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06/08 ISSUE 6
VisionARRI
The Biannual International Magazine from the ARRI RENTAL & POSTPRODUCTION ENTERPRISES
PRINCE
CASPIAN
Director Andrew Adamson
and DoP Karl Walter
Lindenlaub ASC, BVK talk
about the latest instalment
of The Chronicles of Narnia
Anonyma
Eine Frau in Berlin
World War II drama posts
at ARRI Film & TV
Hunger
DoP Sean Bobbitt BSC on
shooting 2-perforation
Crusoe
The adventures of Robinson
Crusoe and the ARRIFLEX D-21
American Gladiators
Illumination Dynamics lights
the gladiatorial arena

ARRI SERVICES GROUP NETWORK
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Filmquip Media, Dubai
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4 THE RETURN TO NARNIA
Director Andrew Adamson and DoP Karl Walter Lindenlaub
ASC, BVK, discuss shooting Prince Caspian, the next chapter in
The Chronicles of Narnia
8 BALANCING GRACE AND ANGUISH
ARRI Film & TV assist in creating the look for World War II drama
Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin
10 HUNGER
DoP Sean Bobbitt BSC reflects on filming Director
Steve McQueen’s debut feature in 2-perforation 35mm
12 CRUSOE
DoP Jon Joffin talks about working with the new ARRIFLEX D-21
16 THE CINEMA EXPERIENCE: GRADING
ON A LARGE SCALE
Interview with Cinematographer Jules van den Steenhoven NSC
18 A TALE OF TWO SISTERS
Gaffer Mark Clayton and Best Boy Benny Harper discuss
lighting historic properties for The Other Boleyn Girl
20 THE AIR WAS CHARGED WITH EMOTION
ARRI Film & TV helps recreate the fall of the Berlin Wall for TV
miniseries Wir sind das Volk
22 ARRIFLEX D-21
The ARRI Rental Group introduces you to their upgraded film
style digital camera
CONTENTS
4
28
VisionARRI would like to thank the following contributors;
Shuta Atsumi, Natasha Back, Susanne Bieger, Katja Birkenbach, Lisa Buschek, Romain Geib,
Mark Hope-Jones, Ingo Klingspon, Tommy Moran, Sinead Moran, John Pardue, Judith Petty,
Steve Pugh, Angela Reedwisch, Mark Rudge, Marc Shipman-Mueller, Michelle Smith,
Andy Subratie, Mark Villa, Sabine Welte, Andreas Wirwalski, Tracy van Wyk
38
VISIONARRI
28 TWO ROUGH-AND-READY SISTERS
SAVE SERBIAN CINEMA
Serbian film Charleston & Vendetta gets colourful
in a DI at ARRI Film & TV
30 DESERT OASIS
Shooting in the UAE with the Middle East’s
largest rental facility, Filmquip Media
32 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT TIME TRAVEL
A report from DoP John Pardue on shooting
HBO/BBC Films’ farcical sci-fi comedy
36 ARRI TRUE BLUE
The next generation of ARRI lighting products
38 ARRI DIGITAL FILM: DESIGNING
VISUAL EFFECTS
A look at the role of Jürgen Schopper, Creative
Director of Visual Effects at ARRI Digital Film
42 LIGHTING THE GLADIATORIAL ARENA
Lighting Designer Oscar Dominguez on lighting
NBC’s American Gladiators
44 TRADITIONAL ART TAKES VOYAGE
INTO NEW MEDIA
Sixteenth century painting recreated using the
ARRIFLEX D-21 in Data Mode
46 100 YEARS AND BEYOND
Preserving films for future generations with
a separation master
50 ARRIFLEX 416 PLUS HS
New high speed 416 offers higher frame rates
52 NEW LONG ULTRA 16 LENSES
Four new focal lengths for Super 16
54 AROUND THE WORLD AT 300FPS
ARRI Media’s Hi-Motion camera provides slowmotion
footage for leading sports broadcasters
56 DIGITAL GRADING ON BASELIGHT HD
ARRI Film & TV Commercial introduces digital
colour grading with software-based tools
57 PRODUCT UPDATE
58 MOMENTS IN TIME
The ARRI Blimp rides the Czech New Wave with
Closely Observed Trains
61 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
65 SIX OF THE BEST
66 PRODUCTION UPDATE

4
The Return to
NARNIA
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the second feature film to be adapted from the
children’s books of C.S. Lewis, following The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was a
huge hit in late 2005. Shot by Karl Walter Lindenlaub ASC, BVK Prince Caspian was filmed in
New Zealand and various locations in Central Europe with a vast package of ARRI lighting and
camera equipment. The ARRI Rental Group was able to supply and support the production across
two continents, drawing on resources from ARRI Rental in Munich, ARRI Australia, ARRI Lighting
Rental in London and ARRI Rental Prague.
Andrew Adamson, who has directed
both Narnia films, was keen to develop
a distinctive look for the second movie
that would emphasise both the passage
of time between the two stories and their
thematic differences. “The first film was
really the birth of Narnia,” he says.
“The story was set not long after Narnia
was created and on top of that it was a
story about winter turning into spring,
so everything was new and fresh. This
story takes place 1,300 years later,
after several hundred years of
oppression and lots of Narnians have
actually been driven into the woods by
the Telmarines, whose world is dark and
sinister, so the movie itself has a much
darker visual tone. It affected everything
from lighting to production design,
location and costumes.”
Increasing the amount of location filming
over that done on The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe was another
important consideration for Adamson as
he went into preproduction. This was
possible partly because the winter
setting of the first film had necessitated a
lot of stage work whereas the second is
set in the summertime, but also because
Prince Caspian is painted on a broader
canvas from the outset. “One of the
ideas of the first film was that it started
small and expanded,” continues the
director. “The kids start by going
through a wardrobe and seeing just a
little bit of Narnia. Then spring comes as
they travel on and Narnia expands
through the movie. So in a sense we
start with a larger world to begin with
on this second one, but I also think that
filming on location just brings a lot to
the performances and to what you can
do with the camera.”
Filming on location exposed the crew to
the hazards of unpredictable weather
and constantly changing light
conditions, especially in Central Europe.
Though Lindenlaub made efforts to plan
each day’s shooting according to the
movement of the sun, he ensured that he
had four ARRIMAX 18K HMIs with him
wherever the production went, even if
they had to be carried in by hand. “I
tested them and realised how important
it is on a film like this to have a light
that can produce something that looks a
bit more like daylight and is flexible
enough to carry around,” he says. “An
ARRIMAX doesn’t take any more work
than putting an 18K up on a stand, but
it has a lot more power and the
character of the light is closer to
sunlight. We had four of them and those
lights kept us shooting on a lot of days
when other movies would probably have
had to shut down.”
The Czech Gaffer, Václav “Enzo”
Cermak, echoes Lindenlaub’s praise of
the ARRIMAX fixtures. “We used them
to create big shafts of light in the forest
and all round the set,” he says. “You
can also bounce them, or go through
12-by-12 soft, so they can provide fill as
well as a strong sunlight source. The
good thing is that if you want to bounce
it you don’t have to move it that much
because it’s so powerful. You can leave
it far enough away from the actors and
still bounce enough light to give them
key or half light.”
With the ARRIMAX units, the crew also
had MaxMovers – the ARRI automated
stirrup that enables remote pan, tilt and
focus of various lighting fixtures. “The
MaxMover is good because you can
put it in a corner somewhere, on a lift,
and you have control without having to
put someone in a basket,” says the
cinematographer. “In some places you
can’t get someone in a basket, or you
might not even have a basket. I think it’s
a great idea for location work.”
“IT’S NOT ONE OF
THOSE EFFECTS
MOVIES WHERE
YOU JUST SPEND
SIX MONTHS IN
FRONT OF A
GREENSCREEN
AND FIGURE OUT
ALL YOUR
BACKGROUNDS
LATER. WE
ACTUALLY SHOT
VERY COMPLEX
EFFECTS SCENES
ON LOCATION…”
VISIONARRI
5

THE RETURN TO NARNIA
6
DIRECTOR ANDREW ADAMSON checks the framing from behind an ARRICAM Lite
DoP KARL WALTER LINDENLAUB ASC, BVK sits on the dolly as another shot is prepared
Enzo recalls a moment on the shoot for
which the MaxMover proved invaluable,
when they were on location by a river in
Slovenia. “We were on a bridge and
needed to light actors under the bridge,”
he recalls. “So we put the MaxMover
with an 18K at the end of a Foxy Crane
and were able to actually get the 18K
down to the level of the water, giving a
¾ backlight and also fill light when we
turned around. The MaxMover system is
brilliant because its adjustable fitting lets
you mount any tungsten unit from a T-12
up to the 24K. You can also use a 6K
Par, up to the 18K ARRIMAX or any
18K Fresnel and a 12K Par as well.”
On top of the ARRIMAX HMIs, the
production made use of a lighting
package so extensive that it comprised
lamps supplied from ARRI rental outlets
in Prague, Munich and London. “We
used everything, from a candle up to the
biggest light we could get from ARRI,”
says Lindenlaub. “One of the big
advantages of having an ARRI package
on this film was that we were close to
Munich and could be serviced by car
within three hours, so we got all the
support we could possibly need. They
were also very generous in shipping
brand new stuff to New Zealand for us.”
With a scheduled 1,500 or so visual
effects shots and Adamson’s preference
for location shooting, it was necessary
to film a great many sequences
involving effects outside of the controlled
environment of a sound stage. “We
wanted to take advantage of the
landscape,” continues Lindenlaub. “It’s
not one of those effects movies where
you just spend six months in front of a
greenscreen and figure out all your
backgrounds later. We actually shot very
complex effects scenes on location and
we wanted at the same time to raise the
bar on the scale – make it more epic
and just bigger looking.”
Visual Effects Supervisors Wendy Rogers
and Dean Wright shared the
responsibility of collecting vast amounts
of data during the shoot, all of which
would be vital for the work to be done in
postproduction. They worked closely with
the camera crew, organising reference
markers, plate shots, HDRI (High
Dynamic Range Imaging) and ‘witnesscams’,
which were 24p video cameras
used to capture as many different angles
of each scene as possible. The weather
was just as much a problem for these
tasks as for the filming itself, as Wright
recalls. “It is frustrating because we
would love to always have any reference
plate shot in exactly the same light
conditions as the hero shot, but what
happens many times is that you’re
fighting the weather and time constraints
and of course the director wants to keep
shooting with the actors.”
In order to help the effects team gather
as much metadata as possible, a new
ARRI DCS-2 Data Capture System was
developed that recorded information
about what the camera and lens were
doing for each take. “It was kind of
prototyped for the film,” says Rogers.
“We didn’t have it available for all the
cameras and lenses, so it wasn’t used as
extensively as I imagine it will be on the
next films, but it was great because we
could get text files out of the cameras
and have information about focal
lengths, frame rates and so on.” The
cinematographer, whose crew had to
actually use the DCS-2, was keen for it to
be as inconspicuous as possible. “The
most important thing is that these things
remain practical,” he explains. “But it sits
comfortably on the camera and didn’t
bother any of the operators. It just
needed to be synced up for the timecode
whenever the camera was powered up,
which wasn’t a big deal, it’s just one
more thing you do very quickly.”
The fact that Adamson wanted to shoot
with multiple cameras in order to
maximise coverage and take fullest
advantage of the child actors’ limited
time on set necessarily meant a sizeable
camera kit. “We had a great package,”
affirms Lindenlaub. “In New Zealand we
had two sound cameras – an ARRICAM
Studio and Lite, plus a back-up body, a
235 and a 435 Xtreme. Then in Europe
we had even more; we had an extra
ARRICAM Lite and the second unit
package got almost as big as the first
unit, so it was quite a lot of gear.”
Having a number of cameras filming
many of the scenes meant there wa
flexibility of coverage, despite
the meticulously planned previs that
Adamson worked out in order to
accommodate both the effects elements
and his desire for a constantly moving
camera. “On certain scenes we
“WE USED
EVERYTHING,
FROM A CANDLE
UP TO THE
BIGGEST LIGHT
WE COULD GET
FROM ARRI”
followed the previs completely with
the ‘A’ camera and then tried to get
additional footage with the other
cameras on the spot,” says Lindenlaub.
“Then there were other scenes where we
would purely go by performance. For
action and grab shots the 235 is just the
nicest little camera there is; I love it. You
can quickly pick it up and find an extra
angle, or it’s wonderful to film handheld
stuff with. There wasn’t a firm rule to
how we shot each scene; there was a
nice mix of things so it didn’t get boring,
let’s put it that way!”
Though he had never used them before
on a job, Lindenlaub opted to shoot with
the ARRI Master Primes. “I did extensive
testing and had a lot of support from
ARRI,” he says. “We tested for
everything – for day, dusk, dusk-for-night,
day-for-night, firelight – every application
that I knew would happen in the film.
The resolution of these lenses seemed to
VISIONARRI
be so high that I could safely shoot
firelight at T2.8 and still be able to pull
detail out of the flame. At the same time I
had the feeling that in the shadows I had
more detail than with most other lenses
I can think of. They were wonderful; I
actually tried to shoot all the exteriors
with them too, and only used zooms
when we shot very quick action stuff or
had to put the camera on a crane.”
The film was shot 4-perforation Super
35, with a 2.39:1 centre crop, as this
gave Adamson ample scope to reframe
up or down for effects elements in the DI,
which was done at Framestore CFC in
London. Though the DI grade proved
useful for smoothing out weather and
light inconsistencies in location
sequences as well as manipulating
contrast and shadows, Lindenlaub did
not approach the film any differently
knowing he would have these tools at his
disposal. “My general attitude on a DI
film is to light as well as I can,” he says.
“I don’t think a DI is a fix for bad
lighting; it’s a tool like anything else and
it gives you a lot of options, but with that
comes a danger that the cameraman can
lose control of the image. I still carry my
filters, for example, even if I know I have
a DI; but it’s simply about getting the
best negative possible.” ■
Mark Hope-Jones
Photos: Murray Close © Disney Enterprises, Inc. and Walden Media LLC. All Rights Reserved
7

8
Balancing Grace
and Anguish
ARRI’s sophisticated colour grading evokes powerful emotions in World
War II drama Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin
The highly anticipated
screen adaptation of the
bestselling book Anonyma –
Eine Frau in Berlin, directed
by Grimme Award-winner
Max Färberböck, is due
for release in October 2008
and will subsequently air
on German television as a
two-part miniseries. The film
owes its dramatic lighting
and cinematography to the
award-winning DoP Benedict
Neuenfels BVK, AAC, who
gives the heavily bombed
Berlin setting a hazy and
otherworldly feel.
The story is set during the last days of
April 1945, when the Red Army marched
into Berlin. Russian troops, emulating the
terror the Wehrmacht and SS had
unleashed upon Eastern Europe during the
occupation, raped thousands of German
women and girls among the rubble and
debris of what used to be Berlin. One of
the victims, a young, nameless woman
(“Anonyma”), makes the sombre decision
to look for a Soviet soldier who might
become her protector. Before long she
finds herself in a relationship with an
officer named Andrej – but whether this is
a matter of love or surrender is a question
they each have to answer for themselves.
Constantin Film, the Munich-based media
conglomerate, produced the film together
with Günter Rohrbach (Das Boot, Die
weiße Massai). The film is adapted from
the anonymous diary entries of a journalist
later identified as Marta Hiller, who
passed away in 2001. Her book received
a great deal of international attention
when it was first published in 1959 and its
popularity has not waned; a new German
edition came out in 2003 and went
straight to the top of the national
bestseller list.
The part of the nameless woman is played
by Nina Hoss, who received a German
Film Award in 2008 for her role in Yella.
The stellar supporting cast includes Sandra
Hüller, who also has a German Film Award
to her name (for her role in Requiem) and
Irm Hermann, who had previously worked
with the legendary German Director
Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The cast was
rounded out by Russian actors playing
the Soviet soldiers, including the Russian
film and television star Evgenij Sidikhin,
who plays the male lead. Early in the
project the producers set their sights on
the accomplished German Writer/Director
Max Färberböck, who most recently had
directed the film September, about the
repercussions of 9/11. Prior to that,
Färberböck had caused quite a stir with
his award-winning Aimée & Jaguar,
about the relationship during World War
II of a lesbian couple. In similar fashion,
Anonyma – Eine Frau in Berlin,
interweaves the struggle of female
characters with historical events of the time.
DoP Neuenfels also had experience on
films set during this period of history,
having recently shot an Austrian film about
life in a concentration camp. On this
movie, which won the 2008 Oscar for
Best Foreign Film, Neuenfels developed a
faded, almost monochrome look, though
he determined to do something very
different for Anonyma: “Because the film
depicts such tragic events I decided not to
go for a gloomy, depressing look,” he
says. “Besides, the story is about
liberation, so I needed to be able to shoot
and feel the open air. That’s why I chose
not to go for the typical grey, desaturated
look of war dramas. Even during times of
war there is sun and colour.”
During preparation a large number of tests
were conducted, in close collaboration
with Sepp Reidinger (ARRI Head of Lab &
DI), to sync up all of the production and
postproduction departments that would be
involved at various stages, and achieve
the desired look. For the exteriors,
Neuenfels and Färberböck drew
inspiration from old black & white film
footage shot by the Soviets. “In those
Photos: © 2007 Constantin Film Verleih GmbH
images you can see this strange haze over
Berlin,” says the cinematographer. “It was
caused by smouldering fires and dust
kicked up from the debris by the wind,
which created a strange, almost fairytale
atmosphere.” To enhance this mood the
ground needed to look very pale, which
meant it had to be brightened up
repeatedly during production. Artificial
dust clouds were used and the exteriors of
the city began to blur under this layer of
haze looming above the city. Characters
stand out in sharp contrast to the almost
white ground, which creates the look of a
photographic negative. Neuenfels wanted
to see what he calls the “end-of-a-war
dialectic” – a mix of lethargy and
optimism – reflected in the faces of the
oppressed German women. “It’s a
mixture of grace and anguish,” he says.
Neuenfels opted for the ARRICAM Studio
and ARRICAM Lite as his principal
cameras. At times he also used the
lightweight ARRIFLEX 235 and shot the
4-perforation images and plates for VFX
scenes with an ARRIFLEX 435 Xtreme.
David Laubsch, the VFX Supervisor, stood
by from day-one with advice and support.
Creating a sense of “grace” required
some help from the ARRI lab during colour
grading. ARRI Lead Digital Colourist,
Rainer Schmidt, explains: “To enhance this
dusty look of the exterior shots, we had to
counteract the digitally simulated bleach
bypass process with a softer gradation
and increased colour saturation, except for
the greens in the trees which we
desaturated.” Schmidt and Neuenfels also
had to pay close attention to the colour of
the actors’ lips and the texture of their
faces: “The face is always the cosmos of a
person,” explains Neuenfels. The colours
of the costumes were an issue as well; in
particular the bluish-green coat of lead
actress Nina Hoss had to be adjusted,
frame by frame, to maintain its original
colour. Neuenfels spent three weeks at
ARRI’s Munich headquarters in order to
meet these challenges and meld the hazy
mood with the motifs of production
designer Uli Hanisch. Partial shading was
added to the on-set lighting design during
the digital grade so that the contrast and
focus of the image remained on the
characters, without rendering the overall
tone too dark and gloomy.
Neuenfels describes a “very dark and
phosphorescent yellow/green look” as
being his goal for scenes taking place in
the basements of residential buildings in
post-war Berlin, which were shot in a
brewery in Cologne. The DoP asked to
have the protective coating removed
from the extremely light-sensitive Zeiss
lenses so he could create “amazing
light reflexes and light cones” with the
military flashlights of the Soviet soldiers.
In order to further enhance the post-war
era mood, the VFX team at ARRI –
headed by Henning Rädlein – and
DI/VFX Producer Katja Müller, did
additional work using matte paintings
and retouched images to accentuate
period details.
Equal importance was placed on the film’s
sound mix at ARRI, following Martin
Scorsese’s dictum, “sound is 50 percent of
the movie.” Daniel Vogl, ARRI Production
Manager for sound, used digital, real-time
images in 2K resolution which the grading
department had made available to him
and his team for the mix: “High-resolution
images such as these let us fully grasp
each scene or sequence, thereby allowing
us to most accurately recreate the sound,”
he explains. This type of collaboration is
an advantage ARRI can offer because of
the range of its facilities located in one
place. All of the digitized data necessary
for a particular workflow is stored on a
cluster-server to which members of each
postproduction team have access. DoP
Neuenfels speaks highly of this structure:
“ARRI has always been very innovative.
Everything here is concentrated under one
roof; that’s why I think there is no better
postproduction house in Europe.”
ARRI is also responsible for the digital
subtitling of the film, necessitated by the
decision not to dub scenes involving the
Russian actors. The final mix and final
approval will also take place in Munich,
which means that in the case of Anonyma,
ARRI Film & TV has completed the lab
work, DI, visual effects, TV mastering,
sound and final finish of the film.
Furthermore, Technical Director Markus
Kannewischer is currently producing a
DCP that will play on all major servers
making it possible for the producer and
distributor of the film, Constantin Film, to
supply theatres with digital content as well
as celluloid prints. ■
Andreas Wirwalski
VISIONARRI
9

