Download English (PDF, 3.17MB) - ARRI Rental

12/09 ISSUE 8
VisionARRI
The Biannual International Magazine from the ARRI RENTAL & POSTPRODUCTION ENTERPRISES
KILLERS
Russell Carpenter ASC on shooting
anamorphic with the D-21
Green Zone
Interview with Barry Ackroyd BSC
Inglourious Basterds
ARRI Film & TV work on Tarantino’s
World War II epic
A New Digital Camera System
ARRI announces a new
generation of digital cameras

ARRI SERVICES GROUP NETWORK
ARRI SUBSIDIARIES
AUSTRALIA
ARRI Australia, Sydney
Cameras
Stefan Sedlmeier
T +61 2 9855 4300
ssedlmeier@arri.com.au
AUSTRIA
ARRI Rental Vienna
Cameras
Gerhard Giesser
T +43 664 120 7257
rental@arri.at
CZECH REPUBLIC
ARRI Rental Prague
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Robert Keil
T +42 025 101 3575
rkeil@arri.de
GERMANY
ARRI Rental Berlin
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Ute Baron
T +49 30 346 800 0
ubaron@arri.de
ARRI Rental Cologne
Cameras
Stefan Martini
T +49 221 170 6724
smartini@arri.de
ARRI Rental Munich
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Thomas Loher
T +49 89 3809 1440
tloher@arri.de
ARRI Film & TV Services, Munich
Film Lab, DI, TV Postproduction,
VFX, Sound, Studio, Cinema
International Sales
Angela Reedwisch
T +49 89 3809 1574
areedwisch@arri.de
National Sales
Walter Brus
T +49 89 3809 1772
wbrus@arri.de
ARRI Schwarzfilm Berlin
Film Lab, DI, TV Postproduction
Mandy Rahn
T +49 30 408 17 8534
mrahn@arri.de
ARRI Film & TV Services,
Cologne
DI, TV Postproduction, Sound
Markus Klaff
T +49 221 57165 120
mklaff@arri.de
Schwarz Film
Ludwigsburg
Film Lab, DI, TV Postproduction
Walter Brus
T +49 89 3809 1772
wbrus@arri.de
LUXEMBOURG
ARRI Rental Luxembourg
Cameras
Steffen Ditter
T +352 2670 1270
sditter@arri.de
UNITED KINGDOM
ARRI Lighting Rental, London
Lighting
Tommy Moran
T +44 1895 457 200
tmoran@arrirental.com
ARRI Focus, London
Short term lighting hire for
commercials & promos
Martin Maund, George Martin
T +44 1895 810 000
martin@arrifocus.com
george@arrifocus.com
ARRI Media, London
Cameras, Grip
Philip Cooper
T +44 1895 457 100
pcooper@arrimedia.com
ARRI Crew, London
Diary Service
Kate Collier
T +44 1895 457 180
arricrew@arrimedia.com
USA
ARRI CSC, New Jersey
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Simon Broad,
Hardwrick Johnson
T +1 212 757 0906
sbroad@arricsc.com
hjohnson@arricsc.com
ARRI CSC, Florida
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Ed Stamm
T +1 954 322 4545
estamm@arricsc.com
Illumination Dynamics, LA
Lighting, Grip
Carly Barber, Maria Carpenter
T +1 818 686 6400
carly@illuminationdynamics.com
maria@illuminationdynamics.com
Illumination Dynamics,
North Carolina,
Lighting, Grip
Jeff Pentek
T +1 704 679 9400
jeff@illuminationdynamics.com
ARRI PARTNERS & ASSOCIATES
AUSTRALIA
Cameraquip, Melbourne,
Brisbane
Cameras
Malcolm Richards
T +61 3 9699 3922
T +61 7 3844 9577
rentals@cameraquip.com.au
CYPRUS
Seahorse Films,
Nicosia, Paphos
Cameras, Lighting,
Grip, Studio
Andros Achilleos
T +357 9967 5013
andros@seahorsefilms.com
GERMANY
Maddel’s Cameras,
Hamburg
Cameras, Grip
Matthias Neumann
T +49 40 66 86 390
info@maddels.com
HUNGARY
VisionTeam, Budapest
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Gabor Rajna
T +36 1 433 3911
info@visionteam.hu
ICELAND
Pegasus Pictures, Reykjavik
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Snorri Thorisson
T +354 414 2000
snorri@pegasus.is
INDIA
Anand Cine Service, Chennai
Cameras, Lighting, Grip,
Film Lab, DI
Tarun Kumar
T: +91 44 2834 2811
contact@anandcine.com
IRELAND
The Production Depot,
Co Wicklow
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
John Leahy, Dave Leahy
T +353 1 276 4840
john@production-depot.com
dave@production-depot.com
JAPAN
NAC Image Technology
Tokyo
Cameras
Tomofumi Masuda
Hiromi Shindome
T +81 3 5211 7960
masuda@camnac.co.jp
NEW ZEALAND
Camera Tech, Wellington
Cameras
Peter Fleming
T +64 4562 8814
cameratech@xtra.co.nz
Xytech Technologies, Auckland
Lighting
Stephen Pryor
T +64 9 377 99 85
stephenp@xytech.co.nz
ROMANIA
Panalight Studio, Bucharest
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Diana Apostol
T +40 727 358 304
office@panalight.ro
SCANDINAVIA
BLIXT Camera Rental,
Denmark, Norway & Sweden
Cameras
Björn Blixt
T +45 70 20 59 50
blixt@blixt.dk
SOUTH AFRICA
Media Film Service,
Cape Town, Johannesburg,
Durban, Namibia
Cameras, Lighting,
Grip, Studio
Jannie van Wyk
T +27 21 511 3300
jannie@mediafilmservice.com
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Filmquip Media, Dubai
Cameras, Lighting, Grip
Anthony Smythe, Hugo Lang
T +971 4 347 4909
ant@filmquipmedia.com
hugo@filmquipmedia.com
USA & CANADA
Clairmont Camera Hollywood,
LA, Toronto, Vancouver
ARRIFLEX D-21 Representative
Irving Correa
T +1 818 761 4440
irvingc@clairmont.com
Fletcher Chicago, Chicago
ARRIFLEX D-21 Representative
Stan Glapa
T +1 312 932 2700
stan@fletch.com
4 RAW ATTRACTION
Russell Carpenter ASC talks about shooting anamorphic feature
Killers with the D-21
6 PLANET TARANTINO
ARRI Film Lab and ARRI Sound discuss their work on
Inglourious Basterds
8 PRODUCTION DIPLOMAT
Profile on ARRI Film & TV’s in-house producer Christopher Berg
9 THE LAST AIRBENDER
How ARRI CSC and the camera crew of The Last Airbender
prepared for the extremes of Greenland
10 GREEN ZONE
Barry Ackroyd BSC on shooting the latest film from director
Paul Greengrass
12 THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL
Interview with director Anno Saul about his feature The Door
CONTENTS
6
24
20
16
VisionARRI would like to thank the following contributors;
Susanne Bieger, Katja Birkenbach, Simon Broad, Mark Hope-Jones, Ingo Klingspon, Judith Petty,
Angela Reedwisch, Prof. Jürgen Schopper, Marc Shipman-Mueller, Michelle Smith, Sabine Welte
Front Cover Photo: Melissa Moseley © 2009 Lionsgate Entertainment
VISIONARRI
14 GOING POSTAL
Gavin Finney BSC discusses working on his third
Terry Pratchett adaptation for Sky
16 DESERT FLOWER
ARRI Film & TV posts the life story of Waris Dirie
18 ABOVE SUSPICION:
THE RED DAHLIA
Nigel Willoughby reflects on using the
D-21 with Panasonic’s P2 recorder
20 A NEW DIGITAL CAMERA SYSTEM
ARRI redefines the future of digital production
with the announcement of a new range
of cameras
22 POPE JOAN
The VFX specialists at ARRI Film & TV resurrect
the historical city of Rome for Pope Joan
24 BRIGHT STAR
Australian DoP Greig Fraser shares his
experiences filming romantic period feature
Bright Star
26 PANDORUM
ARRI Sound create the sound mix for outer space
spine-chiller Pandorum
28 D-21 SHOOTS 3D FILM IN DUBAI
Dubai’s brand new metro system opens with
a 3D film created for the occasion
30 ARRI COMMERCIAL – MUNICH’S
CREATIVE HEARTBEAT
A look at the creative and technical services
of ARRI Film & TV Commercial
33 CULTIVATING RELATIONSHIPS
WITH DoPS
ARRI’s Head of Digital Intermediate,
Harald Schernthaner, shares his views on the
current state of the DI
34 HI-MOTION
New V10 software from EVS integrates with the
Hi-Motion at Hickstead
35 ARRI RELATIVITY
A powerful suite of postproduction software tools
35 NEW ARRI FILM & TV FACILITIES
IN COLOGNE
ARRI adds postproduction services to its branch
in Cologne
36 PRODUCT UPDATE
38 PRODUCTION UPDATE

RAW
ATTRACTION
Russell Carpenter ASC shares his experiences shooting the anamorphic feature
Killers using ARRIRAW with the D-21.
Killers, the first Hollywood motion picture to be photographed with anamorphic lenses on ARRIFLEX D-21
cameras using ARRIRAW in Data Mode, has recently wrapped after shooting in Atlanta, the South of France
and the Bahamas. Directed by Robert Luketic and shot by Russell Carpenter ASC, the $50 million film stars
Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl as young holidaymakers who meet while abroad, fall in love and marry.
After they return home, life becomes complicated when they discover that their neighbours may be assassins
hired to kill them. Billed as a comedy action thriller, Killers will be released by Lionsgate in June 2010.
Four D-21 camera packages were supplied to Killers by ARRI CSC Florida, with support from ARRI CSC New York and ARRI
Media in London. The D-21 is the only digital cinematography camera with a 4:3 sensor area that allows ‘true’ anamorphic
images to be captured in the same way as they are captured on 35mm film. By using the cameras in Data Mode, the production
was able to output raw anamorphic data to S.two 2K Digital Field Recorders (DFR).
VisionARRI: Which decision was made first: to shoot
anamorphic or to shoot digital?
Russell Carpenter: The two decisions were made at the same
time really. Robert, the director, wanted to shoot in anamorphic
because he loves the characteristics that anamorphic lenses
give the image. He also very much enjoyed his previous
experiences shooting digitally and felt really good about
knowing what he had before the end of the day rather than
having to wait for dailies. So I did some research and it
became fairly obvious that the D-21 was going to offer the
best of both worlds. In testing the
D-21 we just fell in love with the image
characteristics, especially in terms of
how the image was rendered in the
highlights. We got a beautiful, creamy
rendition of both shadow and highlight
areas, but there was a sort of silkiness
in the way the highlights were rendered
that was different from our experiences
testing the other systems. We basically
thought the D-21 offered a particularly
pleasing image.
VA: How was your experience
of shooting with the Hawk
anamorphic lenses?
RC: I think one thing I would like to have
experimented with more was the degree
to which we wanted to be careful with
the wider anamorphic lenses in terms
of what was happening with distortion
around the edges of the frame,
especially in locations that have a lot of
vertical geometry. We found the lenses
performed better when we weren’t
shooting wide open, so we tried to stop
down at least two-thirds of a stop to one
stop whenever we could. If I’d had more
time to experiment I think I would have
tested the D-21 at different ASA ratings;
I found that there was plenty of
information to be mined in the shadow
areas. Some of the other digital systems
don’t give you any room to move in
terms of printing up, but with the D-21
there’s quite a bit there. Maybe in the
future, using the system again, I would
become more confident in using higher
ASA ratings, but this was sort of a
maiden voyage for everyone concerned
and I think everybody learned a lot.
VA: Did any particular features of
the D-21 system prove useful?
RC: The optical viewfinder definitely
helped our operator. I think one of the
positive points of the D-21 system is that
it is set up very much like ARRIFLEX film
cameras, so there is certainly an ease
with which people can transition into
working digitally. You’re not having to
learn an entirely different nomenclature
procedure to move into this system as an
operator or as a 1st AC; you’re using a
system that has been perfected with the
ARRI film cameras. We did have onboard
HD monitors and I found that the
RUSSELL CARPENTER ASC with the D-21,
to the left is Erik Brown (A-camera 1st AC)
GREG LUNDSGAARD (A-camera operator)
at the viewfinder, while Erik Brown pulls focus
ROGER MCDONALD (B-camera operator,
France) lines up a shot
focus pullers came to rely on those
monitors because the image was so
good that they could instantly tell
whether they were in focus or not;
so they added that to their arsenal
of focus-pulling techniques.
VISIONARRI
VA: How did the D-21 handle
bright, sunlit scenes in locations
such as the South of France and
the Bahamas?
RC: I would say that this is an area where
the camera really excels. The ability of
the D-21 to hold very bright detail was,
I felt, stunning. We were in the South of
France on a pure white super-yacht under
the Mediterranean sun and the camera
really did extremely well at holding both
the highlights and the shadows.
VA: Is the postproduction
workflow progressing smoothly?
RC: Although I haven’t really got started
on the postproduction yet, in our initial
test we saw that there was plenty of
room to manipulate the image. Certainly
in comparison with other large sensor
cameras the D-21 comes as close as I
have seen in the digital world to having
the latitude and room to move that you
get with a film negative. It will be
interesting to see how we get on in
post, but my guess is that it will go
rather well. ■
4 5
Photo: Magali Bragard © 2009 Lionsgate Entertainment
Mark Hope-Jones

