arri news magazine ibc issue 1997

37

IssueDecember 1997

Repor ts

Air Force One

Alegria

Kul l The Conqueror

Cascadeur

On Locat ion

IVS at Starwars

Pocket Par

Products

ARRI Macro Lenses

ARRI JUNIOR 150

ARRI ITALIA

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Air Force One

An interview with DoPMichael Ballhaus on shooting

Wolfgang Petersen’s action hitwith the Variable Primes.

DoPMichael Ballhaus

Since 1st October 1997 we may adressMichael Ballhaus, for years one of the mostsought-after DoPs in the USA, as “HerrProfessor“. As well as being engaged ashonorary professor at the Munich Schoolfor Television and Film (HFF), and teachingthe last three years at the University ofHamburg, he has now been named a fullprofessor for the ‘supplementary film stud-ies’ course run by Hark Bohm in Hamburg.“This is currently my main job since I fin-ished my last film PRIMARY COLORS, directedby Mike Nichols, in early August“, Ballhausexplained when we spoke to him in his Ber-lin apartment. “From late November I willbe attending to my Munich students. I won’tstart my next film project in the USA untilJanuary or February.“

However, Michael Ballhaus was already inMunich on 22nd October 1997 for theGerman premiere of Wolfgang Petersen’s

”The most exciting shotsof my career …“

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In shooting AIR FORCE ONE even an oldhand such as the 62-year old DoP who hasmade 17 films in the USA since 1982 (work-ing with among others Martin Scorcese,Mike Nichols, Francis Ford Coppola andRobert Redford), ‘had to do a lot of newthings’. Ballhaus: “There was a lot moreaction than in my earlier films – and enor-mous stunts such as the attempted emer-gency landing in Ramstein, which we filmedin Columbus/Ohio. We shot for five nightswith a 747, and I had never before had tolight an entire airport. The landing strip wasmore than 3 miles long; we laid a total ofalmost 20 miles of cable. 20 gaffers workedon it for 14 days. Our lighting package forthe airport cost as much as the lighting foran entire film usually costs: $␣ 350,000.“

The DoP as commander: “In fact it was likea battle which we filmed with four cameras.Then I had this idea of doing all of the shotsinto the sky during the magic hours, i.e. atdawn and twilight. A meticulous plan wasdrawn up, determining what would be shotat what time with what focal length – andwe managed almost all of it. We were verylucky, with the weather too. And the 747pilot was a fantastic professional who setthis monster down within three to six feetof the point we had given him. He couldalso give us exact advance warning times.He would circle over the airport and say, ifyou give me the command in five minutes,I will set down in fourteen and a half min-utes. It was an exciting game for us to esti-mate when the lighting conditions wouldbe right and to tell him when he shouldbegin his approach.“

DoP Michael Ballhausand director

Wolfgang Petersen

new US film AIR FORCE ONE, held at theFranz Josef Strauß Airport – an unusuallocation for a premiere of an unusual film.Ballhaus had already worked with Petersenon the thriller OUTBREAK (1995): “Thisworked well, because Wolfgang is not justa fantastic director, he also has a greatsense for visual situations, he has a lot ofgood ideas for the images. And he is oneof the most friendly directors I know; onset there is always a positive atmosphere.At the end of the 15-week shoot, HarrisonFord declared that he had never had somuch fun.“

What actually happens in AIR FORCE ONEis not so much fun: Russian terrorists bru-tally take over the special Boeing 747 ‘AirForce One’, built as a flying fortress forthe US-President (Harrison Ford), in orderto gain the freedom of a jailed RussianGeneral (Jürgen Prochnow). But nobody

has reckoned with the President’s deter-mination. He carries out a one-man waragainst the terrorists – a deadly game ofcat-and-mouse up in the air. In the USAthis terrific action film has already broughtin US$ 170 million, throughout the world,over $ 200 million. We can be pretty surethat several millions will be added to thatfigure in Germany.

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Gary Oldman as theterrorist who hijacks

the president‘s plane

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Michael Ballhaus used new and unusualmethods on AIR FORCE ONE to light the747, which was reconstructed to the origi-nal size in the studio: “80% of the film isin the aeroplane. It was my idea to lightthe entire plane in advance, so that whileshooting, the main lighting would alreadybe there and we would only need to worryabout fill light and eyelights. Together withgaffer Jim Tynes, I worked out an exact planof which lighting atmosphere should prevailin which room at which time. There was abright version for normal operation, a night-time version and a version for emergencysituations. The lighting atmosphere on thelower deck was different from that on themain deck, that in the aeroplane’s confer-ence room different from that in the Presi-dent’s bedroom. Thus, the basic lightingset up was built in permanently and couldbe called up and varied via a mixing deskwith 150 faders. During shooting I talkedto Jim via walkie-talkie, but I only neededto say: ‘Okay, bring no. 37 up a bit andno. 94 down a bit’, and so on.“

That sounds clear, but it did pose its diffi-culties: it took three weeks to set up thebasic lighting in the aeroplane, and therewere certain limitations. Ballhaus: “Whenyou set up lights permanently, you can’tuse ten, five or two kW luminaires. Youhave to use small units and work with arelatively low light level. The natural lightsources which you get on an aeroplanewere somewhat highlighted, and we invent-ed a bit extra too. In the long main aisle ofthe aeroplane the spots, when we mea-sured them directly, rated aperture four,but other than that we never got past aper-ture 2.8 – this necessitated using corre-sponding lenses.“

As there are no anamorphic lenses orzooms of that speed, they shot on Super35 with the Vision 320 Kodak filmstock,exposed at 200 ASA. Michael Ballhaus alsodecided to use the relatively new VariablePrimes developed by Carl Zeiss and ARRI.The three available lenses, referred to inthe industry as Vario-Primes or simply as

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VPs, cover a focal range of 16 to 105 mmand offer a maximum aperture of T 2.2.Ballhaus had already used the lenses onsome shots of Barry Levinson’s SLEEPERS(1996), “but there wasn’t really a technicalnecessity in that case. This was totally dif-ferent.“

Michael Ballhaus shot 80% of AIR FORCEONE with the Variable Primes, and needlessto say, several ARRIFLEX 535s and 435s:“There are three good reasons for this.First, the lenses are better than normalones because the anti-reflection coatinghas less flare, i.e. no disturbing reflections.Second, you can change the focal lengthseasily, and it is often necessary on an actionfilm to zoom in or out a little. Third, youcan work faster with the VPs because youdon’t need to change lenses or move thecamera. That saves a load of time. And –what I really enjoy – you can play and ex-periment with the size of the shot, and thetime factor is important here too.“

Ballhaus’ summary: “Without the VariablePrimes we couldn’t have made these imag-es. For reasons of time and temperature wecouldn’t push the light to aperture stop four.In the belly of the aeroplane, space wasso cramped that we could only work withvery small units and with lots of bouncedlight. We often worked with full aperture,and the focus was fantastic. Without theVPs we would have had to take quite dif-ferent measures in setting the light, andthe film would have been a lot more ex-pensive.“

For dolly and crane shots, which are mainlyused on AIR FORCE ONE, the weight of theVariable Primes is not relevant. They arenot designed for Steadicam or shoulderoperation or in extremely cramped situa-tions. In these few cases Ballhaus used nor-mal lenses. Ballhaus rates the handling ofthe VPs as ‘excellent’; he doesn’t use a mo-torised zoom, preferring a Chrosziel FluidDrive, “and that enables me to easily carryout the zoom movements. The flexibility ofthe focal lengths is the ingenious and enor-mous advantage of these lenses, as all in-termediate sizes are made directly avail-able.“

Keeping calm and relaxed on the set issomething Michael Ballhaus learnt, amongother things from the 14 Fassbinder filmswhich he once shot in Germany. But he says:“The first nine days’ shooting AIR FORCEONE, in which we shot the Ramstein sceneand the film’s opening sequence, were themost exciting shots of my entire career. The

film begins with six parachutists landing ona building in Kasachstan at night. Theyoverpower the guards, get into the build-ing and capture the rebel general. Thatwas pretty dangerous. The roof was notvery big, and the building very high. Theparachutists were quite worried. And thenan hour before shooting started, the windturned and we had to re-position our fourcameras. But then the six of them floateddown onto the roof as in a picture book ora ballet, and nobody crashed. Perfect! Afterchecking the cameras Wolfgang asked ifwe should maybe shoot it again just to beon the safe side. The parachutists shooktheir heads in horror: they would never dosomething like that again, it was far toorisky.“Rolf Thissen

For technical fans, here is the data of theAir Force One, of which, incedentally,there are two:

Manufacturer: Boeing Airplane Co.Engines: 4 General Electric CF6-80C2B1 Jet enginesThrust: 25 515 kp per engineLength: 70.7 metresHeight: 19.3 metresWing span: 96 metresMax. Speed: 1 128 km/h (Mach 0.95)Max. Cruising Altitude: 41,000 feetMax. Weight: 374 850 kgRange: 15 360 kmCrew: 26 (total max. 102 passengers)Date of Commission:

No. 28000 – 23.8.1990, No. 29000 – 23.12.1991

Extras include: Presidential suite with TVand video system; two on-board kitchenscapable of preparing 100 meals; confer-ence room seating eight, with slide andfilm projectors and retractable maps; staffHQ seating three (can be modified into adoctor’s surgery in case of emergency);34 seats for security guards; resting areawith shower facilities for the crew; globaltelephone communications system capableof contacting submarines and the spaceshuttle; coding and decoding system forconfidential messages; two fax lines; pro-tection from electromagnetic radiation (sothat semi-conductors would not fail after anuclear explosion); autopilot for indepen-dent evasive actions in case of an air attack;in-flight refuelling.

