1st AC Alex Reid
I
Once a centre-point of Victorian London’s social scene, the 2000-capacity theatre within
Alexandra Palace, unseen by the public for more than 65 years, is a crumbling vestige
of its past. Scheduled for restoration, the theatre is in such a magnificent state of
disrepair that it resembles an elaborately designed set, which is the very reason it has
been selected as the location for a new commercial advertising Sony’s next generation
of WALKMAN digital media players.
Standing amid the faded grandeur, DoP Antonio
Paladino explains the concept of the shoot: “We have
150 musicians and our assignment is to film every one
of them playing one single note. They’re all individual
musicians and were playing together for the first time
on our first shooting day; it wasn’t at all clear
whether or not they’d actually be able to play this
piece of music but they’ve pulled it off really well.”
Produced by production house Academy for
advertising agency Fallon, the commercial was slated
as an HD shoot at an early stage due to uncertainty
about how much material would have to be shot in
order to get adequate coverage. Paladino opted to
shoot with Cooke S4 lenses on two ARRIFLEX D-20s,
having used the film-style digital camera for the first
time only weeks before, on another commercial.
Equipment was supplied by ARRI Media in London.
Despite its dilapidation, the theatre is a listed and
therefore protected building, so the crew were unable
to hang a lighting grid from the ceiling, nor even put a
single nail in a wall. “We’re using helium balloons,”
says Paladino. “8kW tungsten tubes - three for the main
hall and one for the stage; they’re on strings so we can
move them around and angle them. The practical bulbs
that are strung around the hall were already there. We
didn’t want it to look over-lit; it’s a moody location, so
we wanted the lighting to have a moody look. I didn’t
want the faces or the sheet music to be too bright.”
HD Technician and AC Gavin MacArthur was given
the responsibility of overseeing the camera signals
from the Director’s monitors, as well as remotely
controlling aperture settings, which were generally
T2.8 and one-half or wider. “We calibrated the
monitors to all match during our test day at ARRI
Media,” he says. “We also have Astro monitors set
up here so I can keep an eye on waveform displays
no matter how the cameras are configured.”
Postproduction of the commercial is taking place at
The Moving Picture Company (MPC), with a tight
turnaround of just seven weeks. “Unfortunately I
can’t be there for the grade,” says Paladino. “But I
don’t think much will change with what we’ve shot.
The location is stunning and the costumes are so
colourful, everything already looks amazing. All the
monitors were calibrated so what we see is really
what we’re getting. It’s such a great advantage of
shooting on HD – I can just look at a monitor under
a dark cloth and see exactly what I’m getting; it’s a
very satisfying process.” I
Mark Hope-Jones
33
VISIONARRI
The Story of a Young Killer
Based on Jonathan Trigell’s novel of the same name, Boy A
follows the story of Jack, a child murderer released back into
society as an adult. As the 24-year-old attempts to start again
in a world outside of confinement and rid himself of his former
life, the story moves between the present and past, taking the
viewer on a journey to discover who Jack really is. The
question at the core of the film is; can Jack really escape the
past and start again – and is it right that he should? 34
35
THE STORY OF A YOUNG KILLER
DIRECTOR JOHN CROWLEY
VISIONARRI
“I WAS INTERESTED IN CREATING A HAZY SOFT
FLARE AND FOUND THAT BY USING A ONEEIGHTH BLACK PRO-MIST OR ONE-QUARTER
CLASSIC SOFT FILTER, COMBINED WITH A
DEGREE OF CAMERA FLARE, I WAS ABLE TO
ACHIEVE THE SUBTLE LOOK I WANTED.”
he didn’t want. Consequently, I was
able to formulate a ‘visual plan’ without
any restrictions.
The only film we really talked about was
Alan Clarke’s Elephant, a 1980s BBC
production that has rarely been seen.
There was a cold observing quality to it
that seemed appropriate. It is an
incredibly uncompromising film, a true
work of art. We took the idea and ran
with it. I made sure that my Steadicam
Operator, Roger Tooley, had seen the film
as it is a Steadicam operators dream.
Originally produced by Cuba Pictures
for Channel 4, the worldwide rights for
Boy A were recently snapped up by
The Weinstein Company following a
successful screening at the Toronto
International Film Festival. Directed by
John Crowley and photographed by
Rob Hardy, the production was shot with
two ARRIFLEX 416 cameras and Master
Prime lenses. Camera equipment was
supplied by ARRI Media and lighting
equipment by ARRI Lighting Rental from
their Manchester branches.
Director of Photography Rob Hardy
discusses how he tackled this
controversial and thought-provoking
subject – his subtle approach,
camerawork and favourite scenes.
VisionARRI: The production has been
shot in Super 16 using ARRIFLEX
416 cameras. How was this
decision made?
I fell out of love with 16mm
some time ago. We had a passionate
affair but it fizzled out, mainly due to
familiarity and partly because there was
nothing new, it just wasn’t going
anywhere for me. I preferred 35mm and
dare I say it, HD started to show its face
in an impressive way. But all that
changed when I saw the 416. It was love
at first sight. I am not a camera geek,
and not particularly technical, but I
Rob Hardy:
36
instinctively knew that this was a good
thing. The 416 stood out, a 16mm
camera with 35mm capabilities. The look
through is crystal clear and I could use
35mm lenses without getting neck ache.
When I met with John Crowley and Lynn
Horsford [Producer] the first thing they
told me was that we were to shoot on
film, not HD. We wanted a film look and
feel, but the budget couldn’t stretch to
35. The 416 was the perfect choice.
Also, I knew there would be a certain
degree of hand-held work involved;
again, this was 416 territory.
What visual approach did
you decide on with John Crowley
for the story? Did Crowley give
you any visual references or
were you influenced by anyone
or anything?
VA:
Meeting John Crowley was an
inspirational time for me. He trusted me
implicitly, which is rare for a new
collaboration such as this. I felt I was
able to stamp a personal visual style
onto the film without it being
inappropriate or egotistical. We talked
in depth about the story, about that main
character’s trajectory and how this could
be achieved through the cinematography.
John was open to anything, which is not
to say he didn’t have a clear idea about
what he wanted; rather, he knew what
RH:
I would like to say that I studied
paintings or other cinematographers’
work but I didn’t, my main influence
comes from music. Rhythm, timing and
melody are how I see images. I prefer to
keep my mind free from the clutter of
other peoples’ way of seeing, which is
probably why I have no pictures on my
walls at home.
Can you describe the style
of camerawork?
VA:
One thing that John and I agreed on
at a very early stage was our dislike for
‘Brit Grit’. Hand-held work seems such
an obvious route to ‘spray on’ emotion.
That isn’t to say we didn’t use a handheld camera, we did, there is something
about operating a hand-held camera that
gets you close to the emotion of a
character, it becomes very immediate.
However, I wanted everything we did to
be subtle, layered, considered. We
thought very hard about how to approach
a scene before we dived in. I wanted to
create an elegant feel overall, and that
meant combining hand-held with
Steadicam, as well as formal static wide
shots and slow creeping tracking shots. I
think in the end these things combined
very well. It is easy to be flashy, it is a
lot harder to be restrained and subtle,
but I think we achieved it.
RH:
You chose to use Master Prime
lenses on Boy A, what is it you
like about them? Were there
particular focal lengths that were
used more than others?
What can I say about these beautiful
things without gushing embarrassingly.
Probably a focus puller’s worst
nightmare, but enter stage right the very
talented Mr. Ritchie Donnelly; my focus
puller on Boy A. He appeared suitably
unfazed by the challenges that these
beasts unleashed upon us during
production. I chose them because
initially they seemed very similar to
Primos. The focal lengths make more
sense to me than those of the Cookes or
the Ultra Primes and of course the speed
was a big part of the decision process.
I shot most of the film wide open at
T1.3, partly for creative reasons and
partly because I was using very slow
daylight stocks on low lit interiors. My
refusal to use hard highlights and my
liking for under-lit soft sources made it
particularly hard for Ritchie. I tended to
use the mid range in the set; the 21, 40
and 65mm were particular favourites of
mine. I was interested in creating a hazy
soft flare and found that by using a oneeighth Black Pro-Mist or one-quarter
Classic Soft filter, combined with a
degree of camera flare, I was able to
achieve the subtle look I wanted. It
added another layer to an image that
was sometimes too crisp. I’m completely
sold on these lenses.
RH:
VA: The story moves between the
present and past, looking at the
attempts of the main character
(Jack) to readjust to a world
outside of prison and at what
happened to him as a youngster.
Did you decide to represent
the present and past
differently visually?
John and I deliberately set out to
keep that transition as seamless as
RH:
possible. Jack’s character is continually
tormented by his past but it remains
intrinsically part of his every being and
as he discovers, almost impossible to
separate. To have a different visual style
for past and present would have been
the obvious thing to do. Audiences are
smarter than that. I wanted both past
and present to look the same. The
audience should feel what Jack is feeling
in order to understand the complexities
of the character. So I photographed
them in exactly the same way, as if the
story itself were linear.
Are there any shots that come
to mind that were particularly
difficult, or a particular shot that
you are most proud of? Can you
describe how they were achieved?
VA:
There are a couple of shots in the
film, which demonstrate our methods in
subtlety and in taking a different
approach. In the story Jack saves a little
girl from a car crash, an act of
redemption perhaps, and whilst working
at a warehouse he is called onto the floor
because “somebody wants to see you”.
Jack is understandably afraid. We follow
him through a tunnel of blue pallets on
Steadicam until we enter the open space
of the warehouse floor where five people
are waiting for him, one of them being a
photographer who wants to take his
picture for the local newspaper. Jack
hesitates. At this point we were supposed
to cut and then drop into singles and two
shots as the scene plays out, but I
suggested we continue the shot for the
duration of the scene. So the camera
follows him and begins to circle the five
people as the scene plays out. It was all
about looks and words said by the actors
that enforced Jack’s paranoia. Roger
RH:
[Steadicam Operator] circled them twice
until the scene ended. The result was
amazing. What we got was the energy
of the scene without any breaks in it,
enabling the actors to play it out for real,
thus enhancing the drama. It was a long
shot and took 16 or so takes to achieve
but it worked beautifully. The thing that
pleases me most about it is that you are
not aware of the camera, you are only
aware of the story that is unfolding
between the characters.
The second shot is during a scene
between Jack as a boy and his friend
Philip, whom he commits the heinous
crime with. Philip is telling Jack how his
older brother has raped him. It is Philip’s
only open display of genuine emotion,
and a poignant moment. I wanted to
reflect visually how Philip’s character
could feel so small and vulnerable. One
would assume that we would start wide
and go in to a close-up to capture the
emotion of the child. I decided to do the
opposite. I suggested to John that we
move away from the kids as Philip’s
story progresses to deeper and darker
levels. We constructed what I call an
‘invisible’ crane shot. It started as a low
wide shot and slowly, very slowly,
moved to an overhead and then just
simply kept going up and up into the
heavens. It ended as Philip ended his
story. Once again, because the subject
matter is so engaging I didn’t want the
audience to be camera aware, the shot
progresses so slowly that we hardly
notice the movement until all of a sudden
you realise that you are way up in the
sky looking down upon these two
vulnerable children.