PLANET TARANTINO
ARRI SUPERVISES THE DAILIES FOR INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
In July 2008, after mulling over the Inglourious Basterds idea for nearly 10 years,
Quentin Tarantino finally had a script. Things then had to move quickly because, set on
attending Cannes the following year, he had but a few months to make what he called
his “Spaghetti Western in Nazi garb.” And so Tarantino came to Berlin Babelsberg, with
audience favourite Brad Pitt and a high calibre, multinational cast in tow, to shoot the
World War II epic. ARRI Film Lab and ARRI Sound provided the production with picture
and sound dailies. VisionARRI caught up with two members of the German crew –
Postproduction Supervisor Christopher Berg and ARRI’s Technical Post Supervisor of
Sound, Daniel Vogl – to talk about their work on Inglourious Basterds.
VisionARRI: Working for Quentin Tarantino
is no ordinary experience. What
expectations did you have to meet?
Christopher Berg: It was clear that Inglourious
Basterds would be a very extensive production with
a frighteningly tight schedule and an awe-inspiring
top-notch team of Oscar-winners in the key
positions. The expectations for everyone involved
were extremely high, but to reach that level and
maintain it was a real incentive. We wanted to
prove to the director that we weren’t just as good
as he thought we were, but better.
My task was to organise the film, video and sound
dailies – all of which were generated at ARRI
Munich – and attend to the editing room. The
advantage I brought to this logistical challenge was
the fact that I knew ARRI very well; I knew whom I
could call directly to ensure a continuous flow of
information and expedite the process.
In the few weeks of preproduction it was essential
to create a viable workflow and come up with
contingency plans to cover all our bases. The
infamous sentence: “We’ll fix it in post” was not an
option for us on this job. I knew that important
decisions down the line had to be made based on
our work; consequently our aim and responsibility
was to avoid any kind of delays or difficulties. I also
had to ensure that those who joined the project at a
later time, for example the US team in charge of the
final mix, could quickly find any information they
needed. This was especially important because after
the shoot wrapped in February there was barely
three months to complete the edit and DI in the
United States, and get a finished print to Cannes.
VA: What was the exact workflow?
CB: DoP Bob Richardson ASC ran a lot of tests
during preproduction. Initially, the film was
supposed to be finished the conventional way:
analogue in the film lab, without a DI. For that
reason a lot of effort went into ensuring that
everything was 100% perfect for the shoot. Every
day after we wrapped, we collected the day’s
footage, double checked it against the reports and
sent it with the production sound via overnight
courier to the ARRI film lab in Munich. There the
negative was processed, prepared and cleaned for
telecine and prints, since Tarantino likes to screen
his dailies on film.
Normally, a production chooses to either watch
dailies on film or on video. In this case both were
requested. During transfer, a Digital Betacam was
generated as a backup, which remained in Munich
while a Betacam SP went to the cutting room in
Berlin, where all film and sound dailies as well as
the digitally processed sound were
maintained, stored and processed.
Daniel Vogl: In addition, the digitally
recorded production sound had to be
transferred to 35mm magnetic stock,
because the director wanted to hear
analogue sound while watching the
analogue dailies. Tarantino’s mantra is
‘production sound at any cost.’ That’s
why there are hardly any ADR takes in
the film. Of course that was a great
challenge for the production sound
mixer, but also in terms of managing the
sound data. After all, the best sound isn’t
worth anything if you can’t find it again
during post.
So we had a number of tasks that
included making analogue sound
available for the screenings and providing
the video edit with digital files. Plus, we
had to find a way to make all the useable
sound tracks for each individual take
available at any time through the dailies
and post process. We developed a
workflow that allowed us to link the film
dailies with the video dailies, thereby
enabling the editing room to create a link
between the two worlds if needed.
We also had to do some preliminary
work for the sound post to ensure that
they could get straight to work based on
the data we provided. All sessions
therefore had an itemised structure and
nomenclature. Each day of shooting was
minutely documented in metadata files
and we had two people working eight to
ten hours every day just on the sound
dailies. This meticulous structure meant
that the dailies and postproduction
process could proceed on schedule.
CB: We basically had two cutting rooms
in Berlin. Sally Menke ACE, who has
edited all of Tarantino’s films, was
working on an Avid. She had two
assistants who worked exclusively for her
digitising the pictures, laying back the
processed production sound and sorting
the footage accordingly. In parallel, we
had three additional assistants working
on the film dailies. Based on the
metadata generated by ARRI Sound in
Munich and the picture from the ARRI
film lab, we compiled an enormous
database in Berlin, linking these
elements. Another assistant was put in
charge of maintaining this database.
It was our goal, even during
preproduction, to do anything we could
to make things as easy as possible for
the final postproduction in the United
States. This included delivering
everything with technical accuracy so
that the team responsible for the final mix
could use the data we had compiled and
save a lot of time. This was very
important to me because I was the one
who had to pass the project on to Tina
Anderson, the post supervisor in LA, and
I knew that she had to get the film ready
in time for Cannes.
VA: What other aspects were
particularly critical?
CB: A special challenge was the film
within the film – Nation’s Pride – which
was shot, edited and finished during
principle photography. It’s a seven-minute
parody of a Nazi propaganda film with
about 100 setups and Daniel Brühl in the
lead role.
Sally Menke
Editor
VISIONARRI
I have edited all of
Quentin’s movies within
a four-mile radius in
Hollywood, so when we
decided to begin editing
Inglourious Basterds on
location in Berlin, I wondered
how we would do it.
Luckily I hired and organised an
exceptionally qualified team
of assistants: Toska Baltruschat and
Etienne Boussac, who spoke English,
French and German; languages that
were all to be spoken in the film, and
two of which needed to be translated,
line for line, in a script program, so I
would know what I was editing.
The movie was skilfully coordinated
by Chris Berg, our Berlin
postproduction supervisor, who held
my hand through the many steps
needed to smoothly and efficiently
edit a complicated film like
Inglourious Basterds on location. Not
only was it an accelerated schedule,
but I was in a country in which I did
not know the language, the labs, the
vendors, the mixing studios, the
optical houses…nothing, not even
where to get lunch. So all I can say is
thank goodness I had the team I had,
and ARRI lab, who worked diligently
and quickly to get everything correct
for us within our crazy, crazy schedule.
6 7
Photos: Francois Duhamel © 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
8
Eli Roth, who also played one of the Basterds, directed the
movie, which had to be ready at a specific date because the
footage was needed for the remaining shoot.
VA: Tarantino is considered a purist who prefers to
work with just one camera and who forgoes digital
effects. Was that the case on Inglourious Basterds?
CB: Tarantino isn’t a fan of VFX or CGI shots. There are around
20 VFX shots in the final film, which were only necessary
because of problems with the weather; none of them were
needed for storytelling purposes. All of the special effects for
Inglourious Basterds were made under the supervision of the
legendary John Dykstra and were actually shot. Getting to work
with Dykstra was a childhood dream come true for me.
VA: What was the production’s feedback on the
work ARRI had completed?
CB: Bob Richardson and Tarantino liked Traudl Nicholson’s
colour timing of the dailies so much that Yvan Lucas, the
colourist at EFilm, could mostly just work from her grade.
Coming from a DoP of Bob’s stature, this is a great compliment.
But the final proof that we had done a good job was the fact
that we didn’t get any calls after we handed over the project. It
was the most transparent preliminary work, as far as we were
concerned, that we could have done.
DV: In terms of sound dailies this was the most involved and
meticulous project I can think of. The greatest recognition came
from production sound mixer Mark Ulano, who said that the
service he received from ARRI Sound was among the best he
he’d had over the last 25 years. But I’d like to make a final
personal comment: Tarantino has finally made a war movie that
uses the almost Babylonian mix of languages and dialects the
actors speak in a dramaturgically meaningful way. Inglourious
Basterds plays with the accents, the various foreign language
skills and even the body language typically associated with
He sees his place in international film
production as a problem solver, liaising
between the set and postproduction,
between DoP, film lab and editing room.
He also knows his way around the DI and
VFX. Christopher Berg says he owes part of his talent as a
communicator to his upbringing: born to a French mother and
an American father, he was raised in Munich and grew up
speaking three languages fluently.
In 2001 Berg applied for an internship at ARRI; after
completing his basic training in the film lab and the transfer
department, he got started as a telecine assistant with the goal
of becoming a colourist. His career, however, took a different
turn. When the feature film Underworld came to ARRI in 2002,
Berg served as the film’s technical coordinator, supervising the
dailies and supporting the sound department. Two years later
Germans, French, Americans and the English in a very subtle
way. This gives the film an unusual intensity and to me that’s
what a globalised cinema should look like. ■
Ingo Klingspon
Colourist Traudl Nicholson
Telecine Colourist Lee Bennett
Dailies Supervisor Clemens Schmid
Sound Dailies Supervisor Daniel Vogl
Sound Dailies Operator Michael Huber
Sound Dailies Operator Fabian Schenk
Line Producer Lab Christian Littmann
Project Coordinator Lab Monika Krinke
Production Diplomat
Christopher Berg, In-house Producer, International Projects
he was the dailies supervisor on Aeon Flux: “It was the first
project I supervised in that capacity,” he says, explaining that
his role involved overseeing the dailies as well as telecine and
editing. Since then, Berg has continuously worked on
international productions, including Perfume: The Story of a
Murderer, Valkyrie, The International, The Reader and, most
recently, Inglourious Basterds. “I was lucky,” he says, “to
always have another project waiting for me.”
In May 2009 he returned to Munich to take on the role of inhouse
producer at ARRI. In that capacity he is currently working
on the Tony Goldwyn film Betty Anne Waters, starring Hilary
Swank. “The demands, the approaches and most of all the
people involved are different on every film,” says Berg. There is
one thing, however, that is essential to his job: “To create a
good working environment.” ■
Ingo Klingspon
The Last Airbender
Based on the American animated
television series Avatar: The Last
Airbender, Shayamalan’s film is set in a
fantasy world where a young boy named
Aang must battle the warmongering
Firebenders to secure peace among the
four great nations. The last of his kind,
Aang can manipulate the air to do his
bidding, just as the other three nations
control earth, water and fire. As the story
progresses, Aang discovers that he is
more than just the last Airbender: he is
the Avatar – the physical reincarnation of
the spiritual world – and can bend all
four elements to his will.
1st AC Bobby Mancuso and 2nd AC
Scott Tinsley, who are frequent
collaborators, worked closely with ARRI
CSC to prepare their equipment for the
extreme temperatures they were expecting
in Greenland. Tinsley took time out to
answer questions about the shoot on
behalf of both Mancuso and himself.
VisionARRI: What camera equipment
did you take to Greenland?
Scott Tinsley: Our package consisted of
three ARRICAM Lites, a 435 and a 235.
We were basically operating under the
concept of two Lites for A and B-cameras,
with a third body as a backup. The 435
was for second unit photography and
the 235 was for handheld and specialty
shots. We used a set of Angenieux
Optimo zooms: 17-80mm, 24-290mm,
28-76mm and 15-40mm, as well as
Master Primes. Most of our work was
done on the zooms, for the sake of
expediency. We also used Anton Bauer
block batteries.
VA: What challenges were you
expecting on location?
ST: We weren’t sure how the equipment
would behave in Greenland’s extreme
weather conditions. Our mornings
usually began around 5:30 a.m. with
the temperature at -14 °F, rising to
around +6 °F by 9 a.m. and between
+16 °F to +21 °F by early afternoon,
if the sun was shining. Then it would
quickly drop down again after 4 p.m. as
the sun began to set – the sunset lasted
about three hours. Our main goal was to
warm the gear up overnight and keep it
as warm as possible during the course of
our shooting day. The other problem was
transporting the gear to our shooting
locations: modes of transport included
helicopter, fishing trawler and a
container on a sled towed by a snowcat.
VA: How did you prepare for such
extreme conditions?
ST: With the excellent support of the staff
at ARRI CSC New York, we were able to
gather information from valuable sources
in Denmark – from people who had
experienced cold-weather shooting in
Greenland. Phil Gosiewski worked
directly with Thomas Kristensen, who runs
a rental house in Denmark, and arranged
for us to have heating equipment that
had been used on previous shoots in
Greenland. The barneys and heating
packs he provided proved invaluable to
us, as well as several other departments
that needed to warm up their electronics.
Lee Kazista, of Monster Remotes,
suggested the Anton Bauer block
batteries. He had dealt with an assistant
in Winnipeg who basically said: “I throw
‘em in the snow and they last all day.”
VA: How did the equipment
perform in the end?
ST: The equipment was exceptional
given the cold climate and rough terrain.
The camera bodies themselves had no
problem whatsoever functioning in the
VISIONARRI
The Last Airbender is the latest project from director M. Night Shyamalan, whose previous films include
The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. Working alongside him on a shoot that encompassed locations in
Greenland and Philadelphia was Andrew Lesnie ACS, ASC, the Academy Award-winning cinematographer
who shot Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
temperatures we experienced; we never
even had to use the camera barneys we
brought. The Master Primes were not
affected by the cold temperatures at all,
though the Angenieux Optimo zooms
became difficult to drive with the regular
ARRI LCS motors. Luckily Phil Gosiewski
had arranged for us to have the latest
ARRI prototype remote focus system – the
WCU-3 with CLM-3 high torque motors –
and it worked beautifully. As we had a
lot of work on a jib arm with a Libra
head this focus system was a lifesaver.
The Anton Bauer batteries were
unbelievable; we would use only one to
one-and-a-half batteries per camera, per
day. This was a huge help as we never
had to worry about our power source.
VA: What challenges did you
personally face working in such
an environment?
ST: Fatigue and hydration were the main
issues; the company had provided us with
excellent technical clothing so the cold
was not a real factor. The days were long
and many times we were transporting up
to 75 pieces of gear via helicopter or sled
container. Often when it is cold you forget
to drink water; proper hydration and
nutrition were critical when working in
these strenuous conditions.
VA: The unit then relocated to
Philadelphia. Did you make any
changes to your equipment
packages coming back to the
United States?
ST: The gear remained the same in
Philadelphia. The batteries, which we
had mainly for cold weather, had proven
so effective that we kept them. Cameras
and lenses were the same.
The Last Airbender is due for release in
July 2010. ■
Simon Broad
9