Hunger
10
2-perforation makes widescreen 35mm affordable for low-budget feature
Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen, widely regarded as one of Britain’s leading contemporary artists,
has directed his first feature film – about IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands. Produced by Blast! Films for
Channel4/Film4, who co-funded the project as part of an initiative to commission new work from artists for
the screen, Hunger is based on the final weeks of the Irish Republican’s life; Sands died aged 27 in 1981
after 66 days of refusing to take food while imprisoned for possession of firearms at the notorious Maze
Prison near Belfast.
Photographed by Sean Bobbitt BSC, who had previously worked with McQueen on a number of film installation projects,
Hunger was one of the first productions to utilise the 2-perforation 35mm camera movements now available through the ARRI
Rental Group. Camera equipment was supplied by ARRI Media in London and consisted of a 2-perforation ARRICAM Studio,
ARRICAM Lite and ARRIFLEX 235. Lighting equipment was supplied by ARRI Lighting Rental.
The 2-perforation format offers a financially
economical route to the image quality of 35mm
when a 2.39:1 widescreen aspect ratio is desired.
As film is advanced by two perforations instead of
the traditional four perforations, the previously
unused space between frames is eliminated.
This translates to less raw stock as the quantity
of film used is reduced.
Having worked on a number of low-budget
feature films, Bobbitt had become very interested
in the resurgence of 2-perforation. “I think the
primary benefit of using 2-perforation is cost,
which is of paramount importance to the
production, particularly on a low-budget film,”
states Bobbitt. “For Hunger we were able to
shoot 2-perforation with an aspect ratio of 2.39:1
on 35mm for an additional cost of only £12,500,
compared to Super 16. That represents fantastic
value for quality, when you think that the actual
surface area of the exposed negative is much
greater in 2-perforation 35mm than it is in
Super 16.”
The natural widescreen aspect ratio of
2-perforation also meant that Bobbitt could shoot
a true 2.39:1 frame. “Super 16 has to go through
a blow-up in the DI for 35mm projection, so there
is an increase in the amount of grain and the size
of grain, which is fine if that’s what you are
looking for – if you are looking for a gritty,
dramatic feel – but on this film we specifically
didn’t want that,” he says. “We were hoping for
something that would go against the grit and
grain of the story itself – something a little bit
glossy. So in that regard 2-perforation fitted the
bill and offered a solution that would be more
effective in terms of the DI.”
DoP SEAN BOBBITT BSC stands to the right of camera preparing a shot
SEAN BOBBITT co-ordinating a location exterior shot
DIRECTOR STEVE MCQUEEN talks his actor through the scene
Photo: Steve Pugh
Photos: Natasha Back
As 2-perforation uses less stock, it
naturally increases the running time of a
magazine, which made it possible for
Bobbitt to fulfil the director’s desire for
long takes. “Steve wanted to do very
extensive shots, where the action
develops in the frame,” recalls Bobbitt.
“In particular, there is a dialogue scene
between two characters in the centre of
the film that is over 20 minutes long,
which Steve wanted to capture in a
single take. Using a 1,000-foot roll of
2-perforation 35mm meant that we were
able to do that, so we did four takes of
this scene, and I don’t know of any other
film format that we could have done
that in.”
While 2-perforation has its advantages
there are two factors that Bobbitt believes
anyone using the format should be aware
of. “Because there is almost no frame line
between frames, if you have a really
strong highlight at the top of a frame it
can bleed through to the next,” he
advises. “I pushed that as far as I could
and it never bled through more than 4%,
which will be lost in projection cut-off
anyway. The other consideration, of
course, is if you do get a hair in the gate
or a boom in shot then there is no way
that you can move the image around to
lose them, so you do have to go again.
But neither of those were an issue during
the production itself.” Bobbitt also
recommends that a frame leader is shot
for each camera and ground glass. “As
there is no SMPTE frame or anything set
up, there is no standard frame for the
telecine and everything else to be
accurate – so you do need to establish
a very accurate frame reader.”
Hunger will have a theatrical release
before it is aired on Channel 4. The
film’s postproduction involved a number
of facilities, with processing and telecine
carried out at Todd-AO and a Digital
Intermediate at Dragon DI. Release prints
will be produced by Deluxe. Before filming
began Bobbitt shot tests and followed the
entire 2-perforation workflow all the way
through in order to check for any possible
loopholes. “The initial tests I did with
Todd-AO just showed that they needed
to upgrade some of their sound syncing
software, which they were able to do,” he
explains. “We then took the negative to
Dragon DI and did a rough DI. They use
the ARRISCAN and the ARRILASER, both
of which are set up for 2-perforation. We
scanned the negative, graded the negative
and then burnt it back and printed it so we
could prove that the whole chain worked –
and it did, first go. The workflow is very
straightforward and exactly the same as
working in 3-perforation; it’s still just
35mm film, only the frames are squeezed
closer together.”
One thing Bobbitt is certain of – without
2-perforation Hunger would never have
been originated on 35mm. “If we hadn’t
had 2-perforation, and recognised the
savings in cost, then that would have been
very much to the detriment of what we
were trying to achieve with this film,” he
states. Bobbitt’s certainty that the choice of
format benefited the film was reflected in
its selection to open the ‘Un Certain
Regard’ section of the 61st Cannes Film
Festival, where it was awarded the
Camera d’Or. ■
Michelle Smith
11

12
CRUSOE
DoP JON JOFFIN
with the ARRIFLEX D-21
The new ARRIFLEX D-21 is put to work
on NBC’s desert island drama series
The story of Robinson Crusoe, a fictional Englishman who sails to sea in 1651
and becomes shipwrecked on a desert island where he remains for 28 years
before returning to civilization, is one of the best known in history. First published
in 1719, the novel by Daniel Defoe was an immediate success and quickly
became the most widely read book ever written in English. Countless spin-offs,
translations and adaptations have marked the 289 years since the castaway’s
first incarnation, continuing into the modern age with television and film versions
dating back to 1913. The latest re-telling of this famous tale is being undertaken
by UK independent producer Power and takes the form of a 13-part television
series entitled Crusoe, scheduled for broadcast on US channel NBC in late 2008.
Filming for the series has begun in England, where
the production is, at the time of press, nearing
the end of its first two weeks of photography,
after which it will travel to South Africa and the
Seychelles for 17 weeks of location work.
Cinematographer Jon Joffin was keen to use the
recently updated ARRIFLEX D-21 film style digital
camera system for the fortnight in England, having
photographed two previous projects – Flirting with
Forty (2008) and The Andromeda Strain (2008)
– on the ARRIFLEX D-20. Crusoe is being directed
by the highly experienced television director Duane
Clark. “I haven’t worked with Duane before, but it’s
proving a real pleasure,” says Joffin. “He’s done
a lot of CSI episodes [CSI: NY, CSI: Miami,
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation] and also
Meadowlands, which I always thought was a
very interesting show.”
The production has been based in Yorkshire during
its time in England. “We’re shooting a flashback
thread here in York, set before the character gets
shipwrecked,” explains Joffin. “It’s nice because this
section is a story on its own; the reason I wanted to
do this show is because the scripts are full of little
stories and action sequences, and just read really
nicely. Also it’s a period show, set in the 1600s,
so it’s exciting being able to work in these
unbelievable period locations, with amazing
costumes and some really fine actors.”
DIRECTOR DUANE CLARK at work in York Minster cathedral
One of the most imposing locations is York Minster, the largest
Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. As is often the case with
historic buildings, restrictions on how equipment can be used
at York Minster influenced the cinematographer’s creative
approach. In particular the lighting kit, supplied by ARRI
Lighting Rental in London, was dictated to some degree by
practical limitations. “The thing about York Minster is that it’s
so vast,” explains Joffin. “We talked about putting up a
construction crane with really big lights on it, but that wasn’t
possible, mainly because of weight restrictions on the roads.
So we were basically just using lights coming in through the
windows and supplementing them a bit inside. The scene is a
flashback, so we could shoot it as the character remembers it,
which gave us a bit of license with the lighting. We didn’t
make anything look unreal, but we bumped up the backlight
and put in a strong shaft of light from a 10K Xenon fixture up
on a 20-foot scaffold, which worked really well. The flashback
shows the character’s idealised memory of his wife surrounded
by rose petals, so we were blowing all these petals into the air
with cannons inside the cathedral. It looked great because we
were using the D-21 at 60 frames per second.”
In general, Joffin makes no distinction between the lights he
needs for a D-21 shoot and those he would require if shooting
on film. “My lighting needs would have been very similar if
I had been on film,” he says. “The only difference was that if
I were shooting on film, I probably would have chosen 500
ASA stock for inside York Minster, so there would have been
a speed advantage.” Part of the reason for this is that the
cinematographer chose to select Logarithmic 4:4:4 RGB
(Extended Range) output from the D-21, which is rated at 200
EI/ASA equivalent. “I’ve always shot in Lin [Linear] mode
before,” he continues. “This is the first show I’ve done in Log
[Logarithmic] mode and it has blown me away; it’s made me
realise what I was missing out on!”
VISIONARRI
Although the default EI/ASA equivalent rating of Logarithmic
output from the D-21 is 200, Joffin was able to use look up
tables (LUTs) in Cinetal monitors on set to see how the image
faired at EI/ASA equivalent ratings between about 100 and
400. “It’s nice to look at other LUTs and see what you’re going
to be able to do with the image later,” he explains. “We don’t
apply these other ASA ratings to the dailies, but if I feel like a
shot is looking a bit dark, I can quickly flick to 400 on the
monitor and see how much detail I’m going to be able to pull
out. In real world situations you often need a bit more light so
you bump the ASA up a bit; with Linear output that can mean
the image getting a bit noisy, but the Log tests we did looked
really good. I definitely feel like the D-21 is faster [than the
D-20]; I would certainly use the higher ASA equivalents if I was
in a jam, but in general I try to keep the ASA as low as possible.”
“...OUR SHOW IS SET IN
THE 1600s, SO IT’S ALL
WINDOWS AND CANDLES,
AND THE WAY THE LOG
HELD DETAIL AND COLOUR
SATURATION IN THE CANDLE
FLAMES WAS JUST AMAZING.”
Before making the decision to use Logarithmic output for the
first time, Joffin spent a day testing at ARRI Media in London.
“The interesting thing was that I wanted to compare the Linear
and Log modes,” he continues. “So I was going to set up two
cameras side by side, but Bill Lovell [Head of the Digital
Department at ARRI Media] told me that I could use only one
camera, because the D-21 can run Linear and Log feeds
simultaneously. As great as Linear looks, when you put it next
to the Log output it looks like video next to film.
13

CRUSOE
“...MASTER PRIMES
LOOK AS GOOD TO
ME AT T1.3 AS
THEY DO AT
T2.8. THERE’S
SOMETHING ABOUT
THE QUALITY OF
THE OUT OF FOCUS
BACKGROUND THAT
I JUST LOVE.”
14
THE CAMERA CREW prepare a shot
I really saw that difference with
candlelight; our show is set in the 1600s,
so it’s all windows and candles, and the
way the Log held detail and colour
saturation in the candle flames was just
amazing. A lot of the time we’re crashing
hot shafts of light from 18Ks through
windows and bouncing them off the floor
or a table into the actors’ faces. It’s really
exciting to be able to do that and not
add any other lights in the room. With
Linear I always found I had to add a little
bit of fill light, but with Log that fill
sometimes isn’t necessary, which means
scenes are quicker to light and also look
more natural.”
Joffin’s choice of high speed ARRI Master
Prime lenses aided this tendency toward
minimal and natural-looking lighting, and
he took full advantage by shooting at
T1.3 both on location and on built sets.
“I’ve got to say that the Master Primes
blow me away; they’re just so fantastic,”
he says. “Even at T1.3 they look sharp;
I remember in the old days when we
shot with the original Zeiss Super
Speeds, they were T1.3 lenses as well,
but you generally had to shoot them at
T2 or T2.8, and they looked better at T4.
But these Master Primes look as good to
me at T1.3 as they do at T2.8. There’s
something about the quality of the out of
focus background that I just love. The
bokeh is so buttery and beautiful; it’s
almost addictive. You’ll be shooting on a
25mm and find yourself putting ND
filters in front of it because you want
those out of focus backgrounds. I just
fell in love with the look.”
Though the D-21 has an option to record
raw, uncompressed data in Data Mode,
it was decided that the best workflow for
Crusoe was HD output recorded via
fibre interfaces to SR recorders. The
production did, however, benefit from
another advantage of the new D-21 –
automatic Defect Pixel Correction (DPC)
– with which Joffin already had some
experience. “I actually had a prototype
version of the DPC on my previous
show,” he says. “We shot for 20 days
and I only saw one defect pixel, which
was amazingly good.”
The sophisticated Cinetal monitors used
on set were necessitated by the fact that
Logarithmic images have to be
processed through a LUT before being
displayed in order to replicate what the
filmmakers will be working with in
postproduction. A special LUT was
developed by Laurent Treherne, a
Technical Director at Ascent Media in
London, where postproduction is being
handled for the English shoot. “I love
those Cinetal monitors, they’re
unbelievable,” enthuses Joffin. “When
we were about to shoot The Andromeda
Strain there was no real solution for
applying LUTs on set and the Cinetals
have totally changed that. The beauty of
the system is seeing what you’re going
to get; it means you’re able to make little
corrections and really finesse things. I
know there are some DoPs who shoot in
Log mode and they’re not fussy about
the LUTs, but I can’t say that personally.
It’s a hard sell to directors as well
because they want to see exactly what
they’ll get, and of course they should.”
In order to view the Cinetal monitors in
controlled conditions, Joffin had a
blacked-out tent erected on every set,
inside which he could judge images
without any interference from other light
sources. “We have waveform monitors on
the cameras and in the tent, but we
mainly use the one in the tent. The Cinetal
is so good that I tend to judge exposure
with it,” says Joffin. “Then I check on the
waveform monitor to see if things are
clipping or see where the highlights are
if I’m trying to match close-ups.”
Being able to see the effects of different
iris settings with such precision and
immediacy meant the cinematographer
was comfortable making even major
exposure adjustments in shot. “People
sometimes say that moving the tent
around and shooting with an HD camera
is much slower,” he says. “But there’s one
area where I actually find it faster, and
that’s when you’re shooting the kind of
scene where you’re panning around and
you have someone in the foreground
who’s bright but an extra in the
background who’s dark. You can actually
go on the iris and make changes in shot,
just looking at the Cinetal monitor. I live
on the iris; if I don’t have it in my hand I
don’t feel like I have control of the shot.
We have the LCS system in the tent for
both cameras and I’m on it full-time.
On my last show with the D-20 we were
shooting in Hawaii and we did shots
where we followed characters from
inside a hotel room out onto a balcony
overlooking the ocean; I had shots where
I started at T1.3 and ended up at T11 –
huge iris pulls.
“It also helps when you don’t have time to
finish your lighting,” continues Joffin.
“With film you have to run around taking
light readings and know exactly where
you are because all you have is the video
assist. For almost any shot on this show
I’m often pulling up to two or three stops;
it’s really handy for shots where you dolly
around someone, where you might start
on a key light that looks quite flat so you
want to close the iris down a bit, but then
open it up as you come around. Or shots
where you have people in the foreground
who walk away from you and you start
wide open so the background is playing
really hot and then close it down as they
get into the distance. It’s amazing having
that control; I couldn’t live without it.”
For certain sequences Joffin is using a
hand-cranked ARRIFLEX 435 film camera,
which allows him to make multiple
“YOU CAN ACTUALLY
GO ON THE IRIS
AND MAKE
CHANGES IN SHOT,
JUST LOOKING AT
THE CINETAL
MONITOR. I LIVE
ON THE IRIS; IF I
DON’T HAVE IT IN
MY HAND I DON’T
FEEL LIKE I HAVE
CONTROL OF
THE SHOT.”
in-camera exposures that would be
impossible with the D-21. “We’re even
doing some quadruple exposures
in-camera,” he says. “I’d used the handcrank
thing on a modified ARRI III before,
but it shook the camera around like crazy.
This 435 system is just fantastic; you can
take the camera off the tripod and hold it
in your hand or even hand-crank up to
150 fps, which is unbelievable. I’ve
always carried a 435 on my previous
D-20 shoots. It means you can do high
speed shots, or sometimes you have
barely any light and need to very quickly
pick up a film camera and grab
something. I’m very comfortable cutting
the digital and film images together.”
VISIONARRI
The film style features of the D-21, such
as its optical viewfinder, helped the crew
switch between the two formats with
ease. Joffin also had a Digital Imaging
Technician (DIT), Neil Gray, to help
coordinate the digital workflow. “Neil has
been great, as has Chris Plevin [one of
the camera operators, who had previous
D-20 experience],” he says. “Chris came
up with the idea of us doing our own
clones at night and applying the LUT for
dailies, because we were quite a way
from London. We started off doing that
ourselves, but the problem was that the
editing department needed burned-in time
code, so we did have to start sending the
tapes up to London for cloning.”
Although Crusoe will not involve as
many visual effects as previous D-20
shoots Joffin has worked on, the
cinematographer has already noticed
advantages to the D-21 in Log mode
that will make things easier when it
comes to postproduction. “There isn’t a
huge amount of VFX work on this show,
but certainly some,” he says. “We’re
doing composites of the city, painting in
old buildings and cleaning the image of
more modern elements. The nice thing is I
don’t think we’ll have to do as much sky
replacement as we would on a Linear
show because the Log mode seems to be
able to hold the skies much better.” ■
Mark Hope-Jones
15

The Cinema Experience
Grading on a
Large Scale
An Interview with Jules van den Steenhoven NSC about his experience in the Cinema Grading
Suite at ARRI Schwarzfilm Berlin during the Digital Intermediate for the feature film Hardcover.
VisionARRI: Jules, you are one of Europe’s most
renowned cinematographers. You studied at the
Netherlands Film and Television Academy [NFTA] in
Amsterdam and you are one of the founders of the
Netherlands Society of Cinematographers.
Jules van den Steenhoven: Yes, Theo Bierkens and I founded the
NSC in 1992, on Jost Vacano’s [ASC, BVK] suggestion, as a
step towards a larger European organisation. Later, this led to
IMAGO, the European Federation of Cinematographers. In the
spring of 2008 IMAGO held its annual meeting in
Amsterdam, of which ARRI was a sponsor, among others.
VA: Your latest film, Hardcover, is a situation
comedy set in the world of petty criminals.
Christian Zübert [Lammbock (2001)] directed.
You have collaborated with him in the past, on
Der Schatz der weissen Falken [2005]. How did
you and Christian Zübert get to know each other
and what connects you two?
JS: I believe it was Tom Spiess and Sönke Wortmann, the
producers at Little Shark, who brought us together. Tom and
Sönke knew my work from the Emmy Award-winning Dutch
television series All Stars. Christian and I understand each
other quite well and I’m very impressed with Christian’s work
and his talent. Plus, I see the awards we received for Der
Schatz der weissen Falken, as well as the nomination it got for
the German Film Award, as proof that we work well together.
VA: For the 92-minute theatrical version of
Hardcover you decided to work in the Digital
Intermediate in 2K. What sort of considerations
led to this decision during prep?
JS: For several years now I have finished all my films in 2K
digital. Floris [2004] and Wild Romance [2006] were both
finished in the DI – once you’ve done that, there’s no turning
back. Digital postproduction allows you to bring out the
nuances of each individual frame to a much greater extent,
which of course helps the story you are trying to tell. It’s a big
time saver on the set as well, because I already know which
aspects I can work on in postproduction. If you can shoot three
or four additional setups every day then that not only benefits
the storytelling, but also helps keep the budget down.
“DIGITAL POSTPRODUCTION
ALLOWS YOU TO BRING
OUT THE NUANCES OF
EACH INDIVIDUAL FRAME
TO A MUCH GREATER
EXTENT…”
Photo: Menke
Photo: T.Ehling
JULES VAN DEN
STEENHOVEN
VA: Hardcover was the first film to be colour graded
in the brand new Cinema Grading Suite at ARRI
Schwarzfilm in Berlin. How did you like working in
a movie theatre?
JS: I was impressed. The grading suite in Berlin is the largest in
Europe with a 500 square foot screen and 23 seats. Working
with a digital 2K projector and an analogue 35mm projector
side-by-side offers completely new possibilities as you are
sitting in front of a movie screen, just like the audience,
while you’re finishing the film. I would recommend to all my
colleagues to colour grade using digital projectors and a
movie theatre screen. It allows you to see much more detail,
compared to a monitor, and you can therefore enhance the
very best in each frame.
VA: As a cinematographer, what have you taken
away from that experience?
JS: The biggest advantage is that you can go through the
entire film in real time. Also, as you don’t have to work frame
by frame you can work on entire scenes at once. Being able
to go back and forth through the film gives you a tremendous
amount of freedom; I love that. And it has a positive impact on
the end result. Every cinematographer knows about having to
make compromises, but in the case of Hardcover I had much
more control over contrast, lighting and colour than I would
have on an analogue system. The automatic tracking feature
allowed us to create masks, working from the brightness and
colour of the objects we tracked, for even the smallest details.
What was most convincing though, was how extremely steady
the image was during colour grading. There was no technical
damage and I had a much wider colour palette available to
me. All in all, I had much more control.
VA: What was your collaboration with colour grader
Andreas Reuber like?
JS: Andreas was fantastic, the smallest instruction and he
immediately knew what I meant. A good relationship with a
great colour grader, like Andreas, is very important to me
because it’s easy to get lost in the maze of new possibilities.
That’s why it’s vital that the colour grader understands you and
can translate suggestions and ideas brilliantly – and quickly.
VA: Could you imagine shooting your films digitally
in the future as well as grading them digitally
during postproduction?
JS: I still think that there is no digital format out there that
makes shooting as easy, fast and cheap as film – or creates
the same results as film does. Although, I have to admit that
I’m not yet familiar with the ARRIFLEX D-21. In the end, what is
important is the story that one intends to tell. And you can tell
a story using any format, from 8mm to 70mm film, or digital
formats such as the ARRIFLEX D-21 and the Red One. You can
even use a DV camera that costs 500 Euros. But there is still
no way around carefully planning your shoot, because the
basic concept and the mood of a film is created with the
on-set lighting and set design. Having accomplished that,
it allows you to take full advantage of the colour palette
and the contrasts in postproduction, especially in the
Digital Intermediate.
VA: Your current film is another Dutch production,
Brief voor de koning. What particular challenges
are you facing on this film?
JS: Brief voor de koning is a Dutch-German co-production
[Eyeworks and Heimat Film]. It’s an adaptation of the best
Dutch children’s book of the last century, which incidentally,
was quite successful in Germany as well. The story is set in
the middle ages. We shot a lot of day-for-night, a technique
I could take advantage of due to the possibilities digital
postproduction offers.
Produced by Tom Spiess and Sönke Wortmann of Little Shark
Entertainment, Hardcover was a co-production for WDR/ARTE
and was distributed by Universum Film in April 2008. ■
16 17
Katja Birkenbach
Photo: T.Ehling

