Quarterly 2 · 2008 - German Films

DoP Florian Emmerich keeps up pace with Matt Damon (photo © Jasin Boland/2007 Universal Studios)
it comes to digital intermediate (DI) processes. In Germany, the company
set up the first DI grading suite featuring Lustre grading software
and Barco 2K projectors, allowing ARRI to offer digital color correction
for feature films under movie theater conditions.
ARRI’s Berlin facility now features Europe’s largest grading cinema,
with a 500 square foot screen, 23 seats and a 2K digital projector. It
has also successfully completed the transition from a film lab, focusing
primarily on television productions, to a fully-fledg ed post-production
facility featuring cutting-edge technology. This benefits the high-end
national and international productions which film in and around Berlin.
But its location is not the only advantage of ARRI Berlin; it offers a
wide range of services and con siderable facilities, which provide perfect
conditions for the completion of sophisticated and involved productions.
ARRI’s experienced and dedicated team of color graders are well
versed in analogue as well as digital post-production. The com petent
and motivated team honed their skills in the VFX department as well
as in the related video and film post-pro duction di vision. The company’s
graphic designers have the know-how and the creative ideas necessary
to create an impressive opening for any film. State-of-the-art
data transmission technology and sophisticat ed work flows assure a
seamless collaboration between various ARRI depart ments and facilities.
Last but not least, there is also the ARRI cinema: with its 32 x 14
foot screen and 360 seats it plays a vital role in a unique production
chain that incorporates co ordinated color management. Thanks to
the cinema’s market leading analogue and digital projectors, ARRI
customers can view their project under movie theater conditions not
only when it is completed, but at all stages of production.
DIGITAL CINEMA – THE NEW WAVE
Anticipating the needs of the cinema of the future, ARRI Film & TV is
expanding its service range by adding digital cinema technologies. The
latest developments in information and digital projection technology
as well as in data compression continue a trend towards ‘digita -
lization’ of the film business at all stages. ARRI Film & TV offers a
start-to-finish solution for the production of digital cinema content.
For this purpose ARRI developed its own tools and integrated them
into the ARRI post-production workflow. The specifications adhere
to the Digital Cinema Initiatives, LLC (DCI) as well as SMPTE stand -
ards. This workflow offers the greatest possible flexibility, quality and
security to ARRI customers.
NOW AND FOREVER
In today’s world most films are finished digitally, but it is not yet possib
le to archive films in digital form. With its separation master service,
ARRI Film & TV offers a film-based option for the long term storage
of DI data. For this process a black & white separation master
negative is used, because unlike color stock, the black & white emulsion
remains stable over many years. ARRI therefore recommends
that clients shoot on film (still the best possible acquisition format),
post in 4K and archive on separation masters.
ARRI Media Worldsales was founded in 2000 as a division of the
ARRI Group, a world sales company selling theatrical, video and TV
rights (license rights). The company specializes in German arthouse
films, TV movies, miniseries and documentaries. Its portfolio includes
the renowned Heimat trilogy by Edgar Reitz and its latest theatrical
production is Clara by Helma Sanders-Brahms. In the TV sector ARRI
Media Worldsales cooperates closely with the production company
LISA FILMPRODUKTION (which has made TV series such as Ein
Schloss am Woerthersee). The company has also distributed further
high-level TV events like Queen of Cherries by Rainer Kaufmann, an
NDF production made in collaboration with ZDF/ARTE.
Full contact information for the entire ARRI group is available at
www.arri.de.
german films quarterly portrait the ARRI group
2 · 2008 11
The Film Style Digital Camera ARRIFLEX D-21