Barry Ackroyd BSC discusses the influence
of YouTube on his latest feature
REEN ZONE Photos:
Director Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon are enjoying a run of success having worked together
on the two most recent Bourne films, both of which were blockbusters the world over. Their latest
collaboration, Green Zone, is another action film, but this time one that takes place within the context of a
real war rather than an imagined government conspiracy. Working alongside Greengrass on the new film
was cinematographer Barry Ackroyd BSC, who also shot United 93 for him in 2006.
ARRI Media supplied the production with ARRICAM and ARRIFLEX 235 cameras, and a lens package that
included lightweight Nikon zooms, re-housed by ARRI. The extensive lighting kit was provided by
ARRI Lighting Rental.
VisionARRI: What can you tell us about the story of
Green Zone?
Barry Ackroyd: The film is based on a book (Imperial Life in the
Emerald City, by Rajiv Chandrasekaran) but it’s become quite
a loose adaptation. It’s about the first days of the American
occupation of Iraq, at that stage where Bush was on the
aircraft carrier saying “mission accomplished”, yet nothing was
really known. Matt Damon plays the leader of a team of
specialists who are going out to look for the weapons of mass
destruction and he very quickly discovers that there obviously
aren’t any. Then there’s this struggle between the different
intelligence agencies that are supplying information to fit the
needs of the politicians. It’s just about that era, when we were
using people and false information to hoodwink the
whole world.
VA: Were there any particular influences on the look
of the film?
BA: YouTube was a big influence on the look we wanted and a
lot of the images of the American troops out in Iraq that you
find on YouTube are low-res or night-vision shots. They have a
particular look – an immediacy – that helped us decide on the
final look of the film. The brief was that Baghdad is unlit, in
curfew, without any source. We developed shots through acres
of alleyways; I underexposed the film to get the rough-and-real
feeling. Our night-vision shots, from helicopters, were shot
during daylight and then graded to add the green nightvision
look. Overall, the chase sequence that takes up most
of the last act was shot this way.
VA: You were shooting with ARRICAMs and
the ARRIFLEX 235; how were you tending to use
the cameras?
BA: I have a particular way I have the camera configured,
because for me the camera should be part of your body. It’s
in the tradition of Pennebaker and the Maysles brothers, who
actually designed cameras that were ergonomic, which is
what ARRI has done with the 235 and 416. The ARRICAM is
superb – you can keep most of the accessories like the focus
monitor on there and just put it on your shoulder; it’s never
that heavy. But I have this handle that brings my elbow into
my body and my hand underneath the camera; it’s the only
piece of equipment I own now, because ARRI very kindly
gave it to me. I had this revelation that a lot of cameramen
hold the camera away from them in an effort to stay steady.
My method is to become one with the camera – it goes
where you go and you go where it leads you as well.
I know it sounds airy-fairy, but it’s just a method; maybe it’s
old-fashioned – something from the documentary influence.
VA: Klemens Becker was also operating a camera;
did he have a similar approach?
BA: Klemens was A-camera so his role was to go and find
the shot, then I would work around him. He rarely uses an
eyepiece and that’s his technique. Using his method he could
run down an alleyway with the camera at knee height, so
Klemens would do that, but if you wanted a shot at shoulder
height then my method was better. We would shoot
simultaneously and with all the longer takes we would
overlap the cameras like we did on United 93. At other
times we would have Florian (Emmerich) or John (Conroy)
operating alongside us. Our second unit, with Dan Bradley,
grew towards the end of the shoot and started shooting in
parallel with our main unit. We would often have three or
four cameras running, which helped us pump over
1,000,000 feet of film – faultlessly – through the cameras.
VA: With a background in documentary, you have
a lot of experience shooting 16mm. The 235 is
almost as small as a 16mm camera; does that
mean you can shoot with it the same way you
would on 16mm?
BA: I don’t consider the two formats to be much different.
16mm will always be slightly easier and you can do longer
takes, but I certainly don’t adjust my approach according to
whether I’m shooting 35mm or 16mm. The real skill is being
in the right place and capturing the moment, and it should
always feel like a dangerous thing to be doing – that’s why I
enjoy it; you want to feel a bit on the edge. Klemens was
joking with me one day and said “you always seem to
punish yourself by making things difficult!”
Green Zone is due for release in March 2010. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
VISIONARRI
DoP BARRY ACKROYD BSC prepares a shot with director Paul Greengrass
10 11
JasonBoland © 2009 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved

12
The light at the end
of the tunnel
DIRECTOR ANNO SAUL
VisionARRI: For your new film, The Door, you
surrounded yourself with many familiar faces.
How did the project come about?
Anno Saul: Ralph Schwingel, Jan Berger and I always
wanted to do a follow-up project to Kebab Connection,
which Jan and I had co-written. At some point Jan
pitched a project to me that Björn Vosgerau – a
producer at Wüstefilm – had approached him with. That
project was The Door, based on the novel Die Damalstür
by Akif Pirinçci, and I immediately responded to the
material. Now all we had to do was convince Ralph
Schwingel at Wüstefilm, who had some concerns.
Among other things, he thought that the main character
in the novel wasn’t likable. But we made the necessary
changes and also altered the ending of the film.
VA: What is The Door about?
AS: It’s the story of a man who has made a big mistake
in his life. He had a beautiful home, a lovely wife and
an adorable daughter. But returning from the house of
a neighbour with whom he has just had a sexual
encounter, he finds his daughter dead in the pool; she
has drowned. In the events that follow he loses his wife
and their home, and then we fast-forward: four years
later he’s completely washed up, very unhappy and
wants to die. During one of his futile attempts to take his
life, he by chance discovers a tunnel behind a bush and
goes into it. He walks towards a light at the end of
tunnel and finds a door. Opening it, he steps into a
world that looks very much like his old life – a time
when he was still very happy. He watches the younger
version of himself walk over to the neighbour’s house
and realises that he has a chance to make up for his
mistake and rescue his daughter. Then, in a fatal turn of
events, he encounters his younger self.
VA: So, the basic theme of The Door is
redemption; the opportunity to revisit one’s
past and alter the course of one’s destiny?
AS: Exactly. The film contains two separate yet parallel
worlds. The characters in both are the same, but
displaced by four and a half years. One of these worlds
– that of the older, suicidal character – is a wintery,
extremely cold and dark world. The world that existed
the day of his daughter’s death is a bright and sunny,
summery world.
VA: Did you create the bright and the dark
worlds in-camera?
AS: No, we could only create this duality during
grading. The wintery world was graded normally but
the summery world we cross-processed, to get more
contrast. The light parts came out even lighter and the
dark parts even darker. Overall, the colours came out
more desaturated; we got a grittier look that way, an
effect we increased the further we got into the story.
That was our visual concept. We also picked up the
pacing. The Door’s structure escalates; everything in
the film escalates over the course of time.
VA: Florian (Utsi) Martin was your colourist on
The Door. What do you consider an ideal
collaboration during grading?
AS: Ideally, the colourist makes an effort to understand
what it is the director and the DoP want to accomplish,
and then implements that vision technically and
creatively. Grading is an important part
of the creative process and therefore of
the language of film. This language, as
well as the entire range of technological
possibilities, has to be put to use in the
service of the story the film is trying to
tell, not in the service of current trends in
terms of what is ‘hip.’ The collaboration
with Utsi Martin was fantastic and
mutually enriching. Colour matching was
very important on The Door. First came
the broad strokes, then we went in and
worked out the details.
VA: Was this your first
collaboration with
cinematographer Bella Halben?
AS: Yes, and I enjoyed it very much. Bella
is an extremely competent DoP – highly
talented and a great person; very
creative and effervescent. Hundreds of
her ideas made it into The Door.
VA: After directing comedies such
as Where is Fred? and Kebab
Connection, how did you end up
in this genre and with such a
serious story?
AS: Prior to the two comedies, I made
Green Desert, which is also a drama.
When Ralph Schwingel submitted
Kebab Connection for funding, he was
asked why he had chosen me to direct
the film because they considered me to
be a drama director. Now I’m only good
for comedies? No, I like to dabble in
different genres and to play with their
parameters – that’s what’s challenging.
VA: Have you ever shot digitally or
are you planning to?
AS: In the last couple of years I’ve
watched several student films that were
shot in HD and I was impressed by how
great they looked. But students have a lot
of time to fiddle with things and to work
on the look they are going for. Personally,
I still feel that film has an imperfect yet
vibrant quality. And there is something
else that’s essential for me: I have to be
able to rely on the equipment; for
example, I shot three TV movies in
Sweden and learned that cameras can’t
ever malfunction – period! It’s a
catastrophe when they do. You’ll lose
three days of shooting if you are in
Gotland or somewhere in the backwoods.
To me, that means taking equipment that
has been refined over the last 30 years;
that just keeps running and won’t quit
when water gets in or when it gets
extremely cold; equipment that won’t let
you down – like the ARRI cameras. Sure,
when I’m in Cologne I can get another
camera within an hour, but not in Gotland.
VISIONARRI
VA: Why do you like working
with ARRI?
AS: When I was in film school I worked
with ARRI and I made my first feature
there. I went to ARRI whenever I could.
It wasn’t always possible, but if I had a
say, I chose ARRI. I prefer it because it’s
where I get the best support. At ARRI
you’re surrounded by people who not
only know what they are talking about
and support the filmmakers and their
projects, but they also love cinema! The
people at ARRI always do everything
possible to ensure that your film comes
out as good as it possibly can and the
size of the budget never matters – their
dedication is always equally high!
VA: We wish you the best of luck
and a great turnout for the fall
release of The Door.
The Door is a Wüstefilm / Wüstefilm Ost
production co-produced with Senator Film
Produktion. The film was released
theatrically on November 12, 2009.
For more information, please visit Senator
Filmverleih (www.senator.de). ■
Katja Birkenbach
13
Photos © Senator Film

14
GOING
POSTAL
Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal set for broadcast on Sky
Following the hugely successful adaptations of Hogfather and The Colour of Magic, Sky has
brought yet another novel from Terry Pratchett’s popular Discworld series to life. Produced by
The Mob Film Company, Going Postal tells the story of con-artist Moist Von Lipwig, whose crimes
finally catch up with him in the town of Ankh-Morpork. This latest feature-length television special
will air in two 120-minute parts on Sky1 HD and Sky1 next Easter. Camera equipment was
supplied by ARRI Media, while the lighting kit came from ARRI Rental Germany.
Going Postal was shot on location in Budapest, Hungary,
where the city’s architecture provided the backdrop for
Pratchett’s famed fantasy town of Ankh-Morpork. Behind
the camera once again was Gavin Finney BSC, making
this the third Discworld adaption for both the
cinematographer and The Mob, and also the third to be
shot with the ARRIFLEX digital camera system. Although
Finney had a history with the D-21, it was not a forgone
conclusion that it would be used again when the project
started. “This production had a new director, Jon Jones,
and Jon had a free say in how he wanted his show to
look,” explains Finney. “So we looked again at what was
available to shoot on, but in the end it really became an
aesthetic call. The D-21 does have a particular look that
we liked, and I think for me the camera does have a
slightly more organic, less electronic look than the others.
They’re all good cameras, across the whole field, but
some do look very, very clean and can be a bit too
revealing. The D-21 is slightly more forgiving and digs
less into the detail. It’s gentler on make-up, wigs and
prosthetics, all of which are used a lot in these shows.”
Having shot the previous productions in Linear mode,
Finney selected Log C 4:4:4 RGB (extended range) for
Going Postal, a decision largely driven by conversations
with the visual effects department. “I think there’s a clear
benefit in Log,” he says. ”It does seem to give more detail
in the shadows and extended range gives you slightly
more capture in the highlights, so the whole combination
just gave us a bit extra.” The signal, which has to be
processed through a look-up table (LUT) before it can be
displayed, was previewed on set using sophisticated
Cine-tal monitors, enabling Finney to monitor his image and
make corrections or alterations by applying different LUTs.
One of the key advantages for Finney was being able to
capture Log DPX frames from the camera via the Cine-tal
monitor, while filming. Using a grading programme called
SpeedGrade OnSet by Iridas, he was able to establish looks
by adding LUTs to the frames on his laptop. By using the
SpeedGrade LUTs in combination with ARRI’s own LUTs
and storing them on his computer, Finney created a visual
reference for the entire production. The LUTs were also given
o the editor to apply to the dailies. “The idea is that you get
rushes that are closer to how you want them to look,” says the
cinematographer, “and everyone else involved can see how
you want them to look.
“Those LUTs will be very useful when I come to do the online
grade,” he continues, “as I’ve got an entire library of reference
images and LUTs which I can share with the person doing the
grade. That information is also very useful for the visual effects
team, because they need to know how my material is going to
look as well. They will have the Log material and I can give
them a LUT that can be applied to the footage to show my
intent in the grade. They can then be more confident when
creating 3D animation or plates that their work is ultimately
going to fit in with how things are going to look.”
The Log signal from the D-21 was generally recorded onto
Sony SRW-1 HDCAM SR recorders, but for Steadicam and
handheld situations Finney chose to use ARRI Media’s newly
acquired Panasonic P2 HD recorders, which can be mounted
directly onto the D-21 with a simple bracket. “In the past we’ve
run a cable to the SRW-1, but it can be a bit inhibiting if
you’re on Steadicam, as you want to be free to move around,”
he recalls. “We knew that the sort of shooting we were going
“THE D-21 DOES HAVE A
PARTICULAR LOOK THAT
WE LIKED, AND I THINK
FOR ME THE CAMERA
DOES HAVE A SLIGHTLY
MORE ORGANIC, LESS
ELECTRONIC LOOK THAN
THE OTHERS.”
to be doing on this production was often going to involve 360s
in large areas and the Steadicam operator didn’t want to have
a cable on him because he felt it would pull the camera.
“The P2 system looked like a great solution because with two
32GB cards you can record up to an hour,” continues Finney.
“It has its own lightweight power supply and as there are no
cables, the camera becomes completely self-sufficient.” The
cinematographer’s only concern was the fact that it records at
25 fps in 4:2:2 and Going Postal was going to be shot in
4:4:4, but it soon became clear that this would not be an issue
for the handheld and Steadicam scenes. “The P2 was great for
the operator,” asserts Finney. “It meant he was completely free
and it worked flawlessly throughout the whole shoot.”
DoP GAVIN FINNEY BSC using the D-21 Hand Crank
Within the story, a series of flashbacks plague the main
character, ultimately forcing him to realise the consequences of
his past actions and change his ways for the better. After initial
conversations about how the flashback sequences should look,
it was decided that giving them the appearance of old film
footage would make the audience instantly realise that the
events had happened in the past. “We talked about how we
were going to achieve the desired effect, whether it should be
done in postproduction or whether it should be done incamera,”
recalls the cinematographer, “and we’re always very
keen to do as much as we can in-camera.”
Finney researched footage from the archives of the British Film
Institute, including some very old films produced by Mitchell &
Kenyon – pioneers of early British cinema. It was initially
thought that the flashbacks would be shot on a film camera,
but after carrying out tests at ARRI Media, which included
Super 8, Finney settled on the D-21 Hand Crank. “It worked
remarkably well when we tested it,” he says. “You can literally
set the camera up so when you turn the handle fast the camera
goes quicker and when you turn the handle slowly the camera
goes slower – just like an old film camera.” Once the decision
was made to go with the Hand Crank Finney then looked at
various lenses. “We tried it with modern lenses and then old
lenses and finally chose the Lensbaby,” he continues. “It’s a
neat, cheap little lens on a plastic bellows which you can use
for quite unusual effects. It added a very realistic effect of
poorly registered film along with an out of focus vignette.”
Finally, to complete the look, Finney developed a black-andwhite
LUT. “The whole combination – the Hand Crank with
the Lensbaby and then going to black-and-white – looked
amazingly like footage from the early 1900s,” he states,
“which was exactly the effect we wanted to achieve.
And it was all done on the D-21.” ■
Michelle Smith
VISIONARRI
15