A Tale of Two Sisters
How location lighting, supplied by ARRI Lighting Rental in London, played its part in telling a
story of sixteenth century sibling rivalry in The Other Boleyn Girl
Following their collaboration on the successful 2005 television
adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Bleak House – the first BBC
period drama to be shot on HD – Director Justin Chadwick and
DoP Kieran McGuigan were sought out by producers behind
The Other Boleyn Girl, an HD feature based on the historical
novel by Philippa Gregory. The film charts the tempestuous
relationships between Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman), her
sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Henry VIII (Eric Bana),
with whom both girls have affairs. The sisters alternately find
and fall from royal favour, pushed by their socially ambitious
father to vie for position in a court made dangerous by the
King’s fickle affections and his desperation for a male heir.
Henry’s caprice stretches family ties to breaking point and the
Boleyn’s soon learn that there is not only everything to gain at
the top, but also everything to lose.
On Bleak House Chadwick and McGuigan developed a tense
and edgy visual style that was achieved by the combination of
a bold lighting strategy with the use of two cameras for almost
every setup. One camera tended to shoot a given scene from
a fairly conventional angle, with the subjects illuminated
evenly, while the other was positioned perpendicular to the
action and often shot into deep shadow, with the subjects lit by
hard rim light. McGuigan is habitually frugal with fill light,
which results in high contrast images and also means he veers
towards low, side lighting rather than top light, in order to
prevent the actors’ eyes from falling into too much darkness.
Gaffer Mark Clayton explains that the DoP employed broadly
the same strategy on The Other Boleyn Girl: “He’s done a
similar thing again. I think perhaps it’s slightly more brightly lit
than Bleak House, mainly because you want Scarlett and
Natalie to look nice and also you want to be able to see the
big interiors.”
Filming involved a great deal of location work at a variety of
magnificent historic properties across England, including
Lacock Abbey, Great Chalfield Manor and Haddon Hall. The
National Trust owns several of these buildings, so their period
charm and authenticity came at the price of strict stipulations
about the rigging that could be built and equipment that could
be used. “We had a very nice woman from the National Trust
called Rosy,” continues Clayton. “She followed the production
around, looked after us and checked everything was alright.
There are certain things you can and can’t do; it’s pretty
rigorous but completely understandable.” Best Boy Benny
Harper adds, “It doesn’t really stop us doing what we want to
do, or get in the way, because we know about the limitations
and everything is planned for in advance.”
McGuigan’s preference for side lighting
eased the pressure of such limitations, as
Clayton explains: “Kieran likes to light
through windows anyway; he doesn’t
like top light, so we pretty much just
used the windows. What we did do in a
lot of the places, partly because we shot
so many night scenes during the day,
was to build huge blackout tents outside
the windows.”
The tents were constructed with scaffold
frames and completely enveloped the
location windows. A waterproof outer
skin was lined with black velvet on the
inside, which allowed the crew absolute
control over light entering the rooms. For
night scenes the velvet provided total
blackout, while for day scenes a white
drape could be lowered on a pulley
system within the tent and lit by 18Ks
and 10Ks. This gave the windows an
even, white illumination when filmed
from inside, with the light nicely broken
up by the period, leaded frames.
“We used these tents whenever we could
at the locations, although there was a
big cost implication,” says Clayton. “But
it did help us get through the schedule
because we could change very quickly
from night to day and it also meant we
didn’t have to wait for the sun at all. A
lot of these old buildings are nothing but
windows; at Penshurst Place there were
25-foot high windows, though Kieran still
preferred to keep the lights coming in
quite low, just above head height. I did
often try to get some space lights in up
above, just as a kind of get-out-of-jail
card really, though I suspect that Kieran
wouldn’t have had any of them given
the choice.
“We ended up using more light than we
thought we would, because it was HD,
although a lot of people think the
opposite is true. We often had to put in
an 18K where otherwise we might have
used a 6K and that would then give us
problems with the windows, because
they can blow out on HD. So it was a
balancing act getting enough light
coming in to give us the depth of field
we needed without losing information in
the widows themselves.”
Although the lighting package itself was
relatively standard and few locations
necessitated particularly unusual setups,
the challenge for the lighting crew was
the sheer number of different historic
buildings and the logistical problems
of rigging and travelling between them.
One location that proved especially
difficult was Dover Castle, where access
was so limited that equipment had to be
transported in small loads to a set that
was separated from the generators by
2000 feet of cabling.
“We did have some rather interesting
times shooting at Dover, partly because
of the weather,” recalls Harper. “We
were shooting there one morning and
Mark, with one of the electricians and
some other crew, was the first to go up
there, but between them getting into the
castle and the rest of us heading up
there, the wind got so bad that they
closed the castle with them inside and us
outside. There’s just a certain level of
wind where they’ll shut it down because
of the danger from falling rocks, so that
morning was quite busy for the one
electrician who had managed to
get inside!”
VISIONARRI
The windy conditions prompted the
castle authorities to forbid the use of
lamps on external scaffolding, so
McGuigan’s technique of lighting
through existing windows had to be
hastily modified. “We got away with it
in a way,” says Clayton, “because the
windows in the thick castle walls were so
deep. We were able to put lights back
into the recesses as though they were
coming through the windows, but it was
a proper plan B moment.” The lamps
they used were smaller than the 18Ks
McGuigan had wanted to punch through
the windows, so his freedom with the
camera was restricted, but the solution
at least allowed them to shoot, albeit in
cramped conditions. “It was one
occasion where being as short as I am
was actually a good thing,” says
Harper, “because I could climb into the
gaps in these windows!”
Adapting to circumstances and thinking
creatively allowed the lighting team to
help McGuigan achieve the bold look he
was striving for at difficult locations and
with a far from extravagant lighting
package. “The kit itself was pretty
conventional, but what’s extraordinary
about the film is the way Kieran has lit
it – the contrast,” concludes Clayton.
“Usually period films are quite brightly
and softly lit, but this is much darker
and more contrasty, reflecting the
film’s story.” ■
18 19
Mark Hope-Jones
Photos: Alex Bailey © 2006 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved

Photo: © Sat.1/Dirk Plamböck
20
The Air was Charged
with Emotion
ON LOCATION
Actor Hans Werner
Meyer (left)
ARRI Film & TV helps recreate
the fall of the Berlin Wall
The postproduction team at ARRI Film & TV have recently been working on a high
profile two-part miniseries produced by Munich-based Olga Film and entitled
Wir sind das Volk. Due to air on the German channel Sat.1 later in the year, the
miniseries is directed by Thomas Berger, an actor’s director known for his attention
to detail and for his work on the ZDF drama series Kommissarin Lucas (2003-2007).
The story of Wir sind das Volk is set against events leading up to the fall of the
Berlin wall on November 9th, 1989 and follows an East Berlin woman who
courageously opposes the crumbling socialist regime. The series was shot with
cameras, lighting and stage equipment supplied by ARRI Rental, reflecting the ARRI
Group’s ability to supply and guide projects of any scale through every stage of
production, from filming to final delivery.
While location scouting, Thomas Berger discovered that, “Berlin has received a complete facelift, to the
extent that there is hardly an extended section of the Berlin wall to be found.” This left the director with
little choice but to use sets and extensive location dressing to recreate the Berlin of the late 1980s.
One particularly impressive set, which was a highlight of the production, was an almost 700-foot long
replica of a notorious stretch of the Berlin wall known as the ‘Todesstreifen’ (‘Death Strip’).
This set included barbed wire, searchlights and spring-guns, and was built to create the authentic
environment needed to film a failed escape attempt by the protagonist.
The Todesstreifen set, which included an
extended section of wall, was built in
the Czech capital, Prague. Another set
that was built in Prague recreated the
entrance to the now famous Gethsemane
Church, located in what used to be
East Berlin. Prior to the wall’s demise,
during the last weeks of the former
German Democratic Republic (GDR),
citizens used to gather there to protest
peacefully, demanding a truly
representative democratic government
and the right to travel freely. In Berlin-
Mitte, the central borough of modern
Berlin, an entire intersection was closed
off for almost three weeks to allow
construction of a set recreating the
Bornholmer Straße border crossing
which was at Swinemünder Bridge. It
was there that, from around 11:30 p.m.
on November 9th, 1989, the first East
German citizens crossed the border right
under the noses of befuddled border
guards. Berger is adamant that such
elaborate sets were an absolute must:
“When television viewers watch about
400 people cross that border,” he says,
“they will sense that the air was charged
with emotion.” The director testifies that
he strongly felt such emotion himself
while filming there from mid-August
through mid-November of 2007.
For scenes shot on location in Berlin, the
production had to rely heavily on certain
tricks of the trade. Greenscreens, for
example, were used to allow the later
addition of set extensions – including
people and buildings – during
postproduction. Anachronistic elements,
from more recent times, had to be
removed using retouching techniques.
For a night scene depicting a historic
mass-demonstration in Leipzig, a crowd
of 1,000 extras holding candles and
lights was gathered. But in reality tens
of thousands of East Germans had
attended this demonstration back in
1989, so the visual effects experts at
ARRI had to duplicate extras to create
a more accurate depiction. The
entrance to the Gethsemane Church
set was also digitally extended using
matte paintings to recreate the entire
front of the church all the way up to
the spire. Similarly, a long NVA
(Nationale Volksarmee) military
convoy riding along a GDR freeway,
which on set actually consisted of no
more than a few trucks and one jeep,
was digitally extended. DI/VFX
Producer Nina Knott attests that the
convoy could have been extended
still further by the ARRI visual effects
team, had the production deemed
it necessary.
David Laubsch, VFX Supervisor,
was on location in Prague and Berlin
throughout filming. Early on in the
process, the effects team at ARRI
and the film crew had talked about
which sequences could be shot on
location and what visual elements had
to be added using CGI. “We had
to balance out creativity and cost,”
explains the director, who worked very
closely with ARRI to achieve the happiest
compromise. Laubsch was impressed
by Berger’s meticulous preparation:
“Thomas had a complete storyboard
that included every single setup,” he
says. “For the Todesstreifen sequence
he even had a model which he used to
work out the blocking of the actors and
the camera.”
As is increasingly the case on modern
productions, the postproduction schedule
was extremely tight on Wir sind das
Photo: © David Baltzer
DIRECTOR THOMAS BERGER prepares actors
for a scene
TODESSTREIFEN before and after the
VFX adaptation
Volk, with over 100 effects shots to
complete in a very limited amount of
time. One notable scene, in which an
actor is suspended from a steel wire,
required two to three days of digital
retouching. “That was a tremendous
amount of postproduction work for a
one-second action effect,” says Laubsch,
laughing. ARRI Film & TV maintained
constant communication with production
in order to meet deadlines not only for
the visual effects, but also the HD scan
of all footage (16mm and 35mm) and
indeed every other element of the
postproduction, for which ARRI was
also responsible. ■
Andreas Wirwalski
VISIONARRI
21

22
ARRIFLEX D-21
An upgrade to the ARRI film style digital camera
Based on extensive feedback collected over the last three years, we have
undertaken a major upgrade of our film style digital camera. While retaining
the same housing and the same sensor as the D-20, the ARRIFLEX D-21 shows
significant improvements to the image quality, simpler operation and new
accessories. Further new options include the ARRIRAW T-Link transport method
for raw data and the use of anamorphic lenses.
Creating a digital camera that produces cinematic images
is no trivial undertaking. It takes leading edge technology,
a strong research & development team and continued
feedback from the field. Based on input from the many
cinematographers, camera assistants and rental houses who
have worked closely with our film style digital camera in recent
years, we have taken a close look at all parts of the image
creation chain and have re-designed the image processing
software. Combined with various internal hardware changes
and optimized sensor timing, the ARRIFLEX D-21 emerges as
the most cinematic digital camera. All existing D-20 cameras
have already been upgraded to D-21 status.
Image Quality
Probably the most important change is the improvement to
the D-21 image quality. While the D-20 was no slouch in
this department, the D-21 images have an improved colour
saturation and increased sharpness. A higher MTF was
achieved by re-writing the image reconstruction (debayering)
algorithm and by carefully fine tuning the interaction between
the optical low pass filter and the down sampling algorithm.
A cleaner signal path, improved internal power management,
the automatic correction of defect pixels through Defect Pixel
Correction (see DPC sidebar) and the elimination of various
artifacts have led to improved low light performance. Colour
management Look Up Tables (LUTs) for 100, 200, 250, 320,
400, 500 640 & 800 ISO equivalent are now available, in
addition to Log C and Log F.
Beyond its image quality, the D-21 is distinguished by its
operational flexibility. The D-21’s unique construction allows
different output signals to be generated, accommodating
diverse production needs and workflows. In HD Mode, HD
output options include Lin or Log, 4:2:2 YCbCr or 4:4:4
RGB and Normal or Extended Range.
Alternatively or simultaneously, the D-21 can output the raw
Bayer data. In Data Mode, the full resolution of the entire
D-21 sensor can be utilized, delivering a larger image than
that of HD, offering numerous benefits (see D-21 Raw Data
Main Features) for productions.
ARRIRAW
Great strides have been made towards a feasible method for
recording raw data. The 12-bit ARRIRAW format contains the
raw Bayer data and can be used up to 30fps. Connecting
the D-21 to a suitable recorder is as easy as using two BNC
cables, thanks to the ARRIRAW T-Link method, which packs the
ARRIRAW data into a standard dual link HD-SDI stream (see
ARRIRAW T-Link). Close co-operation with manufacturers of
data recorders ensures a method of recording and previewing
image data. ARRI software tools that are currently in beta testing
can process the ARRIRAW files through advanced image
reconstruction (debayering) algorithms. The ARRI software can
output either an HD image or a 2K data file. The 2K data files are
as easy to grade as data files scanned from film, since a special
colour conversion matrix and LUTs in the ARRI software create
data files of the same pixel raster and film-like colourimetry as
film scans.
VISIONARRI
Anamorphic Filming
Since the raw data format transports all pixels of the 4:3 aspect ratio D-21 sensor, the D-21 is the only digital production camera
that allows the use of standard anamorphic lenses, expanding the creative choices of directors and cinematographers who
choose to work with digital images.
The D-21 sensor has a 4:3 aspect ratio, allowing the use of any
anamorphic lens. Here is the original 4:3 (=1.33:1) image from the
D-21, shooting a test chart at ARRI CSC with an Optimo 24-290
and an anamorphic rear-adapter.
By stretching the image in postproduction a 2.66:1 image is
obtained. The proper 2.39:1 aspect ratio can now be achieved
by cropping the sides.
23

ARRIFLEX D-21
24
Easy Operation and Updates
Through suggestions from the field we have further simplified
the controls of the D-21. Even though the D-20 has already
been praised for its simple operation, we know how high the
pressure on the set can be, and how crucial a simple menu
with easy to understand commands is. The D-21’s frame rate
can now be set only once on the Video Menu, and the Video
Menu structure has been simplified for faster and safer
operation. For remote situations, it is possible to control
Defect Pixel Correction (DPC)
While modern image sensors are veritable miracles of
technology, the very fact that they crowd millions of tiny
picture elements (pixels) into the smallest possible space
creates also some defect pixels. Careful quality control during
the manufacturing process ensures that most pixels perform just
fine, but some pixels provide no signal, some too much signal
and others a signal with too much noise. Moreover, it is
difficult to determine when a given pixel will decide to go bad.
This is an issue affecting all digital cameras, and while it has
been dealt with in the D-20 through a manual method for
creating a defect pixel map, it has been greatly improved
through a fully automatic defect pixel detection and correction
system (DPC) in the D-21.
The detailed functionality is complex, but the basic concept
works like this: the D-21 constantly checks each pixel in each
frame against a reference field of surrounding pixels to identify
defect pixels. It does this based on the fact that even small
Here is a 200 × 150 pixel excerpt from a
D-21 image. The camera was looking at a
black piece of cardboard with tiny holes,
some with red, green and blue gels, placed
before a light box to create an image with
very small and detailed image content. The
purpose of these images is to illustrate the
DPC process. The actual DPC is being
performed on the raw Bayer data, and thus
difficult to show.
the camera from a laptop via an Ethernet connection.
The LOCK sliding switch on the camera left side display will
now lock the buttons on that display, as well as the jogwheel
on the back to avoid accidental operation.
Software updates can now be achieved through a simple
Windows program, and are being distributed through the
same method already successfully used for ARRI film cameras.
image details will bleed a tiny amount into surrounding pixels
(see images). If a defect pixel is identified, the D-21 uses a
special algorithm to replace it. At 60fps, the D-21 evaluates
a staggering 42 million pixels per frame, that works out to 2.5
billion pixels each second. Amazingly, the whole analysis and
correction procedure works in real time. Thanks to the
processing power of the D-21’s FPGAs (Field Programmable
Gate Arrays, essentially re-programmable computer chips),
the DPC adds no delay to the image processing pipeline.
Because the DPC catches and replaces not only dead and
defect pixels, but also pixels that exhibit visibly more noise
than their neighbours, the D-21 gains the added benefit of a
very subtle noise reduction in the dark parts of the image.
As the DPC works automatically on each pixel of each frame
as soon as the camera is turned on, there is no more human
intervention necessary.
A further zoom-in
reveals a (simulated)
bad pixel that has
turned completely green.
It is easy to see here that
even pixel-sized details
of image content look
distinctly different from
a defect pixel.
The DPC has identified the bad pixel
and replaced it with a new pixel. While
a simple averaging of surrounding pixels
had been tried originally, that turned out
to be not completely invisible and tended
to “smear” the image content. So a
specialised algorithm had to be created
to ensure that the newly calculated pixel
blends perfectly into its surroundings.
ARRIRAW T-Link
The D-21 Video
Menu in standard
mode. A cleaned up
menu structure
makes operation of
the D-21 on the set
safer and faster
One of the obstacles that has stymied the use of raw data in
the past has been the problem of how to get data easily from
the camera to a recorder. ARRI engineers have found a way to
utilize a standard dual link HD-SDI connection to transport the
raw D-21 Bayer data. This new transport method is called
ARRIRAW T-Link (Transport Link). It allows any recorder
capable of recording an uncompressed dual link HD-SDI
stream to record raw D-21 Bayer data, greatly simplifying
the raw data workflow for manufacturers and users alike.
The properties of the dual link HS-SDI connection are defined
in SMPTE 372M. The standard specifies a maximum data rate
of 2.97GB/s, which is enough bandwidth to carry the 12-bit
D-21 raw Bayer data. SMPTE 372M also defines a number of
standardized source signal formats to be sent through two
BNC cables (affectionately known as Link A and Link B).
One of those source signal formats is the RGBA format.
RGBA stand for red, green and blue plus an alpha channel,
technically called 4:4:4:4 (R’G’B’+A) / 10 bit. The ARRIRAW
T-Link works by mapping the 12-bit raw Bayer data into this
RGBA Format
D-21 Raw Bayer Data D-21 Raw Bayer Data mapped
into RGBA transport stream
VISIONARRI
The D-21 Video Menu
in advanced mode
RGBA data stream, so that it can be transported via a dual link
HD-SDI connection. Any recorder that is capable of recording
a SMPTE 372M-compliant RGBA signal and playing it back
without compression or further encoding can record this signal.
If the signal is recorded by a data recorder, the additional
option of a live preview exists. The data recorder can extract
the original D-21 raw Bayer data out of the RGBA data
stream, and use a real-time image reconstruction (debayering)
algorithm to display the 4 : 3 image as a 1440 × 1080 preview
HD image. If anamorphic lenses are used on the D-21 a suitably
“de-squeezed” image can be displayed on an HD monitor.
A similar process is used in postproduction. The original raw
Bayer data is extracted from the RGBA stream, and advanced
debayering algorithms are used to reconstruct a pristine image
in HD or 2K. Doing this in post has the added advantage that
it does not have to be done in real-time, so a significantly
better image quality and greater flexibility are possible. Note
that throughout the whole process, the image always stays
uncompressed, at the highest quality.
ARRIFLEX D-21 2 x BNC Cables
Duel Link HD-SDI Stream
Data Recorder Postproduction
Non-real-time
Image Processing
D-21 Raw
Bayer Data ➔
RGBA Transport
Stream Mapping ➔
D-21 Raw
Bayer Data ➔ File Formatting ➔
D-21 Raw
Bayer Data ➔
Recorder File
Format Unpacking
Real-time
Image Processing
Recorder File
Format Unpacking
RGBA Transport
Stream Extraction
Image
Reconstruction
➔➔ ➔
➔
➔
RGBA Format
Recorder
File Format
HD Preview
Image
RGBA Transport
Stream Extraction
Image
Reconstruction
RGB Image
HD Preview Image RGB Image
➔ ➔➔ ➔
25