Having said all of that, I think my
favourite shot in the film is a simple mid
shot of the character Zeb, the son of
Jack’s caseworker Terry, sitting in Terry’s
kitchen conversing with his dad for the
first time in a long while. It’s a great
scene. I cannot explain why, but this shot
to me is the closest I have ever come to
fulfilling my vision. Everything about it,
to me, is aesthetically perfect. To anyone
else, it may seem unremarkable.
Rob Hardy and John Crowley are
currently in preproduction on their
second project together, Is There
Anybody There? I
VA:
Michelle Smith
DOP ROB HARDY at the camera on location
37
VISIONARRI
Mongol
The Early Years of Genghis Khan
The Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan remains one of the most
legendary and controversial figures of world history. In the early
13th century he laid the foundation for one of the world’s largest
empires by uniting the feuding tribes of Central Asia. In recognition
of this achievement, Mongols continue to worship him as the father of
the Mongol Nation. Others, however, remember him as the ruthless,
warmongering conqueror who annexed China, Persia and Russia,
and even had ambitions in Europe. The new film Mongol tells a lesser
known side of the story – that of a little boy named Temüjin, who
endured tremendous hardship before becoming the first ruler of the
Mongol Empire, later to be known as Genghis Khan.
Director Sergei Bodrov Sr. (Prisoner of
the Caucasus, Bears Kiss) felt a strong
connection to this tale of a young man
fighting to fulfil his destiny: “Mongol was
a very personal film for me,” he says.
“I very much related to Temüjin’s plight.
Many historical accounts describe
Genghis Khan as a monster and mass
murderer; but I wanted to show a
different man, a man I admire because
he overcame the most dire and hopeless
circumstances to become the leader of a
nation and the ruler of an empire. Let’s
not forget, the Mongol Empire was a
highly organized and efficient empire
with an early form of an administration.
That’s why, to this day, Genghis Khan is
much more to the Mongols than the
founder of Mongolia. They still worship
him like a God.”
Bringing this incredible story to the big
screen was a challenge, even for a
filmmaker as experienced and recognized
as Bodrov. The international
co-production, involving Russia, Germany
and Kazakhstan was shot in China and
Kazakhstan with camera equipment
supplied by ARRI Rental, Munich. Behind
the camera were two DoPs: Rogier
Stoffers (Character, Quills) and Sergey
Trofimov (The Peshawar Waltz, Day
Watch), who shot the mass battle scenes.
Communication and logistics were of vital
importance in making this method of
working a success.
The majority of the film was shot in Inner
Mongolia, an autonomous region in
Northern China that borders Mongolia
and is actually home to more Mongols
than Mongolia itself. “It was a complex
decision to shoot there,” recalls Bodrov.
“A lot of it had to do with budgetary
considerations, but first and foremost
it was important to me to shoot at the
original locations in Inner Mongolia,
38
the cradle of the Mongolian culture and
the heart of the old Mongolian empire.
Also, we had heard a lot of good things
about filming in this area, in terms of the
availability of personnel.”
“WE HAD TO CLEAN THE
EQUIPMENT CONSTANTLY.
BUT THE ARRI
EQUIPMENT PERFORMED
EXCEPTIONALLY WELL,
EVEN UNDER THESE
EXTREME CONDITIONS.”
The production had to hire two people
for each position, one Russian and one
Chinese; additionally they had crew
members from Germany, Japan, Ukraine
and Mongolia. Consequently, there was
need for a team of about 30 translators
and on occasion the melting pot of
cultural mentalities did lead to some
friction. “We had to pay our dues,”
continues Bodrov. “But the fantastic
locations and our extremely professional
crew helped us make an exceptional
film with breathtaking images at a
reasonable price.” With a smirk on his
face, he adds: “We are more or less
experts now on filming in China and
could teach expensive seminars.”
Of course the shoot wasn’t just taxing on
the crew. On location in these remote
areas of Inner Mongolia the ARRICAMs,
ARRIFLEX 435 and 235 cameras were
subjected to exceptionally harsh
conditions. “We had to deal with
extreme temperatures and with a lot of
sand and dust,” says DoP Sergey
Trofimov. “We had to clean the equipment
constantly. But the ARRI equipment
performed exceptionally well, even under
these extreme conditions. I believe these
cameras speak for themselves.” 39
MONGOL
VISIONARRI
Filming of the third battle
“I HAVE ALWAYS WORKED WITH
ARRI EQUIPMENT AND IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE TO USE
ANYTHING ELSE.”
Sergei Bodrov was also aware that
reliability was an absolute priority for the
camera kit. “I have always worked with
ARRI equipment and it would have been
a mistake to use anything else,” he says.
“Especially in our high-risk business, it is
extremely important to rely on partners
who are 100% trustworthy. ARRI was
definitely the right choice for such a
logistically challenging shoot. We were
filming in the most remote locations and
the equipment had quite a journey to get
40
there. Everything was flown to Beijing,
where the shipment had to pass customs;
then, after an additional 4-hour flight to
a small provincial airport, the equipment
had to go on a 12-hour car ride before
reaching our location in Inner Mongolia.
A lot can happen on such a long journey.
At one point, half of the cases arrived
wet; we had to dry and test everything,
but it all worked perfectly.”
Another challenge was finding a way to
view dailies. The exposed film had to be
taken to a laboratory in Hamburg and
the processed footage sent back to
China. “Obviously it was an issue that
we couldn’t view what we had shot,”
says Trofimov. “The first dailies made it
back to China three weeks into the shoot.
The second set got there two weeks
before we wrapped. It was very risky.
The suspense was great, but when the
dailies finally arrived, we didn’t have the
time to properly check them; we just did
a rush screening.”
The look of the film was determined
by the fact that it interweaves two
emotionally contrasting storylines, but
also by the key role played by the
landscape. Sergey Trofimov explains how
they decided on a visual approach:
“We just went ahead and storyboarded
everything, at least the part that I shot.
That’s when we realized that several
compositions didn’t fit into the story and
we had to make some adjustments. The
main story is quite simple; it is the story
of a young man, a story about his life,
his friends and his enemies. The images
were therefore kept rather simple in terms
of composition. But then there is also the
B-story, the romance. We decided to use
Cooke lenses, which are a little softer
than the Ultra Primes and therefore more
appropriate for the love story. The battle
scenes were another issue altogether.
We shot them mostly hand-held, but the
rest of the film was made rather
conventionally, using a lot of dolly and
static shots. We wanted to show the
beautiful landscape and not distract from
it with attention-grabbing camera work.”
During postproduction, the main tasks
were to blend the various storylines
which were shot at multiple locations and
to create a homogenous and consistent
look. Trofimov himself supervised the
colour grading process of the entire film.
A rough cut of Rogier Stoffers’ footage
had been colour graded already but the
fine-tuning was Trofimov’s responsibility.
“Rogier Stoffers footage wasn’t shot
differently,” he explains, “it was just a
different part of the story. Working this
way allowed me to analyze the role each
part was to play in the film ahead of
time; then I went ahead and figured out
how to proceed. On one hand the
landscapes, such as the steppe and the
mountains, had to play an important
part. On the other hand we were dealing
with various intense and different
emotional states. This required very
sophisticated colour grading because it
was important to find a balance between
continuity and differentiation. I hope we
found the right way.
In every regard – creatively, technically,
politically and personally – this was a
valuable experience,” concludes
Trofimov. “And I believe that the end
result will meet all expectations.”
Mongol received its world premier at
Toronto International Film Festival in
September 2007 and its European
premier at Cinema Rome Film Festival
in October 2007. I
Bastian Prützmann / Andrea Rosenwirth
41
VISIONARRI
XAVER SCHWARZENBERGER on camera
Copacabana
The postproduction experts at ARRI in Munich have supported many
prestigious national and international film and television projects,
guiding them through the various stages of production. For Xaver
Schwarzenberger’s most recent television drama Copacabana, their
expertise was put to use combining traditional film techniques with
digital technology.
A native of Vienna, Xaver Schwarzenberger is among the most versatile and sought-after
filmmakers in the German-speaking world. His large body of work as a DoP includes
many of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s films, such as Berlin Alexanderplatz, Lola, Lili
Marleen, Querelle and Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss, as well as the box-office hits
Schtonk! and the Otto films. In recent years he has worked increasingly in television, on
productions including Andreas Hofer – Die Freiheit des Adlers, Eine Liebe in Afrika,
Annas Heimkehr and Margarete Steiff. Though he started out as a DoP,
Schwarzenberger now works exclusively in the dual role of director/DoP. To him,
cinematography and directing are inextricably linked; he considers his work behind the
camera to be but one aspect of his responsibilities as a director.
In the 1990s Schwarzenberger began his collaboration with the editor Helga Borsche,
who won the Bundesfilmpreis in 1984 for her work on Ediths Tagebuch and has over
several decades cut film and television productions for notable directors such as Hans
W. Geißendörfer and Mika Kaurismäki.
Having worked together many times, Schwarzenberger and
Borsche have developed a distinctive approach, preferring to
assemble the final version of their films in the traditional way,
on an analogue cutting bench. The director/DoP finds this
process to be much more creative than working on an AVID,
even though the software tools would make it easier and faster
to experiment with different approaches. He and Borsche insist
that the actual physical handling of the negative and the
amount of additional effort required when working on the
analogue cutting bench – laying in the film, rewinding and
fast-forwarding – means greater thought and discipline has to
be given to defining one’s goals. This, so they argue, results in
the high concentration levels they deem necessary considering
their great sense of responsibility for the material. This way of
working, however, most certainly benefits from the fact that
Schwarzenberger already has a general editing concept in
mind when he begins shooting.
While Copacabana was, like Schwarzenberger’s other films,
shot on 35mm and edited on an analogue editing bench, it
was the first of his productions to be digitally finished in HD
resolution. Produced in 2006 for German-language TV stations
MDR and ORF, it aired in the fall of 2007. The story centres on
a family coming together to celebrate a couple’s 35th wedding
anniversary. During the festivities many unresolved issues and
well-kept secrets from the past surface, forcing the family to pull
together in order to overcome these problems. The stellar cast
includes Bruno Ganz, Nicole Heesters, Christiane Paul and
Friedrich von Thun.
Schwarzenberger and Borsche’s traditional working methods
meant that finishing Copacabana in HD required a flexible
workflow that could accommodate traditional practices – such
as cutting dailies on 35mm – while also taking advantage of
newer digital systems. This, of course, affected the picture as
well as the sound editing, but in the end an HD master was
generated from the edited 35mm negative. The television
audience, however, will not yet be able to enjoy the wonderful
HD quality, because the film will initially be down-converted
and aired in an SD (Standard Definition) version. But with
more and more high-resolution television sets finding their way
into the homes of viewers, nothing stands in the way of HD
Copacabana reruns in the future. I
Ingo Klingspon
EDITOR HELGA BORSCHE
at the cutting desk
42
43
VISIONARRI
SEVEN
DAYS
SUNDAY
The challenge of
combining HD and Super
35mm in the DI Process.
THE LEADING
ACTORS
Ludwig Trepte and
Martin Kiefer
Niels Laupert’s feature film Seven Days Sunday premiered on June 23, 2007 at the
25th Munich Film Festival, where Laupert, an HFF film school graduate, received the first
annual Mentor Award. The film, which tells the true story of two juvenile murderers,
was produced by fellow HFF graduates Thomas Bartl and Alex Dierbach. Another HFF
student, Anne Bürger, assisted DoP Christoph Dammast for the second half of the shoot.