16
Desert Flower
The extraordinary journey of Waris Dirie
Desert Flower, the powerful adaptation of Waris Dirie’s autobiographical bestseller of the same name, had
its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. The film speaks out, as did the book, against the
practice of female genital mutilation still common in many cultures around the world. VisionARRI sat down
with writer/director Sherry Hormann, producer Peter Herrmann and DoP Ken Kelsch, shortly after they
completed postproduction at ARRI Film & TV in Munich.
VisionARRI: What were the key
elements of your visual approach
to the adaptation?
Sherry Hormann: One doesn’t often come
across a character that has experienced
such extremes in their life as Waris Dirie.
She grew up as a nomad in the
Somalian desert and became a top
model in London. She was illiterate when
she addressed the UN. These are
enormous contrasts and they are what
make this story so cinematic. Think of the
images: desert vs. skyscraper, poverty
vs. wealth, cleaning lady at McDonald’s
vs. top model on glamorous catwalks.
Ken Kelsch: The look of the film in the
African scenes is mostly a result of
adjusting to the limited technical
possibilities down there. At those
locations we were confronted with
extreme contrasts between the brightness
of the daylight and low details in the
shadows. I didn’t want to make a
documentary; I didn’t want vacant eyes
in dark faces against an overexposed
sky. There is so much natural beauty in
the faces of these people and I wanted
to capture that.
VA: Did you encounter many
problems filming on location
in Africa?
Peter Herrmann: Initially, we intended to
shoot in northern Kenya. I sort of know
my way around there and many Somali
nomads live in the area. But the situation
in Kenya quickly proved to be too
unstable and we couldn’t shoot in
Somalia for obvious reasons. We were
left with the option of shooting in
Djibouti, a small – by African standards
– yet relatively stable country. Many
Somalis, fearing for their safety, moved
there even before the war broke out,
which meant we were able to shoot our
film in the desert among nomads. In the
end it was much harder than we had
imagined. The war had traumatised
people and things could escalate quickly,
creating precarious situations; in
retrospect I’m not sure I’d shoot
there again.
SH: We actually shot in a region near the
border with Ethiopia and Somalia. In
other words, we filmed in a conflict area
under civil war like conditions; luckily,
it was during a rather calm period.
We met people who had never seen a
camera in their entire lives: not just a
35mm film camera, but even a regular
stills camera. Others rubbed our skin to
see if, underneath it, we were dark after
all; I didn’t know this could happen in
the 21st century. We really were in a
region that is still one of those blank
spots on the map. For Ken, that was a
real problem, because he had to bring
every single piece of equipment in from
ARRI Munich.
PH: Including the ARRI generator, which made its way there
by ship.
KK: Initially, we had planned on taking up to one ton of
equipment, but in the end the cables alone weighed that
much. I took an ARRIMAX 18/12 because I needed at least
one light source that was powerful enough for the extreme
conditions. As it turned out, this 18kW spotlight was barely
enough to light the area around the eyes - that’s how bright
the sun is down there. I had a gaffer, a key grip, a dolly
grip and one assistant to operate the crane, which we used
almost every day because we wanted to show how vast the
landscape is. For the interiors we shot pretty much wide open
to maximise the light, which was a real challenge for our focus
puller. We also had to deal with the heat, and the days were
very long. As time went on, I kept shooting more and more
handheld footage with the ARRICAM Lite, as a change from
using the Studio on the crane.
COLOURIST TRAUDL NICHOLSON, DoP Ken Kelsch,
writer and director Sherry Hormann
VA: How did the footage find its way to the lab
each day?
VISIONARRI
WARIS DIRIE, whose international bestseller Desert Flower has been adapted into a film
“WE MET PEOPLE WHO
HAD NEVER SEEN A
CAMERA IN THEIR
ENTIRE LIVES…”
KK: We put a security officer at the airport on our payroll and
he would get me around the x-ray machines. The film was then
sent to Paris and from there to the ARRI lab in Munich. The
next day, the dailies would be colour-corrected and burnt on a
DVD, which would be sent back via Rome to Djibouti. All of
this took 72 hours and we did it for everything we shot.
VA: What was your experience working in ARRI’s
Lustre suite?
KK: Traudl Nicholson is the best colour grader I have ever
worked with; she put her entire heart and soul into this project.
We didn’t want to ‘lecture’ audiences, but our film does have
a message. It’s a film about people who have to cope with
one major ordeal after another and who have been brought
together by these trials. Traudl managed to bring out the eyes
and the faces in a way that would have required three 18kW
spotlights on set, when I only had one. To be honest, the eyes
in the footage we shot were just narrow slits and Traudl
literally saved us in the Lustre suite. I do think that, overall, our
film now has a very natural look, with subtle nuances and
shading, especially in the darker sections, and that’s Traudl’s
doing. I’m certain it’s the best film I’ve made as a DoP and
I’ve been in this business for 30 years. ■
Ingo Klingspon
© 2009 Majestic / Walter Wehner
17

18
TheRedDahlia
Nigel Willoughby discusses being the first cinematographer to shoot with the
D-21 and record to P2 cards.
Above Suspicion:
Following a highly successful first series, British crime drama Above Suspicion recently completed
production of a second season that will air in early 2010. Although La Plante Productions shot the first
series on Super 16mm, the decision was made to shoot digitally second time around. Director Gillies
MacKinnon and cinematographer Nigel Willoughby, who had collaborated on several previous projects,
were more used to shooting on film and needed a digital system they could trust. Willoughby’s established
relationship with ARRI Media gave him the confidence to make Above Suspicion the first production to
shoot with ARRIFLEX D-21 cameras and Panasonic P2 on-board recorders.
VisionARRI: You’re extremely
experienced with shooting TV
dramas on film. How confident
were you about shooting this one
digitally and what testing did you
do with the D-21?
Nigel Willoughby: To begin with I was
very apprehensive when I was informed
that we were shooting HD. Production
wanted me to use a different camera but
I insisted on going with the D-21, partly
because of my long association with
ARRI. I knew Russell Allen at ARRI Media
would bend over backwards to help us
and he did, because the whole thing
became possible when he suggested
we take the P2 route; using the P2
recorders made the D-21 affordable on
our budget. I tested the D-21 against a
couple of other HD cameras and it was
way out in front. It’s very film-friendly, it
has a simple menu and it’s easy to use.
I had three days of testing so I took it
to one of the locations and just put it
through the whole gamut of lighting
scenarios, and I was very
pleasantly surprised.
VA: When you shoot on film, you
often use a variety of film stocks,
for example on The Last Enemy
(2008) you used eight different
emulsions. Did that make it
more difficult adjusting to
filming digitally?
NW: Well, with the D-21 you can equate
that in a way by just changing the ASA
rating on the camera, which is what I
did, and I stuck with my light meter
rather than looking at the monitor. It
worked out very well and I’m delighted
with the results. I know that a lot of
BEN CHADS (operator) hand-holds the D-21 as John Webb (1st AC ) mans the P2 recorder
people can’t tell the difference between
what we’ve achieved on Above
Suspicion and film. In fact the people at
La Plante are now convinced that they
want to go with HD for evermore,
despite the fact that Super 16mm is
making a comeback thanks to ARRI’s
Relativity software.
VA: You had two D-21 camera
kits; were you usually shooting
with both at the same time?
NW: I operated the second camera when
it came out, but I was quite busy with the
lighting; this being my first HD job I
really wanted to concentrate on lighting
the set. I suppose we used the second
camera for about 20% of the shoot and
the cameras matched very well; there
was no difference in colour, saturation
or resolution.
VA: Given that this was your first
digital shoot and you were doing
some operating yourself, were
the film style elements of the
D-21 a comfort to you?
NW: Well I think the optical viewfinder is
crucial and I personally couldn’t operate
looking at a video image. I might get
used to it if I had to, but part of the
reason I handed over the operating to
Ben Chads was because I originally
thought we weren’t going to be able to
use the D-21. I risked losing the job
altogether by saying that I wasn’t
prepared to go with another camera, but
[producers] Chris Clough and Liz
Thorburn were supportive throughout.
The whole setup of the D-21 is very film
technician friendly and my crew got on
top of it very quickly.
VA: The P2 recording system
obviously helped with your
budget, but what was your
experience of using it on set
and how successful was the
overall workflow?
NW: Once we’d overcome the initial
problem of overloading the system
because the sound department plugged
into it, which we weren’t expecting to
start with, I think it worked very well.
I was initially nervous about putting all
those rushes onto a card, but I guess we
do that with film stock anyway so I got
over it pretty quickly. We always had
rushes back the next morning, as per
usual, and I have to say that I didn’t
need as much grading time as they
normally give us because what I saw in
post was so close to what I’d seen on
set; the grade was very simple.
VA: You were using the D-21
with older Cooke Speed Panchro
lenses. Where did that idea
come from and what look did
it give you?
NW: I had previously shot with a set of
Series One Cookes for a drama and
they have quite a warm, gritty, soft look
on film. I thought that if I used older
Cooke lenses, they might just iron out
some of the harsh edges I associated
with HD. I tested them together with a
set of Cooke S4s and a Zeiss set, and
the Cooke Speed Panchros did exactly
what I thought they would, so I went
with them. My focus puller wasn’t very
happy because they’re not synonymous
with modern equipment so he had a
hard time, but I assured him it was worth
it and it was! Ultimately it was because I
was a complete novice with HD and it
was sort of a security thing for me to go
for a filmic look. I now realise how
completely different they are as formats;
it’s almost like comparing a watercolour
with an oil painting. I’ve learnt that if
you shoot to the advantages of the
medium you’re working in, you’ll get the
right results. On this show we shot in all
manner of lighting conditions and the
D-21 responded very well. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
What is P2?
First introduced by Panasonic in
2004, P2 is a professional digital
video storage format that permits
a range of data streams to be
recorded to a solid state flash
memory card. At ARRI Media the
P2 format is offered as a costeffective
recording solution for
productions shooting with the
ARRIFLEX D-21 and is proving
especially popular on television
dramas. The compact AG-HPG20
P2 recorder weighs only 1.1kg
and can be mounted directly onto
the D-21, allowing untethered
operation of the camera. Utilising
the AVC-Intra 100 codec, the
recorder takes a 25 fps 4:2:2
signal from the D-21 and can
record half an hour of footage
onto each 32GB card.
What are the advantages?
• Small, on-board
recording device
• Solid state, file-based, tapeless
image pipeline
• Economical format that can
make shooting with the D-21
more affordable
• Easy to use and more
time-efficient than other
recording options
• Streamlined workflow from
production through
postproduction
• Ideal for television productions
• Each 32GB P2 card stores half
an hour of material
VISIONARRI
19

ALEXA
20
A New ARRI Digital
Camera System
At IBC 2009, ARRI announced a new range of digital cameras that will redefine digital production.
While our engineers have developed a new and unique technology platform, we have carefully looked at
current market requirements for digital motion picture cameras, analysed our experience with the D-21
and discussed future applications with prominent industry insiders. The result is a comprehensive digital
camera system based around a new CMOS sensor with unsurpassed sensitivity and dynamic range.
The Camera Line-up
The new range of cameras will provide a compact, lightweight
and affordable toolset to address every level of the broadcast
and feature film markets. The two entry level models utilise a
16:9 area from the sensor and are complemented by the ARRI
EVF, the most advanced electronic viewfinder on the market.
The high-end camera will continue ARRI’s tradition of offering a
4:3 sensor and rotating mirror shutter linked to an optical
viewfinder. A number of recording options, including several
unique and innovative on-board solutions, have been designed
specifically with modern workflows in mind to provide the
greatest versatility both on the set and in postproduction.
Camera Features
As a result of our extensive market research, we have identified
image performance, workflow efficiency and product quality as
the most important features for our new digital camera system.
First and foremost, all three cameras deliver an unequalled
base sensitivity of 800+ EI (equivalent) and spectacularly wide
exposure latitude. High sensitivity and wide exposure latitude
not only allow greater flexibility and efficiency on the set, they
also reduce effort and cost during postproduction. The three
cameras also share the same gentle, organic look of the D-21.
The use of a single 35-format CMOS sensor provides the same
depth of field as 35mm film cameras while allowing the use of
all 35mm PL-mount lenses.
While image performance is a crucial factor, work speed and
budget are also greatly affected by how well the cameras’
outputs integrate with postproduction. To ensure the most
effective and flexible workflow from the set to post, all three
cameras provide a generous number of output signals and
methods, including on-board recording options, as well as
multiple live HD and ARRIRAW outputs. The ARRIRAW features
build on the widespread industry support for the ARRIRAW
Partner Program.
Last but not least, these new cameras are endowed with a
whole range of high quality characteristics for which ARRI is
famous. This includes a first rate viewing system, extremely
robust and reliable build quality, thoughtful ergonomic design,
and simple and safe operation. To ensure that the cameras
withstand even the most extreme environmental conditions, our
unique thermal concept includes completely sealed electronics.
ALEV III SENSOR PROTOTYPE A first test image taken with the ALEV III
sensor prototype and, for comparison, with “competitor A”.
ALEV III SENSOR PROTOTYPE An enlargement shows the differences in the
image structure. Higher sensitivity and a wider exposure latitude provide
significantly cleaner images when shooting in low light.
The ALEV III Sensor
At the heart of the cameras is the new ALEV III sensor, which is
used in all three cameras. It is a 35-format single sensor, Bayer
mask CMOS device with a 3.5K pixel count, the same film-like
look and image sharpness as the D-21, a spectacular base
sensitivity of 800+ EI (equivalent) and unprecedented exposure
latitude. To create a sensor with such qualities, a number of
novel approaches had to be invented by ARRI engineers on the
pixel, sensor and signal-processing levels.
ARRI Imaging Technology (AIT)
The demands on digital motion picture cameras are unique
and in order to achieve the best in image performance,
workflow efficiency and product quality, we have developed
a comprehensive collection of new high-tech components.
Having full control of the imaging chain, down to the smallest
detail, allows a perfect optimisation of the whole system.
The ARRI Imaging Technology (AIT) platform consists of the
new, custom-designed ALEV III CMOS sensor, a high
performance optical low pass filter pack, a powerful hardware
imaging engine, advanced image processing firmware and
a number of unique image processing steps.
COMPETITOR A
COMPETITOR A
The ARRI Electronic Viewfinder
While an optical viewfinder still provides the best operating
experience, it comes at a price and adds weight. For the entry
level cameras, we have developed the high resolution ARRI
Electronic Viewfinder (EVF) – a viewing system that combines
a state-of-the-art F-LCOS micro display with an innovative
auto-calibrating LED light engine, high-quality coated glass optics
and robust mechanics. The system offers much more than a
conventional electronic viewfinder; it has been specifically
designed to meet the needs of professional camera operators
by offering high resolution, accurate colour reproduction, great
ergonomics, overscan and extremely low latency.
Dependable ARRI Quality
By combining state-of-the-art digital technology with more than
90 years of optical and mechanical expertise, ARRI products
continue to offer features that other manufacturers cannot equal.
Incorporating ergonomic design and top product quality – values
on which ARRI’s worldwide reputation is based – the new digital
camera system continues to define the standard in imaging
performance, usability and reliability. ■
Marc Shipman-Mueller
21