ARRIFLEX D-21
26
ARRI Imaging Technology
For us as an equipment manufacturer, developing a film camera and developing a digital
camera are processes with interesting similarities and differences. While both share elements
we are very familiar with, like an optical viewfinder, a mirror shutter, PL mount lenses,
similar ergonomics and accessories, there is a basic difference that required the
establishment of a whole new department within ARRI: in a digital camera we are
responsible for the actual image creation. The proprietary technology that creates the uniquely
beautiful D-21 images has now been given its own name: ARRI Imaging Technology (AIT).
AIT stands for the smart orchestration of a
custom designed CMOS sensor, a finely tuned
optical low pass filter, a powerful imaging
hardware engine and advanced image
processing algorithms. Each part of the D-21 is
custom developed to perform optimally in a
digital motion picture camera, and thus we fully
control the D-21’s imaging chain down to the
smallest detail. This allows an optimisation of
the whole system far beyond what would be
possible with off-the-shelf components. In
addition, we are engaged in continuous testing
and improvements to all parts and their
interaction. Through AIT, the D-21 produces
outstanding images with a cinematic look and
feel, high dynamic range, high contrast and the
most film-like colour reproduction of any digital
motion picture camera.
Accessories
A number of new hardware pieces complete the picture. A new shoulder set
S-5 has been created specifically for the D-21. Similar to the ARRICAM shoulder set in
functionality, the S-5 can accept a quick release plate, which attaches directly to a tripod
head. Additional ground glasses for the 1.33, 1.78, 1.85 & 2.39 formats will soon be
available. D-21 cameras can be equipped with the FEM-2 addition, which provides a
built-in radio for wireless lens and camera control. The FEM-2 also contains motor drive
electronics, so the ARRI Controlled Lens Motors (CLM) can be plugged directly into the
camera without any annoying extra boxes. And last but not least, the SONY Fiber Remote
SFR-1 allows the remote control of a SONY HDCAM SR field recorder through the D-21’s
fiber optic link SONY Fiber Interface SFI-1.
The Functional Expansion Module FEM-2 contains motor drivers for lens motors, hardware and
software for the Lens Data System as well as a slot for an optional radio. With the Universal Radio
Module URM-3 installed, the D-21 and its lens can be easily and quickly controlled by the ARRI
Wireless Remote System (WRS)
The CMOS sensor inside the D-21
was designed and developed
specifically for use in ARRI high end
motion picture cameras. Its Super 35
size and 4:3 aspect ratio ensure
perfect compatibility with the
unequalled variety of existing
spherical and anamorphic cine lenses.
A number of powerful FPGAs (Field
Programmable Gate Arrays) constitute
the imaging hardware engine inside
the D-21. They are a crucial
component of ARRI Imaging Technology
The SFR-1 can start (REC) and pause
(PAUSE) recording of the SONY
HDCAM SR field recorder. In
addition it can play back a few
seconds of the last take (REVW) and
shows when the deck is recording
(green TALLY LED) or ready to record
(blue READY LED).
The shoulder set S-5 has three
cooling vents built into the shoulder
pad that provide air to the D-21
cooling shafts. A quick release
plate can be attached to the bottom
of the S-5.
D-21 Raw Data Main Features
Superior Image Quality
• uncompressed, unprocessed 12-bit raw Bayer sensor
data (ARRIRAW)
• the output option with the highest dynamic range &
lowest noise
• images are “developed” in post with AIT advanced
image reconstruction (debayering) algorithms
• decisions regarding colour space conversions and
look up tables are made in post
• upgraded image reconstruction can be applied to
archived raw data for better image quality
Use Full Sensor Resolution for 2K or HD Output
• 2880×2160 (4:3) at 24 and 25fps
• 2880×1620 (16:9) at 30fps
• finer detail and crisper edges
• 2K files have the same pixel raster and film-like
colourimetry as 2K scanned data from film
• easy, familiar post workflow
• easy image reposition and cropping
Cinemascope
• anamorphic lenses can be used
Flexible workflow options
• simultaneous data and HD output possible for HD
video monitoring & offline editing
• ARRIRAW T-Link: transport ARRIRAW data via dual
link HD-SDI
• ingest converted data files to NLE
ARRIFLEX D-21 Main Features
Optical Viewfinder
• zero delay
• outside image area
• bright, full colour image
• works without power
• fatigue-free viewing
ARRI Imaging Technology (AIT)
• custom designed CMOS sensor
• custom designed, powerful imaging hardware engine
• unique ARRI image processing software
• carefully tuned system integration
VISIONARRI
Cinematic Image Quality
• AIT creates a cinematic look
• rotating mirror shutter for film-like motion portrayal
• single, Super 35 format sensor for 35 format depth of field
• highest dynamic range of any motion picture CMOS camera
• super sharp, alias-free images through over sampling,
finely tuned optical low pass filter & advanced image
reconstruction algorithms
• extended colour space provides natural, film compatible
colour reproduction
• consistent match between cameras
35 Format Film Lenses
• industry standard PL mount
• unequalled variety of prime, zoom & specialty lenses
• compatible with spherical and anamorphic lenses (1.33:1
sensor format)
Compatibility with 35 Format Film Accessories &
Support Equipment
• ARRI matte boxes, follow focus, wireless remote control
• dollies, cranes, Steadicam, etc.
A True ARRI Camera
• silent running < 20 dBA @ 24 fps, (no fan)
• simple operation
• robust construction
• ergonomic design
• variable speed (slow-motion, ramps)
Flexible Output Options: Data and/or HD Modes
• simultaneous data & HD outputs possible
• Data Mode: 4:3 ARRIRAW uncompressed data for film-like
2K workflow
• Data Mode: ARRIRAW T-Link
• HD Mode: 16:9 uncompressed HD output
• HD Mode: Lin or Log, 4:2:2 YCbCr or 4:4:4 RGB, Normal or
Extended Range
• Data Mode: ARRIRAW T-Link
• Fiber optic option allows cable lengths of up to 500m/1,600’
Modular Architecture
• sensor, electronics & firmware can be upgraded
• secure investment
• long product cycle
27

28
TWO ROUGH-AND-READY SISTERS
SAVE SERBIAN CINEMA
In his feature film debut Charleston & Vendetta – a visually stunning period piece with a
magical quality – Serbian Director Uros Stojanovic shares his take on Serbo-Croatian history
between World Wars I and II. The story and colourful look, created in a DI grading theatre
at ARRI Film & TV, suggest an ingenious blend of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s romantic comedy
The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain and the wild Balkan films of Emir Kusturica. The film,
to this day the most expensive Serbian production ever filmed, was co-produced by the French
Director, Author, Producer and avowed European, Luc Besson (The Big Blue, The Fifth Element).
The fact that the colourful look and surreal mood of Charleston
& Vendetta are reminiscent of the international box-office hit
Amélie is no coincidence: Didier Le Fouest, the revered French
colour grader, worked on both projects. After completing his
efforts on Charleston & Vendetta at ARRI Film & TV in Munich,
Le Fouest remarked: “The DI workflow at ARRI is the best that I
know of. I worked on the DI of Amélie back in 1999 and
know the postproduction houses Dubois and Éclair very well.
As a Frenchman I don’t like saying this, but ARRI’s system is the
best.” The highly involved colour grading of the film took six
entire weeks to complete, but the final images wowed
audiences in local theatres and will soon do the
same internationally.
The lead characters in both Charleston & Vendetta (original
title: Carlston za Ognjenku) and Amélie are women. But unlike
Jeunet’s delicate yet mischievous Parisian heroine, the sisters
Mala Boginja (Katarin Radivojevic) and Ognjenka (Sonja
Kolacaric) are tough women from the countryside. In the
1920s they leave their village, which lost all of its male
inhabitants to war and blood feuds, and head for the big city
together in search of men. The women, who remind us a bit of
Brigitte Bardot and Jeanne Moreau’s characters in Louis
Malle’s western comedy Viva Maria!, rely not only on their
firearms but also on the use of traditional, local magic.
Stojanovic believes that his compatriots, “after years of
experiencing feelings of apathy, emptiness and hopelessness,
wouldn’t have been moved by a tragedy.”
Only six weeks after its Serbian release on January 31st
2008, the national press reported that Charleston & Vendetta
had sold 150,000 tickets, meaning this visual feast was on its
way to becoming the most successful domestic production of
the last three years. For a film from this small, new country, still
suffering the consequences of the recent war, this meant more
than a cultural victory. Recently, the online newspaper ‘blic’
reported that the number of movie screens in Serbia has shrunk
from 400 down to a mere 60, leading it to conclude that, “the
importance of a local film crossing the 100,000 viewer mark
cannot be overstated.” Producer Mira Tomic adds: “Our film
has proven that if filmmakers are willing to go about their work
differently, then we are capable of reviving Serbian cinema!”
VISIONARRI
Luc Besson introduced Charleston & Vendetta at the 61st
International Film Festival in Cannes to a worldwide audience.
For the international version he re-cut two of the five acts at his
Paris film studio, Europacorp and also brought on board the
renowned Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi. In the
past, Umebayashi has scored such classics as Wong Kar Wai’s
2046 and In the Mood for Love, and recently completed
Peter Webber’s Hannibal Rising.
Charleston & Vendetta was a first experience with DI for the
Serbian production company Blue Pen. This, coupled with the
film’s four million Euro budget, created a lot of pressure and
some uneasiness about the unfamiliar digital postproduction
workflow. However, the DI team at ARRI Munich, “believed in
the project from the beginning,” says ARRI Key Account
Manager Angela Reedwisch, and guided the Serbian
Producers Batric Nenezic and Milena Tomi through the
process. The ARRI team worked with DI/VFX Producer Philip
Hahn to combine about 400 VFX shots from various European
postproduction houses. In the end, ARRI was responsible for
the lab as well as the postproduction work of Charleston &
Vendetta and delivered the release prints including the
theatrical trailers. ■
Andreas Wirwalski
Photos: © Blue Pen
29

30
A report
from Dubai
Dubai. It seems to be growing
in fame as quickly as it is
growing in fortune. One can
hardly pick up a publication
or watch the news these days
without this fascinating city,
located in the heart of the
Middle East, being mentioned.
In parallel with the city as a
whole, the film industry in the
city and its surrounding area
is growing. What once was a
desert village location for
small-time productions has
developed into a hot spot for
dynamic TVCs (television
commercials) and is slowly
attracting the attention of the
feature film market.
VISIONARRI
Dubai-based ARRI Media rental partner Filmquip
Media is one of the Middle East’s largest rental
houses, servicing the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC), the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi
Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Although Dubai is often portrayed as a hub for
glitz and prestige, filming there is not always so
glamorous; the shooting conditions in and around
the city can be quite challenging. Filmquip Media’s
in-house Gaffer, Mark Sherman, regularly has to
contend with temperatures exceeding 50°C in harsh,
desert environments that put equipment under threat
from the elements. Not only that, but Dubai’s affluence has created other locations that are as luxurious
as the desert is inhospitable and productions frequently make use of these two extremes on the same day.
Such wildly varying filming locations mean technicians have to take extra care of equipment and pay
careful attention to how it is being used and maintained; often gear must be cleaned, polished and
essentially refurbished in the middle of a shooting day, under the relentless pressure of shooting schedules.
For Grips Alex Hudson and Michael Dix, one of the biggest problems is the desert sand, which becomes
like finely crushed chalk-dust in the high humidity and sticks to absolutely everything. When they lay any
type of grip equipment, such as track, legs and crane platforms, even stepping in the same area can cause
the sand to shift drastically, which is something Alex never had to consider in his native UK. But, in
common with most technical crew, Alex and Michael agree that the greatest challenge is the extreme
heat and humidity; just handling the equipment in 50°C heat and ingesting sufficient fluids is problematic
enough, let alone producing work at the highest professional level.
Anthony Smythe, Managing Director of Filmquip Media and a DoP himself, recognizes that the climate
and diverse locations make shooting in the region difficult: “The equipment is under constant stress and our
technical support has to be of the highest standard,” he says. “Working as a DoP you have to take the
shooting conditions into account, not only the effect on the gear but also the crew. Getting a camera
package to the top of a dune can take as long as getting an 18K to the top. Most of the time we cannot
take the easy route as it is generally in our frame and we would want to keep the sand free of tracks.
“Digital filming is not popular in the region and 16mm is starting to gain ground,” continues Smythe.
”As there is no real drama industry in the UAE most of our work is 35mm and the ARRIFLEX 435ES is the
work horse in this market. We need to have access to the best equipment because most of the DoPs we
service are from Europe and they expect the same standard as they get anywhere else in the world. We
are the only rental house that is a one stop shop, from Chapman/Fisher dollies to Technocranes, Tyler
helicopter mounts, underwater housings, motion control, gyro-stabilized heads, ARRIMAX, and of course
the full range of ARRI cameras, grips and lights. Filmquip Media Crew has a full complement of
experienced technicians on their books and are constantly training and sourcing new crew. It takes a
special type of crew membe r to work in these challenging conditions. ■
Lisa Buschek
31

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel
A report from DoP
John Pardue about his
experiences shooting
with the ARRIFLEX D-20
Frequently Asked Questions
About Time Travel, a coproduction
between HBO and
BBC Films, is both a comedy
and science fiction film. It’s a
very English take on time
travel, referencing films such
as Groundhog Day and Back
to the Future. The comedy
concentrates on ordinary
male related issues so that
throughout the fantastic
journey our guys are still
arguing about mundane
issues from their previous
real world.
VISIONARRI
The story follows three ordinary mates who
go into a pub and get embroiled in a
series of trips back and forth through time.
Our heroes frantically avoid multiple earlier
versions of themselves whilst being chased
by a giant radioactive ant. They need to
find out who is trying to kill them and get
back to normal time – that’s if the notion of
‘normal time’ exists in this film! Along the
way, Ray (Chriss O’Dowd) falls in love with
Cassie (Anna Farris) a woman from the
future who has come to warn the guys of an
impending disaster. Toby (Marc Wootton) is
a serious film geek, and on hearing Ray’s
story of the woman from the future naturally
assumes he is pitching him a film plot. Pete
(Dean Lennox–Kelly) does not believe any
of it until he discovers a time leak in the
gents whilst singing Bonnie Tyler’s Total
Eclipse of the Heart. He walks out of the
gents to find a pub full of dead bodies.
Style of the Film
Such an extraordinary situation lends
itself to a visual style that also goes to
extraordinary places. Director Gareth
Carravich encouraged me to adopt a very
visual approach while still retaining the
ordinariness of our character’s world. The
film has a kind of heightened naturalism.
Gregory Crewdson’s photography book
Twilight was a strong influence, especially
for the lighting. There was a general
feeling of wanting to avoid making a drab
film with flat lighting and tentative design.
The look of the film was established by
Designer Kave Quinn. Much of the film
takes place in a Victorian pub over the
course of one night. The layout of the
pub had to work so that the three versions
of the main characters could inhabit the
same place without seeing each other.
Many of the different areas within the
pub are crucial to parts of the story and
the design and lighting had to make
each part feel separate and distinct.
The audience then gets a sense of the
geography of the place.
We shot the pub interiors at Pinewood
Studios and matched these to exteriors on
location. The lighting for the pub interior
was a very warm palette and top lit. There
was a hint of blue light in the windows
mixed with some sodium streetlight filtering
through. I tried to keep this slightly stylised
warm and blue mix when it felt right. We
used practicals inside as much as possible
and gave a warm glow to complement the
colours of the wall.
32 33

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL
In the future, the derelict pub is covered in ash. I lit everything
with large cold soft sources with some warm winter sun creeping
through the gaps in the roof. Luckily the ambient daylight was
very low when we shot the matching exteriors on location. My
lights had a lot more spread and I could replicate a low winter
sun so that the studio and location are pretty seamless.
Choice of Camera – ARRIFLEX D-20
When the decision was taken to shoot high definition instead
of 35mm for, essentially, economic reasons we looked at the
Viper and the D-20 and made a choice from these. We liked
both cameras in different ways but felt that the D-20 was the
right camera for this picture.
We tested the D-20 on the pub set and tried to work out how
far we could push it. I lit a very dark scene with hard lights
pointing down on the bar, which were about three stops over
the key. In some of the background, there was no light at all
and very little fall off from other lights. I placed a 100w light
bulb in front of the lens, which was not dimmed. A negative
was made and the test was printed and projected.
The results were very pleasing at the brighter end. The D-20
handles highlights in a similar way to film with no bleeding or
nasty video whites. The light bulb had a crisp edge and clean
whites, while overexposed flesh tones were not as ugly as I’ve
seen on other high definition cameras. When we started
principal photography, I tried to get bright practicals in frame
and exploit this aspect of the camera. In the gents toilet set,
I created a top light made up of fluorescents and diffusion
DoP JOHN PARDUE hand-holds the D-20 as 1st AC Jake Marcuson pulls focus
frames. We were able to shoot into the source without it ever
bleeding out and ruining the shot.
Highlights look great on the D-20, but it’s a different story at
the bottom end. Underexposure is more difficult. Blacks are
denser than with film and dark wall surfaces fall off quicker
than film. It’s a case of lighting up the blacks and having some
control over the brightness of the backgrounds. (Since making
FAQ, the camera has been improved greatly in the shadow
areas and now has a lot more latitude at the bottom end)
With proper exposure, the colour rendition of the D-20 is very
accurate and worked well with the careful colour co-ordination
of costume and design. We tested all wall colours and
wallpaper, as well as costumes, as to how they would handle
with the camera. The darker colours fell to black very quickly
and as a result, dark maroons and browns were made a little
brighter. We avoided black in clothes altogether. By lightening
some of the darker colours and working closely with the
designer Kave Quinn, I saved some of the struggle of having
to independently light up the backgrounds. This can be
awkward when using large ceiling pieces.
Although it is a comedy, we did want to create some very dark
and menacing scenes. We wanted to create a mood without
losing the shadows to complete black. There is a “massacre”
in the pub and Director Garath Carravich wanted a more
threatening atmosphere – something like a Caravaggio
painting in mood. I gave the “massacre” a painterly feel where
the highlights are very bright and warm, and we kept some
detail in the shadows by adding just the right amount of fill.
D-20 – Studio and Location
The main bar set was a relatively dark environment and I
was able to use bigger sources above the set and achieve
the correct amount of fill light to a higher level than I would
use on film. I would not have been able to do this as easily
in a location.
“I FOUND THE D-20 HAS
A CERTAIN ‘LOOK’
WHICH I LIKE; IT
SUITED THIS PROJECT
AND HAS ALMOST
BECOME A PART OF THE
STYLE OF THE FILM.”
When we shot on location, the loom with all the various cables
tended to be time consuming to re-route through different parts
of the set, as well as the occasional repair. ARRI Media made
sure we had lots of spares and their backup was terrific. The
camera is pretty much the same as a film camera in many
ways: it has a great viewfinder and the same control panel as
a 435. It’s also wonderfully simple to operate: you only need
to set the ASA and colour balance – and the stop, of course,
but that was usually wide open. I ended up shooting on 320
ASA, and 200 ASA when we did some green screen.
Another impressive aspect is the shallow depth of field, which is
similar to 35mm. At times it felt like there was less depth of field
than 35mm or perhaps the focus drops off more quickly. Focus
Puller Jake Marcusson thought it was more noticeable when
trying to do a focus split on two people in the same shot (using
depth of field charts for Cooke S4 and working to 1/1000 of
an inch circle of confusion). We often squeezed actors together
a bit to help some close splits that looked wrong.
The Astro monitor on the camera is a great help both for
exposure and to look at the lighting with contrast. I used the
bigger CRT monitor when I wanted to check the detail in the
blacks and to really see what was happening in terms of
colour balance. The CRT monitor is very low in contrast so
the lighting often looked better on the Astro. There is the
clever addition of an exposure graph on the Astro so that
the exposure can be worked out with that rather than looking
at monitors which can be deceptive.
We did not get a chance to use the FlashMags for the
Steadicam work as they were not quite ready. I think they would
have made a huge difference to the flexibility of this camera on
location. As it was, we had to have a whole load of people
carrying cables and recorders – this was a bit of a performance
but it worked out fine and did not slow the shoot down.
Night and Day Exteriors
The D-20 is very good at handling the exposure in exterior day
situations and I would immediately choose this high definition
camera for a film with a lot of day exteriors or shooting in the
desert. It copes with bright skies and allows you to open up for
the shadow areas without the worry of blowing things out. I
found that a sunny day did not look over-harsh and whites
were very clean. In the past high def on a flat overcast day
VISIONARRI
has always looked like video, but the D-20 responds to flat
light in a similar way to film and the results were very good.
One night street scene, with a limited number of lighting
options, is a good illustration of what we did. The shot was a
Steadicam walk and talk lasting a good 60 yards; it was on
a busy street and no overhead lighting or backlighting was
possible. I put a number of bright shop signs in the back of
the shot, which gave me depth. We added Kinos of various
colours from the shop windows, and a tracking balloon light
on a western dolly to give us the fill. The scene looks great
and all the additional lighting really made a difference. The
DoP has to do a good lighting job for night exteriors and a
documentary available light approach would, I imagine, be
less successful.
JOHN PARDUE lines the D-20 up for an exterior shot
The D-20 and Postproduction
The D-20 has remarkable keying ability down to a fine hair on
the back of someone’s head. Shots can be rendered quickly
and comps made on set for everyone to see. We graded the
film at Dragon DI and the setup there is very good. Colourist
Geoffrey Case really impressed me with his precision to detail
and matching. I found the D-20 has a certain ‘look’ which I
like; it suited this project and has almost become a part of
the style of the film. On an artistic level, I have photographed
this picture in a different way than I would have done if it
had been on 35mm film and I like the result which is a
little different and suites the rather stylized nature of the
photography. I’ve always been a film guy from the first time
I loaded up a magazine as a camera assistant. However, my
experiences with the D-20 have been my best experiences on
high definition so far - mainly because it has solved the
problem of burning highlights and loosing detail in bright
surfaces which is still a problem of many high definition
cameras. I’m fond of this camera and will use it again. ■
34 35
John Pardue