Writer/Director Niels Laupert based the film, which is his first feature, on an idea he got in 2000 after
reading an article in one of Germany’s leading newspapers, Süddeutsche Zeitung: “The article talked
about two 16-year-old Polish boys who, on a Sunday in January 1996, made a bet to kill a man the very
same day,” he recalls. “Later that night, they attempted to carry out their bet, but the first man they came
across survived their attack. They went on, having learned from the first incident, to attack a second man
and this time succeeded in killing him. The two adolescents were tried as adults and sentenced to 25 years
of imprisonment.
“The article shocked me,” Laupert continues. “But at the same time I couldn’t stop thinking about this
incident. How could it have happened? Why did all natural inhibitions fail? I knew from the outset that I
didn’t want to make an intellectual film about the issues raised by this tragedy. First and foremost I wanted
to tell a story, utilizing all the available creative and technological possibilities. It was important to me to
include the environment and surroundings of the protagonists and therefore we didn’t want to limit the story
by cutting together a series of close-ups. That’s why Super 35mm was our first choice and why we decided
to go with the 2.35:1 format.”
The entire postproduction for the film was completed at ARRI
Film & TV Services in Munich, where Alex Klippe was
responsible for the DI workflow. Super 35mm footage was
scanned on an ARRISCAN in 2K and combined with digitized
HD footage in the online edit. The challenge during
postproduction was to integrate the HD footage with the 35mm.
This was necessary because in several scenes the documentary
footage had to blend seamlessly into the fictional material: “I
decided not to attempt to distinguish the two types of footage in
order to avoid taking the viewer out of the story,” says Laupert.
“I didn’t want to create a sort of docu-fiction format.”
Experienced DI Colourist Manfred Turek was in charge of
the digital colour grading. The primary colour grade was
completed in a Lustre Suite and the final grade, involving
several shapes and masks, was subsequently completed in the
Lustre Master Suite, after a large-screen 2K digital projection.
A further difficulty during the digital colour correction was
caused by the fact that part of the shoot had taken place
during winter and another part during spring, and some
scenes required shots from both parts. This had been a
challenge for makeup and continuity during filming and later,
during postproduction, for Turek, who had to match the
various lighting conditions.
“In the last few weeks before the premiere we worked in all
areas of postproduction at the same time,” recalls Laupert.
“We took advantage of the fact that we could complete the
entire finish and mix in one physical location. It was a very
demanding time: we had to match the various materials, such as
35mm and HD, complete the VFX work and finish retouching, all
at the same time. Simultaneously we had to complete the sound
editing and the sound mix. ARRI supported us during this difficult
time with their know-how and their passion.”
CHECKING A SHOT: Director Niels Laupert, DoP Christop Dammast,
Theresa Luther, Gaffer Oliver Menebröcker, 1st AC Korkut Akir (left to right)
1ST AC KORKUT AKIR
The film was initially conceived as a 30-minute graduation
project for the HFF in Munich and had received funding from
the FFF-Bayern to the tune of 50,000 Euros. “But the longer I
worked on the story,” continues the director, “the more I came
to realize that I couldn’t possibly tell it in 30 minutes.”
Additional funding was therefore raised, from public as well
as private sources, to transform the short into a feature. After
Angela Reedwisch at ARRI Munich, a staunch proponent of the
controversial project, committed her support, several other
companies followed her lead. “Even though this was just a
small film by an unknown director, we received the full
attention and support of the ARRI team,” concludes Laupert.
“I really appreciated their professionalism and enjoyed the
friendly environment. I am very happy to have completed my
film at ARRI.” I
Sabine Welte
44
SUPER 35MM FOOTAGE WAS
SCANNED ON AN ARRISCAN
IN 2K AND COMBINED WITH
DIGITIZED HD FOOTAGE IN
THE ONLINE EDIT. THE
CHALLENGE DURING
POSTPRODUCTION WAS TO
INTEGRATE THE HD FOOTAGE
WITH THE 35MM.
Filming was split into two stages and centred around a high-rise apartment complex in a neighbourhood of
Leipzig called Grünau, which looked very similar to the real crime scene in Poland. “The filming of the first
stage commenced in January of 2005,” says Laupert. “ARRI Rental in Munich provided the ARRIFLEX 535
and Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses for the shoot, while lighting and stage equipment came from ARRI Rental in
Berlin. We shot on Fuji 250D and 500T film stocks. The second part of the filming started in May 2006
and for that we used an ARRICAM LITE. Additional footage, documentary footage and taped interviews
with the convicts needed to be shot as well. It took several attempts to establish contacts in Poland; we had
to make numerous requests before the convicted felons agreed to be interviewed and the Polish authorities
granted us filming permits.”
Interviews with the culprits, who were sent to different prisons,
were conducted in October 2005 and October 2006. “For
practical and budgetary reasons we shot the Polish part of the
production on a Sony HDCam,” says Laupert. “We weren’t
sure how the two convicted criminals, who at that point had
already served 10 years of their sentence, would react to us
being there. I didn’t want to interrupt the concentration of an
interview by changing reels. Plus the Polish authorities had
stipulated that the crew entering the prison could consist of no
more than 4 people.”
DIRECTOR NIELS LAUPERT and team on set
45
VISIONARRI
Though they had originally talked about shooting on a Sony
PD-150 to keep costs down, when ARRI Media offered its help
to the tune of a camera package, Nelson pushed for HD. The
film was shot on a Sony HDW-750 with a film-style Canon
zoom and down-converted to DigiBeta. “It was quite a
compact kit,” says Nelson, “because the schedule was pretty
tight and we wanted to travel light.”
For some shots of the principal character, a skittish, twitchy
drug dealer, Nelson suggested the use of higher shutter
speeds, a technique lifted from his background in film. “It
helped contrast that character with the young kid who’s more
slow and dopey,” he explains. “The dealer is almost frenzied
in a way, so the idea was to make him look almost staccato in
his movements and accentuate his nervous energy.” When it
came to a scene in which the dealer takes heroin, Nelson
experimented with hand-held dioptres and shift-and-tilt lenses,
creating unusual focus effects in camera to reflect the
character’s state of mind.
With a tight schedule and budget, the small crew carefully
planned when to shoot each scene in order to minimise
equipment requirements. “It was guerrilla filmmaking really,”
says Nelson. “Getting the best you can as quick as you can.
Some things we spent more time on than others, like the
lighting for the end scene in the lounge, which was difficult
because Mark wanted a really wide, high master shot, which
of course revealed all the positions where I wanted to put
lights. Balancing that with all the other shots when we went in
closer was a challenge. It’s just the restrictions of working on
location rather than a sound stage – trying to fit yourself into
someone’s living room. We had some good people who
offered up their houses for an evening and were even gracious
when we told them to be quiet in their own home.”
Side Effect
ARRI Media and ARRI Lighting Rental
support budding filmmakers from
within their own ranks.
Set amidst the sordid underworld of drugs in London, Side Effect is a ten-minute short film written and directed
by Mark Fortune. Entirely self-financed, the low-budget project was sponsored by ARRI Lighting Rental, where
Fortune trained as a Lighting Technician, and ARRI Media, where cinematographer Stephen J. Nelson works as
Camera Technician Trainer.
“I suppose the initial impetus to make it came from Steve,” says Fortune. “We bumped into each other and got
talking. He knew I’d made a film a few years ago and suggested I make another, explaining that with all the
new media packages like Final Cut Pro and also the new generation of cameras, you can affordably achieve
quite a high level of autonomy.”
Having been convinced that the advance of prosumer technologies could maximise directorial control even
with a minimal budget, Fortune revived Side Effect, a script he had already tried to film once before. “Steve
and I talked about the visual approach,” he says. “I like for things to be natural; for any light that is used to
have a reason for being there. I went to drama college myself so am very keen to serve the actors. One of the
high points of Side Effect is the acting; Nick Tennant as the lead gives a superb performance and the whole
cast are very strong. I like to let the camera roll, though I’m not a big fan of improvisation, so prefer the actors
to find the freshness within a structure.”
WRITER AND DIRECTOR, MARK FORTUNE (top)
DOP STEPHEN J. NELSON (middle)
DIRECTOR AND DOP discussing a shot (bottom)
46
Nelson’s lighting kit, provided by ARRI Lighting Rental,
included Dados, an ARRILUX 400, 1.2K HMIs, a 2.5K
ARRISUN and Chimera soft boxes; for outdoor scenes he used
poly boards to flag and bounce the available light. Fortune
was able to discuss lighting solutions with Nelson on a
technical level, drawing on the training that got him started in
the industry.
“I did a four year apprenticeship at ARRI Lighting Rental,” says
Fortune. “I did my City and Guilds Electrics Parts One and
Two, and got my HGV license – it was a full apprenticeship.
If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be making films again now.
They gave me an opportunity to get into the industry on a
professional level; I’ll always be grateful to them for giving
me that start.
“Once we’d wrapped I did the offline on an Apple G4 at
home,” continues Fortune, “and then it went to Steve who did
some grading on his system. All the postproduction was done
on our own Apple Macs.”
The film had its first public screening at the Final Cut
competition in Brighton and has since been featured at the
Bacup Film Festival, Lancashire and the Sefton Short Film
Festival, and will go on to be entered in about 60-80 festivals
around the world. I
Mark Hope-Jones
47
VISIONARRI
ROBERT RICHTER on camera with Karl Dittmann
shooting The Train Robbers (1920)
ROBERT RICHTER and AUGUST ARNOLD (1918)
The Power to Dream,
the Vision to Innovate
90 YEARS OF ARRI
The story of ARRI began in 1917, when school friends
August Arnold and Robert Richter formed a small
company in Munich as an outlet for their passion for
all things technical and enthusiasm for the emerging
discipline of motion picture engineering. Having
successfully assembled their first film printing machine
from sprockets and old parts sourced from a flea
market, it did not take the pair long to generate some
capital through the sale of several more printers.
They also immersed themselves in film production
with the help of cameraman friend Martin Kopp,
catering for the post-war boom in demand for
westerns with features such as Texas Fred’s
Honeymoon and Deadly Cowboys.
With the money they made from the printers and their
prolific filmmaking, Arnold and Richter began
investing in new camera and lighting technologies. In
1924 they commenced production of the first mirror
facet reflectors with electric bulbs and also designed a
mobile generator to power them. That same year they
developed ARRI’s first camera, the KINARRI 35, which
was rented to other cameramen when they weren’t
shooting, thus sowing the seeds for the worldwide
rental group that exists today.
48
A landmark year came in 1937 with the
design and development of the reflex
mirror shutter camera, the ARRIFLEX 35.
This design, incorporating a reflex
viewfinder that allowed precise
composition and critical focusing, placed
the company at the very forefront of
motion picture engineering worldwide.
Its position was fortified in 1938 by the
introduction of the first ARRI Fresnel
lampheads, which would remain
standard lighting units for decades to
come. The ARRIFLEX 35 was produced
and utilised throughout the Second World
War, though bombing raids on Munich
necessitated temporary relocation of the
company, and in 1946 its follow-up, the
ARRIFLEX 35II, went into production.
As film industries across the world
picked up again after the devastation of
the war, filmmakers immediately realised
how important and revolutionary a tool
this camera was. In 1947 it was used
for the first time in Hollywood by Delmer
Daves for the Humphrey Bogart and
Lauren Bacall movie Dark Passage,
which opened with an extraordinary
30-minute POV (point of view) sequence,
made possible by the camera’s precision
framing and extreme portability. The
following year legendary documentarian
Robert J. Flaherty used ARRIFLEX 35IIs
for Louisiana Story, which put the
camera through its paces in the
unforgiving terrain of the Louisiana
bayous. Flaherty was so impressed by
the immediacy and accuracy of the
reflex viewfinder that he often operated
a camera himself.