The Story
Donna Woolfolk Cross’s bestseller is based on the legend
of Pope Joan, who is mentioned not only in historical but,
interestingly enough, also in church records dating from the
13th century. The highly anticipated adaptation of this
remarkable novel is considered by many to be one of the
year’s cinematic highlights. In addition to the 150-minute
theatrical version, Pope Joan will also make it to the small
screen as a two-part miniseries (2 x 90 minutes).
The Eternal City
For the film, VFX Supervisor Dominik Trimborn and his team
completed a total of 150 VFX shots and got to resurrect the
historical city of Rome. “Several establishing shots of the city
were needed and so we decided to create a 3D computer
model of Rome which would work from all camera angles,”
explains Trimborn, who was on hand throughout the entire
shoot. “We used photographs of a historical model of the
Eternal City, which I shot at a museum in Rome, as our
templates. We could also count on production designer Bernd
Lepel, who had many helpful suggestions and layouts for us.”
The final versions of these establishing shots were created as
3D matte paintings. A collage, consisting of photos and digital
paintings, was projected onto the geometry of the virtual
model to get the textures right. As a final touch, extras and
several burning fires were added to the streets, and boats
added to the Tiber, to perfect these shots of Italy’s largest city.
Digital Locations and Extras
POPE JOAN THE
With Pope Joan, Constantin Film brings yet another accomplished adaptation of a bestselling novel to the
big screen. Johanna Wokalek, David Wenham and John Goodman play the lead roles in this European
co-production directed by Sönke Wortmann. The opulent historical drama was shot in Germany and
Morocco, and was released in October. ARRI not only provided the sizable production with lab services
and camera, lighting and grip equipment, but also completed the visual effects, the DI grading and the
DCP and HD mastering at its Munich facilities.
VFX Producer Katja Müller explains that “our efforts to give the
film a feeling of historical authenticity included a number of set
extensions, such as a small mountain village – the protagonist’s
hometown, an establishing shot of the city of Dorstadt, a
number of well known sites within the walls of Rome, the
scenes taking place in a Roman market – which, incidentally,
were shot in Morocco – and several shots of the old St. Peter’s
cathedral. For parts of the monumental basilica we did have to
create a 3D model.”
One particularly elaborate undertaking was a military camp,
for which hundreds of tents had to be created digitally.
To convincingly depict the Roman legion – a deployment of
10,000 soldiers – various takes of 500 extras wearing
historical costumes had to be duplicated. The producer and the
director were particularly impressed with the VFX team’s work
on one of the film’s key scenes: a complex crane shot from a
dolly showing the newly elected female Pope being greeted by
cheering crowds. Initially, the plan was to simply duplicate the
extras, but the early results didn’t capture this momentous
event. And so, in order to fully realise the filmmakers’ vision,
the entire St. Peter’s square was digitally enlarged and
populated with four times as many extras; plus, the silhouette
of Rome was added in the distance. Impressed by the result,
the production company instructed the VFX team to complete
all additional setups of this scene in the same way.
Additional Effects
The VFX assignment also included adding rain and snow
as well as traces of blood, which the production was not
permitted to use in the historical locations during filming.
In addition, certain historically inaccurate details had to be
removed from buildings and greenery had to be added to
the sequences shot in Morocco because they actually take
place in Latium.
Digital Colour Design
It took three months to create the visual effects and integrate
them into the film before the project was colour graded at
ARRI’s DI facility. In the Lustre suite, Lead Digital Colourist
Traudl Nicholson gave the historical drama its distinct look,
which suits the story and has a sophisticated aesthetic. Harald
Schernthaner, Head of Digital Intermediate at ARRI, put it this
way: “Pope Joan was another wonderful project for us and DoP
Tom Fährmann was a great partner during colour grading. He
knew exactly how each frame had to look. Traudl Nicholson, a
highly creative mind, came up with a look that supports Tom’s
lighting design – starting with gloomy colours and ending with
very bright ones – and carries us through the film.“
VISIONARRI
22 23
© 2009 Constantin Film Verleih GmbH
Teamwork
DoP Tom Fährmann calls Pope Joan yet another successful
collaboration: “Once again we were able to do the entire
postproduction at ARRI,” he says. “The digital intermediate, the
colour correction and all visual effects were created here by an
extremely competent team whose work meets the highest
standards. Traudl Nicholson, Dominik Trimborn and Harald
Schernthaner, all of them experts in their own right, delivered
exceptional work and it was a great joy to collaborate with
them and their teams during the six months of postproduction.
It is rare to encounter this many competent and pleasant
people on a project. Hopefully, we can do this again soon!” ■
Prof. Jürgen Schopper
DIGITALLY ENLARGED and populated St. Peter’s Square (before and after)
VIEW OF ROME, actor Johanna Wokalek against a greenscreen and then
composited with a 3D digital matte painting
DoP TOM FÄHRMANN and Dominik Trimborn (ARRI Head of VFX)
ON SET in Morocco
DIRECTOR SÖNKE WORTMANN
VFX Crew
Head of Visual Effects: Dominik Trimborn
Visual Effects Producer: Katja Müller
Team: Abraham Schneider, David Laubsch, Stefan
Tischner, Christian Wieser, Mathis Lex, Tobias Wiesner,
Marco Ringler, Patrick Zentis, Ines Krüger, Andy Alesik,
Alisa Wimmer, Christoph Schmidt, Marcel Knüdeler,
Ruth Delattre
DI Crew
Head of Digital Intermediate: Harald Schernthaner
Digital Intermediate Producer: Christian Herrmann
Team: Traudl Nicholson, Andreas Lautil, Maike Jahn,
Markus “Mac“ Erl
Film Lab
Head of Lab and Postproduction:
Martin Schwertführer
Line Producer: Christian Littmann
Team: Beate Trathnigg, Franz Rabl, Steven Stueart,
Markus Mastaller, Federico Umetelli, Sascha Stiller,
Willy Delgado, Peter Vit, Andreas Thomas, Yvonne
Tran, Ingo Adam, Günther Bornkessel, Ulrich
Hochleitner, Viola Maag, Anja Senckpiehl, Sven Eulert,
Erich Harant, Angelika Hoppe, Marius Arendt

BRIGHT STAR
Bright Star
24
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest…
Australian DoP Greig Fraser on adjusting to the subtleties of English sunlight while shooting
the romantic period drama Bright Star.
The story of John Keats’ short life is in most part a sad one: continually beset by poverty, ill-health, critical
disdain and grief, the struggling poet knew much unhappiness before succumbing to tuberculosis at the
age of 25. He also knew great joy, however, and his love affair with Fanny Brawne, a neighbour from his
Hampstead days, was so intense and passionate that his letters to her have shocked and inspired in equal
measure since their publication in 1878. Director Jane Campion’s new film Bright Star, named for a sonnet
Keats wrote after becoming secretly engaged to Brawne in 1819, charts the doomed three-year
relationship and stars Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish in the lead roles.
Bright Star was shot by DoP Greig Fraser on a 3-perforation ARRICAM Lite hired from ARRI Media, as well
as his own ARRIFLEX 235. The lighting package was supplied by ARRI Lighting Rental.
VisionARRI: What were the challenges of shooting a
period drama in England?
Greig Fraser: The hardest thing, first and foremost, was that the
quality of light in England is extremely different to the quality
of light in my native Australia. I hadn’t worked in England
before and when I arrived at Heathrow the cloud cover was
really low; I looked at it and wondered how I was going to
make it interesting. I then started studying the light; I would go
out early in the morning in February and watch the sunrise. In
England it isn’t really a sunrise - it’s just a lightening up of the
landscape because when there’s cloud cover the sun takes a
long time to break through. But what I discovered was that the
subtle variations of the light in England are extremely beautiful.
VA: How did you go about capturing those
subtle variations?
GF: I arrived in England a good 10 weeks before we started
shooting and was able to spend time with my gaffer Mark
Clayton finding ways to mimic the light. One of the ways I did
it was to use gelled tungsten sources rather than HMI sources.
The story runs across three years, so it was quite a challenge
to make our lighting match every season, especially because
we were shooting everything out of sequence. We used large
tungsten sources and changed the quality of the diffusion or
the gel to give the impression of summer or winter; we also
changed the height of the lamp according to the season. The
low sun in winter has an extremely beautiful quality coming
DIRECTOR JANE CAMPION
through the clouds at an angle and you get more contrast. In
summer the sun is higher, so there’s less contrast in the light
coming through the clouds.
Photos: Laurie Sparham © 2009 Pathé Productions
VA: Did you and the director discuss any
specific references for the use of colour or the
visual approach?
VISIONARRI
GF: Jane and I studied Monet’s Haystacks series, where he
painted the same haystack over a period of different seasons;
even though it’s slightly desaturated, that’s actually quite a
colourful series. One of the things Jane wanted to avoid was
giving the film a typically period look; she actually didn’t want
to give it any particular look because she felt that the story
had its own life and she wanted to tackle each scene as it
stood. So you’ll find that happier scenes in the film tend to
have more colour; it’s quite an obvious thing to do, but if it’s
subtle it works well.
VA: Was your collaboration with Jane Campion a
fruitful one?
GF: Very fruitful: Jane is an extremely visual director, but she’s
also an intuitive director. Sometimes she couldn’t put her finger
on exactly why she didn’t like things, or why she did like them
– she just either didn’t or did. For example I’d offer a frame
and she’d love it, but she didn’t know why, and when we tried
to find that frame again we weren’t able to. But the thing is
that her intuition is extremely powerful, so she was able to
make decisions for both conscious and subconscious reasons.
VA: Were you generally shooting with two cameras
at the same time?
GF: No, we only had one-camera setups. We had an
ARRICAM Lite and also my own ARRIFLEX 235, but that was
used for cutaways and for second unit stuff. It was also useful
for a few little handheld scenes we did as the relationship
[between Keats and Brawne] starts to take shape and they
start to feel the pangs of first love; the 235 was instrumental in
capturing that mood. Jane called the handheld camera her
“feeling camera” because it would just give a bit more feeling
to a scene.
VA: You had Cooke S4 lenses, but also your own
Russian Elite lenses; what were they used for?
GF: We were using those Russian lenses because they are
T1.3 and we used them for the occasional sequence where
minimum depth was absolutely required; for example there
were scenes in fields full of flowers where we wanted the
foreground out of focus. They just gave us a lot more focus
fall-off. We used the Cookes primarily for the actors.
VA: What route did you take through postproduction?
GF: Well we went through a DI, which was handy because it
meant we were able to shoot 3-perforation. We had originally
planned on an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, but after watching some
wardrobe tests Jane and I realised that it would look much better
in 1.85:1. Luckily we were able to make that change only a few
days before shooting because we had chosen 3-perforation,
but part of the beauty of 2.40:1 with 3-perforation is the
latitude above and below the frame and you don’t have that
with 1.85:1; so there was a bit more pressure to get the
compositions right on set. When it came to the DI grade we
worked with an amazing colourist at EFILM in Australia named
Olivier Fontenay, who did a wonderful job. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
25