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When George Lucas finished making hisfirst film STARWARS over 20 years ago, hepromised his viewers an outer space epicin many episodes. The first film in the fa-mous trilogy, however does not depict thebeginning of the entire story, so from thestart there was a possibility of expandingthe story in both directions. For some timenow, Lucasfilm has in fact been workingon new sequels to this outer space story,parallel to the modernised versions of theprevious films, which opened in cinemasa few months ago. The latest film is currentlyin production in London and Tunisia. En-titled THE BEGINNING, it describes thechildhood of Obi Wan and Darth Vader.

Early on, Lucasfilm began working withARRI Media in London: they supplied allthe film equipment. The ambitious pro-ject, its production and post-productionconcept in itself almost science fiction,soon had the ARRI headquarters involvedin turning it into reality. There is hardly ascene in the entire film where special ef-fects weren’t involved. In addition, Lucas-film uses practically no rushes, preferringto edit on video systems.

Data Capture SystemWorking in close collaboration, IndustrialLight and Magic and ARRI created anidea, which makes the integration of thecomputer-generated images (CGI) mucheasier: the Data Capture System. This pro-cess used to be extremely tricky. The posi-tion of the camera and the lens settingcould often not be exactly reproduced forthe computer-generated object. Variousreference points had to be placed in the

scene, measured and then retouched outof the final image. From the relation ofthese markings to each other in the indi-vidual images, an attempt was made tocalculate the camera position. This wasparticularly difficult in the case of dollyshots or simultaneous zooming.

The Data Capture System now captures alldata relevant to the image impression.For every single image the position of alllens rings, the tripod head and cameradata such as speed, shutter opening andtime code information are recorded. Allheads were specially equipped with in-ductive position indicators. The lensescontrolled by the LCS (Lens Control Sys-tem) and all settings recorded on a lap-top. Together, this data allows a much morerealistic portrayal on the CGI-computer:the focal impression of the lenses can betaken precisely into consideration, alongwith the camera image angle, changingdepth-of-field, etc..

Integrated Video-Assist SystemThe post-production is also built up onthe most modern and economic techno-logy. The ARRI IVS (Integrated Video-AssistSystem), which had been developed be-fore the Lucasfilm project came about, fitsinto this concept perfectly. For one thingit offers excellent image quality, even forhighly sensitive film with low light condi-tions. On many older video-assists, thevideo image would appear very dark, noisyand faded – unpleasant for editing. TheIVS also offers a range of other functionswhich enable a clear link between film andvideo.

S t a r w a r s

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The video images from the IVS are directlytransferred to the AVID editing system inorder to create a pre-edit even before thefilm itself is developed. This enables thefilm crew to decide with much greater ac-curacy if the take can be used, and if forexample the set can be torn down. Laterthe negative is developed and transfer-red. A video working print is created. Theimages which already exist on the AVIDfrom the IVS are then replaced with videoimages from the telecine to achieve bestpossible quality for editing.

All the IVS video images are transferreddirectly via satellite from the location tothe Skywalker Ranch near San Franciscowhere editing is done. The 8-hour timedifference between London and the USWest Coast has the advantage that edit-ing can be carried out while London issleeping. The next day the edited versionsare transferred back to England by satelliteto allow the production team to evaluatethe results of the last shots. Further edit-ing is then carried out on the AVID, rightup to the final version.

Lucasfilm is shooting in Europe but usingNTSC equipment. For a camera speed of24 fps it is necessary to show some videoimages twice in order to achieve a videofrequency of 29.97 full images per second.The IVS achieves this without the other-wise typical flicker in the image. Additionalvideo images are marked by the IVS witha white-line-flag to enable the additionalimages to subsequently be reliably identi-fied on the AVID and removed. A filmresolution of 24 fps is thereby achievedon the AVID.

The IVS also records the time-code that isdirectly exposed in the film camera. Thisallows each image to be clearly identified.In the telecine process this time-code isread and correlated to the edited videoimage.

The IVS inserter also supports the editorwith some comfortable functions: formatmarkings can be superimposed onto theimage. These are more easily visible in thevideo image than the ground glass mark-ings. The outer field around the actual im-age format can be darkened to emphasizethe relevant part of the image area, camerastatus can be displayed, etc. The editorcan thus evaluate the image more effi-ciently and immediately knows when thefilm camera was actually running.

These advantages were so popular at Lu-casfilm that they spontaneously expressedthe wish to use the IVS not just for theARRIFLEX 435, but also for the sync soundcamera 535 B. The IVS, initially intendedonly for the 435, was quickly adapted tothe 535 B as an interim measure. Due tothe design, this is not yet a solution for se-ries production, but it’s already a goodstart in that direction.

Production began at the end of June: inTunisia a real heat wave put the equip-ment to a hard test in August. Despite thedifficult conditions, the equipment workedso well that we can already look forwardto the film’s completion and release –probably in May 1999.K. Jacumet, K. Kehrer

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N F L F i l m s

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It’s the same procedure every weekend:wherever there’s an NFL game, there’s acrew jamming equipment into a van, rush-ing to an airport, flying out to film it. After-wards, they quickly pack up and return tothe airport, sometimes accompanied by apolice escort, complete with sirens andflashing lights to clear the way. The crewscrambles back to the NFL’s Mt. Laurelfacility with about 140,000 feet of film, tocatch a couple hours of sleep and then,first thing Monday morning, process andedit the weekend’s film.

NFL Films has been filming football gamesthis way for more than three decades. It allbegan back in 1962: Ed Sabol, a passionatehobby filmmaker filmed every football gamein which his son Steve played. In 1962 Sab-ol approached NFL Commissioner Pete Rozellewith a bid for $3,000 to film that year’s

championship game between the NewYork Giants and Green Bay Packers. PeteRozelle accepted the offer mainly becauseit doubled the highest bid from the previousyear. Ed’s filmmaking ability was unlikeanything the NFL had ever seen so he wascommissioned to film the next year’s entireseason, including the championship games.Ed set the groundwork and, by 1964, heconvinced the NFL to buy his company andstart a new enterprise, NFL Films.

Since then NFL Films, with Ed and son Steve,who assumed the presidency in 1986, hasgrown to a multimillion-dollar enterprisebased in New Jersey. An army fleet of em-ployees and dozens of cameramen workat Mt. Laurel premise, which occupies fiveacres, and houses an extraordinary 100,000-square-foot complex. NFL Films is one ofthe last Hollywood style studios, handling

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Steve AndrichJim Jorden

Bob Angelo

every aspect of film production such asfilm development, film to tape transfer, filmediting, generating of computer images,sound recording and screening. All thiscomes together under one roof to createa complete, state-of-the-art, full serviceproduction facility. Although football is stillthe mainstay focus of NFL Films they arealso involved in the production of musicvideos, commercials and TV movies.

During the football season there is a teamof editors on staff who prepare film reportsand highlights and distribute them directlyto the network channels 24 hours a day.All the ‘magic’ moments from games andthe technical artistry are preserved in 20.1million-plus feet of film that is stored in avault the size of a basketball court. For ar-chiving NFL football games nothing otherthan film would be acceptable.

Film has always been the chosen mediumfor Ed and Steve Sabol. The very foundationof NFL Films is formed by Sabol’s view:“Comparing film to video is like comparingwood to Formica. Wood has texture andsubstance. It has history. Formica is one-dimensional and shallow. It has no soul.“When everyone else was using videotape,Ed and Steve worked with film and theresults have, at times, been compared toworks of art.