On the other side of the world Indian
Director Satyajit Ray used an ARRIFLEX
35II to film Pather Panchali, the first part
of his lauded Apu Trilogy, between
1952 and 1955. Ray was a complete
novice, as were his collaborators, but the
simplicity and portability of their camera
kit permitted versatile location filming
with a minimum of crew throughout the
protracted low-budget shoot. Mitra
developed a system of bounce lighting
whereby lamps were aimed at cheap
white sheets angled at the performers in
order to create a soft, natural light. By
this method, which would go on to be
utilised by cinematographers worldwide,
Mitra could simulate daylight with
extraordinary ease and effectiveness.
The resulting black and white
cinematography was stunning and played
a big part in the success of the film.
The 1950s also brought the dawn of the
age of television and the sheer volume of
professional image acquisition increased
exponentially. The cost benefits of 16mm
film made the format appealing to news
gatherers and sports broadcasters, so
in 1952 ARRI introduced the first
professional 16mm camera incorporating
a reflex viewfinder, the ARRIFLEX 16ST.
This model became perhaps the most
ubiquitous 16mm camera ever produced
and aside from its applications in
television, provided an introduction to
shooting on film for many aspiring young
directors. Martin Scorsese used one to
shoot his short films and Robert
Rodriguez launched his career in 1992
with El Mariachi, a $7,000 feature shot
entirely on an ARRIFLEX 16ST.
The early 1960s saw a spate of updates
to the design of the ARRIFLEX 35mm reflex
camera. These refinements resulted in a
range of models offering variable shutter,
high speed filming, a bayonet mount
and with the ARRFILEX 35IIC in 1964,
a much-improved viewing system.
49
THE POWER TO DREAM, THE VISION TO INNOVATE
VISIONARRI
The Departed (2006). In 2003 came the
ARRIFLEX 235, a compact 35mm MOS
camera that was used to great effect in
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), as well as
the ARRIFLEX D-20, a film-style digital
camera that represents the next stage in
the company’s, as well as the industry’s
history. Most recently, the release and
extraordinary success of the ARRIFLEX
416 16mm camera in 2006 has proved
that traditional markets remain buoyant
and that the wealth of formats now
available has simply widened the
range of tools available to the
modern cinematographer.
That same year, Director Richard Lester
made use of ARRIFLEX IIB cameras for
A Hard Day’s Night, his mad-cap
mock-documentary that follows the
Beatles as they prepare for a television
appearance. The lightweight cameras
allowed Cinematographer Gilbert Taylor
BSC to keep up with John, Paul, George
and Ringo as they dashed from
screaming fans, while the reflex
viewfinder permitted hand-held zoom
and telephoto shots. The sheer freedom
and energy of this filming style resulted
in ground-breaking images and the film
is credited with inventing a plethora of
music video techniques.
In the mid 1960s ARRI brought out the
ARRFILEX 35IICT/B, which was fitted
with a two perforation movement, due to
the growing popularity at that time of
Techniscope. This widescreen process
had been developed by Technicolor
Italia and combined a two perforation
pull-down with a 2.35:1 gate, resulting
in two images being exposed on top of
each other within the four perforation
Academy area. Sergio Leone was one
director who took advantage of this costsaving system, putting it to use for his
low-budget western A Fistful of Dollars in
1964. After the massive success of this
film, Leone again used Techniscope
ARRIFLEX cameras for the sequels
For a Few Dollars More (1965) and
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966), as well as the seminal
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968).
1972 saw ARRI introduce the first ever
self-blimped 35mm camera, the
ARRIFLEX 35BL. Weighing a fraction of
a blimped camera, the compact 35BL
could be used hand-held and made
mobile, sync-sound 35mm filming a
reality. The first film to capitalise on its
possibilities was Across 110th Street,
which was shot that same year on
location in Harlem, New York. Soon
the 35BL was a firm favourite of
cinematographers and was used on a
vast number of films over the next few
decades. Haskell Wexler ASC used one
for his Oscar-winning work on Bound for
Glory (1976), while Vittorio Storaro shot
with 35BLs for all three films that won
him the Best Cinematography Academy
Award: Apocalypse Now (1979), Reds
(1981) and The Last Emperor (1987).
Stanley Kubrick, a lifelong camera
enthusiast with an extraordinary
50
50
DOP JOST VACANO in the submarine set on Das Boot with a purpose built gyro-rig and prototype IIIC.
First Assistant Peter Maiwald holds the remote focus unit (1981)
GRAHAM HILL films a training lap with an ARRIFLEX 16ST mounted on the car (1952)
ARRI DEVELOPED its largest lamphead so far, the ARRI GIGANT 20kW (1952)
knowledge of motion picture technology,
used ARRIFLEX cameras on every film he
possibly could after discovering the
ARRIFLEX 35IIA while directing and
photographing his second feature Killer’s
Kiss in 1955. He shot A Clockwork
Orange on his own ARRIFLEX 35IICs in
1971 and bought 35BLs when they were
released, using them for Barry Lyndon
(1975), The Shining (1980) and Full
Metal Jacket (1987). For his final film
Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Kubrick shot
with an ARRIFLEX 535B, having made
use of the developing ARRI product line
for almost half a century.
In 1981 ARRI unveiled the final
incarnation of the 35mm body design
that began life in 1937. The ARRIFLEX
35IIIC was developed at the request of
German Cinematographer Jost Vacano
BVK,ASC who had been hired to shoot
Wolfgang Peterson’s World War II
U-boat drama Das Boot. The IIIC
featured a single lens mount and a
pivoting viewfinder that allowed Vacano
to capture running low-angle shots within
the cramped submarine interior.
In 1982 the subsidiary ARRI Video, now
known as ARRI Film & TV was set up
and made a name for itself in
postproduction for commercials, dramas,
domestic and international feature films.
Today it offers a complete postproduction workflow, providing
everything from lab services
to state-of-the-art image and audio
post services.
The 35BL’s replacement came in 1990
with the release of the ARRIFLEX 535, a
silent studio camera boasting a wealth of
electronic functions. Cinematographer
Michael Ballhaus ASC made use of the
camera’s ability to perform exposurecompensated speed ramps on Francis
Ford Coppola’s Dracula in 1992.
Janusz Kaminski ASC chose the 535 for
Spielberg’s visually stunning Schindler’s
List while Vittorio Storaro combined the
535 with an ARRIFLEX 765, the 65mm
camera released in 1989, on
Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (1992).
The 1990s brought a number of other
important developments, most notably
the ARRIFLEX SR 3 16mm camera in
1992, which quickly made its mark on
the television drama industry, and the
versatile ARRIFLEX 435 in 1994, which
became a staple on promo and feature
sets. ARRI moved in a new direction in
1998 with the launch of the ARRILASER,
which was complemented by the
ARRISCAN in 2004, placing ARRI at
the head of the field in the rapidly
expanding world of DI transfers and
opening up new possibilities for
postproduction workflows.
The turn of the twenty-first century has
seen ARRI step up the pace further still,
on its release of cutting edge products.
The innovative ARRICAM Studio and
ARRICAM Lite cameras debuted in 2000
and have since been used on many
major features including Chicago
(2002), King Kong (2005) and
In order to use cameras, filmmakers have
always needed light for exposure and
over the last ninety years the ARRI brand
has become well known for its robust,
well made lighting products. Since
developing the first mirror facet reflector
in 1924, to the ARRI GIGANT in 1952,
the ARRISONNE 2000W in 1972 and
the ARRI Studio range in 1988, ARRI has
strived to produce the lighting equipment
to meet the varied demands of the
technicians who apply the technology. The
newest and brightest fixture, the ARRIMAX
18/12, launched in 2005 has taken
lighting to new levels using a unique
concept for beam control, eliminating the
need for spread lenses. The ARRIMAX’s
work can be seen on Indiana Jones 4,
Batman: The Dark Knight and The
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.
In the very beginning innovation,
reliability and durability were Arnold
and Richter’s business principles and
that same mind-set remains today.
In order to best serve creative
professionals ARRI has always adapted
to the latest trends and has developed
the appropriate technology accordingly.
In a rapidly evolving industry ARRI not
only provides state-of-the-art technology,
but equally as important, worldwide
service and technical support.
Despite the awards and accolades in
recognition of technical achievements,
ARRI believes that it is all about
empowering creative professionals to
realize their imagination and vision.
That philosophy still stands today and
will continue for the next ninety years
and beyond. I
Mark Hope-Jones
51
VISIONARRI
25 Years of
ARRI Film & TV
In November 1982 ARRI gained a new subsidiary with the creation of ARRI
Video GmbH, the postproduction department of the ARRI Group, which now
operates under the name of ARRI Film & TV Services GmbH. Managing Director
Franz Kraus recalls the company's first steps, its development and prospects.
VisionARRI: In 1982 the partners of ARRI
Cinetechnik, Robert Arnold and Dr Walter
Stahl, decided to start up a new ARRI
Cinetechnik affiliate. The new entity was
first called ARRI Video and later ARRI TV.
Today it is known as ARRI Film & TV. Why
did they decide to enter the video sector?
Back then ARRI Cinetechnik consisted
of camera and lighting rental departments, a film
laboratory and a sound department providing
postproduction-related services. When the 1” format
was introduced, the timing just seemed right for an
expansion into the video sector, especially since it
had always been the intention of the partners to
develop additional ARRI products for the newly
founded postproduction division.
Franz Kraus:
VA: When did you join ARRI and what was
your background?
FK: After working as a research associate and
project supervisor at the Heinrich Hertz Institute in
Berlin for ten years, I joined the one-year-old ARRI
affiliate ARRI Video GmbH as a technical director in
November 1983. Soon the company was renamed
ARRI TV Production Services GmbH. Rolf Müller
was the general manager at that time. In
1986/1987 he was succeeded by two general
managers: Roman Kuhn, who was responsible for
the creative side of the business and Josef Brauner,
who was responsible for business affairs. In 1987
I was promoted to become the third general
manager, responsible for all technology-related
matters. Later, when Josef Brauner left the company
and Roman Kuhn went on to start his own
production company, I remained as the sole general
manager. In June of 2001, I was appointed to the
board of directors of ARRI AG. I am responsible for
research & development as well as the service arm
of the ARRI Group.
The goal was to make the company the market
leader in terms of technology and quality. Even
back then, we had been forerunners in the German
FK:
52
1984
FRANZ KRAUS,
General Manager
ARRI Film & TV
1985
1988
1993
We have been very successful in the past with our studio
facilities. We had guests such as the bands Queen and Die
Ärzte. Numerous times the Bambi awards, one of Germany’s
leading film and television award shows, has been broadcast
directly from our studio here in Munich. In addition, a great
number of very successful game shows such as Ruck-Zuck, Herz
ist Trumpf, Die Bullyparade and Hopp oder Top have been
recorded at the ARRI Studios. Initially we recorded on 1”C, later
on Betacam SP and finally on Digital Betacam. Another popular
live broadcast from the ARRI Studios was the show Bitte melde
Dich. A highlight of our studio days was the show Wahre
Wunder, which was hosted by Sabrina Fox and Christopher Lee,
and later Dietmar Schönherr. In October of 1999 we had the
honour of welcoming Bill Gates and Edmund Stoiber, who were
guests on Sabine Christiansen’s talk show. That day remains one
of the most talked-about days in ARRI history because Bill Gates
got stuck in our glass elevator and had to wait there to be
rescued. Luckily help came quickly. Today, the studio no longer
plays a prominent role in our day-to-day business. The smaller
studio was recently turned into a state-of-the-art sound mixing
stage called Stage I. The larger studio is now rented out
exclusively to the ZDF television network for the taping of their
highly successful political comedy show Neues aus der Anstalt.