26
ARRI Sound create the sound mix for the outer space spine-chiller of the year
PANDORUM
Pandorum, a gritty science fiction
thriller starring Ben Foster and
Dennis Quaid, is a German-
American production (Constantin
Film, Impact Pictures) directed by
Christian Alvart. The 40-million
US dollar production, shot at
Berlin Babelsberg by DoP Wedigo
von Schultzendorff, opened in the
United States in September.
ARRI Rental Germany supplied
ARRICAM and ARRIFLEX 435
cameras as well as the lighting
package, while digital
postproduction and the final
Dolby EX sound mix were
completed at ARRI Munich.
ARRI Sound came on board during the
early stages of preparation. The sound
design crew in Berlin was consulted
during numerous brainstorming sessions
in an effort to generate new ideas. ARRI
Creative Leader of Sound Tschangis
Chahrokh explains: “Sound for film is a
team effort, not the work of an
individual, especially not in a case like
this. Pandorum was a project that relied
heavily on the communication that went
on beforehand; we had to be clear from
the beginning what the outcome was
supposed to be.”
In these early stages the burden rested
on the shoulders of sound design experts
Jürgen Funk and Oswald Schwander.
One of their main tasks was to give the
Hunters – dangerous, non-human
creatures that play a key part in the
story – a sound that was believable.
“Collaborating closely with the director
and the producers over the course of
several months, they had to find a way
to give these unpleasant co-inhabitants of
the spaceship a sound,” recalls Michael
Hinreiner, who as Re-Recording Mixer
was responsible, together with
Chahrokh, for the final sound mix
of the film. In addition, Adrian
Baumeister, ADR Supervisor and
Supervising Sound Editor, assisted
the audio crew during the extensive
language synchronisation until the final
mix was completed.
“For Pandorum, a different and unique
sound had to be created,” explains
ARRI Head of Sound Bernd Clauss. “But
what does a spaceship sound like? Most
importantly, what does a spaceship
“THE SOUND CREATES DOUBT
IN THE AUDIENCE’S MIND
ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE.”
underwater sound like? Initially, the
spaceship isn’t in space, which the
audience doesn’t know at that point, and
only the sound provides certain clues
with regards to that by purposely
creating a dissonance between image
and sound as a dramaturgical device.
The sound creates doubt in the
audience’s mind about what they see.”
Michael Hinreiner notes that “at the
same time we had to adhere to the
sound structure Hollywood cinema calls
for. We couldn’t create something
entirely eccentric; we had to achieve a
certain balance between what audiences
are used to hearing – in order not to jar
them – and setting new accents that we
wanted to use creatively.”
In order to create this distinctive sound,
vintage effects were used, which haven’t
been heard in a long time and therefore
would seem new and interesting to the
audience. For example, an EMT 140
echo plate was used for two scenes.
“That created the great feeling of
something pure and real,” says
Hinreiner. “We suggested sounds for the
distant future with a 50-year-old device.”
In addition, a Roland Space Echo dating
from the 1970s was used.
“We mixed Pandorum in Dolby Digital
EX, with seven instead of six channels,
something we haven’t done in a long
time,” points out Daniel Vogl, Technical
Supervisor of Sound at ARRI.
© 2009 Constantin Film Verleih GmbH
“The additional centre surround offers
the possibility to have signals coming
from very specific places in the back.
The absolute freedom this creates in
terms of the movement of sound
contributes to the nightmarish mood in
the chase scenes.”
Tschangis Chahrokh recalls that “there
were two of us working on the mix.
Michael mixed the effects, atmosphere
and the noise, while I mixed the
dialogue and the music. On a film of this
magnitude you need at least two sound
mixers. We always had to decide what
element was driving the scene forward:
sound design, dialogue or music.
We checked that against the HD images
using the most current material from the
DI and the rough cut. Every visual detail
in the film has its own sound event.
Michael had 120 channels – normally
you have about half of that – and those
120 channels were already mixed down
from about 700. Together with my 80
music channels, we had 200 channels
altogether for the final mix.”
Parallel to the sound postproduction, the
DI progressed as well. “Christian Alvart
is an absolute perfectionist. He’s highly
prepared and always knows exactly
what he wants,” Senior Colourist
Manfred Turek says about the director.
“He had planned out every change of
pace, every frame ahead of time.”
“Pandorum, like most sci-fi films,
required a great number of VFX shots –
about 700 altogether with about 2,500
cuts – which is something we had to take
into consideration during grading,”
explains DI Producer Alexander Klippe.
“In the beginning only a small fraction of
the effects had been approved and
inserted. And so they arrived throughout,
one at a time, which meant that many
edit changes were made close to the
fixed deadlines for the international
release dates. This wasn’t just a challenge
for our grading team, but also for the
sound crew, because the director was still
modifying speed ramps in the Lustre suite,
which meant that the sound had to be
pushed up and adjusted as well.”
Manfred Turek explains that “this was
one of the most challenging projects I
have ever worked on in terms of colour
grading. That’s particularly the case for
the scenes taking place in the reactor
room of the spaceship with the short
circuits and the stroboscopic light
flashes. Also, most of the film takes place
in a dark spaceship where the only light
sources are flashlights and chemical light
beams. On top of that the actors are
dressed almost entirely in black. This
meant that we had to rely heavily on
shapes and other grading tricks to give
the black areas enough detail. The
question we had to address throughout
was: how bright can the DI be, keeping
in mind the audience, and how dark
does the director want his story to look?”
VISIONARRI
For the final stages of postproduction,
all of the teams congregated at ARRI
Munich. “The deadlines could only be met
because we were able to finish the work
in-house, where several services could be
provided simultaneously and in one
location,” says Daniel Vogl. “Just in terms
of the file coordination between the HD
image workflow, the cutting room, the DI
and the sound department, this was an
enormous advantage. This is something
that makes ARRI unique in Central Europe
and without it the project could not have
been finished in the time allotted.”
“In terms of the sound design, Pandorum
is, in my opinion, the most extensive film
production that has been completed in
Germany,” says Tschangis Chahrokh. “It
was great that Constantin Film entrusted
us with this Hollywood project. We got
to test our limits and can proudly say
that we accomplished what we set out to
accomplish. The greatest moment for us
was Martin Moszkowicz, the CEO of
Film & Television at Constantin, telling us
after the final approval that the sound
was exactly as he had envisioned it.
And so in the end, it was all worth it.” ■
Ingo Klingspon
DI Crew
Head of Digital Intermediate
Harald Schernthaner
Digital Colourists
Manfred Turek, Andreas Lautil
Digital Intermediate Producer
Alexander Klippe, Christian Herrmann
Sound Crew
Head of Sound Department
Bernd Clauss, Tschangis Chahrokh
Postproduction Producer Sound
Florian von Frenckell
Technical Supervisor Sound
Daniel Vogl
Project Coordinators Sound
Henry Mayr, Michael Huber
Re-Recording Mixers
Tschangis Chahrokh,
Michael Hinreiner
27

28
D-21 Shoots 3D in Dubai
The recent opening of Dubai’s brand new Metro system was marked with a screening of a
nine-minute 3D film. Played to an audience at a specially erected theatre at the Mall of the
Emirates shopping centre, the film provided an immersive experience of what it would be like
to travel on the Metro, which runs the entire length of Dubai, before passengers embarked on
its inaugural journey.
The film was produced by Boomtown
Productions for event management
company HQ Creative, who had
contemplated using 3D several times in
the past. After winning the tender to
undertake the management of the
Metro’s launch, they felt that the project
presented the right occasion to showcase
the potential of 3D. Boomtown teamed
with 3D specialists Vision3 and together
they settled on using the ARRIFLEX D-21,
a decision driven by the camera’s image
quality and the fact the final film would
be viewed on a large screen. Camera
and grip equipment was supplied by
Dubai-based Filmquip Media, in
conjunction with ARRI Media.
To create a 3D effect two cameras are
required to film images simultaneously.
The D-21s, along with matched sets of
Cooke S4 primes, were mounted on a
StereoCam rig (more popularly known
as the Hines rig) - a sturdy 3D mirror rig
where one forward-facing camera records
an image through a beam-splitting mirror
and the other camera angles down at 90
degrees to capture the reflection. This
forward-and-downward arrangement
enabled the cameras to be put much
closer together than would have been
possible with a side-by-side rig.
Shane Martin of Boomtown directed,
while Anthony Smythe, head of Filmquip
Media, served as cinematographer and
operator. It was the size and weight of
the 3D package that presented the
biggest challenge to Smythe. “Because
the rig was so big,” he says, “it meant
I couldn’t actually see the live action
in front of me, so I had to try and
anticipate what was going to happen.”
Once shooting was underway it was
quickly discovered that wider lenses
appeared better suited to 3D than long.
“It was difficult to get a good 3D effect
with a long lens,” says Smythe. “We
mostly worked between an 18mm and a
32mm or 50mm, which seemed to work
the best.”
Another reason for choosing D-21s was
their reliability; the cameras had to be
able to withstand the harsh summer heat
and humidity of Dubai, which reached
over 40 °C on a daily basis. Throughout
the seven-day shoot a number of location
moves and various configurations kept
the crew busy, but on hand to help out
was one of ARRI Media’s digital
technicians, Jay Patel. The heat wasn’t
the only problem the cameras had to
contend with – one of the more unusual
locations was an indoor ski slope, where
the cameras were subjected to belowfreezing
conditions. “It was -2 inside the
ski slope,” recalls Smythe, “and then we
went straight to our next location inside
a shopping mall. Everything ended up
covered in condensation because we
had no feasible way of acclimatising the
equipment; we even had to get some
hairdryers to help dry everything off. But
despite that fact we pushed the cameras
to their limits and they didn’t let us down.
They coped with both the cold and heat;
we didn’t have a single problem.”
For the majority of the shoot the signal
from the D-21s was recorded in Lin 4:4:4
at 25 fps onto Sony SRW-1s, with the
occasional sequence shot in 4:2:2 at 50
fps. Vision3 were on set throughout,
carefully monitoring the 3D image. Using
“IN 2D THOSE SHOTS WOULD HAVE
BEEN QUITE ODD-LOOKING, BUT IN
3D THEY WORK VERY WELL.”
a frame synchroniser to sync the signals
from both cameras it was possible to view
a live 3D picture, which was displayed
on a 12” Transvideo monitor. “There are
two sides to monitoring 3D on set,”
explains Chris Parks, stereographer and
partner at Vision3. “As a stereographer,
I have to check that both cameras are
perfectly aligned - that there are no
discrepancies between the two images.
At the same time I need to constantly take
measurements of that picture so that I
know the amount of 3D there will be in a
scene and whether it’s going to work. The
monitoring that the client wants is very
different,” he continues. “They want to be
able to get a feel for the 3D space within
a scene, so we attached 3D glasses to
allow them to take a look. The Transvideo
did both those jobs – it displayed the
overlaid image so we could align and
bring in measuring marks to monitor the
amount of 3D effect, and it also allowed
us to attach glasses for the director and
client to view the 3D.”
In order to get a greater feel for how the
3D was going to look, rushes were then
viewed on a 46” JVC flat screen 3D TV.
“Although the JVC can’t give a completely
accurate representation of what the 3D
will ultimately be like on the big screen,”
says Parks, “it does give a much better
idea of the quality of the 3D.”
When shooting 3D there are many
considerations that have to be taken into
account: “While there are certain things
you should avoid in 3D – like quick
camera moves, which might lead to
strobing and a breakdown of the 3D
image - there are also things that lend
themselves particularly well to 3D,”
states the stereographer. “Aerial views
can be particularly effective in 3D: in the
Dubai film we shot looking straight down
onto a golfer on the golf course and also
some traditional dancers. In 2D those
shots would have been quite oddlooking,
but in 3D they work very well.
The golfer and the dancers come right
out of the screen towards the audience.”
THE TWO D-21 CAMERAS mounted in a forward-and-downward arrangement on the StereoCam rig
VISIONARRI
During postproduction the positioning
of the 3D images was finalised. “We
decided exactly where and how the
scenes would appear within the theatre,”
explains Parks. “Whether we wanted the
whole scene to be behind the screen, or
whether, for instance, we wanted the
head and shoulders of the golfer to
come out through the screen, or the
dolphins to leap out into the theatre.”
After the Metro’s launch on September
9, the Mall’s theatre, which had a
seating capacity for 200 people, was
packed for every 15-minute screening
that was held during the seven days
following the opening. ■
Michelle Smith
29

ARRI Commercial
Munich’s
Creative Heartbeat
Located just around the corner from Munich’s Academy of Fine Arts,
right in the heart of the city, ARRI Film & TV Commercial offers its
clients all the creative and technical services needed at any stage of the
process – starting with the search for innovative ideas, all the way
through to the development and implementation of these concepts.
ARRI Film & TV Commercial offers its
wide range of services from one
location. Concept creation, consultation,
planning and implementation – along
with quality control and project support
– mesh effectively and without time
delays. ARRI’s creative core consists of
lab work, colour grading, online and
offline editing, compositing, 3D
animation and motion graphics. This
department is the bedrock for the
realisation of any project and offers a
comprehensive package that is hard
to find elsewhere. “We were able to
expand our creative potential as a post
house in terms of personnel, as well as
technology,” explains ARRI Head of
Commercial, Philipp Bartel. “That’s why
today we can extend the entire range
of possibilities the world of the moving
image has to offer in a creative,
compact and competent way from one
single source directly to our clients, such
as agencies and production companies.
From our pool of services we can
choose what the client’s project, within
their available budget, needs.
“With Rico Reitz, our Creative Director,
our motion graphic designers, our
compositing and 3D artists, as well as
our grading team, ARRI Commercial has
a crew at its disposal that holds a
wealth of complementary qualifications,
which they proactively put to use on our
clients’ behalf,” continues Bartel. “Many
of our customers come to us while they
are still in the pitch phase to solicit our
creative recommendations, concept
ideas and design suggestions.”
ARRI Commercial clients have access
to the complete range of production
equipment and all related services,
including rental (camera, lighting
and set), the film lab and ARRI’s own
in-house cinema for final approval.
ARRI offers all this from one unique,
central location, where each division is
located just a few steps from the other.
Bartel notes that “proximity and short
distances are still a key factor when it
comes to implementing creative ideas
quickly and precisely.”
VISIONARRI
“MANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS COME
TO US WHILE THEY ARE STILL IN
THE PITCH PHASE TO SOLICIT OUR
CREATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS…”
Workplace environment and quality
of life should not be mutually exclusive.
The pleasant and relaxed atmosphere
at ARRI Commercial, with its elegant
conference room, rooftop terrace
and lounge, is conducive to creative
endeavours and the facility is located
in one of Munich’s trendiest
neighbourhoods. Nearby are countless
restaurants, cafés, bars and shops; even
the world famous Marienplatz and the
Maximilianstraße – Munich’s Fifth
Avenue – are only a four-minute taxi
ride away from ARRI’s facilities.
31