“We’re storytellers,” says Sabol. “We’remyth makers. We film games the way Holly-wood portrays fiction. We’re not only record-ing history, we’re creating an image.“

“Image and capturing the drama of thosefleeting but memorable moments is whatit’s all about.” According to Steve Andrich,Vice President of Cinematography Division,“Working with ARRIFLEX cameras has add-ed a lot of creative freedom to what wewant to accomplish at NFL Films.”

Unlike other broadcast channels that reportthe course and results of a football game,NFL Films chose to take a different approachto documenting their football games. “Webring art into the production of a footballgame. We put the audience into the gameby using creative tools that seize the dra-ma and intensity of the sport. NFL Filmswas the first to work with slow motion andextreme close ups. The ARRIFLEX 16 SRcameras with their capability of running150 fps are perfect for all these special slowmotion effects. With the new generation16 SR3 cameras and their accessories suchas the RCU (Remote Control Unit) and theICU (Iris Control Unit) we can create excep-tionally good ramping effects. The ICU pro-vides automatic exposure control for anylens used with any ARRI camera while theRCU allows the operator almost instantversatility to ramp the camera from normalspeed to high speed or vice versa. For ex-ample, last season, we did a speed rampfrom 24 to 144 fps in combination with theICU, while Jerry Rice, Wide Receiver for theSan Francisco 49ers, was running a passpattern. The next day we received a callfrom an excited film editor who was work-ing on the sequence. He questioned as towhether the camera had a problem or ifsomething had gone wrong during the filmtransfer; the ramping was so seamless hecouldn’t tell that it was done intentionally.The fact that ARRIFLEX cameras can changespeeds from normal action to slow motionand simultaneously correct the aperture sothat the exposure index is perfect makesthe ARRIFLEX 16 SR3 camera an incrediblyvaluable tool in capturing the drama ofNFL football.“

“NFL Films still owns a large number of olderARRIFLEX 16 SR and SRII cameras, whichare gradually being replaced with the newer16 SR3s. The new 16 SR3 is better for usbecause it allows an easy switch over fromstandard to Super Format as well as includ-ing SMPTE time code. Because the newHDTV format is just around the corner, we’vebegun shooting more and more in Superformat. This switch-over can be done quicklyand easily because it requires no specialtools or alignments.“

“With the 16 SR3 we started using timecode more often. It’s the best way to speedup production and make post productionmore cost effective. We find that time code isan especially great tool when we work onmusic videos and we’re filming with mul-tiple cameras. We used time code on musicvideo productions such as the Gary Mooreconcert in London.”

“As you can see, our focus is no longersolely on football games. Our companydoes many other types of productions in-cluding TV shows, commercials, educationalfilms, and music videos. For many of theseprojects we rent ARRIFLEX 535B and 435cameras. We choose ARRI equipment be-cause the new generation cameras, in par-ticular, are all built with the same mechani-cal and electronic logic, making the switchbetween cameras very easy for the opera-tor. This way we also benefit from the inter-changeability of the system’s accessories.”

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On it’s tour, the fantastic world of the Cirquedu Soleil has already captivated 15 millionpeople. The current stage show ALEGRIA isnow the backdrop for a film of the samename. A sad and beautiful fairy tale at thesame time: Momo – a street-kid – feels him-self drawn to Frac, a street artist, havingsaved him from attempted suicide. Giuletta,daughter of Fleur, the director of the travel-ling circus, falls passionately in love withFrac. But her father Fleur tries everything toplace obstructions in the path of this love.Little Momo wants to help the two lovers.

Franco Dragone, who had already directedeight shows of the Cirque du Soleil, is nowdirecting his first feature film with ALEGRIA.For him and Canadian DoP Pierre Mignotthe major task is to adapt the atmosphericdensity of the circus show for the mediumof film. The film was shot with the ARRI-FLEX 535 parallel to the tour.

Available Light“The acrobats are of course also used tothe lighting of the stage show when doingtheir ‘stunts’“, explains DoP Pierre Mignot.“Now we have to use the necessary filmlighting very carefully. An almost frontal filllight is practically out of the question, be-cause we can’t blind the artists.“ For thisreason the viewfinder system of the 535 inparticular was very important to PierreMignot for the numerous available lightscenes: “Through the bright finder image Icould always evaluate everything precisely.That was exactly what we needed.“

Alegr ia

DoPPierre Mignot

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Artistic FilmingIn the dome of the Cirque du Soleil, acro-bats whirl through the air. For the viewer itall looks like child’s play, but these acts sapthe artists’ strength and demand the high-est concentration. “We have almost finishedfilming, and you think you completely knowthe artistic acts“, continues Pierre Mignot,“but you always hold your breath whenyou’re watching a trapeze artist, trying notto lose him from the viewfinder.“ While onecamera is firmly fixed to the ground below,some 50 feet higher up a second ARRIFLEX535 follows the movements from a Pegasuscrane. An artist flies close by the remote-controlled camera. The crane operator hasto move the arm out of the way in a flash.In the event of a slip-up, a camera at thisheight would present a considerable injuryrisk.

Fairy Tale AtmosphereWith his optical concept, Pierre Mignotcomplements Franco Dragone’s directing.He was able to create a lighting atmos-phere especially for the framework whichwould never have been possible for a nor-mal circus show, because to the technical

difficulties. Mignot: “ALEGRIA is a fairy tale.To achieve the special atmosphere I usesmoke for many takes. That is very atmos-pheric. I often intensified the smoke withPro Mist filters and colour effects gels tocreate even more spatial depth. One scenetakes place on a sprawling railway site forexample. It is night-time, and the premisesare covered with artificial ground mist. Thetravelling circus’s train is in front of theghostly ovens of an old limeworks. The im-mense backdrop is lit in strong, cold sidelight by 12 kW luminaires on cherry pick-ers. The wall of the turn-of-the-century brickbuildings in the background is broken bybizarre trees. As a contrast, I filled the scenebetween Frac and Guiletta with soft, warmlight, while the strong shadows of a groupof travelling circus artists appear threaten-ingly out of the background and get caughtin the ground mist.“

For ALEGRIA Pierre Mignot used almostexclusively Kodak Vision 5279 filmstock. Hesays: “I like this filmstock because it hasvery little grain and is unusually sharp. Wehad several night scenes with a spaciousbackground, for which you have more diffi-

more difficulty with 200 ASA film. In thesesituations the bright viewfinder image wasalso of course very helpful.“

The film ALEGRIA is expected to be relea-sed in Spring 1998.

Pierre Mignot:

The Canadian DoP Pierre Mignot began his careerin 1965 with the Canadian National Film Boardshooting documentary films. In the following yearshe shot ten films with Robert Altman includingREADY TO WEAR, BEYOND THERAPY and FOOL FOR

LOVE. In working with Altman in the eighties, hewas particularly influenced by Altman’s directing ofactors as well as the freedom which he allowedMignot in terms of perspectives and lighting atmos-phere. In recent times he has worked on severalfi lms with Roger Spottiswood (HIROSHIMA FOR

SHOWTIME). Mignot has to date received four GenieAwards and a further seven nominations.

Dirk Martin Heinzelmann / MM

ALEGRIAProduction:Lampo Di Vita Films, Montreal,Mainstream, Paris, Egmond, AmsterdamProducer:

Rudy Barichello, Stephane ReichelDirector:

Franco DragoneDoP:

Pierre MignotDistribution:

Overseas Filmgroup

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An interview

with DoP

Rodney Charters

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Valusia, the mystical land – the icy breathof Valka, which breaks the power of Aki-vasha, a 3000 year old sorceress – melo-dious names promising opulent images.KULL THE CONQUEROR, an exciting actionfantasy, was filmed on locations includingthe breath-taking backdrop of the medievalruins of Spis fortress in the Tatra moun-tains, in the ancient fortresses CervenyKamen and Devin near Bratislava, and inthe Koliba Studios. This was followed bythree weeks of shooting on the water offthe Croatian coast. KULL, played by KevinSorbo, star of the Universal Television’sHERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS, hasto survive several adventures: A one-timepirate and slave, he duels his way to thethrone of Valusia. Hailed by his country-men as a hero, KULL becomes the hatedtarget of corrupt noble relatives who im-mediately begin plotting his demise.Though he has fallen in love with the slavegirl Zareta (Karina Lombard), KULL is be-witched into marriage by the beautifulAkivasha (Tia Carrere – TRUE LIES, WAYNE’SWORLD), who he believes is 19 but is actual-ly a 3000-year-old sorceress who has beenresurrected by his enemies to murder himon their wedding night. Narrowly escaping

death, Kull is forced to embark on a peril-ous journey to find the only weapon pow-erful enough to destroy the forces of evil.Only by capturing the legendary Breath ofValka will Kull be able to reclaim his crownand secure the freedom of his people.