In the past we have co-produced a number of projects,
including Edgar Reitz’s series Heimat and the 1988 feature
film Burning Secret, with Klaus Maria Brandauer and Faye
Dunaway. Today all of our co-productions are handled by
our affiliate B.A. Productions.
VA: Did the new video venture face a lot of
competition back then?
The benchmark for us as a young company was London. In
those early days we focused on commercial production, studio
rental and postproduction; our competitors were companies
such as Molinare, VTR and Rushes in London. There was local
competition here in Munich as well; TV-One (Mark Mender)
had a great reputation when it came to 3D animation and the
AV-Hartwig Company had made a name for themselves in the
realm of telecine for commercials, with the help of their star
colour grader Bertl Grabmayr (whom we subsequently brought
over to ARRI TV). Bavaria’s telecine division was mostly
focusing on feature film production and wasn’t a real
competitor, but the Gürtler Company was, when it came to
video transfers. Much later, Germany’s Neuer Markt brought
some new competitors such as Das Werk. FK:
The company credo has, and will always be, to remain
one step ahead of the competition. I distinctly recall the
heated debate surrounding the tape formats Digital
Betacam and D1. Initially I was pretty much the only
person proclaiming Betacam as the superior format
in terms of user-friendliness, but that soon changed
and everyone stopped working on the expensive,
yet vulnerable and much less flexible D1 format.
POSTPRODUCTION
with GVG 300-Mixer,
1986
HOMO FABER: Sam Shepard stars in Volker Schlöndorff’s acclaimed film
VA: What were the objectives and goals of
the newly-created video endeavour?
video industry. ARRI TV was the first company on
the continent with a Quantel Paintbox FGS 4000
from Bosch, a Quantel Harry and a Kodak Cineon
System. In the beginning we were mostly active in
the areas of studio rental, film scanning, video
postproduction for commercials, and transfers.
But because we were always willing to tackle
extraordinary challenges we were able to attract
people with extraordinary abilities and ambitions –
people like Roman Kuhn, with his creative and
innovative ideas in the area of design and effects
work, and Andreas Kern, who, long before the
advent of Flame, worked with engineers at LENZ to
develop incredible software for stabilizing image
frames, which was later used at ARRI TV.
Also Peter Doyle, whose work in high-resolution
image manipulation contributed greatly to the
inception of ARRI Digital Film in 1994, and let’s
not forget Dr. Johannes Steurer, who was initially
the head of Digital Film and later became the
project manager responsible for the development
of the ARRILASER.
ARRI FILM & TV have
completed the postproduction
of many successful national
and international feature films
BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ: Faßbinder’s tremendous work was digitally
restored in 2006
ROSSINI: At the helm was Helmut Dietl. ARRI was in charge of the entire
postproduction (picture and sound)
53
25 YEARS OF ARRI FILM & TV
1995
1993
VA: What was the corporate structure of ARRI Video
and later of ARRI TV?
FK: In actuality, it was a give-and-take arrangement and only a
few rather superficial hierarchies existed. As a matter of fact,
no-one worked a 40-hour week and no-one worked solely to
earn money. Everyone really loved their jobs here at ARRI and
to this day I consider that to be the secret of our success. Sure,
a lot has changed since the inception of the company, but still
today the people who work here love their jobs.
The film laboratory had been around for many
years before ARRI TV was founded and had been
part of ARRI Cinetechnik. Why did it later become
a part of ARRI TV?
VA:
FK: Cinetechnik was never the appropriate home for the sound
department and the film laboratory. Both divisions had, and
have, a very different clientele compared to Cinetechnik, so in
1992 it was decided to integrate the sound department at book
value into ARRI TV. To this day, the sound department remains
an integral part of the company. In 2002 the film laboratory
was also amalgamated into ARRI TV, after which the new entity
was named ARRI Film & TV. We always intended to combine
digital and analogue technologies. The ARRISCAN and
ARRILASER were to become integral parts of the film laboratory.
In addition, this was a fantastic opportunity to continue the
training of our competent film laboratory staff. They were
already very familiar with the analogue technologies and were
eager to learn more about the new digital technologies.
Have the clients changed over the years?
And which areas have been the main focus –
commercial, TV or feature films?
VA:
Like I said, initially the main business of ARRI TV came
from the commercial sector, while the film laboratory and
sound department tended to work on feature films. These days,
however, the majority of our clients are feature film productions,
followed by television and then commercial productions.
FK:
How has the affiliate changed over the last
25 years, in terms of personnel and technology?
VA:
FOCUS: Since 1995, ARRI has regularly been entrusted with the
postproduction of the Hager Moss produced spot
EXPO 2000: Elaborate postproduction for Producer/Director Josef Kluger’s
film for the German Pavilion
ZDF MONDAY CINEMA: Has been an eye catcher for many years
54
VISIONARRI
1997
1997
2001
2003
2006
FK: ARRI Video started 25 years ago as a small company with
only a handful of employees. Some of them, such as Günther
Bornkessel, Oswald Schacht and Erich Harant, are still with the
company. Today, ARRI Film & TV has 200 employees. The film
laboratory and the sound department have been integrated.
We have recruited colour graders from the film laboratory and
trained them in new digital technologies, so they are now
competent analogue as well as digital colour graders. We
have integrated these new digital technologies with traditional
film laboratory processes. In addition, building the new sound
studio in 2002 has been a milestone for us. Also, with the
introduction of the ARRISCAN, we have successfully taken the
step from HD postproduction of feature films to high-resolution
file-based 2K/4K postproduction and are today the market
leader in Germany when it comes to Digital
Intermediate/Grading.
In retrospect, are you content with the results of
the last 25 years and where will the journey lead
to over the coming years?
VA:
To be content only means to be complacent; we still have a
lot to accomplish in the future. We want to position ourselves
FK:
2007
better for the years to come and have already begun this
process by acquiring Schwarz Film AG in Switzerland.
As a result we now have additional film laboratories and
postproduction facilities in Berlin and Bern, as well as smaller
facilities in Zurich and Ludwigsburg. This has been a major
step towards becoming even more flexible when it comes to
servicing productions. This will also be an opportunity to reach
past the borders of Germany and attract additional
international productions.
The tasks for the future will include quickly and entirely
switching the TV and commercial divisions to HD and
replacing the photochemical film laboratory with a creatively
and technologically superior digital high-resolution
postproduction process (DI). Also, in the future, the delivery
format for TV will be HD and for feature films, 4K.
An additional challenge will be to further interface the rental
and the postproduction services to accommodate the
increasing number of digitally-shot productions, which will also
be finished digitally. The shift to digital production will pose
new challenges that the service providers have to meet.
We want to be prepared for this change. I
STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY AT
ARRI SCHWARZFILM BERLIN GMBH
In late 2006, ARRI Film & TV
Services acquired Schwarz Film
Berlin Postproduction GmbH.
The new entity, now called ARRI
Schwarzfilm Berlin GmbH, greatly
benefits from the vast experience
and extensive know-how of its
general managers, Philipp
Tschäppät and Josef Reidinger, and
has proved a tremendous success.
Now boasting one of the largest grading
cinemas in Europe, ARRI Schwarzfilm
Berlin has successfully completed its
transition from a film laboratory focused
predominantly on television productions to
a full-service postproduction house
equipped with the latest technology.
ARRI’s leading position in the world of
SCHWARZFILM
film and television postproduction, with
regards to film processing and the Digital
Intermediate process, has been invaluable
during the reorganisation of the company.
In Germany, both national and
international high-end films are for the
most part shot in Berlin and its surrounding
areas. ARRI Schwarzfilm Berlin can now
offer optimal conditions for the completion
of these highly ambitious projects, not only
because of its convenient location but also
because of its expanded service portfolio
and considerably enlarged facilities. The
highly qualified workforce is well-versed
in analogue as well as digital
postproduction and works with state-ofthe-art technology to provide an allencompassing support structure. I
55
VISIONARRI
SIDE BY SIDE, an ARRIFLEX and Mitchell being used on set simultaneously
MOMENTS
IN TIME
THE MAN
FROM U.N.C.L.E.
The ARRI 35 Camera Affair
Of the many espionage shows to hit television screens during
the 1960s, few are as well remembered and highly regarded
as The Man from U.N.C.L.E. At the height of the Cold War the
world of the secret agent captured the public imagination and
none characterized the genre more famously than Ian Fleming’s
dashing James Bond. Cinema screens became inundated by
the fictional exploits of secret agents and television Producer
Norman Felton was keen to seize the moment. In 1962, just
prior to the release of the Bond film Dr No, he drew
inspiration from Ian Fleming’s travelogue book Thrilling Cities
to create the character of a sophisticated crime fighter whose
assignments would take him all over the globe. At a lunch
meeting in New York Felton presented his concept to Fleming,
who suggested a name for the protagonist: Napoleon Solo.
Though he would subsequently collaborate with Felton on
developing the character, Fleming’s involvement was curtailed
after a threat of legal action from producers Albert Broccoli
and Harry Saltzman, who felt his connection to the Solo
project might prove detrimental to the success of their Bond
films. Thereafter Felton’s collaborator on the development of
what would become The Man from U.N.C.L.E. was Sam Rolfe,
best known for co-creating and producing the classic western
series Have Gun Will Travel.
56
Under Rolfe’s guidance the show moved
away from Felton and Fleming’s original
vision of Solo as a lone, globe-trotting
crime fighter. Instead Solo would work
for an international organization known
as U.N.C.L.E. (United Network
Command for Law and Enforcement),
which would combat the minions of the
nefarious T.H.R.U.S.H. crime syndicate
around the world. Interestingly the series
would feature no overt mention of the
cold war or communism; indeed Solo’s
sidekick, Illya Kuryakin, would be
Russian – a controversial idea only a
year on from the Cuban Missile Crisis.
After considering several actors including
Robert Culp and Harry Guardino,
Robert Vaughn, the star of Felton’s series
The Lieutenant, was cast as the suave
Napoleon Solo. Vaughn was an
acclaimed stage actor whose
performance alongside Paul Newman in
The Young Philadelphians had earned
him an Academy Award nomination and
led to a role in The Magnificent Seven.
Illya Kuryakin would be played by
Scottish actor David McCallum, whose
popularity with female fans soon assured
him a co-starring role. In direct reference
to another of Felton’s early influences,
Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, Leo G.
Carroll was cast as Alexander Waverly,
head of U.N.C.L.E.
Felton recruited another veteran of
The Lieutenant to serve as DoP, Fred
Koenekamp ASC, who recalls: “Norman
asked if I would come over and do the
show and of course I was delighted
because I’d only been a Director of
Photography for a year at that time. I
was very excited about it.” Koenekamp
sought out the highly respected Camera
Operator Til Gabbani: “I contacted him
as I wanted somebody that could do
hand-held work, particularly because on
an action-type show like that you can
use it as a second camera. Til could
handhold an ARRIFLEX just beautifully.”