ARRI Commercial In Brief
Project Support
From storyboard drawing to the
completed moving image, our producers
assist clients through all stages of the
creative process. In collaboration with
the agency, the production company,
the director and all the creative
departments, we develop, budget,
schedule, plan and implement the best
possible way to execute a project,
ensuring that the client’s ideas are
realised to perfection.
Creative Direction
In meetings with the agency, the
production company and the
postproduction team, all the visual
effects are planned out. Together with
the client we create looks and designs,
style frames, scribbles and animatics,
and supervise the creative process inhouse.
This reduces postproduction time
and leads to the best overall results.
Motion Graphics
Our designers develop looks, animatics,
layouts and typo-animation that will later
be part of completed spots, graphic
packaging and on-air designs.
Visual Effects
To complete complex visual effects in a
quick and flexible manner within a given
timeframe, our compositing artists count
on Flame 2009. A team will assist the
client on set and all the way to the
completion of the film.
Colour Grading
Our colourists immerse themselves in
your world of colours and present your
vision in the proper light. In addition to
Spirit Suite, our colour grading team
currently counts on the software-based
grading tool Baselight.
Planning
Our team can inform you about our
prices and provide customised quotes
for your transfer needs. This office also
oversees the coordination of all transfers
(sound and image), of all scheduling
and broadcast requirements, as well as
all deliveries.
Web Design
We offer our clients the entire range of
web design services. In our web studio
our designers create and maintain
homepages, helping clients meet all their
online publishing needs.
Cinema
Our unique cinema, the ARRI-Kino, seats
360 people and features a 10 x 4.2m
screen. Top-notch digital and analogue
equipment allows our clients to watch
their finished film and all other film
materials under movie theatre conditions
Cultivating
Relationships
with DoPs
Harald Schernthaner, ARRI’s
Head of Digital Intermediate
When it comes to the digital
intermediate he’s been around from
its inception. Since its early beginnings
in 2004, Schernthaner has made
significant contributions to the
development of DI workflows at ARRI
Film & TV Services. The multimedia
engineer studied film and video
production in Salzburg and worked as
a production and camera assistant for
a production company specialising in
commercials in New York. There he
honed his skills in all areas of multimedia
production before joining ARRI Munich
in 2004. Since 2007, Harald
Schernthaner, as Head of Digital
Intermediate, has been overseeing ARRI’s
colour grading, online editing, data
management, scanning and recording
efforts at the Munich and Berlin facilities
and, starting in 2009, at the Cologne
location. He has taken the time to
answer VisionARRI’s questions about the
current state of the DI.
Munich, where we can complete colour
grading assignments under cinema-like
conditions, in terms of size and quality,
and where the ARRICUBE colour
management technology allows us to
precisely match the digital projection to
the analogue screen. In addition we offer
services such as generating dailies for
digital productions, scanning and
recording, as well as sound
postproduction.
VA: What synergies exist with
other ARRI divisions?
HS: Thanks to file-based workflows,
nearly all areas access the same set of
data. This allows us to work efficiently
and creates a great deal of flexibility for
the client. In some cases we can even
start grading before the scanning process
is completed. This means that the minute
we finish scanning we can begin sound
mixing based on the status of the colour
grading process.
VISIONARRI
and systems, the relationship with DoPs
is of enormous importance to me. There
are still many peculiarities – particularly
in the realm of digital recording – that
we try to eliminate by running the
appropriate tests. This gives the creative
talents the assurance they need not only
during filming, but also later on during
postproduction. Especially when new
technologies become available and new
standards and workflows have not yet
been established, we have to be able to
close that gap in postproduction.
VA: How do you, in the DI realm,
respond to the current trend of
3D feature films?
HS: To successfully handle stereoscopic
3D content in the DI you need, in
addition to 2D processing, extended
tools and experienced personnel to
correct the anomalies, such as the colour
difference of two cameras and the
relative size and rotation, as well as
convergence of the mostly digitally
recorded material.
VA: What impact has the
increased prevalence of digital
Technical considerations such as the
decision whether to shoot parallel or
convergent have a direct impact on
postproduction, which is why we take an
active role in a variety of areas. Stereo
3D still has a long way to go and ARRI
will support its clients with the necessary
know-how and state-of-the-art technology.
cameras, even in feature film VA: From a DI perspective, what is
Texture Studio
Here we can create special textures
Offline Editing
On a separate floor, the client’s creative
at any stage through postproduction.
The cinema also features a stage and
VisionARRI: How many people does
ARRI employ in the DI?
production, had on your work?
HS: First and foremost, we are trying to
your assessment of 2009 and
what challenges lie ahead?
from any desired material, such as 3D team has access to a number of editing can be reserved for lectures and events.
Harald Schernthaner: In the Munich office transfer the different recording formats in HS: Despite the economic situation
animations. Over the last three years suites. Each suite includes a small client
we’ve compiled a picture library of lounge. Our in-house team offers
moving image textures, mostly in 4K technical support, digitalisation services,
resolution, making the studio the perfect sound processing and, of course, service
place to quickly shoot additional
around the clock.
packshots for your production.
Sound
3D
Here we record, select and edit sound,
For the creation of 3D animated images voiceovers or music. We also develop
and worlds, the artist network of
sound designs and compose music for
punchin.pictures is the perfect partner. commercials, as well as offering support
The artists and the 150-square-metre when developing concepts for radio spots.
animation loft, flooded with natural light,
Transfer
are located just a flight of stairs away
from ARRI Commercial.
Our transfer department services all
professional video formats in SD/HD but
also offers sound transfer and generates
analogue as well as digital release prints.
For more information: www.arricommercial.de
Conference Room
Our conference room, featuring state-ofthe-art
technology, is located on the top
floor overlooking Schwabing, the local
neighbourhood. It is the perfect place to
discuss your project or to step out onto
the rooftop terrace and enjoy a view of
the Alps on a sunny day.
Refreshments & More
A delicious cold beverage or a caffe
latte? A traditional Bavarian breakfast or
something more international? Flowers
for a wedding anniversary? Something
special to celebrate final approval? We
help you meet any challenge!
Lounge / Terrace
The perfect place to take a break from
the everyday rigors of your project and
meet interesting people. ■
we currently have 23 people working in
the DI, including scanning and recording.
We are a versatile team from diverse
technical backgrounds. That’s a great
asset because the group has broad
knowledge that gets dispersed by its
individual specialists. This sort of versatility
results in a great number of synergies,
which we used to create a powerful and
flexible taskforce for DI projects in Munich,
Berlin and now in Cologne.
VA: What is the focus of the new
ARRI facilities in Cologne in terms
of projects?
HS: Traditionally, Cologne has focused
mostly on TV productions. But we invested
in a grading suite with 2K projection
capabilities to accommodate ambitious
feature films as well. Our Cologne colour
grading suite therefore is our fourth one,
in addition to one in Berlin and two in
a way that won’t require changes or
only minimal ones to the rest of the DI
workflow. These transfers have to be made
carefully and conscientiously in order to
make the most of the recorded data.
We also try to get involved early on
during preparation, and of course we
like to be present on set as much as
possible to ensure a seamless
postproduction workflow and to
guarantee the safety of all the recorded
data. We have also increased our efforts
to expand our digital archiving system
because digital data on hard drives
cannot be archived like film footage.
VA: How do DoPs deal with these
developments, which pose
challenges for them as well?
HS: In today’s world, with the availability
of the DI and various recording formats
during the first half of the year, 2009
has been a very good year for feature
film production. We have worked on
several interesting, big budget films such
as Pope Joan, Pandorum, Desert Flower,
Henri IV, all of which were highly
involved productions in terms of colour
grading. We also worked on
international productions such as Tony
Goldwyn’s new film Betty Anne Waters
starring Hilary Swank – the first US film
that was shot in the United States but
posted entirely at ARRI.
The digital rollout is currently receiving a
major push. This is a development we
are very well prepared for with our new
division, ARRI Digital Cinema. One of
the challenges of next year is an
anamorphic 35mm project that will be
mastered entirely in 4K. ■
Ingo Klingspon
32 33
© Caringo Photografix

34
Hi-Motion
New V10 software from EVS integrates with Hi-Motion at Hickstead
Hickstead is a showjumping venue of
international renown and the Longines
Royal International Horse Show held
there every July is one of the highlights
of the equestrian calendar. Since 2006
ARRI Media has supplied Hi-Motion
cameras to Sky Sports for its coverage
of the event; the difference this year was
that the latest XT[2] Multicam software
from EVS permitted full control of the
Hi-Motion cameras without any need for
a dedicated control panel. This meant
that Sky was able to incorporate
stunning, full HD, slow motion images
recorded at 600 fps by the two Hi-
Motion cameras into its live broadcast
with greater ease than ever before.
Director Mike Allen, who has won
awards for sports coverage shot with the
Hi-Motion system, spoke with VisionARRI
about how the super slow motion
cameras contributed to this year’s
Hickstead broadcast.
VisionARRI: How important a
role does Hi-Motion play
at Hickstead?
Mike Allen: We brought in one Hi-Motion
camera back when ARRI Media first got
the system and it just produced such
fantastic pictures. We now use two
cameras and it’s a wonderful tool for us
because we can slow the action down
enough to see things that you wouldn’t
otherwise see: tight shots of the horses’
eyes when they’re going over a jump, or
how a rider reacts when they hit a
fence. And the detail with the Hi-Motion
is unbelievable; you can really see the
immense stresses and strains on the
horse’s body, and the riding
techniques. It personalises the
coverage and you get images
of expressions and emotions
that you just can’t see any
other way.
VA: What elements
of the coverage is the
Hi-Motion footage
used for?
MA: Basically, we use the
Hi-Motion system for general
replays or for specific
illustrations within the live
coverage. We use it an awful lot in
music pieces, collages and closers. It
actually poured with rain one day, but
the Hi-Motion made horses jumping in
the rain look so fantastic that, despite the
atrocious conditions, we got some of the
best pictures of the week. For us the
Hi-Motion cameras have two functions:
they make visually stunning pictures that
look amazing and they also serve as an
illustrative tool. We’ve put them by
certain fences, for example, to capture
how the horses’ hooves literally brush the
top of the fence and either just rattle it or
knock it down.
“THE INTEGRATION
OF THE HI-MOTION
& EVS SOFTWARE
HAS DRAMATICALLY
IMPROVED THE
WORKFLOW OF
THE OPERATION.”
Senior EVS Operator Rob Leckie
BEFORE (LEFT) AND AFTER (RIGHT) – the EVS integration made
for a less cluttered OB truck in 2009
VA: How is it decided where
the Hi-Motion cameras should
be positioned?
MA: Sometimes we spot something
during a round that might be a talking
point and the great thing with Hi-Motion
is it can be moved. If we are trying to
illustrate a tight turn or the fact that one
fence is proving unexpectedly difficult,
I might talk to the commentator and say
‘we’re going to look at a different
fence’. Also we started to get the
Hi-Motion cameramen to suggest things
to the VT operators, so we’ve made it
a very interactive system where people
can throw their opinions in, and the
integration with EVS has helped that.
These kinds of little changes that make
it work for production help the camera
achieve its full potential and I think with
ARRI Media we’re still finding new
potential – it’s an ongoing process. ■
Mark Hope-Jones
Achieve greater flexibility of look, frame rate and format in postproduction
with Relativity
ARRI Relativity is a powerful suite of software tools that offers versatile control of texture, format
and frame rate through sophisticated motion estimation techniques. Modular and easily
configured to meet the needs of individual customers, the full software bundle currently
comprises three applications, with more coming soon. Relativity allows you to alter shots in
ways that appear as though they were achieved in-camera: digital images can take on the look
of film while film images can be selectively degrained; shots filmed at a particular frame rate
can be expanded or contracted to other frame rates and one format can become another.
Texture Control
• Control the level of grain and noise in images acquired on any film or digital format.
• Mix and match the textures of 16mm, 35mm and digital material.
• Overcome the grain issues that prompted some broadcasters to restrict
Super 16 content on HD channels.
Film Simulation
• Give digitally captured images a natural film look by introducing a granular texture.
• Add the subtle grain of 35mm to 16mm material that has been degrained via Texture Control.
SpaceTime Converter
• Convert any TV or motion picture format into any other with crop/zoom, spatial resampling,
frame rate conversion, de-interlacing and addition or removal of 3:2 pulldown.
• Adjust frame rates and create intervening frames for slow motion or speed ramp effects
without any judder or visual degradation.
New ARRI Film & TV Facilities in Cologne
Cologne is one of the centres of German film and television production, and it is for this reason that
ARRI has expanded its presence in the city. For many years the ARRI facility in Cologne has housed
ARRI Rental, but as of April 2009 it also offers postproduction services under the same roof. With the
help of state-of-the-art equipment and in close collaboration with its Munich headquarters, ARRI
Cologne is now proud to offer customers a full range of services. The Cologne offices are headed by
Markus Klaff, Branch Manager.
MARKUS KLAFF
Branch Manager
A great deal has been invested in the Cologne branch over the last couple of months.
In addition to new administrative offices and postproduction facilities, ARRI has built the
largest grading cinema in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia – a cinema that features
a truly impressive screen. Branch Manager Markus Klaff is looking forward to the new
scope of duties: “I view myself as the ideal interface between creativity and technology,
and customer and service providers,” says Klaff, who joined the ARRI Team in April.
For more than 18 years, Klaff, who has learned the business from the bottom up, was
in charge of quality control at RTL Television, one of Germany’s largest cable networks.
ARRI Film & TV Services GmbH
Cologne Branch
Heinrich-Pesch-Str. 7, D-50739 Köln
Phone +49 221 571651-0
Original
Degrained
VISIONARRI
35