The concept sounds familiar – in 1981Raffaella de Laurentiis also producedCONAN THE BARBARIAN with which ArnoldSchwarzenegger started his career in film.This time she also uses tried and true in-gredients: the script is based on a novelby Ronald E. Howard, who also wroteCONAN. Charles Edward Pogue (PSYCHOIII, THE FLY) adapted the script. John Nicolel-la, probably best known for producingthe trend-setting television series Miami Vice,makes his feature directorial debut in KULLTHE CONQUEROR. Production designer wasBenjamin Fernandez (his film credits includeINDIANA JONES and THE LAST CRUSADE,1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE, TRUE RO-MANCE and Tony Scott’s new picture ENEMYOF THE STATE), and Academy Award ®-winner Kit West (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK,RETURN OF THE JEDI) was responsible forthe special effects. KULL THE CONQUERORwas shot on Super 35 with ARRIFLEX 535

Kull the Conqueror

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DoPRodney Charters

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and 435 cameras by DoP Rodney Charters,who received a Genie Award in 1997.After shooting was over we spoke with him:

Rodney Charters: We shot Super 35 whichis a very satisfying format. I was thrilled forall kinds of reasons. Visually it’s a verygood aspect ratio to work with. But it alsohelped us a lot on the stages, which werenot very big in terms of their ceiling height.There it really helped me to see quite largesets and not get into trouble with my backlights. Since we shot with Super-35, we werealso able to work with lower levels of light,using high speed Zeiss spherical lenses.

?: You wanted to achieve a very naturallook. Does this also mean that you did notuse effects in the camera, for instance likeramping?

Rodney Charters: Right. We were usingthe 535, which is a camera I love. I hadused the 535 on my feature SLEEPWALKERSwhich I did in 1991 in Los Angeles. It camefrom Clairmont and it was one of the firsttimes that anyone had really used it on astudio picture, so there was a lot of uncer-tainty about it and what it did. We wereshooting on the Sony lot at the same time

that Steven Spielberg was shooting HOOK,and my director Mick Garris had workedas story editor for Steven on AMAZINGSTORIES, a television series. Steven cameon a set visit one day and I showed him the535, particularly the ramping and the swingover viewfinder. In 1979, while doing a doc-umentary interview with Steven as he waspreparing 1941, he had been interested inthis same feature on my ARRI 16 SR. Lateron, he also used the 535 on SCHINDLER’SLIST, so I was kind of pleased that I had intro-duced it to him, he was intrigued by the 535system.On SLEEPWALKERS we did use ramping ex-tensively. It was a horror story about a wom-an who turns into a cat, a Catwoman. Aftera lot of testing we found out that the catswere perfect at 42 fps when they were run-ning. While working with them, we woulddo dialogue and then hit the ramp buttonso that they could release 100 cats to runthrough the frame. We did use the rampingquite a bit on that movie, but for KULL weused it only a few times when Akivasha wasflying in the flame, when she was beginningto change into a monster.Today much of this fantasy film work endsup being manipulated and compositedon computer and then passed back out to

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film. I was quite pleased, and so were thedigital house Metrolight, who were quitestringent about image steadiness. Digitaldemands such precision. But it workedout pretty well for us. With the 535 andthe 435 you get consistently good results.

?: Does the shooting of fairy-tales involvea special lighting atmosphere for you?

Rodney Charters: I have been somewhattypecast, associated with horror films sinceI started doing drama. I shot 70 hours ofa series called FRIDAY THE 13TH for Para-mount. That helped me to play with areasof the frame where there is a lot of darknessand some intrigue because you couldnever quite see what was going on there.What you learned was that scary thingsonly happen at night! It’s very difficult withbroad sunlight to suggest an element ofhorror.Even though this is a fantasy, I wanted togive it a sense of realism by lighting withflame. Since we were shooting with Super35 rather than anamorphic, we were ableto work with lower light levels. For example,we had a 70-foot flame coming out of thetop of a castle, so we naturally also usedthe flame as a lightsource. You have to feelthe raw energy and the texture of life 3000years ago. You have to be drawn into thisage, when men fought with steel blades

and axes in swampy, smoggy nights, onhorseback.This is our opening scene: We had to shoot400 soldiers on horseback at night and inBratislava. I had only two cherry-pickers60’ and Russian with an MSR 18kW on eachfor our back light. Again the 2.35:1 ratiohelped. Everything else was flame-inducedlighting: ARRI modified Dinos for us sothere were 12 dual lamps on separate cir-cuits which were then passed through anelectronic dimmer and put onto a flickercircuit. This would actually make the lightdance like firelight. We had two of thoseon this battlefield along with two 10ksbounced into two 12 x12 Gold lames andother 10ks in the background, lighting treesand little bits of the river and so on.

?: So it’s still a fairy-tale, but visually not sofar from reality…

Rodney Charters: I think that’s true.There’s a sequence where Kull sails north,to retrieve the breath of Valka. He ends upgoing into this digital construction on aplate shot of the coast, shot with the 435by 2nd Unit Director/DP Buzz FeitshansIV – and then a fissure in the rock opens up,where there is actually everlasting night,and wild winds and storms and so on. Sothe scene would go from bright sun on theAdriatic to overcast, miserable conditions

with a lot of wind, and then suddenly it’snight and there are snowflakes blowing.Illusion Arts did excellent digital mattes tohelp with this transformation.This was the biggest challenge for me inthe whole movie, to try to sell the feelingthat you had transgressed into this cause-way. It was very difficult shooting on theAdriatic, live at night on the ship, and thentransforming that into the studio where thesame scene continues and icebergs arefalling on them from above. We did someof that actually in the Adriatic, but then with1/2 a ship we continued it on the sound-stage with massive amounts of snow andwind and soap bubbles provided by KitWest and the special effects department. Ithink it worked pretty well, although asound-stage becomes pretty small if you puta large ship in it and flood it.Working at sea is also tremendously diffi-cult. The problem is that you never get allthree things you want: you never get thesun in the same position, because it arcs180° during the day. You have to face awayfrom the land, because you don’t want tosee it. And the third feature is the wind inthe sails – because it’s a sailing ship youwant to see the wind coming from behind.You never get all three of those things. Re-gretfully we also had to shoot whether itwas sunny or overcast due to tight sched-ules and budget.

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?: You used HMI lights as a fill?

Rodney Charters: Yes. There was reallynot much I could do with bounce light be-cause we were at sea, and our ship wastied to a barge. Eventually we untied theslave galley and ran it under its own powerso that we could see the whole boat be-hind. Then we had to run the 4 kW with a5 kW Honda generator and a flicker-freeballast. The lamp had a large Chimera softbox on it for diffusion. This was a boosterduring overcast conditions but once thesun came out I used it as a fill.I also used some diffusion, Pro-Mist, just totake the edge off the precision of the Zeisslenses. But during some very large battlescenes which start the film, I actually elec-ted not to use any filters at all because withall the flames I was just quite worriedabout the difficulty of controlling the filterkick-back within the optical set-up. Withthe very high over-exposure of the flamesat night, you tend to get this.

?: Was that the reason you had the mattebox modified at the ARRI Rental?

Rodney Charters: That’s right. In NorthAmerica Clairmont Camera, whom I gen-erally rent my ARRI gear from, had mademodifications of their matte boxes for justthis reason. They had been encouraged

to do this by cinematographers who werequite frustrated by the fact that with a3-stage box you could always take all theframes out and tilt one frame, but onlyachieve a small degree of tilt. Sometimesthat was enough, but people felt like: wellif we’re going to go in that direction, whydon’t we get a little more tilt out of it.

Thank you very much for the interview.

Rodney Charters:New Zealand-born Rodney Charters graduatedfrom the film school at the Royal College of Artin London. He began his professional career as adocumentary cameraman and shot such shows asDURRELL IN RUSSIA and WOMEN OF THE WORLD.Moving into television, Charters filmed all seventy-two installments of FRIDAY THE 13 TH, includingthe award-winning episode directed by DavidCronenberg. Other credits for Charters are thepopular Wes Craven’s NIGHTMARE CAFE, THE HAT

SQUAD, MANTIS, and Don Johnson’s latest televisionventure, NASH BRIDGES. The discerning eye of theCanadian-based cinematographer was also at workin PSYCHO IV, CAR 54, WHERE ARE YOU? and StephenKing’s SLEEPWALKERS.