36
ARRI TRUE BLUE
The new TRUE BLUE range epitomises ARRI’s commitment to market-leading quality and
design. Representing the next generation of ARRI lighting products, this fundamental
collection of lampheads for studio and location applications has been redesigned down
to the smallest detail and sets a new benchmark in professional lighting equipment.
Following extensive research and
feedback from rental houses, gaffers and
other lighting professionals, the TRUE
BLUE designs bring together end-user
experience with ARRI’s industry-defining
expertise to form a new core range of
lighting fixtures incorporating the latest
technology and materials. Offering a
wealth of cutting-edge features as well as
reduced weight, compact size and
maximum light output, the True Blues
combine versatile functionality with
efficient performance.
While the overall weight of the TRUE
BLUE fixtures has been reduced by their
aluminium construction, there have been
no sacrifices to robustness. Many
components now offer greater strength
and resistance to corrosion; the paint
finish is more durable and the smooth
lamp housing surfaces are easier to
clean. The extensive redesign work has
prioritised quick and easy access to
internal parts such as cables and
reflectors, which in turn has simplified
maintenance and repair.
TRUE BLUE Key Advantages
A particular focus of the enhancements to
the TRUE BLUE lampheads has been their
adaptability to accessories. The tilt lock
has been dramatically improved by a
stainless steel friction disc that locks tight
enough to eliminate the danger of forward
tilting when heavy, front-mounted
accessories such as Chimeras or colour
changers are in use. In addition, a new
stirrup centre adjustment allows the
stirrup to slide back and forth until it
is positioned either at or near the
lamphead’s centre of gravity, depending
on the accessories attached.
Another new feature of the TRUE BLUE
range is the Stegmaier connector,
a rotatable cable outlet that can be
moved through 120° of turn. This easy
adjustment swiftly adapts each lamphead
to an ideal cable orientation for either
ceiling-grid or floor-stand mounting.
• Improved Tilt Lock
Tight-locking friction disc prevents the forward tilting caused
by front-mounted accessories
• Stirrup Centre Adjustment
Sliding stirrup connection allows balancing at the tilt lock,
with or without accessories
• Stegmaier Connector
Rotatable cable outlet suitable for both ceiling-grid and
floor-stand lamphead mounting
Several refinements have been made to
the barndoors of the TRUE BLUEs. The
aluminium alloy barndoor leafs are now
stronger, less susceptible to bending and
fastened at the hinges by fewer and
larger bolts, which are easier to tighten.
The leafs can also be moved without
making any noise and do not project
lower than the base of the lamp housing
when inserted vertically, which means
that a lamphead can be placed on
the floor without risk of damage to
the barndoor.
ARRI’s new cross-cooling system,
incorporated into the design of the
TRUE BLUE range, has reduced the lens
temperature by 17% when the fixture
is fully tilted down. While conventional
cooling is severely impaired when
lamps are angled downwards, which
in practice they often are, this system
overcomes the problem by encouraging
a stream of air to pass around the
Fresnel lens and into the lamphead
from the front.
• Improved Barndoor
A number of design refinements combine to make a
stronger, quieter and more durable barndoor
• Cross-Cooling
A flow of air entering the lamphead at the lens reduces
both bulb and housing temperatures
• Easy Maintenance
Easier to clean and repair, TRUE BLUE units are also
constructed of longer-lasting components
VISIONARRI
37

38
DESIGNING
ARRI Digital Film
VISUAL EFFECTS
Visualizing screenplays in his head, fleshing out their narrative
structure to aid the creation of a film – that’s what Professor
Jürgen Schopper, Creative Director of Visual Effects at ARRI
Digital Film, does best. His work generally starts where a film
camera’s ends and together with an experienced team of
producers, 3D animators, compositing experts and colour
grading specialists, he makes sure that the confines of reality
don’t limit the virtual fantasies of filmmakers.
During the mid ‘90s a VFX shot such as
the burning village in Joseph Vilsmaier’s
Schlafes Bruder (1995) was something
unique. Today the average feature film has
between 100 to 150 VFX shots, requiring
about three months of work.
Most of the time Jürgen Schopper’s work
starts with a storyboard: “The main
advantage, from a production point of
view, is that working from a storyboard
makes budgeting easier and more
reliable,” explains Schopper. “Sometimes,
it even helps the narrative as well. When
it comes to effect shots, it’s crucial to know
what you’re trying to say and to know it
before you start to roll the camera.”
“What I enjoy most,” says Schopper,
“is being part of the storytelling process,
working with producers and directors to
create something from the pages of a
script. It’s important to make sure that
everyone has the same visual ideas in
mind.” The main tool for visualising isn’t
the computer, but a conventional pencil
and paper. The first rough sketches soon
turn into full-blown storyboards. Then a
budget is generated – shot by shot –
and will continuously be refined as the
production progresses. “Usually about a
dozen calculations precede the actual
final budget of a feature film,” he says.
Schopper believes that effects are not
used to spend money; on the contrary,
they are there to save money. That’s why
it is important to focus on what is
“WHEN YOU’RE WORKING WITH JÜRGEN SCHOPPER YOU
GET MUCH MORE THAN EXPERT TECHNICAL ADVICE. YOU
ALSO GET HIS TREMENDOUS CREATIVITY, HIS ABUNDANCE
OF IDEAS, HIS IMPORTANT SUGGESTIONS, HIS CEASELESS
ENTHUSIASM, AS WELL AS HIS UNWAVERING COMMITMENT.
THAT’S WHY WE HAVE WORKED ON ALL MY PRODUCTIONS
TOGETHER FOR MANY YEARS NOW.”
VISIONARRI
“JÜRGEN SCHOPPER UNDERSTANDS THE COMPLEX DEMANDS OF
EVEN THE MOST SOPHISTICATED PROJECTS AND HIS
COMPETENCE IN REGARDS TO CREATIVE DESIGN AND THE
EXECUTION THEREOF IS UNMATCHED. WORKING WITH HIM IS
WORKING IN A GREAT PARTNERSHIP IN WHICH NO ONE QUITS
UNTIL THE RESULT IS NOTHING SHORT OF PERFECT.”
Prof. Ulrich Limmer, Managing Partner collina filmproduktion GmbH
Ursula Woerner, Annie Brunner and Dr. Andreas Richter, Roxy Film GmbH & Co. KG
absolutely necessary for a film in order
for it to work. “What distinguishes us
from a simple service provider is the fact
that here at ARRI Digital Film we see the
creative blueprint, the design itself, as a
major part of the service we render,
which in turn creates a special connection
with clients,” states the Creative Director.
Most viewers, depending on the genre,
don’t even recognise VFX shots, which is
often a mark of their success. A school
building featured in Ute Wieland’s
film Freche Mädchen was in fact shot
during the summer but was magically
transformed into a snow-covered setting
at Christmas time by ARRI’s VFX Team.
One genre that requires a different
approach is that of fairy tales and
fantasy films, in which the desired result
is to ‘wow’ the audience with
spectacular visual effects. The viewer
needs to be impressed when the evil
magician Petrosilius Zwackelmann in the
German fairy tale The Robber
Hotzenplotz (2006) flies through the air
on his coat, or when the dragon in Don
Quichote (2008) goes about his evil
business. “I like that sort of spectacular
effect much more than just helping to get
‘reality’ across,” reflects Schopper.
“That’s why I love working on kids’
movies, because you can exaggerate to
your heart’s desire – you can create the
big images that draw viewers into
theatres and really delight them.”
Just like architectural blueprints, design
sketches of proposed visual effects are
scanned into a computer, 3D models
generated (Maya/3DsMax) and
surfaces designed. A special team of
artists at ARRI Digital Film first render
low-resolution animations for preview
purposes. Only after these are approved
can fully-fledged computer images be
rendered. Later, they will be combined
with background material during
compositing on the Shake Compositing
System to eventually create a full-blown
animation.
39

DESIGNING VISUAL EFFECTS
40
After finishing high school Schopper
studied design at the University of
Applied Sciences Nuremberg, at first
focusing on illustration and typography
before shifting his attentions having been
bowled over by Jurassic Park (1993).
The tremendous success of the film led to
his school’s decision to purchase a
computer and software from Softimage
for its SGI department. It soon started to
offer a degree in computer animation,
providing students with the chance to
study the creative design of images – a
chance that Schopper didn’t hesitate to
take up: “The courage to sit down at the
computer came with my love of film. I
thought it was sensational that the school
was offering to teach us what we had
“MAKING A FAIRY TALE COME TRUE, MAKING THE IMPOSSIBLE
POSSIBLE, THAT’S WHAT DRIVES JÜRGEN SCHOPPER. BUT HE
NEVER LOSES TRACK OF THE STORY TO BE TOLD AND IT’S
NEVER ABOUT HIM OR ABOUT WHAT DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS
CAPABLE OF. HIS PLAYFULNESS, COMBINED WITH HIS
TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW, IS WHAT MAKES HIM SO GREAT IN
MY EYES. AND JÜRGEN ALWAYS KNOWS HOW TO MAKE
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AN EXCITING PART OF MY PRODUCTIONS.”
seen and admired in Jurassic Park,
thereby allowing us to enter the
professional world at a very high level.”
Fully aware that this was a time of
transition that revolutionised the film
business, and continues to do so today,
Schopper also knows that this period of
change had a distinct affect on his
personal biography. The new medium
offered him the chance to take the
traditional techniques he had already
learned and apply them in the new
realm of virtual production design
and storyboarding.
Another huge opportunity presented itself
to Schopper when the Universities of
Applied Sciences Nuremberg
Ben Verbong, Director ‘Herr Bello’ and ’Laura’
participated in an actual television
production. The digital special effects that
were created for this production were
then sent to SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles
and ended up winning the award for
“Worldwide Best Student Animation.”
At that time 20th Century Fox was
looking for a VFX-Particle-Specialist.
Schopper received a call from
Hollywood and as a result went on to
spend a year in the United States
working on digital effect shots for Roland
Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996).
The film set historic records at the
box-office and won the Oscar ® for Best
Visual Effects.
On his return from the United States Schopper spent six months as a visual effects
consultant on various film productions, during which time his path crossed with ARRI.
He quickly realized that he wasn’t dealing with just another postproduction house:
“To me, ARRI was, and is, the most interesting company in the business –
technologically and historically, but also on a very personal level. An enormous pool
of ideas is concentrated here in one location, coupled with the know-how of almost a
century worth of technological discoveries.”
Schopper spent the next three years at ARRI Digital Film as a Computer Animation
Artist and soon advanced to VFX Supervisor. In 2000 he was offered the position of
Creative Director. In his new capacity he began to work mostly on film productions,
but also on projects for large events such as EXPO 2000.
The number of German, as well as international film productions, working with ARRI
Digital Film has increased steadily. The credit roll of ARRI’s VFX department now
includes over 80 titles, among which are all of Ulrich Limmer’s productions and also
films from directors such as Gernot Roll, Marcus H. Rosenmüller and Ben Verbong.
In 2001 Schopper was invited to join the faculty of the Georg-Simon Ohm University
of Applied Sciences Nuremberg, where he now teaches film and animation in the
design department. Both ARRI and the University recognize the value of combining
the academic and ‘real’ world. Professor Schopper can bring new and emerging
talent to ARRI, where students can learn, while still in school, about the level of
experience required ‘on the job.’ More than one of Schopper’s students have since
made a successful transition into the international film business. “My students are a
valuable resource. As well as their continuous input working on productions at ARRI
Digital Film they keep me up-to-date about the newest tools and their capabilities,
and help me stay in touch with the issues and concerns of the next generation.”
Schopper is optimistic about the developments the future will bring: “A lot is
changing in the business. Computers are faster now and software tools are more
powerful and easier to use. Something else that’s very positive is that screenplays
are becoming more daring. Five years ago it would have been impossible to secure
financing for a TV production like Don Quichote. Its numerous effect shots that
involve creatures, often with a moving camera, have set a new standard for
television movies.”
Currently Jürgen Schopper is assisting the following projects: The Countess
(Julie Delpy, X-Filme), Lippels Traum (Lars Büchel, collina filmproduktion) and
Die Perlmutterfarbe (Marcus H. Rosenmüller, d.i.e.film.gmbh). ■
Ingo Klingspon
VISIONARRI
“I DON’T HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT POSTPRODUCTION
WHILE I’M WRITING.
BECAUSE TOGETHER WITH
JÜRGEN SCHOPPER AT ARRI
MUNICH WE CAN GET ANY
SHOT IN THE CAN AND
ALWAYS BE POSITIVE
AND OPTIMISTIC!”
Marcus H. Rosenmüller,
Director ‘Wer früher stirbt ist länger tot’ and
‘Die Perlmutterfarbe’
“I GOT TO KNOW JÜRGEN
SCHOPPER AS A VFX
SUPERVISOR AND HE’S
BECOME A CLOSE CREATIVE
COLLABORATOR. HE
COMBINES, IN THE MOST
WONDERFUL WAY,
STORYTELLING WITH DESIGN
IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY
POWER. PLUS HE NEVER
RUNS OUT OF IDEAS. HIS
CREATIVITY KNOWS NO
BOUNDS AND HIS
KNOWLEDGE EXTENDS FAR
BEYOND HIS FIELD OF
EXPERTISE.”
Ute Wieland, Director ‘Freche Mädchen’
“I REALLY APPRECIATE JÜRGEN
SCHOPPER’S CREATIVITY, HIS
EYE FOR THE ‘DO-ABLE’, AS
WELL AS HIS FLEXIBILITY
AND COMPETENCE… AND IT’S
JUST A GREAT DEAL OF FUN
WORKING WITH HIM.”
Robert Marciniak, Managing Partner,
d.i.e.film.gmbh
“OUR PRODUCTIONS HERE AT
KUK FILM ALWAYS INVOLVE
360° FILM, MOTION RIDE
AND STEREOSCOPY. WE
OFTEN HAVE PROBLEMS
THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN
DEALT WITH BEFORE. BUT
JÜRGEN SCHOPPER IS
ALWAYS A COMPETENT
PARTNER WHO SUPPORTS
PIONEER EFFORTS.”
Josef Kluger, Managing Partner,
KUK Filmproduktion GmbH
41

42
Lighting the
Gladiatorial Arena
Oscar Dominguez discusses how he worked with the
ARRI Group company Illumination Dynamics to
design a lighting plan involving more than 600
automated fixtures for American Gladiators.
Now into its second successful series, NBC’s American Gladiators is a revival of the
early-nineties TV show format which sees contestants pitted against both each other
and resident bodybuilding ‘gladiators’ in physically demanding games and battles.
For Lighting Designer Oscar Dominguez, the challenge was to combine the energy
of a rock concert with the flexibility to light faces anywhere on the vast set without
impeding multiple cameras filming the action. Dominguez turned to long-time
collaborators at Illumination Dynamics in LA, who met his requirements by
substantially increasing the company’s inventory of VARI*LITE 3000 Spots, VARI*LITE
3500 Washes and VARI*LITE 500D Luminaires. Automated fixtures such as these,
working together with conventional lighting, created the sense of spectacle
Dominguez had envisioned.
VisionARRI: Oscar, how did you
approach your design for the
lighting on American Gladiator?
Oscar Dominguez: Before the first series I
sat down with the network and got a
sense of their expectations, as well as
those of the production company. NBC’s
mandate was that the show needed to
be massive and full of light and colour
– a big look.
Basically the automated lights fall into
two main categories – hard-edge lights
and wash lights, so you’ve got to think
ahead of time about the angles and
backgrounds, and pick different styles of
wash light to achieve an overall blanket
of colour, with the hard-edge fixtures sort
of chiselling bits out.
Once we’d set the big stuff, following
the faces of contestants was mostly a
follow spot gig. We needed to be able
to shoot anywhere, so we put arrays of
follow spots all around the arena to give
us the flexibility to have key lights, back
lights – everything. If we got in a
situation where a crane obstructed the
array, we’d have someone run in with a
little ARRI Pocket Par and Chimera, on a
stick, and there you go.
VA: What systems were you using
to control all these different lights?
OD: On the first series we had three
consoles – the Expression 2X, which was
run by Gene Webber and basically
controlled all of the conventional lighting
– the Maxis, Ruby 7’s, Pars and so on.
The LEDs and VL 500s were controlled
by a Grand MA and then the main rig
was on a Virtuoso, manned by William
McLachlan, who made a real
contribution to the look of the show.
For the second series we had the same
amount of money but almost twice the
rental time, so we had to sit down and
figure out how to create that look with
fewer lights. We cut down to just two
consoles – all of the conventional stuff on
the Expression and the rest of the rig on
a Virtuoso.
VA: What other changes have
been made for the second series?
OD: These are two very different shows,
the first and the second. The first one
was done on a sound stage over at
Sony, whereas this one is done at the
Los Angeles Sports Arena. And actually,
I feel that even though we used half the
lights, we’ve created a more dynamic
look because we have massive ceilings
– it’s all black and much more ominous.
The scale just feels larger; on the sound
stage when you looked up you saw
beams in the ceiling but in the sports
arena it’s just black, so you can use
these fantastic low angles and it’s as
though the world has no end.
VA: You must have been working
with a sizeable crew?
OD: The crew was a cavalcade of stars!
My Gaffer Darren Langer was
completely instrumental and I couldn’t
have pulled this off without him; he’s just
so good at managing equipment and
people. At any given time we may have
had in excess of 25 electricians. Simon
Franklyn was the Head Rigger and he
had his team, which was considerable.
VA: Does the lighting respond to
action cues during the games?
OD: We talked about that in meetings
before the first series and decided that
when a contestant failed to meet the
mark or got knocked off something we
would be bold and turn every single
light in the rig to red. And then if a
contestant succeeds in a challenge or
beats a Gladiator we put everything to
white and throw light all over the place.
Actually it turned out to be a signature of
the show and the light played an
integral part in making the whole thing
feel like a live event by really breathing
life into the audience and making them
react when things happen.
VISIONARRI
VA: You’ve been working with
Illumination Dynamics for several
years now. How would you
describe the relationship?
OD: Oh, they’re like family. Other
designers I know just don’t have that
kind of rapport, but I find everybody at
ID so incredibly good to work with, it’s
very family-like. And that’s the way I
treat my crew – we all break bread
together, we go out to the pub together;
it’s sort of like a Cosa Nostra type of
thing. Illumination Dynamics is an
outstanding company; I know I can
phone them and tell them honestly that I
need their help impressing a client on a
limited budget and they’ll do it. No job
is too large and no job is too small. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
43

44
Traditional Art
Takes Voyage into
New Media
The Butcher’s Shop, painted by Annibale Carracci in 1582, has been
recreated in a 21st century adaptation using the ARRIFLEX D-21.
Commissioned by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, where the 16th
century work of art hangs, the short film was the idea of filmmaker Philip Haas, who
envisioned the project as an attempt to inhabit the world of the painting and of the
artist who conceived it.
The film will play in a continuous loop on a pair of screens facing one another,
with the audience in the middle. While footage of the butchers at work plays on one,
the other will depict the artist as he paints them – a view not shown in the painting.
Carracci then leaves his screen and appears on the screen with the butchers.
By using moving images to depict the creation of The Butcher’s Shop, the museum
hopes the painting will become an emotional experience that will encourage
visitors to use the same sort of imaginative approach when looking at others in
their collection.
Brought to life with actors in a London studio, The Butcher’s Shop was captured
using the new ARRIFLEX D-21 in Data Mode supplied by ARRI Media in London.
Behind the camera was Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt BSC, who had worked with
Haas on The Situation (2006) – the director’s film about the war in Iraq.
CARRACCI’S 1582 PAINTING,
The Butcher’s Shop
Bobbitt had initially become interested in the potential of the
film style camera after attending a presentation at the Plus
Camerimage 2007 festival in Poland, which had included a
discussion with DoP David Higgs about his experiences
shooting Guy Richie’s latest gangster movie RocknRolla with
the ARRIFLEX D-20. “Having looked at some of the material
David Higgs had shot for RocknRolla I was intrigued and
really impressed with the quality of the imagery that was being
produced in Log. I thought that theoretically it would only
improve in raw,” says Bobbitt. “As Philip was describing what
it was that he wanted to do, just the nature of the imagery,
and the fact that we were going to be in one location in a
very controlled environment – I thought it would be a really
interesting project to do in raw data capture.”
One of the issues that has previously stood in the way of the
use of raw data has been the problem of getting the data
easily from the camera to a suitable recorder. Now, with the
newly developed ARRIRAW T-Link method, it is possible to
transport the raw Bayer pattern data utilizing a standard dual
link HD-SDI connection. During the shoot the raw Bayer signal
was recorded directly from the camera onto a Take2
DIRECTOR PHILIP HAAS (right) discusses a shot with DoP Sean Bobbitt BSC
SEAN BOBBITT hand-holds the ARRIFLEX D-21 for a low-angle shot
1ST AC ERIN STEVENS busy at the ARRIFLEX D-21
VISIONARRI
uncompressed data recorder from S.two. The recorder also
provides real-time image reconstruction of the raw data to
supply an HD preview image via an HD-SDI 4:2:2 link. ARRI
has worked closely with S.two to allow the company to record
the ARRIRAW T-Link, for which S.two was granted ARRIRAW
T-Link Certification.
Captured images are then developed in post. The raw Bayer
data is processed by sophisticated ARRI software and
reconstructed frame by frame to create DPX files. Once
created, the DPX files can be loaded into any postproduction
system. For The Butcher’s Shop they were taken to New York,
where Haas lives, and grading was carried out at DuArt on a
Scratch system from Assimilate.
For Bobbitt the primary advantage of working with raw
data is the fact that captured material is uncompromised
by compression. “You are working with all of the picture
information straight off the sensor itself,” he states. “At no
point is the data affected by compression, so you have the
highest quality material possible all the way through the
workflow. That gives you the maximum amount of latitude, in
both exposure and colour information, moving you more into
the area of film – in terms of the quality of the imagery and
the potential for the manipulation of that information to create
unique imagery.”
The end result didn’t disappoint. “The camera creates an
image that is so clean and in this particular case – as we
were recreating a historical work of art – actually adds to
the viewing experience. It came out very painterly, which is
exactly what we were looking for, so I’m very excited by
the finished film,” concludes Bobbitt.
For the ARRI Rental Group the project provided the opportunity
to put the camera’s raw data workflow to the test, for Haas
and the Kimbell Art Museum it was a voyage of exploration
into new territory of interpreting art. ■
Michelle Smith
Photos: Andy Subratie
45