36
PRODUCT
UPDATE
The LED side of ARRI’s lighting business is gathering
pace, with a trio of advanced LED-based products
already making their mark on the industry.
PAX Series
The PAX LED panels provide an outstanding and unprecedented LED light performance by utilising ARRI True Match
LED Technology for natural light characteristics, single shadow rendering, consistent light output and absolute colour
stability. The panels are available in two lighting kit configurations: PAX1 provides a single panel with soft and spot
optics, backpack batteries, the ARRI Mini Controller and specially selected accessories. PAX2 offers two LED panels
in a stunningly versatile lighting kit with a full suite of control options including the Wireless Light Controller, PC
software that allows for a wider range of colours and a DMX 512 interface.
CASTER Series
With colour temperature settings adjustable from
2.800K to 6.500K and a CRI (Colour Rendering
Index) of 90, the ARRI Caster LED fixtures adapt
easily to an existing lighting installation or to the
variable conditions of a location shoot. Available
in two versions – BroadCaster and LoCaster – these
affordable white light fixtures can be used with
a wide range of accessories, including backpack
batteries, power adapters, mounting devices, a
2-leaf barndoor and an intensifier.
ARRI M18
Based on the design principles of the Academy
Award©-winning ARRIMAX, ARRI Lighting introduces
the new M18, an innovative lamphead that works with
a new power class of lamp: the 1800W SE HMI.
This lamp boasts an average life of 750 hours and
a Luminous Efficacy of 92 Lumens per Watt (L/W).
The Colour Rendering Index (Ra) is
greater than 90 at 6000K (CCT).
The M18 is a lens-less, open face
lighting fixture that combines the
desired light distribution from the
optics of a PAR and a Fresnel
fixture. The unique ARRIMAX
reflector design creates
diverging rays to produce
a crisp shadow. With a
beam angle (HPA) of 20
to 60 degrees and a wide
usable field angle, the M18 is
designed to be both intense
and efficient.
Background Lighting
Module BLM
The ARRI Background Lighting Module, available
in both RGB and Warm/Cool White Modules,
provides an exciting solution for cycloramas, chroma
key backgrounds and rear illuminated panels.
ARRISUN 18
When narrower beam angles are
desired, ARRI offers the ARRISUN
18. The AS18 uses common
ARRI spread lenses and a
PAR reflector in combination
with spot, medium and flood
focus settings. Conversion kits are
available to adapt an M18 to the
AS18 (as well as an AS18 to the
M18). Both the M18 and AS18 are
designed to be highly versatile and to
achieve better lighting efficiencies in a
new performance class. Intense and
efficient, they showcase convenient, costeffective
qualities in addition to the known
characteristics and high standards of ARRI HMIs.
These new units also support a 1200W lamp.
Master Macro 100
ARRI and Zeiss have teamed up again to expand the Master Prime series with a
spectacular macro lens: the Master Macro 100. Featuring a 1:1 magnification ratio and a
maximum aperture of T2.2, the Master Macro delivers phenomenally sharp and contrasty
images for extreme close-ups of the highest visual quality.
Unlike most other macro lenses, the Master Macro 100 has been designed and built
specifically for motion picture cinematography. The optical performance of the lens matches
that of the Master Primes, with which it shares features such as exotic glass materials, special
lens coatings and aspherical glass surfaces that require ultra-high precision in design and
manufacturing. While other macro lenses create images that are visibly darker and softer in the
corners, the Master Macro exhibits remarkably even illumination and resolution across the whole
Super 35 frame. It also benefits from an advanced, multi-bladed iris, resulting in round and
natural-looking out-of-focus highlights.
To view Master Macro 100 sample shots go to www.arri.com
High Definition Video Assist HD-IVS
The HD-IVS is a high definition video assist unit for
ARRICAM and ARRIFLEX 435 cameras. With a resolution
of 1920 x 1080 pixels, it facilitates better judgment of
focus, improved dynamic range and more visible detail
in shadow and highlight areas.
A video assist unit records its images from the ground
glass in the film camera; this ensures that framing and the
impression of depth of field are identical between the film
and video assist images. With the HD-IVS, an electronic
compensation reduces the grain structure of the ground
glass in the live feed, generating a noticeably cleaner
image. Software-based image processing tasks such as
anamorphic de-squeezing and dead pixel correction
are also possible. In addition, selected images can be
transferred and stored as standard files on a USB stick
via a USB interface on the HD-IVS.
HD-IVS for 435 Xtreme HD-IVS for ARRICAM Lite HD-IVS for ARRICAM Studio
VISIONARRI
37

PRODUCTION UPDATE
ARRI RENTAL
Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment
Faust Ankor Film Alexander Sokurov Bruno Delbonnel ARRICAM Studio & Lite, Master Primes,
Lighting, Grip
Die Superbullen Constantin Film Produktion Gernot Roll Gernot Roll ARRIFLEX D-21, Master Primes, Lighting, Grip
Keiner geht verloren Claussen+Wöbke+Putz Dirk Kummer Johann Feindt ARRIFLEX 416 Plus, Ultra Primes, Lighting, Grip
Filmproduktion
Goethe deutschfilm Philipp Stölzl Kolja Brandt ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation, Lighting,
Grip
Masterworks Fox TV Jeffrey Nachmanoff James Whitaker ARRIFLEX D-21, ARRIFLEX 235, Lighting, Grip
Die Route TV60Film Florian Froschmayer Roman Nowocien ARRIFLEX 416 Plus, Ultra Primes, Lighting, Grip
Ben Hur Drimtim Entertainment Steve Shill Ousama Rawi ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
CSC, BSC ARRIFLEX 435, ARRIFLEX 235, Lighting, Grip
Going Postal MID Atlantic Films Jon Jones Gavin Finney BSC Lighting, Grip
Hexe Lilli – Die Reise blue eyes Fiction Harald Sicheritz Thomas Kiennast ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
nach Mandolan Master Primes, Lighting, Grip
Kommissarin Lucas Olga Film Thomas Berger Gunnar Fuß ARRIFLEX 416 Plus, Lighting, Grip
12 & 13
Das Leben ist zu lang X-Filme Dani Levy Charlie Koschnick ARRIFLEX D-21, Master Primes, Lighting, Grip
Das Ende ist collina Filmproduktion Jo Baier Judith Kaufmann ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
mein Anfang ARRIFLEX 435, Lighting, Grip
ARRI LIGHTING RENTAL
Title Production Company Director Dop Gaffer Best Boy
Sex and the City 2 Avery Pix, inc. Michael Patrick King John Thomas Steve Costello Paul Stewart
Gulliver’s Travels Fox UK Productions Rob Letterman David Tattersall BSC Eddie Knight Stewart Monteith
Nanny McPhee and Working Title Films Susanna White Mike Eley BSC Paul Murphy Mark Funnell
the Big Bang
St Trinian’s: The Legend More Mayhem Oliver Parker / David Higgs BSC Dan Fontaine Andy Bell
of Fritton’s Gold Barnaby Thompson
We Want Sex We Want S Nigel Cole John de Borman BSC John Colley Kevin Fitzpatrick
Game of Thrones Fire and Blood Thomas McCarthy Sean Bobbitt BSC Brian Beaumont Biran Livingstone
Productions
Tamara Drewe Ruby Films Stephen Frears Ben Davis BSC Dave Smith Sonny Burdiss
Untitled Mike Leigh Untitled 09 Mike Leigh Dick Pope BSC Andy Long Mark Hanlon
Project
Cemetery Junction Point Productions Ricky Gervais / Remi Adefarasin BSC Jimmy Wilson Stewart King
Stephen Merchant
The Special Relationship Trilogy Films Richard Loncraine Barry Ackroyd BSC Harry Wiggins Chis Mortley
Law & Order: UK Kudos Film and Television Andy Goddard / David Luther Mark Clayton Benny Harper /
(Series 2) James Strong Richard Potter
Ashes to Ashes (Series 3) Kudos Film and Television Alrick Riley Adam Suschitzky Chris Bird Toby Flesher
Luther BBC Brian Kirk Julian Court Brandon Evans Colin Powton
Larkrise to Candleford BBC Patrick Lau Mark Partridge Kenny Sykes Craig Hudson
(Series 3)
ARRI CSC
Title Production Company DoP/Lighting Director Gaffer Equipment Serviced by
The Blind Side Left Tackle Pictures Alar Kivilo ASC ARRICAM Studio & Lite ARRI CSC FL
3-perforation, Master Primes
Killers Lionsgate Russell Carpenter ASC 4x ARRIFLEX D-21, ARRI CSC FL
ARRIRAW anamorphic
Burn Notice (Season 3) USA Network Bill Wages ASC 2x ARRIFLEX 416, 16SR 3 ARRI CSC FL
Advanced HS, ULTRA PRIMES
Cedar Falls Northland Productions Chuy Chavez 2x ARRIFLEX D-21 ARRI CSC NJ
How to make it HBO Tim Ives David Skutch ARRICAM Studio & 2x Lite ARRI CSC NJ
in America 3-perforation, Lighting
The Next Three Days PGH Productions LLC Stéphane Fontaine 2x ARRICAM Lite 3-perforation ARRI CSC NJ
Wall Street 2 Blue Horseshoe Rodrigo Prieto ASC ARRICAM Studio & 2x Lite ARRI CSC NJ
3-perforation, Master Primes
2009 Alma Awards Bob Bain Productions Oscar Dominguez Automated & Conventional Illumination
Lighting Dynamics LA
Lopez Tonight Telepictures Productions Oscar Dominguez Automated, LED, GMA Illumination
with Warner Brothers 2 Consoles Dynamics LA
The Princess and Walt Disney Manny Treeson Lighting Illumination
the Frog Animation Studios Dynamics LA
38
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - FEATURES
Title Production Company Director DoP Services
BAL – Honey Heimatfilm Semih Kaplanoglu Baris Özbicer Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Betty Anne Waters Innocence Productions Tony Goldwyn Adriano Goldman Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), Sound
Cindy liebt mich nicht av medien penrose gmbh Hannah Schweier Thorge Horstmann Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Der große Kater Neue Bioskop Film Wolfgang Panzer Edwin Horak Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Dinosaurier Constantin Film Produktion Leander Haußmann Hagen Bogdanski Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), DCP
Freche Mädchen 2 collina filmproduktion Ute Wieland Peter Przybylski Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound, DCP
Friendship! Wiedemann & Berg Markus Goller Ueli Steiger Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound
Filmproduktion
Jerry Cotton Rat Pack Filmproduktion Cyrill Boss & Philip Stennert Torsten Breuer Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound, DCP
Nesely Hayat BKM Yilmaz Erdogan Ugur Icbak Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), VFX, Sound, DCP
Rock It! Sam Film Mike Marzuk Bernhard Jasper Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), Sound
Teufelskicker UFA Cinema Granz Henman Jörg Widmer Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Themba Zeitsprung Entertainment Stefanie Sycholt Egon Werdin Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD)
Zeiten ändern sich Constantin Film Produktion Uli Edel Rainer Klausmann Lab, DI, TV-Mastering (HD), DCP
ARRI FILM & TV - POST PRODUCTION SERVICES - COMMERCIALS
Client Title Agency Production Director DoP
Sony Ericsson Jump ’n’ Walk / Fanwalk Neverest e+p commercial Hauke Hilberg Carlo Jelavic
Medion Wovon träumst Du sonst noch TBWA Düsseldorf e+p commercial
Sky Promo & DRTV Heye & Partner diverse diverse
McDonald’s Wrap Heye & Partner Rapid Eye Movement Ernst Kalff Sebastian Cramer
Stadt München Oper Filmstadt München Helliventures Damian John Harper Dieter Deventer
Ernstings Kuschelwochen Heye & Partner e+p commercial Claude Mougin Thomas Kürzl
MINI IAA 2009 Messeauftritt Meiré und Meiré lucie_p diverse
C&A Mens Week SteinleMelches embassy of dreams John Buché Riego van Wersch
SOS Kinderdorf Valentinas Schicksal Neverest Roman Jakobi & Roman Jakobi
Ewald Pusch
EOFT EOFT 2009 Moving Adventures Niko Jäger diverse
McDonald’s McCafé – Doit/Ober Heye & Partner Hager Moss Commercial Martin Haerlin David Nissen
Ehrmann Grand Dessert & Almighurt Heye & Partner Hager Moss Commercial Maurus vom Scheidt Kristian Leschner
playmobil playmobil Sommer 2009 e+p commercial Reiner Holzemer Peter Aichholzer
ARRI MEDIA
Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment
La Mula Gheko Films Michael Radford Ashley Rowe BSC ARRICAM Lite 3-perforation, Grip
4.3.2.1 4321 Noel Clarke / Franco Pezzino ARRICAM Studio 3-perforation,
Mark Davis Master Primes
Nanny McPhee and Working Title Films Susanna White Mike Eley BSC ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
the Big Bang Master Primes, Grip
St Trinian’s: The Legend More Mayhem Oliver Parker / David Higgs ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation, Grip
of Fritton’s Gold Barnaby Thompson
Survivors (Series 2) BBC Jamie Payne / Alan Almond BSC / ARRIFLEX D-21
David Evans Fabian Wagner
Game of Thrones Fire and Blood Productions Thomas McCarthy Sean Bobbitt BSC ARRICAM Lite & ARRIFLEX 235 3-perforation
Tamara Drewe Ruby Films Stephen Frears Ben Davis BSC ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation, Grip
London Boulevard London Boulevard William Monahan Chris Menges BSC ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
Master Primes
Cemetery Junction Point Productions Ricky Gervais / Remi Adefarasin BSC ARRICAM Studio & Lite 3-perforation,
Stephen Merchant Ultra Primes
The Special
Relationship
Trilogy Films Richard Loncraine Barry Ackroyd BSC ARRICAM Lite 3-perforation
Law & Order: UK Kudos Film and Television Andy Goddard / David Luther ARRIFLEX D-21, Ultra Primes
(Series 2) James Strong
Ashes to Ashes
(Series 3)
Kudos Film and Television Alrick Riley Adam Suschitzky ARRIFLEX D-21
Luther BBC Brian Kirk Julian Court ARRIFLEX D-21
Larkrise to
Candleford (Series 3)
BBC Patrick Lau Mark Partridge ARRIFLEX D-21
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.
39

ARRIFLEX D-21 A-EV
A-EV Plus A-OV Plus
THE BEST DIGITAL CAMERA AVAILABLE TODAY…
… AND EVEN BETTER TO COME TOMORROW
The secret behind the success of the ARRIFLEX D-21 goes beyond the unique, organic quality
of the images it creates; we have developed easy-to-use functions and flexible workflows that
cinematographers and camera crews really value.
With versatile configuration options, including true anamorphic and on-board recording,
the D-21 suits all types of production. From feature films (Killers, Henri IV, RocknRolla) and
television dramas (Bored to Death, Krupp and the award-winning Little Dorrit) to high-end
commercials and promos, the D-21 is your camera of choice.
With ARRI’s new digital camera system coming soon, we’ll ensure you continue to be at the
forefront of digital image capture.
www.arridigital.com