ProducerRaffaella de LaurentiisWriterCharles Edward PogueCo-ProducerHester HargettExecutive ProducerJeff Franklin,Stephen Waterman, Beverlee DeanProduction DesignerBenjamin FernandezSpecial Effects SupervisorKit WestVisual Effects SupervisorRichard Malzahn

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C a s c a d e u r

DoPMarkus Fraunholz

“Despite the comparatively low budget offive million Marks, we want to set new stan-dards for action films with our project. Wedo not shy away from comparison with in-ternational products“, explains DoP MarkusFraunholz. Uwe Wilhelm (BANDITS) and UweKossmann adapted the script from HardyMartins’ original idea. It was possible toenlist actor Heiner Lauterbach (ROSSINI) forthe lead role, and the German TV stationPRO 7 signed up as co-producer and se-cured the television rights from the outset.

In order to get other potential financialbackers enthused about the project, a trailerwas produced before shooting began. Notonly the daring stunts, but also the impres-sive presentation in Super 35 was convincing.“When Hardy Martins first told me abouthis idea, I had just came home from workingon SCHLAFES BRUDER“, explains MarkusFraunholz. “This film was also shot on Super35 and I realised immediately that this for-mat was perfect for CASCADEUR. The ad-vantages were obvious: the imposing im-pression of the large cinema format, forwhich we could use the more compact andoptically far better standard lenses. Espe-cially on the action scenes, this meant thatwe were able to use a much more mobilecamera. The normal optics don’t distort likethe anamorphics, and they have a better

Is it lost without a hope or is it in a safehiding place, just waiting to be discovered?Is it just a myth or does it still exist? Expertscomb the world, sparing neither money norenergy in an attempt to find it: the legendaryamber chamber. In their first feature filmtogether, director Hardy Martins, producerJimmy C. Gerum and DoP Markus Fraunholzalso set about searching for the amberchamber. CASCADEUR was filmed with theARRIFLEX 535 and the Variable Primes inSuper 35.

The film’s idea takes after well-known rolemodels: the heroes, trying to find the leg-endary amber chamber, are followed by anorganisation and have to survive numerousadventures before the final showdown.“Of course Indiana Jones and James Bondfilms did influence us“, admits Hardy Martins,“but with our film we would like to show thatyou can also make good action films in Ger-many with spectacular stunts and lower bud-gets.“ Martins, himself for many years astuntman and stunt co-ordinator, played oneof the main roles in addition to directing.It doesn’t come as a surprise that the typi-cal shoot-outs and fight scenes have beenreplaced by polished, ‘choreographed’action elements of the highest technicallyachievable level. CASCADEUR does in factmean stuntman in French.

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depth-of-focus. Besides this, the selectionof lenses is far higher than for the heavieranamorphic lenses, which are not as fast,a further advantage if you consider the light-ing budget. For the cinema you can producea Cinemascope print and for television a1:1.85 or a 16:9 print.“

The film was made with focal lengths from10 to 600mm. Markus Fraunholz used theVariable Primes for approximately 70% ofthe film: “The VPs’ sharpness and resolutionare incomparable. I don’t know why I shouldchange each time from 16 to 18 when aslight turn on the lens ring is all I need. TheVPs save time, and I can pay more attentionto the creative possibilities. For example,on a dolly shot I start ‘close’ in to someone.If I then rise up and at the same time ‘open’the focal length slightly, it doesn’t look likezooming – the image simply expands, al-though in reality maybe there was just nomore space available to move back.“

An ARRIFLEX 535B was used as the A-camera, and the 435 as the second camera.“The 535B is a magnificent camera“, saysFraunholz, “and we decided on the 435because we really wanted slow motion andwere able to film with it at 100 or 150 frames.The camera’s image stability can’t be beaten,and besides that I really appreciate the 435’sviewfinder system. In our film there are manychase scenes, not only on the ground butalso in the air. When filming in tight aero-plane cabins, the pivoting finder was veryhelpful. On these shots I always had the435 on my shoulder. As the camera is verycomfortable and lightweight, this was no

problem at all. In any case we had discov-ered that the more freely the camera canmove, the more dynamic and better quick-cut action scenes will look.“

One of the most spectacular sequencesbegins right in Munich’s inner city with thetheft of a necklace which depicts the keyto the amber chamber. While the bad guytries to escape on a motorbike, lead actorHardy Martins follows him in a go-cart takenoff a trailer which happens to be passing.Both of them are followed in turn by a low-flying helicopter. Sensational, in the truesense of the word, since for the shoot the

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DoP Markus Fraunholzand his stabilizingconstruction

entire Munich Königsplatz was actuallycordoned off. Because of this there wereonly three hours in total available in frontof this exciting backdrop, and the productiondecided to shoot simultaneously with tencameras. Of course the enforced detour andthe helicopter flying just 10 metres abovethe ground attracted a lot of attention fromthe media.

Things continued with technical complexity,but not necessarily great expense, becausethe film will manage without digital effects –not always entirely by choice, as MarkusFraunholz admits: “For some sequences Idid think to myself, how will we manage thatwithout digital processing? But when finan-cial resources are too scarce, we just haveto replace them with creativity, manpowerand know-how. For us it was an interestingchallenge to still create complex images.“The breathless chase scene, which lasts morethan five minutes in the film, leads us firstlyright through an underground station, overthe main roads to a tunnel. In best ‘MissionImpossible’ style, the helicopter of coursefollows the two speeding adversaries intothe tunnel, until the pilot inevitably crashes.A ‘mission’ which the Munich productionmade ‘possible’ even without digital effects:they spontaneously decided to have an oldFord Transit converted so that it actuallyconsisted only of an extremely flat and low-lying platform. On this platform the helicop-ter could be driven through the tunnel,looking quite spectacular, but with absolutelyno danger. “We used the vehicle again laterfor a great tracking shot parallel to a startingAntonov“, explains Markus Fraunholz.

“For the film’s final showdown, which playson the open tailboard of a Russian Antonov,we mounted a Felix crane on the platformand drove next to the aeroplane – at 60 km/hour! It was certainly an experience to travelat that speed with a camera“, Markus Fraun-

holz grins, “the centre of gravity was in themiddle of the vehicle and so I never reallyfelt insecure. What I really had trouble withwas coming to grips the wind-force. An armfastened at an angle has to be very securelyheld at 60 km/hour. Cameras, lenses, light-ing, three different gripheads – all the equip-ment came from the ARRI rental parks. Wewere taken care of fantastically“, resumesFraunholz. “At the start I wanted to use theDuo-Jib-Arm for this shot. But on advicefrom the rental park I decided to use Movie-Tech’s new Felix crane. I think it’s very goodto be told about alternatives. Great sup-port.“

The finale of the Munich chase scene wasalso created with a lot of imagination andtechnical know-how: after the helicopterhas crashed in the tunnel, the hero on hisgo-cart continues following the motorbikerider. Both race up to an intersection justas a truck loaded with glass panes is crossingit. The motorbike collides directly with thetruck and explodes – the rider is hurledthrough the glass panes. The go-cart is justable to prevent a crash by driving right

through the explosion, underneath thetruck’s loading surface. Fraunholz: “To cap-ture the subjective perspective of the go-cart driver, I wanted to drive through theflames with the camera. That would ofcourse not be possible by normal means.Our special effects expert Christian Bierling,and camera assistant Daniel Lindlbauer –who had previously also worked in the ARRIrental park, came up with a fire-proof hous-ing for the 435 which was equipped withwheels for this shot and then raced throughthe flames. The crash housing is made oflaminated polyester matting and looks likea large crash helmet. The plastic materialallows remote control of the camera andfocusing by radio. Batteries and a watch-man can also be integrated. You can use iteverywhere where it would be too danger-ous for an unprotected camera.“

Another – considerably quieter – trackingshot was also spectacular and tricky: oneof the key scenes in the film, in which thehiding place of the amber chamber is shown.“We were filming in an old castle and wererestricted in terms of space“, reports Markus

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Fraunholz. “The idea was to start tightly overthe mosaic floor with a 10mm lens, and thendrive the camera upwards as close to theceiling as possible. Thus the mystery of theroom’s whereabouts is optically solved. Adolly shot with the camera would never havebeen able to go straight up, and would in-stead have travelled in an arc. With a wide-angle 10mm lens you have no further possi-bility to leave any equipment on the groundin the room. So I developed the idea ofhanging the camera in a holder on a steelcord and stabilising the whole setup withgyros – a simple but effective concept for anexciting visual impression.“

The film was shot on Kodak 5245, the new5246, 5293 and the highspeed Vision-Film5279. “My colour concept doesn’t allow forany exaggeration“, reports Markus Fraun-holz, “but certain colours do change slowly.The closer the amber chamber gets, themore I turn the lighting to gold tones – andmy choice of the filmstocks supports this.“

The production of CASCADEUR was com-pleted in October after 92 days’ shooting.Markus Fraunholz is sure that the fun hehad while filming will be communicated notonly to German audiences. “We made adream come true. It was a fascinating ex-perience. With this kind of vision you canmake great films, even as a newcomer.“MM/JT

Production: Cascadeur ProduktionDirector: Hardy MartinsProducer: Jimmy C. GerumDoP: Markus FraunholzOperator B-Kamera: Daniel LindlbauerScript: Uwe Wilhelm, Uwe KossmannLocations: Munich, Southern Germany, Venezuela

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Fan ta sy f o r a New Age

Siemens celebrates its birthdaywith a film

DoPVilmos Zsigmond

Siemens is celebrating its 150th anniver-sary. Reason enough to be pleased and tocelebrate. Over 2000 guests came to theICC in Berlin on 11th October. A thirty-minute film was produced for the birthdayparty. This film has nothing to do with anormal image film; it could compete withHollywood – Fantasy for a New Age.