46
Making it last – preserving films for future generations with a separation master
100 Years and Beyond
ARRI Film & TV now offers a film-based option for the long-term preservation of feature films
finished in the DI – the separation master. ARRI views this viable alternative as a signal as well
as an appeal to both producers and film funds. The goal is clear: to preserve the cultural and
commercial value of film for generations to come by offering the only archiving method that is
considered secure.
Today postproduction houses are facing
new challenges due to the continued
digitalisation of film and sound
recording and the advent of digital
cinema workflows. The long-term storage
of feature films and effects-driven TV
movies is a particular area of concern.
There is still a lot of uncertainty as to
which recording systems and formats are
best suited for long-term storage,
meaning the next 100 years or more.
Many experts, who have seen countless
formats come and go over the years,
doubt that the digital world can
guarantee that data recorded for use
today will be accessible in the decades
to come.
The Ageing Process of Colour Film
The DI process, which has become the
postproduction standard at ARRI, ends
with a film negative used to generate
release prints. Three things happen with
this final film negative completed in the
DI: it is used to create a release print
(analogue projection), an HDCamSR
Mazband (TV/DVD) and a digital cinema
master (digital projection). Occasionally,
the DI version of the final film is printed a
second time onto colour stock for
archiving purposes. But the archive colour
negative, like all colour film footage at all
stages of analogue postproduction, is
subject to an ageing process.
Even after processing, colour film
emulsion retains colour pigments from
organic material, which, depending on
the storage conditions, are prone to
chemical reactions. After 20, 30 or 50
years the result can be unwanted colour
changes. The film industry received a
wake-up call as to the seriousness of this
issue in 1993 when The Walt Disney
Company discovered the condition of its
1937 animated classic Snow White.
The original colour negative had faded
almost beyond recognition and had to
be scanned frame by frame using what
was then the brand new Cineon Digital
File System. In the digital domain it was
fortunately possible to painstakingly
reconstruct the original colours of the film.
In order to prevent such potential
tragedies, the use of YMC (yellow,
magenta, cyan) separation masters
was introduced for all big and medium
budget U.S. productions several decades
ago. The separation master positive is
generated from the edited negative,
which contains all elements including
visual effects, opticals and titles, and is
exposed onto black and white stock.
Though black and white, the separation
master contains all of the colour
information of the film because the
colour has been separated out into its
component elements. The main
advantage of using black and white
stock is that it does not contain any
organic components, only silver halides,
which means it is highly durable. In fact,
Kodak insists that their black and white
film has a shelf life of up to 500 years.
In a sense, then, we have now come fullcircle
and returned to the format that has
the longest shelf life, but it has now been
integrated with the high-tech equipment
and digital procedures (ARRISCAN/
ARRILASER/digital colour grading) of
the modern postproduction process.
Proven Concepts
In the past, the edited film negative was
projected through red, green and blue
filters, one at a time, and exposed onto
black & white film. Just as during colour
separation in the repro-printing
technique the red, green and blue tones
of the negative were converted into grey
tones on three different and RGBseparated
black and white strips. In
order to recombine the three film strips
and make a new colour negative, the
three prints were successively projected
to cumulatively create a complete colour
image that was then exposed onto film.
This process required extremely precise
exposures and led to an increase of film
grain as well as a slight image
incongruence and colour shift due to
frame unsteadiness during projection.
One might reasonably ask why films
should not be stored digitally. After all,
digital storage of a completed feature
film (two to three-terabyte size data files
for 2K resolution) on a hard drive isn’t
very expensive any more. This solution,
however, comes with many risks in terms
of data safety and management. It is
necessary to check and copy digital files
regularly; this is also true for data tapes
such as LTO, which ARRI uses as well.
Another disadvantage is that due to
possible writing and/or reading errors
the data always has to be recorded
twice onto two separate tapes at the
same time.
Film, in comparison to all other
archiving formats, has another major
advantage: the information contained in
a frame on the negative hasn’t been
coded using algorithms or modulation
techniques. Instead, the information is
clearly recognisable as an image, a
replica of what was filmed. That’s why
film continues to be the ideal format
for long-term storage of film and audio
recordings.
VISIONARRI
47

100 YEARS AND BEYOND
48
DI Data Safety
In today’s industry the separation master
alternative is experiencing a renaissance
in an otherwise digital age because the
main goal is to store digital DI data for
future use. The major US studios in Los
Angeles began, quite some time ago, to
use the colour separation method as a
safety measure, so the creation of a
separation master is now a fairly
standard procedure there. One US
studio is storing its backup copies in a
separate area within a Pennsylvania salt
mine; the films are safe there and can be
recombined at any time.
ARRI is the first lab, not only in Germany
but also in Europe, to follow the US lead
and create separation masters of all
films finished in the DI – regardless of
the acquisition format. At the end of
the DI process films are available in
2K or 4K resolution. After all derivative
versions have been generated, including
the release print and the digital master,
three RGB prints are produced on a
black and white separation negative.
A recombination test will then be
conducted, to test the success of the
separation procedure, prior to sending
the separation master to the archive
for storage.
In the past a three channel, parallel
procedure for Y, M and C was used,
in order to be able to recombine these
channels using an optical projector,
projecting all three images at once.
Henning Rädlein of ARRI Digital Film
says, “Today we assume that we will
no longer have to go the optical route,
meaning we won’t need to project the
negative in the future. Instead, the
negatives will be scanned in and
worked on digitally.”
The Process
First each individual positive is exposed
three times, generating R, G and B
frames that will be printed as a
separation master negative on 2232
black and white stock from Kodak.
The order is sequential – one colourseparated
frame after the other. All
frames carry additional information such
as a tracking mark (for matching
purposes), the film’s title, the exposure
date, as well as a frame ID. Before and
after each act break, a detailed
optically-readable report with instructions
in English is added (exposed onto the
high resolution black and white stock).
Later the lab will check the entire
exposed negative mechanically for
scratches and streaks, and make sure
that the film was processed evenly. For
quality control purposes some of the
RGB frames will then be recombined,
including the first and last few seconds
of each act.
Recombination Tests
The process of recombining works as
follows: the beginning and end of each
act are scanned in the ARRISCAN, in
sequential order. Each separate red,
green and blue negative frame is then
scanned onto the hard drive. In the
next step, using compositing software,
precisely matched recombinations of the
red, green and blue frames are used to
generate an RGB frame. The various
frames then simply have to be stabilised.
In order to recreate the original contrast
and colour, a 21-step grey scale is
added to the protocol at the beginning
of each act; scanners used in the future
will need this information as a reference
for the contrast range.
In the first tests conducted, only a
minimal discrepancy of about 1 pixel
was noticed during the stabilisation of
the image. This shows that the process
of exposing (ARRILASER) followed by
scanning (ARRISCAN) of a 2K image
is off by only 1 pixel, which is a
remarkable result. After a digital
adjustment during colour grading, using
the grey scales, the initial image is
rendered almost identically. There is,
however, a noticeable increase in film
grain caused by the process itself. There
are several grain reduction systems
available, though ARRI choose not to
remove grain digitally, for customer
approval purposes. As a matter of fact it
is even possible to digitally add the
original grain structure of the emulsion
(Vision2 etc.), but the team at ARRI
believes that the decision to increase or
decrease the film grain is one that
involves altering the historical footage
and should therefore be made by
the client.
The only question that remains concerns
the recombination of frames in the future.
Will the exposed black and white
information be useable in 50 or so
years? “Digital systems keep changing,”
says Rädlein. “Tape and data formats
come and go and that will continue to
be the case. I am certain, however, that
we will be able to scan optical images
in the decades and centuries to come
because we will have to be accountable
for the millions of hours of feature films
stored on film in the archives. It will
remain necessary to have an optical
system that can scan film negative.
Most likely the optical process will be
even better understood, and highresolution
sensors will be built so that
black and white negative can continue
to be digitised to generate new digital
data files.”
At ARRI, every effort is made to offer the
separation master service under the best
VISIONARRI
possible conditions, so clients are
encouraged to complete their DI in
4K – the highest available resolution
– whenever possible. “That’s when the
value chain is used most efficiently,”
concludes Rädlein. “Shoot on the best
possible format [35mm], post the film in
4K and archive the footage on a
separation master.” ■
Romain Geib
49

50
ARRIFLEX 416 Plus HS
On the heels of the very successful launch of the ARRIFLEX 416 Plus in 2006, we are
now introducing the ARRIFLEX 416 Plus High Speed, offering higher frame rates for
slow-motion shots.
In 2006, significant improvements to Super 16 image quality
were made through advances in lenses, film stock and post
technology. This led to a remarkable renaissance of the
Super 16 format and the debut of the ARRIFLEX 416 and
416 Plus cameras.
Since then the interest in and the use of Super 16 has grown
with more technological advances, pushing Super 16 even
further. New film stocks expand the exposure latitude of film
and new Ultra 16 lenses give cinematographers a complete set
of nine Super 16 prime lenses from 6 to 50 mm. In post,
the ARRISCAN will scan an oversampled 3K image for a
pristine 2K output, optionally with a wet gate and/or DICE.
New degraining options make the images more palatable for
those finicky encoders.
Stunning Results in Super 16
Super 16 is now routinely used for standard and high definition
television productions, feature films, commercials and
documentaries with stunning results. By shooting Super 16,
productions gain many of the advantages of shooting film
– the film look, its unsurpassed exposure latitude, natural
colour reproduction, variable camera speeds, ramps, proven
archivability and film being the only worldwide accepted
standard format – at affordable production costs. The small size
and light weight of Super 16 equipment has the extra benefit of
easy portability for fast-paced production environments.
High Speed “Plus”
Based on strong market demand, we are now introducing the
ARRIFLEX 416 Plus HS. This new camera shares most of the
features that have made the 416 and 416 Plus so popular in a
very short span of time. It sports the same 35-style viewfinder,
high quality video assist, compact and lightweight build and the
same ergonomic design. Available only in a “Plus” version, the
416 Plus HS is equipped with integrated accessory electronics.
This eliminates extra boxes and cables needed for connecting
lens motors and remotely controlling camera and lens through
the ARRI Wireless Remote System.
The 416 Plus HS also uses the same magazines as the 416 Plus.
Unlike the 16SR series of cameras, which needed different
magazines for high speed, the 416 magazines have proven
completely up to the high speed task.
In order to increase the frame rate, however, three components
of the camera had to be completely redesigned: the motor, the
shutter and the suspension of the inner skeleton within the outer
housing. To pull film faster through the camera, a new motor
had to be developed. Specially wound coils provide faster
running without increasing the size of the motor or the vibrations
it produces.
At higher frame rates, any vibration created by the camera can reduce image
steadiness, and thus resolution. To ensure a steady image even at higher speeds,
the mirror shutter of the 416 Plus had to be completely rethought. While the 416
Plus mirror shutter has already been dynamically balanced, the number of balancing
adjustments for the 416 Plus HS mirror shutter was dramatically increased. Many
more tiny counterweights allow the ARRI camera assembly department to fine tune
the shutter balancing four times as accurately as was possible with the 416
Plus shutter.
Last but not least, the suspension between the 416 inner skeleton and the camera
body’s outer housing had to be made stiffer, again to reduce vibrations for a crisp and
sharp image. All these changes combined make the 416 Plus HS the most advanced
high speed 16 mm camera available.
Marc Shipman-Mueller
A Comparison of the 416 Models
ARRI 16 mm Product Range 416 416 Plus 416 Plus HS
Speed Range (fps) 1 – 75 1 – 75 1 – 150
Shutter Angles (degrees) 45 – 180 45 – 180 45 – 180
150 Degree Shutter Angle 1 yes yes yes
Sound (dbA) < 20 < 20 < 29
Weight (Kg/Lbs) 2 5.5 / 12.1 5.8 / 12.8 5.8 / 12.8
Viewfinder Quality +++ +++ +++
Viewfinder Handling +++ +++ +++
Viewfinder & Video Independent yes yes yes
ARRIGLOW multi-colour multi-colour multi-colour
Integrated Video Assist yes yes yes
Video Assist Quality +++ +++ +++
Video Image Enhancement yes yes yes
Integrated Accessory Electronics no yes yes
Lens Data Display Plug 3 no yes yes
Timecode yes yes yes
Magazine Loads (meter/feet) 120 / 400 120 / 400 120 / 400
1) For 25 fps shooting with HMI, fluorescent and mercury vapor lights in 60 Hz countries
2) Body, viewfinder, loaded magazine, video assist
3) Lens Data Display can be connected to 416 Plus and 416 Plus HS for Lens Data Archive (LDA) use
Main Features
• Super 16 Format High Speed
Film Camera
• 35-style Optical Viewfinder
– bright, high contrast, high resolution
– large exit pupil allows more eye
movement
– multi-colour RGB ARRIGLOW
– accommodates wide diameter PL
mount lenses
– excellent optical quality with eyepiece
extension
• High Quality Video Assist
– excellent image quality
– adjustable image enhancement
• Compact & Lightweight
– small camera body
– low profile design
– 25 % lighter than 16SR 3
• Ergonomic Design
– ergonomic shoulder cut-out
– viewfinder removes quickly for
Steadicam and remote applications
– optional integrated radio & lens
motor drivers
– split bridgeplate for fast switch from
tripod to shoulder
• Sound less than 29 db(A)
First Tests
VISIONARRI
High speed Cinematographer
Jim Matlosz was the first to shoot a
real world test: “The 416 Plus HS
was amazingly comfortable
and ergonomically sound. Once
I started really working with it,
the camera was super smooth
and easy to work with. I did
shots with a first and a second
AC and also shots by myself,
there was no learning curve at
all. It was super comfortable,
everything was in the right
place. I was very impressed.
Having everything integrated
into the system was absolutely
phenomenal. To have that
option at any time to use those
functions without having to put
on multiple boxes was great.
Having the zoom control
right off the body was
absolutely amazing.
Being someone who loves
shooting on film, I would use
this camera for shooting
anything from a narrative to
music videos to commercials.
I would definitely rather shoot
film than HD.
Right away you can see the
latitude in film, I don’t have to
knock down lights. Everybody
always tells you how easy it is
to light HD, it’s just as easy if
not easier with film because I
don’t have to worry about my
highlights. The combination of
shooting on Kodak stock on an
ARRI camera with ARRI lenses,
I can be over several stops and
I wouldn’t be worried.”
51

New Long Ultra 16 Lenses
ARRI and Zeiss have again combined their expertise to extend the Ultra 16 lens set with four long focal
lengths. In addition to the existing 6, 8, 9.5, 12 and 14 mm lenses, cinematographers can now also use
18, 25, 35 and 50 mm Ultra 16 lenses. Thus the Ultra 16 lens set consists of a total of nine high speed
(T1.3) lenses designed specifically for the Super 16 format.
The first five Ultra 16 lenses were
introduced in 2006 together with the
ARRIFLEX 416. They were originally
meant as wide-angle additions to the
Ultra Prime lens set. Since then, users
have quickly adopted these lenses and
found their optical quality, close focus
performance and high speed irresistible,
resulting in frequent requests for longer
focal lengths.
Like the Master Primes, the Ultra 16
lenses combine high speed with
outstanding optical performance. A
widest stop of T1.3 allows shooting in
low or available light to create more
natural looking images and a cinematic
look including, where necessary, a
shallow depth of field.
Cinematographers used to pay dearly
for high speed with reduced optical
performance and increased flaring.
The Ultra 16 lenses, like the Master
Primes, change all that by combining
fast speed with outstanding optical
performance at all T-stops across the
whole focus range. This previously
unattainable goal was made possible
through new manufacturing techniques,
including the use of exotic glass
materials, large diameter aspherical
lenses and radically shaped spherical
surfaces. The Ultra 16 lenses exhibit
high contrast, high resolution, almost no
chromatic aberration (colour fringes) and
a great resistance to flaring. They are
designed as close focus lenses, and so
retain their outstanding optical qualities
even up close.
The new T* XP multi-layer anti-reflection
coating reduces flares and internal
reflections and creates a pleasing,
gentle colour balance. Compared to
conventional coatings it has a better
transmission and a more uniform
performance from optical center all the
way to the edges, resulting in higher
contrast and deeper, richer blacks. The
Ultra 16’s round iris opening leads to
organic-looking, pleasing out-of-focus
highlights, and careful optical design
ensures minimal breathing.
The Ultra 16 lens scales are distinctly
colour coded to avoid confusing the
different lens types. The Ultra 16 lenses
are equipped with yellow scales for
focus and aperture, while the Ultra
Primes traditionally have white scales.
The Ultra 16 lenses also have a blue
ring next to the PL mount, while the
Ultra Prime barrel is completely black.
A shallow depth of field is an important narrative tool for
the cinematographer, and a feature sought after by other
formats for its cinematic quality
The Ultra 16 lenses are now the only complete set of carefully
matched modern lenses for the Super 16 format, equaled by no
other Super 16 lens in optical performance. All nine Ultra 16
lenses cover the whole Super 16 format and are fully
compatible with the optical quality, colour balance and
Ultra 16 Specifications
VISIONARRI
ergonomics of the other ARRI/Zeiss lenses. The Ultra 16 lenses
are the perfect companions to the ARRIFLEX 416, 416 Plus and
416 Plus HS.
Marc Shipman-Mueller
Name Type 1 Aperture Close focus 2 Length 3 Front diameter Weight Horizontal angle of view 4
Ultra 16 T1.3/6mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.20m/8” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.0 kg/2.2lbs 90.22°
Ultra 16 T1.3/8mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.0 kg/2.2lbs 75.83°
Ultra 16 T1.3/9.5mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.0 kg/2.2lbs 66.34°
Ultra 16 T1.3/12mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.0 kg/2.2lbs 55.32°
Ultra 16 T1.3/14mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.0 kg/2.2lbs 48.17°
Ultra 16 T1.3/18mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.2kg/2.6lbs 37.88°
Ultra 16 T1.3/25mm Distagon T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.30m/12” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.2kg/2.6lbs 27.82°
Ultra 16 T1.3/35mm Planar T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.35m/14” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.1kg/2.4lbs 20.46°
Ultra 16 T1.3/50mm Planar T* XP T1.3 to T16 0.40m/16” 91.6mm/3.6” 95mm/3.7” 1.2kg/2.6lbs 14.76°
(1) T* XP is the trademark for the improved Zeiss anti-reflex lens coating that reduces flaring and other reflections. XP stands for extended performance. (2) Close
focus is measured from the film plane. (3) Measured from lens mount to lens front. This measurement shows how far the lens will protrude beyond the camera body.
(4) Horizontal angle of view for a Super 16 camera aperture (DIN 15602 and ISO-5768-1998, aspect ratio 1:1.66, dimensions 12.35 mm × 7.5 mm / 0.486” ×
0.295”). All data subject to change without notice
Main Features
• Complete Set of Nine Close Focus
Super 16 Primes
– 6, 8, 9.5, 12, 14, 18, 25, 35 & 50 mm
• High Speed – T1.3
– for complete control over depth of field
– for shooting in low or available light
– for natural looking images
– for fast-paced production environments
– for tight lighting budgets
• Highest Optical Performance
– high contrast and resolution
– T* XP coating ensures flare resistance
– image geometry free of distortions even
at wide angles
– minimised chromatic aberration
– minimal breathing
• Smooth & Robust Mechanics
• Matches other ARRI / Zeiss Lenses
– same size & ergonomics as Ultra Primes
– Super Colour Matched to Ultra Primes,
Master Primes, Variable Primes &
Lightweight Zoom LWZ-1
52 53

54
54
Around the World at 300fps
A Hi-Motion sporting roundup
The digital slow-motion department at ARRI Media in London
has enjoyed another diverse and successful six months of
supplying Hi-Motion cameras for the television coverage of
prestigious sporting events around the world. Capable of
recording true 1920x1080 HD images at up to 300fps,
the Hi-Motion is gaining popularity with sports broadcasters
for the incredibly detailed slow-motion images it delivers. The
cameras can be seamlessly integrated with standard outside
broadcast (OB) systems and are frequently used for technical
analysis during live action and breaks in action, as well as for
dramatic highlight montages. Hi-Motion cameras continuously
record a 22-second loop to an integrated RAM recorder while
simultaneously providing a live feed. As soon as that live feed
is cut by an operator, the preceding 22 seconds of footage are
available for instant replay, slowed down by a factor of
6x or 12x.
Later in the year ARRI Media will be sending seven Hi-Motion
cameras to cover the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In
preparation for what will be the largest slow-motion project the
company has undertaken, ARRI Media’s Digital High Speed
Manager Andy Hayford travelled to Beijing in April with a
single camera for a test shoot of a marathon. “We filmed a
real race, but for us it was primarily a practical, logistical and
communications rehearsal to see if various things would work,
including having a high-speed camera on a vehicle,” explains
Hayford. “The Hi-Motion was on a gyro-head mounted on a
car and was one of up to seven separate cameras – some on
motorbikes and helicopters – that were all transmitting digital
HD to antennas on the camera car. In the front footwell was a
camera operator who operated the two gyro-heads on the car.
In the back was the Hi-Motion technician and a director with a
small vision mixer who was cutting between all those different
feeds. No-one’s done it quite like that before, but it worked
really well.”
The client, BOB (Beijing Olympic Broadcasting), was ecstatic
with the results of the test run and confirmed their booking of
seven Hi-Motion cameras for the games. “The cameras will be
used to film slow-motion footage of a wide range of events,”
continues Hayford. “We’ll be covering the marathon, the
triathlon, cycle road racing, indoor velodrome cycle racing,
mountain biking, fencing, table tennis, athletic field events,
badminton and gymnastics. For a lot of those events audiences
will not have previously seen footage any slower than the
3x slow-motion typical of sports coverage.”
The most significant individual client for ARRI Media’s
Hi-Motion cameras is Sky Sports, which airs a vast array of
televised events ranging from Friday night boxing to rugby in
the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup. However, their
biggest Hi-Motion job of the last six months has been the
Premier League football. “We have supplied a great many
matches during the current Premiership season for Sky Sports,”
says Hayford. “The fact that ARRI Media’s inventory of
Hi-Motion cameras has increased from one to ten over the
course of a single year has allowed us to supply such a large
number of matches. Each game only requires one camera,
but there might be up to three games in a single week, so we
need a lot of equipment.”
THE SOLHEIM CUP international golf tournament for women in Sweden
A PREMIER LEAGUE football match at Manchester United
HORSE RACING at Cheltenham
A MARATHON IN BEIJING where the Hi-Motion was mounted to a
moving vehicle for the first time
VISIONARRI
Sky almost invariably takes the Hi-Motion cameras out on dry
hire because they have such extensive and established OB
resources. The only exceptions to this are events that require
an unusual approach or solution, one example being the
Solheim Cup golf tournament in Sweden late last year.
“The director wanted the high speed camera to travel quickly
between numerous locations around the 18-hole course,” says
Hayford. “It would have been a logistical nightmare to put in
multiple SMPTE ‘drops’ over the large distances involved, so
we built the Hi-Motion into a golf buggy that ran off batteries
powering the system through an inverter and did the replays
via a digital link from the buggy back to the trucks. We were
completely mobile and it worked very well; they’re doing the
same thing for the US Open this year.”
Televised equestrian sport has also benefited from the added
element of dynamic slow-motion footage provided by the
Hi-Motion. For the last two years Sky has hired a camera for
the international show jumping at Hickstead, which is one of
the big events of the equestrian calendar. Shots of horses
jumping obstacles at 300fps have proved so popular that Sky
is interested in taking two cameras in 2008. The production
company High Flyer also turned to ARRI Media to provide
Hi-Motion coverage of horse races including the Cheltenham
Gold Cup over four days of the Cheltenham Festival Week,
which was broadcast on the UK’s Channel 4 in March. For this
job ARRI Media sent the camera with its own designated van,
which was positioned close to the Hi-Motion on a remote
stretch of track and transmitted HD images to the main OB hub
via an RF link, thereby doing away with the 2km of fibre which
would otherwise have been necessary.
ARRI Media has continued to do Hi-Motion work for another
well established client over the last six months – the BBC.
Again, it is football that has utilised the system most
extensively; the BBC hired Hi-Motion cameras for various
FA Cup matches, including the final at Wembley in May.
Following this the Hi-Motion is set to enliven the BBC’s
coverage of Wimbledon, the hugely popular international
tennis championship, in June and July. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
55