Gabbani had been instrumental in
bringing the immense versatility and
financial benefits of the lightweight ARRI
35 to the attention of Hollywood studios.
After purchasing one whilst working on
location in Munich, he presented the
head of 20th Century Fox with a series
of tests which left no doubt that the image
quality of the ARRI was no different to
that of the Mitchell they were using.
Given that the studio was spending some
sixteen thousand dollars an hour shooting
the feature Adventures in Paradise and
that the ARRI could save an hour a day,
they were duly convinced and bought the
camera. David McCallum later recalled:
“The crew was like family and the big
daddy was Fred Koenekamp. Also Til
Gabbani, with his cigar in his mouth and
his camera strapped to his hand with a
band. Til used to teach me how to work
one; I did a hand-held shot one day and
dropped the camera down before I
clicked it off. He gave me such a row; he
said ‘when they look at the dailies, they
TOGETHER ON SET DoP Fred Koenekamp
ASC and Operator Til Gabbani (left to right)
shouldn’t know if the shot has been done
on a crane, on a dolly, or hand-held.’
Til could even walk with the hand-held
camera rock-steady.”
Use of the ARRI 35 became an intrinsic
element of the action-packed show,
allowing the crew to swiftly achieve
exciting, kinetic shots: “We particularly
used it whenever we had any kind of a
fight scene because you could get in
there and move around with it, and not
worry about a dolly and all the special
equipment,” says Koenekamp, who still
remembers the grueling schedule: “From
the very beginning they had a producer
at MGM studios who said to me ‘now it’s
up to you to make sure this is done on
schedule’ and that was a big challenge,
because in those days we shot an hourlong show in six days and had as many
as 20 to 30 sets per episode.”
The principal camera was a Mitchell
BNC which, thanks to the MGM
machine shop, was fitted with the same
mount as the ARRI, meaning lenses were
interchangeable. “We had a reputation
on the MGM lot for the way we were
shooting the show,” says Koenekamp,
“particularly for the use of the hand-held
camera. It got to a point where we were
using two cameras most of the time,
which was kind of unheard of in those
days, especially on a tight-budget show.
But with Til using the hand-held ARRI and
another operator on the Mitchell, we
were getting two shots for one.”
57
MOMENTS IN TIME
VISIONARRI
Panalight
ARRI Rental Partner in Romania
The owners of Panalight Italy had considered setting up a rental facility
in Romania ever since supplying equipment for Cold Mountain, which shot
there in 2003. Since that time, the country has become increasingly popular
with international filmmakers, prompting Panalight to build contacts with
local technicians and pave the way for the opening of a new outlet.
The mobility of the ARRI also allowed the
crew to avoid costly process shots for
driving sequences, as Koenekamp
recalls: “They were still using process
photography to get shots in the car and
things like that, which is slow and
expensive. Til and I got together one day
and we were chit-chatting about the
hand-held camera when he said maybe
we could figure out a way to be on the
car and shoot it live. One of the first
things we did – I can remember the shot
– was Til and I lying on a piece of foam
rubber on the hood of a convertible car;
we put the rubber on there so we
wouldn’t slide off. I had a hand-held
light which ran off a battery in the trunk
of the car and Til had the ARRI. Instead
of process photography we were out
running around the streets shooting for
real. Of course as the show went on the
grips did a wonderful job of making
better mounts, so that we could mount
the camera on the hood and not have
somebody lying on the car. It was a
giant step forward and we went on for
the next four years doing all our work
live like that.”
Koenekamp also arrived at a novel
solution to ease the pressure during
autumn when the number of hours
available for shooting exteriors became
58
limited. Though few had ever
experimented with the technique before,
he would shoot later into the evening and
get the lab to force process the negative.
Doing so allowed him not only to
lengthen the shooting day, but also to use
fewer lights. The slightly increased
development costs were more than offset
by electricity savings alone: “We gained
a full stop on the lens,” he explains, “and
that meant you were cutting your light
down in half, so it worked out very well.”
Fortunately, given the hectic pace of
production, traveling to locations was
largely unnecessary, due to the resources
at the studio. “In those days MGM
probably had the greatest facilities in
Hollywood,” enthuses Koenekamp.
“Besides the main lot they had two
backlots: on Lot 3 there was a jungle,
a western street, a train station and a
small lake. Then on Lot 2 there was a
New York street, a French street and a
mansion with a swimming pool that you
could use. Over the years I’ve actually
had people ask me ‘where did you shoot
so-and-so, what city did you have to go
to?’ And I say we didn’t go anyplace, it
was all shot right there on the backlots.”
By the close of the first season
U.N.C.L.E. had become a worldwide
craze and its renewal was assured.
With an increased budget for the second
season, the producers elected to start
shooting in colour. “It was a wonderful
transition,” says Koenekamp. “I can
remember Norman Felton coming down
to the set and saying ‘well I’ve got good
news for you: we’re not only getting
picked up for next season, but we’re
going on in colour.’ I was just thrilled,
because I badly wanted to shoot colour.”
A total of 105 episodes of The Man
from U.N.C.L.E. were shot over four
seasons between 1964 and 1967. Fred
Koenekamp, who received two Emmy
Award nominations for his work on the
show, remained until midway through
the final season, when MGM offered
him the opportunity to shoot an Elvis
Presley feature. He was replaced for the
last few episodes by Ray Flin and Robert
Hauser. Til Gabbani stayed on until the
end, becoming so expert with the ARRI
35 that he took to training other
operators in how best to use it. Without
the tireless efforts of the crew and the
ingenuity of those who photographed
U.N.C.L.E., such an ambitious show
would have been logistically impossible.
That it remains popular to this day is a
testament to the quality of their work. I
A PRESENTATION
of the Technocrane
THE ‘POOR MAN’S PROCESS’, Koenekamp
and his operator would lie on the hood of a car
with a hand-held ARRIFLEX, using just a piece of
foam rubber to keep them from sliding off
From left to right:
Diana Apostol
General Manager
Ana Maria Nagy
Rental Manager
Oana Gheorghe
Assistant General
Manager
Ion Ticu (Nini)
Generator Operator
Dumitru Marian
(Gabi)
Light & Grip
Technician
Oana Apostol
IT Technician
Andrei Zikeli
Camera Technician
December 2005 brought the first
official opening and by February
2006 Panalight Romania was fully
up and running. Diana Apostol, General Manager,
explains: “From the beginning the company’s
inventory was comprehensive enough to supply
both movies and commercials with cameras, lenses,
accessories, lights, grips and generators, as well
as any consumables that technicians may need
during productions.”
Clearly indicating their confidence in the Romanian
operation, Panalight Italy has invested around one
million Euros in creating a new building in
Bucharest that is scheduled for completion by the
end of 2007. This purpose-built facility will both
house the company and provide a meeting place
where DoPs, technicians and other production team
members can interact. The state-of-the-art building
will also contain all the technical resources and
space necessary for top-level productions.
Another important selling point of the fledgling
Panalight Romania, in terms of raising interest from
production companies, is the fact that it houses a
Technocrane 30. The versatile crane arrived at the
company in June 2006 as a result of collaboration
with Orion Telescopic.
Substantial investments have additionally been
made in the equipment and tools that technicians
will use to test and maintain the company’s
inventory. These are of the highest precision
possible, allowing rigorous evaluation of every
component of a shooting kit, including electronic
lens testing, all of which are necessary to ensure a
properly serviced and fully functional rental fleet.
After its first year of trading, Panalight Romania’s
dedicated and enthusiastic team of technicians and
administrators has already elevated the company to
a strong position. The various markets that it set its
sights on have been very effectively targeted and
Panalight is now among the most successful
independent rental houses in the country. The team
is determined to consolidate this position over the
coming year and strengthen the company’s market
share still further.
A crucial step toward developing a truly regional
base in Bucharest, capable of servicing productions
both in Romania and abroad, was the partnership
formed in June 2007 between Panalight and
ARRI Rental Germany. A promising relationship had
developed throughout 2006 and this agreement has
officially sealed the partnership. The first production
to benefit from the collaboration was Adam
Resurrected, a European project that was shot in
Bucharest this year with lights and grip equipment
supplied by Panalight, and cameras supplied by
ARRI Rental.
With the combined resources of the Panalight
network and those made available by the
partnership with ARRI, Panalight Romania is now in
a position to supply and support productions with
whatever equipment they may need, whether it be a
16mm, 35mm, digital or high speed shoot. The
company is committed to maintaining an inventory
of the latest motion picture technologies and is
providing development opportunities for technicians
through collaborations with local film schools. I
Dylan Michael
59
VISIONARRI
News from around the world
All in One
ARRI Australia provides seven different professional services from one facility to a
supply area populated by fewer than 30 million people, but who are spread over
literally an entire continent and beyond. Based in Sydney, the company represents
ARRI throughout the whole of Australia, as well as New Zealand.
General Manager Stefan Sedlmeier, who comes from a
background of supplying film scanning technology, sees
his task as maintaining a powerful and far-reaching facility
with a small but multi-skilled team of employees. Crucially,
the company is able to support the digital intermediate
products it sells with top-level servicing back-up,
coordinated by Tom Altenried, who was formerly DIS
Service Manager at ARRI Munich.
One of the first ARRIMAX 18K lamps to be sold anywhere
in the world went to Australia in 2006. Lighting Sales
Manager Richard Curtis spent years working as a gaffer in
Australia and has a wealth of knowledge not only about
the different lighting units available but also how they can
be used on set.
(from front clockwise) Stefan Sedlmeier, General Manager; Geraldine Quinn,
Client Relationship Manager; Rey Adia, Senior Service Engineer;
Richard Curtis, Sales Manager Lighting; Allyn Laing, Preparation Technician;
Aaron George, Camera Floor Manager; Tom Altenried, Service Engineer
Digital Intermediate Systems; Seamus Maher, Accountant; Rich Lock, Client
Contact; Jasmine Lord, AFTRS Intern; Christian Hilgart, Rental Manager
A total of 10 employees and one trainee make up
ARRI Australia’s full-time staff, with different
departments working together to pool knowledge
and maximise flexibility. The service department,
which supports the in-house rental fleet and services
customers’ equipment, is made up of three
technicians. Camera Floor Manager Aaron George
is highly experienced in the camera rental business,
Rey Adia has serviced lighting and camera kit in
countries all over the world, while Allyn Laing brings
his film school education and experiences as a
cinematographer to bear for the benefit of clients.
AROUND 8,000 visitors attended SMPTE 2007 in Sydney
GENERAL MANAGER STEFAN SEDLMEIER, demonstrates the
ARRIFLEX 435 Xtreme at ARRI Australia’s booth
In Australia, the vast distances between populated
areas mean high transport costs and shooting
locations that are often many miles from any form of
infrastructure; dispatch and logistics are therefore
complex and vital tasks for the rental office.
Client Contact Rich Lock utilises his project management
background to combine such tasks with supporting clients
through shoots and running the office, while also putting his
degree in marketing to use by designing marketing
communications strategies.
ARRI AUSTRALIA’S facility at Macquarie Park,
Sydney
Geraldine Quinn joined the ARRI Australia team at the
beginning of 2007. She has experience as a production
manager and knows both the industry and her client base
very well. As Client Relationship Manager she develops
and maintains contacts not only in production but also with
production service providers who might be of benefit to
international features shooting in Australia.