For director Richard A. Caesar and theFrankfurt based Neue Sentimental Film thiswas a reason to get one of the best forthe crew. No less than Academy Award®-winner Vilmos Zsigmond stood behind thecamera – an ARRIFLEX 535B – for this film.

The story, which takes place in the found-ing year of Siemens (1847), in Cyberspace,and also in New York in the year 2005, wasnone too easy to create. Mark Gläser andhis crew from Neue Sentimental Film hadtheir hands full. They found the right loca-tion, excellent art directors and masterfulset builders and put together a crew whichwas able to set to work in May 1997 inMunich in the Zenith Hall which had beenconverted into a huge film studio.Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian by birth, hasmade a name for himself since the sixties

Vilmos Zsigmond, Hungarian by birth, hasmade a name for himself since the sixtieson films such as CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, THERIVER, THE DEER HUNTER and THE GHOSTAND THE DARKNESS. He set the story in awonderful lighting atmosphere and theright format: Super 35. Zsigmond used theVariable Primes for the film.

After filming Zsigmond wrote:“This year in May and June I was hired toshoot FANTASY FOR A NEW AGE in Munich,home of the Arriflex. It was quite naturalthat I would shoot this film with an Arriflexcamera and with the best lenses I could get.

I always like to work with zoom lenses, be-cause they make life easier for everyoneon the set. I found out about ARRI’s newVario-Primes, which are not consideredzoom lenses at all but variable prime lenses.I tested them and I decided that I woulduse them as my zoom lenses. I found theselenses very sharp and easy to work with.My primary concern was shooting in theSuper-35 format. We wanted an anamor-phic release, which required super sharpimages. These Vario-Primes proved to beincredibly sharp and didn´t have any dis-tortion. Many times I had to use diffusionon close ups (Tiffen Soft Effex No 1 and 2)to get a more pleasant, softer look of myleading lady.

I also decided to try out a new format fortheatrical release. Instead of composingon the traditional 2,35:1 format, I chose tophotograph a 2:1 format, shooting the nega-tive with normal (non-anamorphic) lensesperf to perf, using a bigger size negative,for a 2:1 anamorphic release with minimalletterboxing on the sides.

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Vilmos Zsigmondwith the ARRIFLEX 535Band the Variable Primes

Why go through the trouble with a newformat? Because I am tired of seeing myanamorphic compositions destroyed ontelevision. Also it doesn´t really look goodif it is letterboxed in Europe, because thepicture becomes very small on the TVscreens. For TV a 2:1 format is a good com-promise, considering that in a few yearsfrom now we are going to see HDTV 16:9format around, and in my opinion you couldeasily letterbox it on TV (you would haveonly 11.5 % black on top and on bottom –5.75 % each – which is negligible) or youcould easily blow out the sides of the imageand lose 5.75% of the image each sidemaking pan and scan not necessary at all.I can live with a 2:1 wide screen format, itis still much better than the present 1.86:1or 1.66:1 format.

I understand Vittorio Storaro also decidedto shoot on this 2:1 format for wide screen.I hope most cinematographers around theworld would accept this compromise forthe sake of better composed TV images.”Vilmos Zsigmond,November 17th 1997

After two weeks of shooting in Munich,the crew continued on to Prague, Icelandand New York. ARRI provided all the equip-ment and the lab service. And VilmosZsigmond, normally a Panavision fan, wasenthusiastic.

The film was finished off with three monthsof post-production at a total of seven workstations. Not even Jurassic Park 1 used asmany special effects.

Richard A. Caesar not only directed the film,but also wrote the script from a collabora-tive idea with Wolfgang Laengsfeld, Pro-fessor at the Film School in Munich. Theresult was a wonderful mixture of fictionand reality, which even manages to incor-porate the theme boy meets girl. FANTASYFOR A NEW AGE premiered on 11th Octoberat the birthday party in Berlin. Happy birth-day, Siemens!

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(l.to r.):Aldo Marchiori, Cartocci,Felice de Maria, DoP Enel,Umberto Olmeda, Lux,Nando Cartocci mit Frauund Sohn.

Above: Massimo LobefaroBelow: Dott. Alfred Rösli

ARRI ITALIAIn early October the Milan subsidiary ofARRI ITALIA moved into new premises onthe Viale Edison in Sesto San Giovanni: awelcome occasion to invite business part-ners and customers to the opening party.ARRI had opened its branch in Milan in1988, having founded a subsidiary in Romethree years before.

Italy has always been one of the classical filmnations. Italian film directors such as Felliniinspired entire generations of enthusiasticcineasts with their films. In the Cinecittàstudios, films such as CLEOPATRA or DOLCEVITA were made in the sixties. Today Ameri-can film productions are welcome clientshere and shoot with stars such as SylvesterStallone or Woody Allen. More than 80 fea-ture films are produced per year in Italyusing equipment worth 15 – 20 billion Lira.The majority of these productions areequipped with ARRI products.

Alfred Rösli, president of ARRI ITALIA, gavethe opening speech at the house-warmingparty. He emphasised the enormous growthof the Italian subsidiary. His particular thankswent of course to the customers, who madepossible the success of ARRI ITALIA throughcompanies Kodak and Osram, who had alsoparticipated in equipping the opening party.

During the evening the product was inten-tionally not in the foreground, but ratherthe meeting, the discussion and the ex-change of ideas of the more than 300 guests.The party gave many of those present theopportunity to relate their experiences and

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(l.to r.):Gianfranco Transunto,DoP Harald Buggenig, Cine CamerasLuciano und Aldo Vinciguerra,Arco Due

(l.to r.):Roberto PagliaraniDomenico StefanucciLuciano Dionisi, Ciak Italia

ARRI Milan,(l.to r.):Massimo Lobefaro,Antonio Cazzaniga,Rossella Landi,Marilena Donadio,Teo Zenobi,Stefania Doniselli,Fulvio Parnigoni

Above:Franco Borgiotti and

Tonino Delli Colli, DoP

Below (l.to r.):Bob Arnold,

Roberto Jarratt from PanalightHorst Bergmann, ARRI Munich

impressions of the past year in the film in-dustry. In all conversations about the presentand the future of the film industry, of course,there was room for a look to the past. DoPAdriano Bernacci told about buying his firstARRIFLEX camera for 800 000 Lire in 1953.He proudly added that he still had the in-voice.

The excellent Italian cuisine and a variedentertainment programme created a relaxedatmosphere. Among the guests were PinoPinori, Marcello Anconetani, Tonino DelliColli, Roberto Girometti, Adolfo and Ober-dan Troiani, Lamberto Caimi, employeesfrom Filmaster, Cartocci, Cinerent and MoviePeople, ARCO 2, Ciak Italia, Panalight, Asso-tecnica, Cinecameras, Iride, technicians fromRAI and Mediaset.

The number of visitors surpassed all ex-pectations. For Massimo Lobefaro, generalsales manager of ARRI ITALIA, and his team,this was certainly proof of continued confi-dence in their commitment in the past, andan incentive for the future.

During the evening Antonio Franco of theItalian trade magazine “Millecanali“ spokewith Massimo Lobefaro.

Antonio Franco: What was the actualreason for the move from the old to thenew premises?

Massimo Lobefaro: Our turnover hastripled over the years. The old premiseswere simply not big enough for today’s

needs. We also want to offer our customersa better product presentation and quickertechnical service. Our storage capacity hasnow also been nearly doubled. So we cande-liver orders more quickly.

Antonio Franco: Sometimes it seemsthat your market presence is more dedicatedto film and the rental parks than to tele-vision…

Massimo Lobefaro: This is only partiallytrue. In the last months for example weequipped three television studios, andjust in these last days we received an im-portant order from RAI. We also createstage lighting systems for television. Wecarry out these projects from the planningstage through to installation. I am sure thequality of our products is highly appreci-ated by the rental parks, but that is mainlybecause of the extraordinary robustnessof our products.