56
Digital Grading on
Baselight HD
ARRI enters new era in commercial postproduction
Under the supervision of Florian ‘Utsi’
Martin (previously Lead Digital Colourist
on The Lord of the Rings trilogy), ARRI is
introducing its clients to digital colour
grading on Baselight HD software.
Until now, commercial production houses
in Germany have not given digital
grading adequate thought. DoP’s
working on feature films have long been
accustomed to finishing their films using
software-based grading tools, but have
not had access to these tools during
commercial postproduction. That’s why
ARRI has decided to spearhead the
introduction of software-based tools to
the world of commercials.
Now ARRI Film & TV Commercial not
only offers traditional telecine on Spirit
but also the tremendously powerful DI on
Baselight HD, software from London
based postproduction specialists
FilmLight Ltd. The ARRI Commercial team
strongly believes that the new system will
redefine the colour grading process in
Europe’s commercial postproduction
world. “We now have a system at our
disposal that allows us to finish all
formats digitally without compromising
resolution or colour depth,” states Philipp
Bartel, Head of ARRI Commercial.
FLORIAN ‘UTSI’ MARTIN
A vast amount of experience with digital
software-based grading systems means
Martin is the perfect choice to lead the
endeavour. Between 1998 and 2001 he
worked for ARRI Munich as a Digital
Film Compositor before heading to
New Zealand to The PostHouse Ltd.,
in Wellington. There he played an
important part in Peter Jackson’s
groundbreaking The Lord of the Rings
trilogy, helping to shape the Lustre
system and redefine the colour grading
process for feature film production.
Martin then returned to ARRI as a
consultant in 2005 and spent most of
2007 freelancing as a colour grader on
international commercial productions in
Scandinavia, Turkey and Germany. In
2008 he began to focus all his attention
on introducing digital colour grading on
Baselight HD to ARRI’s commercial
clients and is responsible for the
technical implementation of the new
system, focusing on the optimisation
of workflows and the training of
colour graders.
Although the workflow of the Baselight
HD based colour grading process is
different compared to that of the
analogue telecine process it will not
adversely affect the timelines of
commercial productions. All that really
happens is a shift in the workflow itself,
due to the use of a different system.
Now, with the availability of Baselight,
all footage is digitally scanned onto a
hard drive using the ARRISCAN. Once
the footage is stored on a hard drive in
2K, 1K or HD, a lot of time can be
saved during the actual creative process
as entire sequences of material can be
accessed with a simple mouse click.
Another time-saving advantage of having
all the footage available on a hard drive
is that reel changes or fast forwarding
are no longer necessary. The colour
depth of scanned material (10-bit Log) is
also much closer to that of the original
image, due to the ARRISCAN’s
logarithmic transfer system.
ARRI Commercial is looking forward to
the challenges that the new Baselight HD
based system will bring: “We are
entering a new era in the world of
commercial production,” comments
Bartel. “We are now able to create
entirely new looks, which were
previously unachievable due to the
limitations of traditional grading tools.
Our clients will experience more creative
freedom and be able to get much closer
to producing their vision. It’s a chance
for agencies, in collaboration with their
directors and DoPs, to create images that
have never been seen before.”
“OUR CLIENTS WILL EXPERIENCE MORE
CREATIVE FREEDOM AND BE ABLE TO GET
MUCH CLOSER TO PRODUCING THEIR VISION”
PRODUCT
UPDATE
Introducing the New Wireless
Remote Control WRC-2
Sporting an easy-to-use touchscreen user
interface, the recently developed WRC-2
extends and simplifies wireless camera
control options.
Compatible with all new generation ARRIFLEX
and ARRICAM cameras, the WRC-2 combines the
functions of previous units such as the RCU-1 and
WRC-1 with a number of entirely new features. The
WRC-2’s range of functions automatically adapts to
the camera it is being used with. The touchscreen
user interface makes remote-controlling faster and
easier than ever before. Since its functionality is
software-based and therefore expandable, the
WRC-2 is the most versatile remote control unit
ARRI has ever built.
The main menu offers three different operation modes:
• Camera Control permits adjustments to the speed
and shutter angle of the camera
• External Display emulates the display on the side
of pre-ARRICAM new generation cameras
• Ramp Mode facilitates compensation for in-shot
changes of speed, shutter or iris
Uniquely, the WRC-2 automatically calculates the
correct exposure value for given ramps based on
light measurements made by the DoP on set. All of
the ramp data can be entered with the help of the
Ramp Control Menu, guiding the user through the
sometimes complex process of programming a
WRC-2 Compatibility
ramp. This makes the WRC-2 a very powerful tool
for providing unprecedented levels of exposure
safety and precision while saving time on set.
The WRC-2 works with the ARRI Wireless Remote
System (WRS) and attaches to the Wireless Main
Units WMU-2 and WMU-3, which act as
transmitters. It can also be wired to an ARRIFLEX or
ARRICAM camera either directly or via a Wireless
Handgrip Attachment WHA-2 or WHA-3 using a
standard LCS cable.
The WRC-2 can automatically make exposure
compensations for speed, iris and shutter ramps. In
order to compensate for speed or shutter ramps with
the iris, a CLM-1 or CLM-2 motor is attached to the
camera and the mounted lens selected in the Lens
Manager. This is done automatically when using LDS
lenses (Master Primes or LDS Ultra Primes), while for
other lenses an Iris Table can easily be programmed
and then stored in the WRC-2 internal memory.
Being software-based, the WRC-2 can be continually
upgraded. Newly released software updates and
modules can be uploaded simply by connecting a
USB memory stick to the WRC-2 mini-USB port, so
there is no need to carry a laptop to the set.
In addition, there is downloadable WRC-2 simulator
software on the ARRI website, which allows users to
become familiar with the interface before even
setting hands on the unit (www.arri.com/wrc-2).
Camera Item (Accessory) Software Packet Compatibility
ARRICAM Studio, Lite Packet 04C or later YES
435 Xtreme Packet 03C or later YES
435 Adv. + FEM-2 Packet 03C or later YES, FEM-2 necessary
435 ES + FEM-1 Any YES, FEM-1 necessary
235 Any YES
535A Any Not supported (use RCU-1 / WRC-1)
535B Any YES
416 Standard, Plus Packet 02D or later YES
or Plus HS
16SR3 Standard or HS Any YES
UMC-3 Packet 02C or later YES
D-21 + FEM-2 Available shortly YES, FEM-2 necessary
VISIONARRI
57

58
MOMENTS
IN TIME
A
retrospective of ARRIFLEX
cameras at work on milestone
productions
Closely Observed Trains
An ARRI Blimp rides the Czech New Wave
Cinematographer Jaromír Šofr
and Director Jirí Menzel, Czech
filmmakers who first met at
school and have since worked
together on 12 films spanning
five decades, were honoured
at the Plus Camerimage 2007
festival in Poland with a Special
Director-Cinematographer
Duo Award. Their earliest
collaboration was on Closely
Observed Trains, Menzel’s debut
feature, which was first released
in late 1966 and gradually
gained international momentum,
eventually winning an Oscar two
years later in the category of
Best Foreign Language Film. Set
during the Second World War, the
film centres on a small, provincial
railway station in occupied
Czechoslovakia where a young
train dispatcher’s preoccupations
with girls and the desperate
desire to purge himself of his
virginity are tragically overtaken
by wider social issues. A deeply
affecting and yet irreverently
light-hearted film, Trains stands
out as an example of the heights
reached by the Czech New Wave
before it petered out in the wake
of the August 1968 Soviet
invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Though only 26 years old, Šofr was
by 1966 already an experienced
cinematographer, having made a
documentary, several shorts and a feature
film, which he shot with ARRIFLEX cameras.
“It was during the second year of my
compulsory military service when I was
asked by the highly regarded director Karel
Kachyna to collaborate on a black and white
CinemaScope feature,” recalls Šofr. “It was
called Long Live the Republic (1965) and
was based on a novel by Jan Prochazka, who later fell
victim to the communist regime. This film was for me more than just
good training for Trains. I used the opportunity to employ the 2.55:1 format
freely, creatively and enthusiastically; such an approach enabled me to use two nonsync
sound ARRI IICs, both equipped with a set of quite new monoblock CinemaScope
lenses, the widest being a 35mm. After this very good experience I decided to use an ARRI IIC
with a blimp to shoot Trains, which I started in the winter of 1966 with my schoolfellow Jirí Menzel.”
The ARRI 120 and 300 blimps were introduced in the 1950s to allow sync sound filming with ARRIFLEX 35
II series cameras. In those days, 35mm cameras that ran quietly enough to allow the simultaneous recording of
sound on set were limited to bulky studio models such as the Mitchell BNC. The ARRI blimps enabled crews to use
just one camera both for shooting wild, in situations where the 35 II’s light weight and small size overrode noise
concerns, as well as dialogue scenes for which the relatively heavy blimp was less of an encumbrance. “The blimp was
used because my generation of directors were beginning to insist on sync sound shooting,” explains Šofr. “The ARRI 35 IIC,
even inside its blimp, was not clumsy in comparison with some bigger cameras and the sound people were satisfied.”
On Closely Observed Trains, the IIC remained blimped for the majority of the shoot because this mode of filming suited
Menzel’s desire to combine traditional, understated camerawork with a strong sense of realism: “The blimp matched the
visual concept of this movie perfectly,” continues Šofr. “Image composition in the majority of situations was intentionally
derived from an old style of framing – similar to the work of pioneers during the silent era. Dominant lines within the image
were mostly parallel with the frame edges and very rarely diagonal; figures were placed rather freely in the space without
too much respect being paid to rules or the routine style.”
Unlike the cinematographer’s previous, anamorphic project, Trains was shot with spherical lenses and an aspect ratio of 1.37:1.
Prime lenses manufactured by Cooke were used for every set-up, due to a strong aversion Menzel harboured at that time against
zooms. “Thanks to this film being made during that fortunate epoch preceding the advent of pseudo-widescreen films, I was able
to use the Academy frame both creatively and playfully,” says Šofr. “The playfulness was concerned mostly with image
composition and was made possible by the fact that these were the days when the rule ‘what you compose is what you get
on the cinema screen’ was actually reliable.”
Šofr wanted to augment the realism of sync sound filming with his photography and realised that lighting was the area
where he had the best opportunity to do so, given the decision to opt for a fairly staid approach to camerawork
and composition. “The concept of the lighting and image tonality was developed carefully and strictly respected
the character of illumination in real interiors,” he says. “HMI sources were not available, so the strongest
sources were provided by carbon-arc lamps, mostly pointed through windows and of course heavily
diffused. The effect of sharp edges produced by lampshades in night scenes was simulated with
halogen-bar lamps called Ampdiodes, which were 1500W and 2000W. We also used
simple halogen 800W and 1000W units, which were usually bounced from
reflectors. Extremely low-light scenes were accomplished thanks to
the newly available and fast Orwo NP 7 film stock, which
replaced the previous Ultra-Rapid Agfa and which
we used throughout.”
59
CLOSELY OBSERVED TRAINS

MOMENTS IN TIME
60
Although a good deal of Trains was shot on location, some of
the interior scenes required sets to be built on a sound stage.
“The location shooting was complemented by filming done in a
studio at Barrandov,” says Šofr. “We used a similar lighting style
to that on location, by which I mean very realistic – no backlight,
no eye-light, just strict directional logic and a believable, diffused
style. As for the lighting contrast, I used as high a ratio as the
properties of the black and white emulsion allowed.”
While Šofr has fond memories of working with an ARRIFLEX
35 IIC and ARRI Blimp 120 on his breakthrough film, he has
enjoyed keeping up with the many technical advances that
have punctuated his long and distinguished career since then.
Most recently, he and Menzel worked together on I Served the
King of England, which was shot on an ARRICAM Studio and
released in 2006. Like Trains, this film is based on a novel by
the Czech author Bohumil Hrabal and subtly blends the
tragedy and bittersweet comedy of ordinary lives interrupted
by extraordinary events. It has won awards at film festivals
around the world, including Czech Lion awards for Menzel’s
direction and also Šofr’s cinematography, which took full
advantage of the latest equipment available from ARRI: “The
ARRICAM Studio served our last project very reliably and was
equipped with a wide range of lenses, from Ultra Primes to
Variable Primes,” enthuses Šofr. “There were opportunities to
employ all of the features of this camera, including frame rate
adjustments with shutter angle compensation.”
“THE BLIMP WAS USED
BECAUSE MY GENERATION
OF DIRECTORS WERE
BEGINNING TO INSIST ON
SYNC SOUND SHOOTING”
Though the production team had wanted to again shoot at
Prague’s famous Barrandov Studios, which has been one of the
biggest studios in Europe since the war, they found that the
facility was too busy with international films to accommodate
them. “The Barrandov Studio complex has changed
significantly since we shot Trains,” says Šofr. “But the change
has not brought too many advantages for Czech national
cinema, as is demonstrated by the fact that there wasn’t a
single stage available for the shooting of I Served the King of
England. Fortunately we received significant support from the
Barrandov Camera Department and Lighting Equipment
Department as well as the help of the laboratory and financial
support. In the end we managed to shoot more than 95% of
the movie on location.”
The similarities between Closely Observed Trains and
I Served the King of England make them fitting bookends to
the powerful and enduring collaboration between Šofr and
Menzel, especially as the director has intimated that he will not
make another film. To Šofr’s mind, the brilliance of Menzel’s
vision remained as strong on the last day of their working
relationship as it was on the first: “My memories of working
with my friend and school-fellow Jirí Menzel as a first-time
director right up until, according to his words, being a last-time
director, are that his conscientious and highly artistic approach
to directing did not change over the course of his entire
filmmaking career,” concludes the cinematographer. “Jirí’s
unerring sense of optimal casting always was and still is his
main gift, together with an ability to bring the best out of each
person in front of the camera.” ■
Mark Hope-Jones
ADAM GLAUER
News from around the world
Portrait of a Motion Graphic Designer
But how did the 29-year old motion graphic
designer get here? As a child he loved to draw
and paint. As a teenager he was fascinated by the
expressive power of graffiti art, so it came as no
surprise that after graduating from high school he
went on to study graphic design for digital media
in Ulm. That’s where he learned to use the tools of the
trade: Photoshop for matte paintings, After Effects to
design the moving image and 3ds Max and Cinema 4D
to incorporate 3D elements. “Without these tools,” says
Adam, “we couldn’t do what we’re doing.”
His next stop was the postproduction world of Munich,
where he worked for companies such as PICTORION das
werk and Second Unit Services before joining the
creative team at ARRI Film & TV Commercial in 2007.
His mission is clear: to help the graphic suite take off!
To develop the ideas of the client further by refining and
bringing them to life, and to come up with concepts that
the client hasn’t even thought of yet.
VISIONARRI
Web design and print alone are not enough for Adam Glauer, it’s the moving
image that captivates him. It’s playing with colour and the graphic design of the
moving image that spurs his interest – that’s where his strength lies.
His role also includes working on and improving screen
designs, online elements, titles and moving image
graphics, and to make the CI for a new television format
airtight for an internal presentation – in order to give the
format a chance of actually getting made.
Examples? “In the globalized world of today, there aren’t
any to be found anymore. Thanks to the internet and
YouTube, trends are ever present in real time. As a
matter-of-fact, you have to move away from examples
and come up with your own ideas. To be creative means
to really immerse yourself, but at the same time you have
to be able to share with others – especially when it’s
about picking the best ideas.”
One thing is for sure though: “TV, the internet and mobile
phones are platforms of previously unimagined
significance. The moving image and the graphic design
of the moving image are in greater demand than ever.”
The true challenge? “The incredible pace at which new
forms of motion graphic design will develop over the next
few years.” Adam Glauer will help his clients to keep up.
New Customer Interface at ARRI Commercial
After pursuing a degree in audio and visual design
at TVA Regensburg, a regional broadcaster,
Julia completed an internship at Friends Production
in Munich and went on to work as a freelance
JULIA KRESPELKA production assistant and assistant editor on
several feature films. Julia then worked for Pirates
’n Paradise (Düsseldorf/Munich) as a postproduction
assistant before bringing her professional know-how to
ARRI Commercial.
Take a look at www.arricommercial.de
In February 2008 Julia Krespelka, previously in scheduling, was appointed
as a producer to the ARRI Commercials team, where she will assist clients in
implementing their productions.
During her time in scheduling Julia became familiar with
the needs of clients. Now, in her new capacity, Julia can
use this knowledge to contribute more extensively to the
production process. Julia will liaise between customers
and key technical personnel at ARRI Commercial, taking
on tasks such as planning, budgeting and cost reporting.
It is the interactive aspect of her responsibilities that
particulary excites her: “I see my role as the interface
between the imaginative ideas of our customers and the
creative and technical possibilities of ARRI Commercial
and its team of experts.”
Julia is also looking forward to bringing her technical
background and experience as an assistant editor to
bear: “To me, the new and exciting challenge I am facing
is to pull together the perfect resources for our clients and
to organize and customise them to meet the requirements
of individual jobs.”
Julia Krespelka can be reached by phone on
+49 89 3809 2285 or via email at
jkrespelka@arri.de
61