Christian Hilgart, who set up ARRI Rental Cologne in 2000,
brings a comprehensive knowledge of motion picture
technology to his role as Rental Manager. Accountant
Seamus Maher efficiently manages the control of the different
departments and facilitates ARRI Australia’s responsibilities
as a company in its own right rather than just an agency
with his knowledge of Australian and New Zealand
government regulations.
In order to best service productions that base themselves in
other key centres of the customer area such as Queensland,
Victoria, New South Wales, Wellington and Auckland,
ARRI Australia has established a network of rental partners
and so can offer local support to its clients, wherever they
decide to shoot.
60
61
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
News from around the world
BLIXT Extends Reach of ARRI’s Rental Partner Network
In March 2007 BLIXT Camera Rental in Copenhagen became the ARRI Rental
Partner for Scandinavia. With a total population of 19 million, Scandinavia
produces 85 feature films a year, which, per capita, makes it one of the most
productive filmmaking regions in the world.
BLIXT was founded in 1995 by swedish DoP Björn
Blixt, starting out with only two Super 16 cameras
and a few accessories. Over the years it has grown
substantially and is now one of the largest camera
rental companies in that part of the world, servicing
feature films, commercials and promos in Denmark,
Norway, Sweden and beyond.
The company’s inventory has expanded to include
state-of-the-art cameras such as the ARRICAM Lite
and Studio, ARRIFLEX 535B, 435 Xtreme, 235, 416
and SR 3 Advanced, accompanied by Master Prime,
Ultra Prime, Cooke S4 and Angenieux Optimo lenses.
Like the two preceding films in the Dollars Trilogy, The Good,
the Bad and the Ugly was shot using Techniscope, a 2 perforation
widescreen format that offered a cheaper alternative to the
considerable cost of anamorphic production of the time.
Some actors spoke in English during filming while the rest spoke
in their native language, mostly Italian and Spanish, which was
later dubbed into English.
10
Iain Struthers
First Assistant Camera
Easy Rider 1969
Iain is currently getting wet on Gurinder Chadha’s latest
feature film Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging with
DoP Dick Pope BSC. Based on the teenage novel by Louise
Rennison. Angus is a cat by the way.
Some of the weird lighting effects in
the LSD scene supposedly came about
after a can of film was accidentally
opened before it was developed.
His other most recent credits include Wild Child with DoP
Chris Seager BSC, with DoP Gavin Finney BSC, and before
that with Alan Stewart Second Unit DoP on Inkheart Fred
Claus and The Golden Age.
1
Shot at various locations in the UK, the films
most impressive set was an abandoned
1930s gasworks in Beckton. Scheduled for
demolition, British Gas allowed the site to
be transformed into the bombed-out city of
Hue. Charges were laid by a demolition
team and then one Sunday British Gas
executives brought their families down to
see the place blown up. The ruins were then
dressed to complete the effect, including
palm trees brought in from Spain and one
hundred thousand plastic tropical plants
from Hong Kong.
The Lord of the Rings 2001
In the summer of 2000, A Song For Martin, directed
by two-time Golden Palm winner Bille August and
shot by Swedish DoP Jörgen Persson, became the first
Scandinavian movie filmed in 3 perforation Super
35. BLIXT provided the 535B camera. Since this film,
the 3 perforation process, with its reduced stock and
development costs, has become the format of choice
for commercials and feature films made in the region.
This shift has been made possible by the influx of
technologically advanced postproduction equipment
such as the ARRISCANNER and ARRILASER, facilitating
a wealth of new digital intermediate workflows.
More than 1800 Hobbit feet were produced. Each pair would
take over an hour to apply and could only be used once as
there was no way of removing the feet at the end of the day
without damaging them. They were all shredded after use in
order to prevent a black market in stolen Hobbit feet.
It is common practice to have two units shooting at any one
time, but during filming of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy there
were occasions when there were up to nine units operating at
any given time. This meant there would often be between three
to five hours of dailies to review.
Flags of Our Fathers 2006
CEO BJÖRN BLIXT
RENTAL TECHNICIAN Reza Farsangi, Booking Manager
Martin Samsoe and Chief Technician Dan Friis (left to right)
62
The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly 1966
Take
Full Metal Jacket 1987
One of the more unusual services that BLIXT provides
to clientele is their library, which has a selection of
more than two hundred books on camera techniques,
lighting techniques, gripping, directing, storyboarding
and many more topics. Titles range from Vittorio
Storaro´s highly artistic three-volume Writing with Light,
to small books on tricks of the trade. BLIXT also
subscribe to Scandinavian, as well as international,
film magazines and hold every issue of American
Cinematographer from the last 25 years. Customers
find great joy in browsing through the company’s
wide selection of film literature for inspiration or to
find answers to technical questions.
?
Did you
Know
CHIEF TECHNICIAN Dan Friis checking an ARRIFLEX 235
The Battle of Iwo Jima was recreated on location in Iceland,
which has black sand beaches identical to those found on the
volcanic island of Iwo Jima. The fierce combat scenes were
captured with ARRIFLEX 235s, chosen to allow the crew to
get in close with the actors during the action to create a
documentary-like feel. All the cameras had to be encased in
HydroFlex bags during filming due to the large amount of
explosions which caused the black sand to fly everywhere.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
What film first inspired you to work in this industry?
Pete and the Dragon, is an early film memory.I remember
queing up for ages, usually with an older sister on a Saturday
afternoon waiting to get into see films at a local Odeon.
What’s your cure for the “morning after the wrap
party” feeling?
Being left alone, this could take some time. Or not going.
Name three things that make you smile?
Ava Lee Struthers – my daughter.
Getting home.
Nice Food.
What was the first car you ever owned?
Ford Escort 1.3L. Bright Orange. £500. One lady owner.
What’s the one thing you can’t live without?
Food.
If your life was a film, what would it be and why?
I’m not quite sure… but what a strange film that would be! I
hope it would be full of wonderful emotions.
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
It could develop into becoming this, when it’s been printed!
Who inspires you?
To do anything – my dearest and nearest.
Name three people (living or dead)
you’d most like to dine with?
My Partner.
The Person who photographed the Fake First
Man on the Moon picture’s.
Don McCullen.
10 What was the last film you saw?
The Goonies.
63
VISIONARRI
PRODUCT
UPDATE
ARRICAM Lite Gains Speed
ARRI Extends Range of Camera
Crew Accessories
ARRI’s increasingly popular range of
fabric accessories for camera crew,
first introduced in November 2006,
has recently been extended to include
16 bespoke bags and pouches. The
design process involved contributions
from camera technicians to ensure that
the accessories specifically cater to
their practical and technical
requirements. The range includes a unit
bag, loaders pouch, filter pouches and
various other accessory pouches, all of
which are highly water resistant,
uniformly hard-wearing and offer a
quality equivalent to that of leading
manufacturers at highly competitive
prices. The ARRI branded bags and
pouches, many of which affix to a
purpose-designed utility belt, are now
available worldwide through the ARRI
global network.
Following requests from cinematographers for the
ARRICAM Lite to run faster, the motor, movement and
magazine have been analyzed closely. By optimizing all
the operational parameters, and after months of
rigorous testing, it has been possible to increase the
maximum forward speed to 48fps.
All ARRICAM Lite cameras available through the ARRI Rental Group
have been upgraded and now come with the 48fps speed increase.
ARRICAM Lite Facts
- Small & lightweight Super 35 sync
sound camera
- Easy to operate
ergonomic design
user-friendly controls
- Brilliant viewfinder
- High quality video assist
- Camera speed: 1-48fps
- Electronic shutter: 0-180°
- 4, 3 or 2 perforation movement
- Modular concept
four viewfinders
two 100% video-only tops
two video assist units
four magazine types
- Extensive range of accessories
wired & wireless remote control of camera
& lens
external synchronization
ramping (speed, depth of field, timing shift)
- Built-in Lens Data System
Lightweight Matte Box LMB-15
The ARRI LMB-15 is the newest addition to the ARRI clip-on matte box line, superseding
the LMB-5. Designed around the horizontal use of standard 4” x 5.65” filters the LMB-15
also comes with a new clamping back, allowing use of the clamp-on adapter rings from
the MB-20 system. This clamping back is also compatible with the LMB-5.
ARRIFLEX D-20 Gains Sensitivity
and High-Speed Interface
Higher Sensitivity Settings
Lightweight Matte Box
LMB-15 Facts
- Compatibility with LMB-5 filter trays,
adapter backs and light shields
- Extended coverage for wide-angle
film and digital lenses
- Removable sunshade
- Switchable filter guide sets for both
2-stage and 3-stage operation
- Light shields can be attached both
above and below for additional
flare protection
64
A new software package has increased the sensitivity of the
ARRIFLEX D-20 to provide a wider range of settings for use in
lower light situations. It is now possible to set the camera to
the approximate equivalent of 500 ISO (ASA), or even higher
for certain applications.
Sony Fibre Interface SFI-1 Facilitates
High-Speed Shooting
The Sony Fibre Interface SFI-1 mounts directly on the camera
and is connected by a single fibre cable, available in lengths
up to 500m, to a fibre-equipped Sony SRW-1 HDCAM SR
recorder. This configuration allows high-speed shooting at up
to 60fps, including in-camera speed ramps when used in
conjunction with an ARRI Remote Control Unit RCU-1.