Antonio Franco: And your goals forthe future?

Massimo Lobefaro: We will placeparticular emphasis on consolidating andexpanding our position in the Italianmarketplace, but our most importantactivity will be to further build on the con-fidence of our customers through irre-proachable service.

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David Lent

FOX NEWScorrespondentBob Costantini

Once in a while, inventions come along thatcause us to think differently about whatwe’re doing, and change the way we dothings. My Top Ten List of favorite break-through inventions include the 3x5 card,Velcro, Bungee Cords, and the wireless mic.Recent experiences with the ARRI Pocket Parhas me adding its name to my list.

Along with my domestic news clients, Ishoot for several foreign television networkswith bureaus in Washington, including ARD(Germany), Grenada (Great Britain) and NHK(Japan). It’s important that their reporterslook as good as their American networkcolleagues, who are using HMI’s for almostall stand-ups in the field these days. So I’vebeen feeling some pressure, as an indepen-dent, to add an HMI to my gear package.

The trouble is, the style I’ve fashioned formyself in 25 years as a shooter requires thatI carry only the gear I need, in the smallest,most compact versions I can find. So whenI’ve looked at the available HMI line of prod-ucts, I see lights that are too small, too big,or too expensive. So I’ve waited…

ARRI has made a loaner available to me foran upcoming product review in Shooter’sWorld, the quarterly magazine I publish.After seeing a photo, I had to try it to see ifit performed as well as it looked. Would Ibe able to get a high-priced news anchor orWashington correspondent to look good withonly a Pocket Par and a reflector?

I’ve used the Pocket Par as a daylight keywith early afternoon sun as backlight, andthe reporter looked terrific. I’ve also em-ployed it as daylight fill, with the sun as keyand a reflector providing backlight, withequally good results. I shot five stand-upsin the midday sun with the Pocket Par forextra punch on the key side and the reflec-

tor as fill. Also, it makes a good backlightwhen keying with the morning or afternoonsun and filling with a reflector.

I’ve had a chance to use it to add pres-ence to plants and flowers for a localnursery commercial. My producer quicklybecame addicted to the look I was able toachieve with the Pocket Par. And those arejust its outdoor qualities.

If the Pocket Par were purely an HMI thatI kept in the trunk for reporter stand ups,I’d still like it. But it has more going for it.With an extra small Chimera it works beauti-fully as a daylight key for interviews insmall locations such as a kitchen. Includedin the package is a tungsten conversion fil-ter and a set of lenses and barndoors cleverlydesigned to snap on and pop off withouteven having to look. The lenses are color-coded. This is not a fragile piece of equip-ment. The Pocket Par is well-made, rugged,and easy to set up. Changing bulbs hasnever been so simple and straightforward.

Like my clients, I’m also becoming addictedto this small but formidable piece of equip-ment. In producing the Pocket Par, ARRI hasresponded brilliantly to the need of newsand documentary shooters for new outdoorlighting tools that are durable, lightweight,compact, and versatile.

About the AuthorDave Lent has worked as an independent shooterand producer for 25 years, and lives with his wifeSusan and daughter Nikole in Bethesda, MD. Davidis currently developing a series of non-fiction half-hour programs. He is the publisher of Shooter’sWorld,a quarterly trade magazine and, with Susan, ownsCreativeControls, a line of field production accessoriesfor shooters. David is the inventor of the SteadyBag.

On Locat ionThe ARRI Pocket Par

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The ARRI Junior, with an output of 150 Watt,is the newest baby in the compact luminairerange. Two new features have made work-ing with it even more enjoyable: First of allthe housing can now be opened at the rearmaking the exchange of the lamp consider-ably safer and easier. Secondly, the luminairecan also be optionally equipped with anin-line dimmer.

Despite its minimal size and light weight,the ultra compact luminaire offers all thecharacteristics of its larger brother. Thehousing is made of aluminium castings andextrusions, making it extremely robust.With the stirrup attached on one side only,the ARRI Junior can be pivoted 270° on its16mm tube. The popular safety devices suchas the labyrinthine construction, secondmounting grommet and the protective gridare of course also integrated into this unit.

A R R I J U N I O R 1 5 0

LMaximum Focal Light Weightaperture length diameter (3 m)

1.7 75 mm 2.00 m 1.4 kg

1.7 100 mm 1.50 m 1.4 kg

2.8 150 mm 1.00 m 1.5 kg

2.8 200 mm 0.75 m 1.5 kg

Technical Data

Dimensions (LxWxH): Housing, 150x80x115mmincl. stirrup,150x115x185mm

Weight: 0.8 kg

Lamp socket: GX 6.35

Fresnel lens: 50 mm

Barndoor slide: 78 mm

Filter slide: 78 mm

Power cable: approx. 3.5 m

Light output, 1m: Spot 3850 Lux, 12°Flood 1800 Lux 42°

Liqiuid LightObjects with restricted access or particu-larly small details are often difficult to lightwith normal luminaires. This has now beenmade simple with an attachment for theARRILUX 125, which allows flexible workusing liquid light-guide tube.

Illuminating EffectsGobos of striking quality can now be pro-jected with the ARRILUX 125. The goboprojectors were designed for size M (ø 66mm) and are simply attached to the front ofthe ARRILUX 125.

Four projectors are available:

With its compact dimensions and high lightoutput, the ARRI Junior 150 is ideally suitedfor location shooting or for the small studio.

The converging lens is mounted in front ofthe light, and the beam is guided to theoptics through a liquid-filled tube. Two tubelength are available. 1.5 m and 3 m. The lenshas a maximum aperture of 2.8 and a vari-able focal length of 30 - 50 mm. The totalweight of the liquid light guide system is 1 kg.

N e w A c c e s s o r i e s f o rt h e A R R I L U X 1 2 5

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ARRI Macro Lenses

ARRI-MACRO T 2,1 / 24 mm

Focal length 24 mmMaximum aperture T 2.1Number of elements 7Number of components 5Horizontal field angle 52° •

Image size 18 x 24 mmT-Stop scale 2.1-2.8-4-5.6-8-11-

16-22Spectral region visible spectrumLens mount PL-mountFilter mount front diameter: 80 mmRange ∞ – M 1:4Distance scale ∞ – 0.18 m (7“)Entrance pupil • 48.6 mm in front of

film plane, ∅ 12.0 mmExit pupil • 43.0 mm in front of

film plane, ∅ 21.4 mmLocation of principal planes • H 38.2 mm in front of

film planeH 24.8 mm in front offilm plane

Total length 83 mmWeight approx. 700 g

















The renowned ARRI macro lenses havebeen updated to round off the existing lensprogramme. Seven optics cover a focalrange from 16 to 200 mm.

Excellent image reproduction and high con-trast in the finest details characterize thisrange of lenses. Particular emphasis wasplaced avoiding play in the macro adjust-ment. The lenses, which were calculatedand corrected specifically for close-up work

offer, the highest image quality for thesespecific requirements. Colour rendition ofthe lenses is neutral and adjusted to uniformreproduction characteristics for the entirelens system.

Distance and diaphragm settings are cou-pled so that exposure remains constantregardless of the scale of reproduction. Thismeans that for macro shots no extensionfactors need be calculated.

27











Image size 18 x 24 mmT-Stop scale 3-4-5.6-8-11-16-22-

32-45-64Spectral region visible spectrumLens mount PL-mountFilter mount front diameter: 80 mmRange ∞ – M 1:1Distance scale ∞ – 0.20 m (8“)

compensation of imageerror in close-up rangeby two floating elements



ocal length 100 mmMaximum aperture T 3.0Number of elements 8Number of components 8Horizontal field angle 14° •

Image size 18 x 24 mmT-Stop scale 3-4-5.6-8-11-16-22-

32-45-64Spectral region visible spectrumLens mount PL-mountFilter mount front diameter: 80 mmRange ∞ – M 1:1Distance scale ∞ – 0.354 m (14“)





Image size 18 x 24 mmT-Stop scale 4.3-5.6-8-11-16-22-32Spectral region visible spectrumLens mount PL-mountFilter mount front diameter: 80 mmRange ∞ – M 1:1Distance scale ∞ – 0. 5 m (20“)



• Specifications refer

The specific characteristics at aglance

• High image quality.• Lenses calculated and corrected

specifically for close-up shots.• Coupled distance and diaphragm

setting.• Floating system on focal lengths 50 mm,

100 mm, 200 mm. The focus setting canbe varied continuously from ∞ to a macroshot with a scale of reproduction of 1:1.