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
ANGELA
REEDWISCH
62
News from around the world News from around the world
New Branch Manager at ARRI Schwarzfilm Berlin
Berlin is becoming an increasingly important locale in the film and TV market.
Recognising this, ARRI decided to acquire Schwarz Film AG more than a year ago in
order to offer their customers lab and postproduction services in Berlin as well as
Munich. Since the beginning of April 2008, Angela Reedwisch has been managing
the Berlin branch office; as Key Account Manager she is also responsible for
international sales at ARRI Film & TV Services in Munich.
Over the past 12 months major investments have
been made in the Berlin facility. New offices and
HD suites have been built as well as what the
facility’s Managing Director Josef Reidinger – who
oversaw the expansion – describes as, “Europe’s biggest
grading cinema.” The first feature films to be graded in
this cinema at 2K resolution have been Hardcover, a Little
Sharks Entertainment production directed by Christian
ARRI’s Stringent Lab Quality Standards
Earn Kodak Imagecare Accreditation
“Right from the start, we knew that we would have to
handle the implementation of the KODAK IMAGECARE
Program in an ambitious and motivating way,” comments
Josef Reidinger, ARRI’s Film Lab Department Head.
“Together with my colleague Andy Sollacher, internal
supervisor of the program, we convinced the staff of its
importance and value, and kept administration to a
minimum to allow them to become fully involved in the
development of all the schedules. They have commented
that it is now straightforward to maintain top quality
through standardised and exact procedures.
“Kodak technical representative Dieter Krinke facilitated
this project with a great deal of competence and passion,
and was a major driving force,” continues Reidinger.
“He personally motivated the ARRI team and prepared
supporting documents that contributed to this success.
Special thanks are also due to KODAK IMAGECARE
Program accreditor Pascal Bony of the Chalon (France)
based Kodak Customer Technical Services centre for his
great co-operation, support and coaching.”
Zübert, as well as Tengri, the first movie to be shot on a
2-perforation 35mm camera supplied by ARRI Rental,
Germany. Tengri is a production of CineDok and is
directed by Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville. Currently the
Sony feature The International, directed by Tom Tykwer,
who made Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, is in the
final stage of postproduction.
On 10 April 2008, ARRI GmbH in Munich became the first laboratory in Germany
to successfully gain KODAK IMAGECARE Program certification. ARRI achieved
Phase 1 accreditation with a remarkable score of 229 points, or 99% – virtually
the highest possible level of compliance.
From Pascal Bony’s perspective, “The ARRI lab was very
well organised and operations ran smoothly. The operators
were perceived to be handling daily routines in a very
professional way and all the staff were strongly committed
and extremely involved from the outset. They really believe
in the program.”
Josef Reidinger concluded that for ARRI only the highest
quality in their internal negative processing is acceptable
because this is the basis for the calibration of the
successful ARRISCAN film scanners and ARRILASER
film recorders.
THOMAS NICKEL
ARRI Film & TV Services Represented in LA
Growing Demands: Digital Acquisition in Japan
VISIONARRI
In March 2008, Thomas Nickel returned to Los Angeles after spending the last 2½
years in Mumbai, India for the ARRI Group. He will now represent ARRI Film & TV
Services in Los Angeles in the capacity of a consultant and primarily be responsible
for projects that will be finished at ARRI’s lab and postproduction facilities in
Munich, Berlin and Bern, Switzerland. His diverse contacts from his previous
Los Angeles assignment will no doubt be of great benefit to him.
In addition to his involvement with ARRI Film &
TV Services Thomas Nickel will also consult for
Film Finances, Inc., focusing on film projects from
Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia and India.
One of the biggest recent shoots was a television
commercial for the Suzuki Motor Corporation, which used a
D-20 for the main camera and combined it with an ARRIFLEX
435 for high speed sequences. The DoP Mr Syuhei Umene
from Crank, one of the major local production companies,
commented, “This camera [the D-20] does not have a video
look; you cannot distinguish it from film cameras. The big
advantage of the D-20 is that you can operate it as though it
were a film camera, which for this shoot meant we only had
to prepare one set of accessories, even though we had a
D-20 and a 435.”
Mr Syuhei Umene has shot other commercials on the D-20,
including one for Hitachi washing machines. For this shoot,
the D-20 proved advantageous because it meant he was
able to avoid the magazine changes associated with
shooting on film in scenes featuring a child, whose
ARRI is pleased to be able to continue to count on
Thomas Nickel’s know-how and extensive experience in
the realm of postproduction and wish him all the best in
his new endeavours.
Thomas Nickel can be reached by phone on + 1 323 378 6012 or via email at ToNicFilm@mac.com
NAC Rental, the Tokyo-based ARRI rental partner, has been hiring ARRI’s digital camera
system to the Japanese market since the autumn of 2006. Their current fleet of five
ARRIFLEX D-20 cameras, which will all be upgraded to D-21 specifications over the course of
the next six months, are in constant demand, mainly for music promos and commercials.
unpredictable performance required constant readiness and
the freedom to keep the camera rolling.
Though the D-20 is popular for commercials in Japan,
almost two-thirds of the productions that NAC hire the film
style digital camera to are music promos. In January 2008,
NAC Rental supplied four ARRIFLEX D-20 cameras for a live
music performance by the band Remioromen at the Tokyo
International Forum. Three of the cameras were placed on
Panther dollies in front of the stage while the fourth was
positioned over to one side.
Mr. Ajisaka, who is a freelance DoP and who has selected
the D-20 for a number of live music shoots, said, “The D-20
delivers a warm, film-like picture with its depth of field and
its rotating mirror shutter, and the operation is very simple
for conventional film camera users. This is an obvious
advantage compared to other conventional HD cameras.”
63

NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
64
News from around the world
ARRIMAX Shines in South Africa
ARRI’s brightest HMI, the ARRIMAX 18/12, recently arrived in South Africa and is
now available for hire through Media Film Service, an ARRI Rental Partner with
facilities in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban.
The South African launch of the ARRIMAX was held
at Media Film Service’s offices in Cape Town last
November, when local crew and production staff were
invited to ‘come and play with MAX’. “It has always
been our mission at Media Film Service to provide the
latest and best equipment to the South African industry
and we are very excited to be in a position to add yet
another state-of-the-art ARRI product to our repertoire,”
commented Corrie van Wyk, Group Lighting and
Technical Manager at Media Film Service.
The ARRIMAX’s unique reflector concept for beam
control and optical system dazzled the local industry
and the launch caused quite a buzz. Jim Browne,
Lighting Manager at Media Film Service, said:
“The ARRIMAX is perfect for local productions that
need maximum light output. It combines the variable
beam spread of a Fresnel with the light output of a
PAR, providing an extremely powerful source of
illumination from a single unit – and from an
environmental point of view, uses the same power
consumption as a standard 18K lamp.”
Since its launch there has been a great deal of interest
in the lighting fixture and the ARRIMAX’s first few
months in South Africa have been extremely busy.
Mario Mohammed, a Cape Town-based Gaffer,
remarked: “It is an amazing lamp! The quality is
stunning and it is a great saving for production as the
illumination it provides means we don’t need to spend
extra on banks of lights. I am so impressed.”
Media Film Service Crosses the Ocean!
On 1st July 2008, Media Film Service began welcoming clients to a new branch –
in sunny Mauritius.
The facility, to be run by Richard and Kate Sysumm,
is kitted out with a basic video and grips package,
a full range of daylight lighting, a comprehensive
stills lighting complement, consumables, and a
100kva generator.
Mauritius, a small island destination off the East coast
of Africa, is serviced by regular flights from Europe,
Australia and South Africa. This gives easy and
efficient access to the splendors of this beautiful
country for shooting in untouched and unique
locations. All that the local and international film
community needed was excellent equipment and
tried and tested service, both of which Media
Film Service now provides.
Richard Sysum opened the Durban branch of Media
Film Service in 2001. It was the first of the Media
Film Service outlets to offer lighting equipment in
South Africa and has since grown from a small
one-man operation to a facility capable of handling
international feature films. Richard’s unquestionable
success with the Durban setup positioned him as the
perfect man to head up a new venture overseas.
Media Film Service is constantly looking for new
and innovative ways of servicing the local and
international film industry in South Africa, and with
the establishment of the Mauritius branch, this vision
is taking on new and exciting dimensions.
For The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, cinematographer
Karl Walter Lindenlaub mounted an ARRIFLEX 235 to a shield in
order to film a climactic duel with swords between the evil King
Miraz (Sergio Castellitto) and Peter Pevensie (William Moseley).
Here below is a selection of six other famous cinematic duels.
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
Often hailed as the greatest screen adaptation of
Dumas’ 1844 novel, this version stars Robert Donat
as Edmond Dantes, the young sailor who is
imprisoned on false charges and returns as the Count
of Monte Cristo years later to exact his revenge.
At one point Dantes fights in a pistol duel which is
filmed with a single shot that starts in close-up and
tracks backwards as the combatants walk away from
each other, skilfully keeping them both on the edge of
frame until they turn, now in long shot, and fire.
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Basil Rathbone features again in the classic duel for
which this film is remembered, this time against
Tyrone Power’s Zorro. Director Rouben Mamoulian
opted to shoot the sequence with long takes,
fully utilising the skill of both his actors and
choreographer Fred Cavens, who by this time was
highly sought after in Hollywood. Power became
typecast in swashbuckling roles, eventually
succumbing to a heart attack while filming another
duelling scene for Solomon and Sheba in 1958.
of the Best
…Duels
The Life and Death of
Colonel Blimp (1943)
A wartime gem from the British filmmaking
team of Powell and Pressburger, Colonel
Blimp tells the story of a lifelong friendship
that develops between a German and an
Englishmen who, despite being strangers,
find themselves having to fight a duel
during the Boer War. Rising above the
propagandist tone defining most British
films of the time, this is a humane and
moving character study that unfolds before
the backdrop of a changing Europe.
The Duellists (1977)
Ridley Scott’s directorial debut is
practically a duel from start to finish.
Adapted from a story by Joseph Conrad,
it tells of two French officers during the
Napoleonic wars whose first meeting
sparks a minor argument that escalates
into a bitter conflict and consumes their
lives. As they duel with both pistols and
swords on many occasions over many
years, the deadly rivalry self-perpetuates
and its origin, as well as the meaning of
honour itself, becomes blurred.
VISIONARRI
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
At a cost of $2m, Robin Hood was more expensive than any preceding Warner
Brothers film and also the first from that studio to be presented in Technicolor. Errol
Flynn dons the obligatory green tights as Robin, whose adventures culminate in a duel
with Sir Guy of Gisbourne, played by Basil Rathbone, who had previously locked
blades with Flynn in Captain Blood (1935). Fight choreographer Fred Cavens was
responsible for making the untrained Flynn appear a convincing match for Rathbone,
who was an accomplished fencer.
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Inspired by paintings of the time, Stanley Kubrick worked closely with
Cinematographer John Alcott, BSC and pushed the boundaries of film
technology to create this lavish portrayal of a young man’s rise through
the social ranks of eighteenth-century Britain. Forced to flee rural Ireland
after winning a duel fought for love, Barry slowly claws his way up in
the world, gradually leaving all recognisable human emotion by the
wayside. Eventually drifting into an absurd duel with his stepson, he
deliberately fires his pistol wide of its mark before being shot and
seriously wounded.
65

PRODUCTION UPDATE
ARRI RENTAL
Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment
Street Fighter – The Hyde Park Films Andrzej Bartkowiak Geoff Boyle 2 x ARRICAM Lite, ARRICAM Studio,
Legend of Chun Lee ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced, ARRIFLEX 235
Lippels Traum collina filmproduktion Lars Büchel Jana Marsik ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX
435 Advanced, Lighting, Grip
The Lovely Bones DWNZ Productions Ltd Peter Jackson Andrew Lesnie ACS 2 x ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 435 Advanced,
ARRIFLEX 235, 16.5-110mm Master Zoom
The Reader The Weinstein Company Stephen Daldry Roger Deakins ASC, BSC ARRICAM Studio & Lite,
Chris Menges BSC Master Primes, Lighting, Grip
Laura elsani Film Ben Verbong Theo Bierkens ARRICAM Lite 2-perforation
Wüstenblume Desert Flower Filmproductions Sherry Hormann Ken Kelsch ARRICAM Studio & Lite, Lighting, Grip
Flores Negras – epo-film David Carreras Nestor Calvo Pichardo ARRIFLEX D-20, ARRIFLEX 435 ES
Schwarze Blumen
Dark Sky Stillking Films Stephen Sommers/ Mitchell Amundsen/ Lighting, Grip
Greg Michael Jonathan Taylor
Ein Date fürs Leben antares media Andi Niessner Bernd Neubauer ARRIFLEX 16SR 3, Lighting, Grip
Das Duo – Sterben TV60Film Maris Pfeiffer Gunnar Fuss ARRIFLEX 416 Plus, Lighting, Grip
statt erben
Bunraku Bunraku Productions Guy Moshe Juan Ruiz-Anchia ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435
Advanced, Lighting, Grip
Mists of Time MOD Producciones Alejandro Amenábar Xavi Giménez 2 x ARRICAM Studio, ARRICAM Lite,
16,5-110mm Master Zoom, Master Primes
ARRI AUSTRALIA
Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment
McLeod’s Daughters
– Series 8
Millennium Television Various Henry Pierce 2 x ARRIFLEX 416, ARRIFLEX SR 3,
Zeiss High Speeds & Zooms
The Pacific First Division Pty Ltd David Nutter, Remi Adefarasin BSC 2 x ARRIFLEX 235, 3 x ARRICAM Lite,
Tim Van Patten LDS Ultra Primes, Optimo Set
Long Weekend Arclight Films Jamie Banks Karl Von Moeller 2 x ARRIFLEX D-20, ARRIFLEX 235,
Ultra Primes, Canon Zoom, Angenieux
The Vintner’s Luck Ascension Films Niki Caro Denis Loire 2 x ARRIFLEX 416, Ultra Primes,
– NZ Shoot 15-40mm Angenieux, 24-290mm Angenieux
Sheridan 8MM Commercials Tim Gibbs Garry Philips ARRIFLEX 235, Master Primes
The Lakes Synergy Films Jeff Hogan Jeff Hogan ARRIFLEX 435, 14mm Ultra Prime
Telstra 9MM Nicole Ryan Matt Stewart ARRIFLEX 416, 11.5-138mm Canon
6.6-66mm Canon
McDonald’s Olympics Soma Films Sean Meehan Sean Meehan ARRICAM Lite, Cookes
Smith’s The Guild Mat Humphrey Andrew Lesnie ACS ARRICAM Lite, 15-40mm Angenieux,
17-80mm Angenieux
Donna Hay Engine Lachlan Milne Lachlan Milne ARRIFLEX 235 3-perforation, Master Primes
Qantas Engine Finnegan Spencer Lachlan Milne ARRIFLEX 235 3-perforation, Master Primes
HCF Engine Lachlan Milne Calvin Gardiner Master Primes
Glass Windermere Blue Jayne Montague Carl Robertson ARRICAM Studio, Master Primes
Rexona 8 Commercials Eden Matt Stewart ARRIFLEX 416, Canon Zooms
Nice Cowboys Arena Films Ben Phelps John Brawley ARRIFLEX 435, Ultra Primes
ARRI MEDIA
Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment
Quantum of Solace B22 Limited Marc Forster Roberto Schaefer ASC ARRICAM Studio & Lite, ARRIFLEX 435,
ARRIFLEX 235, Master Primes
Green Zone Compound Films Paul Greengrass Barry Ackroyd BSC ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 235
The Boat That Rocked Frigate Films Richard Curtis Danny Cohen ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 435, Ultra Primes
Bright Star Bright Star Films Jane Campion Greig Fraser ARRICAM Lite, ARRIFLEX 235
Little Dorrit BBC Television Dearbhla Walsh, Lucas Strebel ARRIFLEX D-21, Ultra Primes
Adam Smith
Crusoe Power Duane Clark Jon Joffin ARRIFLEX D-21, Master Primes
Lark Rise to Candleford BBC Television Alan Grint Mark Partridge ARRIFLEX D-21, Zeiss Primes
Balloon Wars Zeppotron Yann Demange Tat Radcliffe ARRIFLEX D-20, Ultra Primes
Easy Virtue Easy Virtue Films Stephan Elliott Martin Kenzie ARRICAM Studio & Lite, Cooke S4 Primes
The Children Tightrope Pictures David Evans David Luther ARRIFLEX D-20, Cooke S4 Primes
Boy Meets Girl ITV Granada Alrick Riley Sean Van Hales ARRIFLEX D-20, Zeiss Primes
Sharpe’s Peril Sharpe’s Peril Tom Clegg James Aspinall ARRICAM Studio, ARRIFLEX 435, Ultra Primes
Commander La Plant Productions Gillies MacKinnon Nigel Willougby ARRIFLEX 416, Ultra Primes
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
ARRI CSC
Title Production Company DoP Gaffer Equipment Serviced by
American Gladiators AM GLAD Prods Various Oscar Dominguez Automated Lighting Illumination Dynamics
Bart Got A Room Bart Got A Room LLC Hallvard Braein 2 x ARRIFLEX SR 3 Advanced ARRI CSC FLA
Kings of Appletown 415 Crystal LLC/ Daniel Pearl ASC 2 x ARRICAM Lite & ARRIFLEX 235 ARRI CSC FLA
Oak Films 3-perforation, Cooke S4 Primes
Recount 35 Days Inc. Jim Denault 3 x ARRIFLEX 416, ARRI CSC FLA.
ARRIFLEX SR 3 Advanced
30 Rock NBC Vanja Cernjul Jerry DeBlau 2 x ARRICAM Lite 3-perforation ARRI CSC NY
Cooke S4 Primes
Spread Katalyst Films Steven Poster ASC Elan Yaari Lighting & Grip Illumination Dynamics
State of Play Universal Rodrigo Prieto ASC, AMC Robby Baumgartner Lighting Illumination Dynamics
The Soloist DreamWorks Seamus McGarvey BSC Randy Woodside Lighting Illumination Dynamics
The Wrestler Off The Top Rope Inc. Maryse Alberti David Skutch ARRIFLEX 416, ARRIFLEX SR 3 ARRI CSC NY
Tree of Life Cottonwood Emmanuel Luezki ASC 2 x ARRICAM, ARRIFLEX 235 ARRI CSC NY
Master Primes
Tropic Thunder DreamWorks John Toll ASC Randy Woodside Lighting Illumination Dynamics
Woody Allen Perdido Prods. Harris Savides ASC 2 x ARRICAM Lite ARRI CSC NY
Summer Project Cooke S4 Primes
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - FEATURES
Title Production Company Director DoP Services
Alle Anderen Komplizen Film Maren Ade Bernhard Keller Lab, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX
Die Tür Wüstefilm Anno Saul Bella Halben Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Flame & Citron Wüste Medien GmbH Ole Christian Madsen Jørgen Johansson Lab, DI-Services
Ground Under Water Flying Moon Lenka Hellstedt Mark Stubbs Lab
Laura elsani Film Ben Verbong Theo Bierkens Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Lippels Traum collina filmproduktion Lars Büchel Jana Marsik Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound
Mammoth Zentropa Entertainments Berlin Lukas Moodysson Marcel Zyskind Lab, DI-Services
Reine Männersache Constantin Film Gernot Roll Gernot Roll D-21, DI, Lab
Mord ist mein Geschäft, Liebling! Rat Pack Filmproduktion Sebastian Niemann Gerhard Schirlo Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound
Morphus Provobis Karola Hattop Sebastian Richter Lab, DI, TV- Mastering
Ninja Assassin Warner Brothers/Fünfte James McTeigue K. W. Lindenlaub Lab
Babelsberg ASC, BVK
Perlmutterfarbe d.i.e. film Marcus H. Rosenmüller Torsten Breuer Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX
Tengri Cine Dok Marie Jaoul de Poncheville Sylvie Carcédo Lab, DI, TV- Mastering
Wüstenblume Desert Flower Filmproductions Sherry Hormann Ken Kelsch Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Whiskey mit Wodka Senator Film Andreas Dresen Andreas Höfer Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - COMMERCIALS
Client Title Production Company Agency Director DoP
Kraft Foods Jacobs Balance Hager Moss Film JWT Frankfurt Louis van Zwol Rutgar Storm
“Flight Attendant”
Mercedes Benz Driving Experience “Faces” Hager Moss Film King Khalil Jens Junker Christian Stangassinger
Kellogg GmbH Filmteam Helliventures Leo Burnett Markus Goller Brita Mangold
Allianz SE AGCS Construction GAP Films BBDO Berlin Charley Stadler Fraser Taggart
McDonald’s Hüttengaudi 2008 FRAMES filmproduktion GmbH Heye & Partner Badly Andreas Berger
Deutschland GmbH
SevenSenses GmbH Slam Tour mit Kuttner SevenSenses GmbH Adam Glauer Ole Reuss
Bayerisches Schluss mit dem Unsinn darkofilms Brainwaves KG Andreas Grassl Winnie Heun
Sozialministerium
ARD Ich weiß, wer gut e+p commercial München Xynias, Wetzel Christian Ditter Christian Rein
für dich ist Werbeagntur GmbH
Holsten Castle made in munich filmproduktion BBDO Moscow David Wynn-Jones David Wynn-Jones
gmbh
ARRI LIGHTING RENTAL
Title Production Company Director DoP Gaffer Rigging Gaffer Best Boy
Green Zone Compond Films Paul Greengrass Barry Ackroyd BSC Harry Wiggins Ian Franklin Steve Odonaghue
The Boat That Rocked Frigate Films Richard Curtis Danny Cohen Paul McGeachan Pat Miller Will Kendal
Bright Star Bright Star Films Jane Campion Greig Fraser Mark Clayton Benny Harper
Little Dorrit BBC Television Dearbhla Walsh, Lucas Strebel Stewart King Steve Anthony
Adam Smith
Crusoe Power Duane Clark Jon Joffin Paul Slatter Jim Wall Mark Funnell
Balloon Wars Zeppotron Yann Demange Tat Radcliffe Gary Davies Laurance Duffy
Sleep With Me Quite Funny Films Marc Jobst Florian Hoffmeister Dan Fontaine John Walker
Spooks 7 (Spooks) Colm McCarthy Damien Bromley, James Summers, Richard Potter
James Welland Brandon Evans
Lesbian Vampire Killers Skyline (LVK) Phil Claydon David Higgs Dan Fontaine John Walker
Plus One (Plus one) Sarah O'Gorman Ian Liggett Michael Onder Pawel Polak
Silent Witness BBC Television Diarmuid Lawrence, Alan Almond BSC Micky Brown Dave Owen
Alex Pillai, Peter Butler,
Susan Tully Dominic Clemence,
Noel Probyn,
Nic Knowland
67

5Perforation
65mm
ARRIFLEX 765
4Perforation
35mm
ARRICAM Studio
ARRICAM Lite
ARRIFLEX 535B
ARRIFLEX 435
ARRIFLEX 235
3Perforation
35mm
ARRICAM Studio
ARRICAM Lite
ARRIFLEX 535B
ARRIFLEX 435
ARRIFLEX 235
WHEN IT COUNTS...
The 2-perforation format, with a widescreen look made famous by the likes of Sergio Leone, disappeared at the end of the
seventies. Until now.
Today’s modern super fine grained film stocks and ultra sharp lenses combine to achieve a 2-perforation image of superb
quality, and as a result the ARRI Rental Group has introduced a new 2-perforation movement.
Ideal for cost-conscious filmmakers looking to compose a widescreen image, the format achieves a natural CinemaScope aspect
ratio of 2.39:1 on standard 35mm film stock. The quantity of film used is reduced because it is advanced by two perforations
instead of the traditional four perforations. This translates to less stock and, consequently, a reduction in processing costs.
Achieve cost savings and retain the quality of 35mm with 2-perforation.
Running Time of Running Time of
400ft Magazine 1000ft Magazine
2-Perforation 8 min 34 sec 21 min 26 sec
4-Perforation 4 min 17 sec 10 min 43 sec
*To capture 10 hours of images: 2-perforation needs 72 x 400ft rolls, 4-perforation needs 154 x 400ft rolls.
(Saving calculation based on 50ft waste with 4-perforation and 25ft waste with 2-perforation)
www.arri.com
2-Perforation Uses 53% Less Film Stock*
2Perforation
35mm
ARRICAM Studio
ARRICAM Lite
ARRIFLEX 235
1Perforation
16mm
ARRIFLEX 416
ARRIFLEX 416 Plus
ARRIFLEX 416 Plus HS
ARRIFLEX16SR3Advanced
ARRIFLEX16SR3Advanced High-speed