65
ARRI CSC
PRODUCTION UPDATE
Title
ARRI RENTAL
Title
Production Company
Director
DoP
Anonyma
Constantin Film Produktion
Max Färberböck
Benedict Neuenfels
Body of Lies
Warner Bros. Pictures
Ridley Scott
Captain Abu Raed
Der Baader
Meinhof Komplex
Die wilden Kerle 5
- Der Schattensucher
Hexe Lilli
Gigapix Studios
Armin Matalqa
Uli Edel
SamFilm
Joachim Masannek
blue eyes Fiction / Trixter
Stefan Ruzowitzky
Inhabited Island
Art Pictures &
Non-Stop Productions
Fedor Bondarchuk
Mord mit Aussicht
Rubicon
Pro GmbH
United Artists / Sony
Arne Feldhusen
Bryan Singer
Speed Racer
Warner Bros. Pictures
Andy Wachowski
Larry Wachowski
Andrew Adamson
The Chronicles of Narnia: Walden Media
Prince Caspian
The International
Babelsberg / Sony-Columbia Tom Tykwer
Equipment
ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435, 235,
15-40mm, 17-80mm & 24-290mm Angenieux
Optimo, 3 perforation, Lighting, Grip
Alexander Witt
Ultra Primes, 15-40mm, 17-80mm &
24-290mm Angenieux Optimo
Reinhart Peschke
ARRIFLEX D-20
Rainer Klausmann
ARRICAM Studio & Lite, Ultra Primes,
3 perforation, Lighting, Grip
Benjamin Dernbecher ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435,
24-290mm Angenieux Optimo, 3 perforation
Peter von Haller
ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 235, Ultra
Primes,17-80mm & 24-290mm Angenieux
Optimo, 3 perforation, Lighting, Grip
Maxim Osadchiy
Ultra Primes, 15-40mm, 17-80mm &
24-290mm Angenieux Optimo
Johannes Imdahl
ARRIFLEX 16SR 3, Lighting, Grip
Newton Thomas Sigel ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435, 235,
Cooke S4,17-80mm & 24-290mm
Angenieux Optimo, Grip
David Tattersall
Lighting, Grip
Karl Walter Lindenlaub ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435, 235,
Master Primes, Master Zoom, Lighting, Grip
Frank Griebe
765, Master Primes, Master Zoom, 15-40 &
24-290mm Angenieux Optimo, LWZ-1
15,5-45mm, 3 perforation, Lighting, Grip
ARRI AUSTRALIA
Title
Production Company
Director
DoP
Equipment
McLeod’s Daughters
- Series 8
East of Everything
- Series 1
Virgin Blue
The Pacific
Millennium Television
Various
Twenty Twenty Pty
Stuart MacDonald
Matthew Saville
Hamish Rothwell
Tim Van Patten
Carl Franklin
Lee Rogers
Simon Bookallil
Nicholas Reynolds
Scott Pickett
Matt Murphy
Hamish Rothwell
Alex Holmes
John Stokes,
Kim Batterham
Brendan Lavelle
3 x ARRIFLEX SR 3, Zeiss Highspeed
Lenses, Zeiss Zooms
2 x ARRIFLEX SR 3, Zeiss Highspeed
Lenses, Canon Zooms
ARRIFLEX 435, LDS Ultra Primes
2 x ARRIFLEX 235, 3 x ARRICAM Lite, LDS
Ultra Primes, Optimo Set
SR 3, 416, Zeiss Highspeed Lenses
ARRIFLEX 416, Zeiss Highspeed Lenses
ARRIFLEX 416, Zeiss Highspeed Lenses
ARRICAM Studio, Cooke S4’s
ARRIFLEX 235, ARRICAM Studio, Anamorphic
ARRICAM Studio, Anamorphic
ARRIFLEX 416, SR 3, Zeiss Highspeed
Lenses, Canon Zoom, Angenieux
Westfield
Visa BoPo
Hutchinson 3
Shot Open
Landcruiser
Foxtel
The Ball
Good Oil Films
First Division Pty
Brilliant Films
Brilliant Films
Plaza Films
AFTRS
Good Oil Films
Good Oil Films
Panckhurst Productions
Jac Fitzgerald
Remi Adefarasin
Tristan Milani
Tristan Milani
Tristan Milani
Greg de Marigny
Nigel Bluck
Jac Fitzgerald
Geoffrey Simpson
ARRI LIGHTING RENTAL
Title
Production Company
Director
DoP
Gaffer
The Young Victoria Young Victoria Productions
The Duchess
The Duchess Movie
RocknRolla
Toff Guy (RNR) Films
Untitled 06
Untitled 06
Jean Marc Vallee
Saul Dibb
Guy Ritchie
Mike Leigh
Hagen Bogdanski
Gyula Pados
David Higgs
Dick Pope BSC
Jimmy Wilson
Ian Franklin
John Colley
Vince Madden
Dan Fontaine
John Walker
Matthew Moffatt
Primeval 2
Impossible Pictures
The Mob Film Company
Adam Suchitzky
Graham Frake
Chris Hartley
Gavin Finny BSC
Stewart King
The Colour
of Magic
Ashes To Ashes
Jamie Paine
Andrew Gunn
Nick Murphy
Vadim Jean
Ashes
Johnny Campbell
Billie Eltringham
Dan Fontaine,
John Walker
Mike Parsons,
Andy Bell
Echo Beach
Echo Beach (Echo Beach)
Tom Gates
Toby Flesher
Moving
Wallpaper
MI High
Miss Austen
Regrets
Holby Blue 2
Moving Wallpaper (MW)
Jennifer Perrott
Beryl Richards
Andrew Gillman
Julian Court
Nick Laws
Simon Archer
John Daly BSC
Ian Leggitt
Jo Allen
MI High (MI High)
BBC
Simon Hook
Jeremy Lovering
Stephan Pehrsson
David Katznelson
Haydn Boniface
Otto Stenov
Carolina
Schmidtholstein
Gavin Ogden
Wayne Mansell
Red Planet (Holby)
Ian Leggitt
Jo Allen
The Fixer
Fixer
Sarah O’Gorman
Toby Haynes
Alrick Riley
John Strickland
Diarmuid Lawrence
Vojek Sheper
Mark Clayton
Kevin Rowley
Micky Brown
Silent Witness XII BBC
Terry Hunt
Rigging Gaffer Best Boy
Steve Cortie
Mark Funnell
Andy Cole
Andy Bell
Kevin
Fitzpatrick
Steve Anthony
Terry Robb
Carolina
Schmidtholstein
Benny Harper
John Attwood/
Dave Owen
Published by the ARRI Rental Group Marketing Department. 3 Highbridge, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 1LX United Kingdom
The opinions expressed by individuals quoted in articles in VisionARRI do not necessarily represent those of the ARRI Rental Group or the Editors. Due to our constant endeavour to improve
quality and design, modifications may be made to products from time to time. Details of availability and specifications given in this publication are subject to change without notice.
66
Production Company DoP
A Date With Murder Mineral Point Prods.
Mark Melville
Are You Smarter
Mark Burnett Productions Various
Than a Fifth Grader?
Burn After Reading Gramecy Prods. LLC
Emmanuel Lubezki
ASC
Gaffer
Equipment
Serviced by
Oscar Dominguez
2 x ARRIFLEX D-20
Automated Lighting
ARRI CSC FL
Illumination Dynamics
2 x ARRICAM Lite
Lighting & Grip
3 x ARRIFLEX 416
Lighting
2 x ARRIFLEX 416
ARRICAM Studio & Lite
Lighting & Grip
Lighting
Lighting & Grip
2 x ARRIFLEX D-20
ARRI CSC NY
Bill O’Leary
Canterbury’s Law
Kid Nation
New Amsterdam
Righteous Kill
Topanga Prods.
Mountain Air Films
New Amsterdam Prods.
Righteous Prods. LLC
Tom Houghton
Daryl Studebaker
Michael Slovis
Denis Lenoir ASC
She Lived
Six Wives of
Henry Laffey
The Sophomore
Welcome to
Academia
What Happens
In Vegas
Huntington Prep LLC
Six Wives LLC
Sharone Meir
Nancy Schreiber ASC
Iggy Scarpitti
Sophomore Dist. LLC
Pelican State Prods.
M. David Mullen
David Dunlap
ASC
Kevin Janicelli
20th Century Fox
Matthew Leonetti
ASC
Andrew Day
Oscar Dominguez
Elan Yaari
Lighting & Grip
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI CSC NY
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - FEATURES
Title
Production Company
Director
DoP
Services
Anonyma
Clara
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
Alle Anderen
Die Frauen des Anarchisten
Die Welle
Die wilden Kerle 5
– Der Schattensucher
Effi Briest
Feuerherz
Freche Mädchen
Hexe Lilli
John Rabe
Palermo Shooting
Rubicon
The International
The Reader
Integral Film
Komplizen Film
P’ARTISAN Filmproduktion
Rat Pack Filmproduktion
SamFilm
Max Färberböck
Helma Sanders-Brahms
Uli Edel
Maren Ade
Marie Noëlle, Peter Sehr
Dennis Gansel
Joachim Masannek
Benedict Neuenfels
Jürgen Jürges
Rainer Klausmann
Bernhard Keller
Jean Francois Robin
Torsten Breuer
Benjamin Dernbecher
Lab, DI, TV-Mastering
Lab, Sound, TV-Mastering
Lab, DI, VFX, TV-Mastering
Lab, TV-Mastering
Lab, DI, Sound, TV-Mastering
Lab, DI, VFX, Sound, TV-Mastering
TV60Film
collina filmproduktion
blue eyes Fiction / Trixter
Hofmann & Voges
Wenders Images
Babelsberg / United Artists
Babelsberg / Sony-Columbia
Babelsberg / The Weinstein
Company
Hermine Huntgeburth
Luigi Falorni
Ute Wieland
Stefan Ruzowitzky
Florian Gallenberger
Wim Wenders
Bryan Singer
Tom Tykwer
Stephen Daldry
Martin Langer
Judith Kaufmann
Peter Przybylski
Peter von Haller
Jürgen Jürges
Franz Lustig
Newton Thomas Sigel
Frank Griebe
Roger Deakins
Lab, DI, VFX, Sound, TV-Mastering
Lab, TV-Mastering
Lab
Lab, DI, TV-Mastering
Lab
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - COMMERCIALS
Client
Title
Production Company
Agency
Director
DoP
Cortal Consors
Stier
Mazda Motors Europe Mazda2 Competition
Serviceplan Zweite WA
JWT Düsseldorf
Paula Walker
Rolf Kestermann
McDonald´s
Heye & Partner
Martin Haerlin
Sven Lützenkirchen
Heye & Partner
Martin Haerlin
Sven Lützenkirchen
PLAYMOBIL
Williams
Wagner Pizza
Ferrero
ING DiBa
Caotina
Brand 2007
Unterhaltung mit Heidi
Brand 2007 Mundvoll,
Pommes, Freundinnen,
Langeweile, Münze
Herbst 2007
Formula 1 Branding
Durchreiche
Kinder
Markenfilm
Lippenbekenntnis
WIN WIN
Calgonit
Zweifel Chips
Saturn
Müller Milch
winwin.de
Tab-Regen
Cractiv
LED Berlin
Verkostung
McDonald´s
e+p commercial
R.TV Film & Fernsehen
Laszlo Kadar
Helliventures
GAP
Rapid Eye Movement
e+p commercial
GAP
Made in Munich
Heye & Partner
HP Albrecht
Wüschner Rower Baier
Advico Young &
Rubicam Zürich
Basis Media GmbH
Euro RSCG
Advico Young & Rubicam
redblue Marketing
Springer & Jacoby
ARRI MEDIA
Reiner Holzemer
Peter Aichholzer
Tobias Heppermann Thomas Stokowski
Laszlo Kadar
Laszlo Kadar
Joachim Hellinger
Ivo Mostertman
Dieter Deventer
Jean Paul Seresin
Lili Clemens
Gerhard Hirsch
Nic & Sune
Gerhard Hirsch
Richard Mott
Plot: Vivian Naefe
- Food: David
Wynn-Jones
Plot: Michael
Hornung - Food:
David Wynn-Jones
Title
Production Company
Director
DoP
Equipment
The Young Victoria
Baggy Trousers
Silent Witness XII
ART In Las Vegas
Eden
Nutcracker
RocknRolla
Telstar
The Colour of Magic
Wild Child
Young Victoria Prods
Bwark Productions
BBC Television
ART In LV
Samson Films
HCC Media
Toff Guy Films
Aspiration Films
The Mob Film Company
Lacrosse Films
Jean Marc Vallee
Hagen Bogdanski
Rob Kitzmann
Kevin Rowley
Mark Wolf
Owen McPolin
Mike Southon BSC
David Higgs
Peter Wignall
Gavin Finney BSC
Chris Seager BSC
Sony 750P HD & Zooms
ARRIFLEX D-20 & Zeiss Primes
ARRIFLEX D-20 & Ultra Primes
ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 535
ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 235, 435, 416
ARRIFLEX D-20, Ultras & Master Primes
ARRICAM Lite & Cooke S4 Primes
ARRIFLEX D-20 & Cooke S4 Primes
ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 235
Various
Mary McGuckian
Declan Rechs
Andrei Konchalovsky
Guy Ritchie
Nick Moran
Vadim Jean
Nick Moore
67

English

Transcription

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