• Common front diameter of 80 mm.• All optical elements multi-layer coated.

28

The new swing-away production matte boxMB 17B was developed for the lightweightsupport on ARRIFLEX 16 SR cameras. Withtwo different adapters the matte box canadditionally be used for bridge plates withØ 15 mm and Ø 19 mm support rods respec-tively. Its compact dimensions allow theMB17B to be used on both 16 mm and35mm cameras.

MB 17B – the new4“x 4“ Product ion Mat te Box

16 SR 3 Book and V ideo

Jon Fauer, author of the ARRI 35 and ARRISR books, has now written a book and athree-part video course on the ARRIFLEX16SR 3. The book and video can be pur-chased separately or as a set (in Englishonly).

The BookThe book gives a hands-on, detaileddescription of the ARRIFLEX 16SR 3 withmany tips and notes.

The Video SeriesIntroImpressive practical situations demonstratethe possibilities of the SR 3: in the studio,on location, in hand-held operation, withremote control, under water and in the air.Running time 8 minutes, VHS

Camera PrepCamera check and preparing the SR 3 forfilming. Different camera assistants showin detail: Preparation, setting up, testing,loading a magazine, cleaning, packing up.Running time 45 minutes, VHS

Camera Set UpFurther applications: Lens Control System,speed ramping, use with a laptop computer,Super 16, time code, post-production andmuch more.Running time 45 minutes, VHS

The lightweight carbon fibre clip-on lightshield is also new. During breaks or whentransporting the complete ready-to-runcamera, the light shield can be flippeddown directly in front of the matte box.The front element of the lens or filters arethen protected from rain, dust or me-chanical damage.

With a conversion set, the MB 17 can bemodified to the swing-away matte boxMB 17B.

29

A Select ion of Currently Serviced Product ions

ARRI Camera Rental M U N I C H

ARRI Media L O N D O N

Title Production Company Director DoP Equipment

EOWOLF European Pictures Production Graham Baker Christopher Falooma 535/535B/435

BIN ICH SCHÖN? Constantin Film Doris Dörrie Theo Bierkens 535/535B/435

FASZINATION NATUR 2 Film Production Gogol Lobmayr Gogol Lobmayr Gogol Lobmayr 435

FETTE WELT MTM Cine TV GmbH Jan Schütte Thomas Pienert 535/535B/435

FEUERREITER Provobis Nina Grosse Egon Werdin 535/435

FORSTHAUS FALKENAU NDF Klaus Grabowsky Alfred Tichawsky 16SR3

KREUZ & QUER / TV 60 Filmproduktion Bernd Fischerauer Bernd Neubauer 535BMORD UND TOTSCHLAG

DER LADEN Manufactum Joe Baier Gernot Roll 16SR3

L´HOMME EN TROP Paris New York Production Sigie Dai Guy Dufaux 535B

LONNY DER DUKATENSCHEISSER TV 60 Filmproduktion Tom Toelle Jo Heim 16SR3

SHOT THROUGH THE HEART Vailstar Ltd. David Attwood Gabor Szabo 535B/435/35III

WHEN TRUMPETS FADE TMA John Ervin Thomas Vurstyn BL4s/35III

Ti tle Production Company Director DoP Equipment

BROTHERS IN ARMS/ BBC TV Ian Knox Barry McCann 16SR3SILENT WITNESS

CLOSE RELATIONS BBC Michael Whyte Fred Tammes 16SR3

ELIZABETH 1ST Elizabeth Films Ltd Shekhar Kapur Remi Adefarasin 535B

PARTING SHOTS Michael Winner Ltd Michael Winner Ousami Rawi 535B

TITANIC TOWN Titanic Town Ltd Roger Michell John Daly 535B

TOM’S MIDNIGHT GARDEN Jade Inn Willard Carroll Gavin Finney 535B

WUTHERING HEIGHTS London Weekend TV Ltd David Skynner Peter Middleton 16SR3

MR. WHITE GOES Hat Trick Productions Guy Jenkin Peter Fearon 16SR3TO WESTMINSTER

THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES Zenith Productions Po Chih Leon Oliver Curtis 535B

LOCK, STOCK + TWO Ska Productions Ltd Guy Ritchie Tim Maurice-Jones 16SRIISMOKING BARRELS

ARRI Light ing Rental L O N D O N

Title Producer Director DoP

THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES David Lascelles Poh Chi Leong Oliver Curtis

CLOSE RELATIONS Kate Harwood Michael Whyte Fred Tammes

TOM´S MIDNIGHT GARDEN Charles Salmon Willard Carroll Gavin Finney

DANGEROUS OBSESSIONS Alan Latham Gerry Lively Adam Santelli

TITANIC TOWN Charles Pattinson Roger Michell John Daily

BEDROOMS AND HALLWAYS Dorothy Berwin Rose Troche Daf Hobson & Ashley Rowe

LOVE AND RAGE Christophe Meyer-Weil Cathal Black Slawomir Idziak

30

Tit le Production

CASCADEUR Cascadeur ProduktionVATER WIDER WILLEN K.F.A.S.ABLA Von VietinghoffDAS BABYJAHR Objektiv FilmTOM GERHARDT 2 Constantin FilmDAS EWIGE LIED FilmlineFEUERREITER ProvobisDICKE FREUNDE Olga FilmDER LADEN ManufactumKREUZ & QUER / MORD UND TOTSCHLAG TV 60 FilmproduktionLONNY DER DUKATENSCHEISSER TV 60 Filmproduktion

ARRI L ight ing Renta l M U N I C H

ARRI Dig i ta l F i lm Title Production Director Service

WIDOWS Hager Moss Sherry Hormann Anfangstitel

DAS MERKWÜRDIGE VERHALTEN SAM Film Mark Rosemund 3D Animation, DigitalGESCHLECHTSREIFER Composite CineonGROSSTÄDTER ZUR PAARUNGSZEIT

WINNETOU I & II Regina Ziegler Film Marijan Vajda 3D Animation (Explosion),Digital Composite Cineon

MEMOIREN EINES KILLERS Studio Hamburg Thomas Jauch 3D Animation, DigitalComposite Henry

DER OPERNBALL Constantin Film Urs Egger Digitale Filmretusche Cineon,Digital Composite Henry

MARLBORO ABENTEUER Agentur M.Conrad & L. Burnett Markus Hoffmann Digital Composite CineonTEAM ‘97/’98

ICEPLANET Velvet H5B5 Matthias Zentner 3D Animation, DigitalComposite Cineon/Flame

POWER FOR GENERATIONS Next Step Josef Kluger 3D Animation, DigitalComposite Cineon/Flame/Henry

C S C N E W Y O R K

Otto Nemenz H O L L Y W O O D

Iceplanet

Tit le Production Company DoP Equipment

CHINESE COFFEE Java Productions Frank Prinzi 535BGLORIA Gloria Productions David Watkin 535BHE GOT GAME Swishin’ and Dishin’ Malik Sayeed 535BLESSER PROPHETS Prophetable Pictures Fred Schuler 535BVIRUS Sea Star David Eggby 535B/435NY UNDERCOVER TV Universal Scott Williams 16SR3 Tit le Production Company DoP Equipment

Tit le Production Company DoP Equipment

HOME ALONE 3 20th Century Fox Julio Macat 535DEEP IMPACT Paramount (Dreamworks) Dietrich Lohmann 535B/435KUNDUN Buena Vista Roger Deakins 535B/435SPHERE Warner Broth. Adam Greenberg 535B

31

Fea tu r e F i lms and Se r i e sTitle Production

23 Claussen und Wöbke2 MÄNNER 2 FRAUEN Olga FilmBALLERMANN ConstantinBIN ICH SCHÖN? ConstantinBLUMEN AUS STEIN NDFBUBI SCHOLZ STORY MTM CineteveCAMPUS ConstantinCASCADEUR Cascadeur ProduktionDAS EWIGE LIED Film-LineDAS MERKWÜRDIGE VERHALTEN SAM FilmGESCHLECHTSREIFER GROSSTÄDTERZUR PAARUNGSZEITDER CLOWN II Action ConceptDER KLEINE DACHSCHADEN TV-60DIE DIEBIN Q+Q MedienDON’T X-FilmeEINE UNGEHORSAME FRAU FilmpoolFRAUEN LÜGEN NICHT Cobra FilmGEFANGENE DER LIEBE Arbor TVGIFT + GALLE Tele-MünchenJETS Frankfurter FilmproduktionKRAMBAMBULI AlmaroMEMOIREN EINES KILLERS Studio HamburgMÜNCHEN RUFT Sonne, Mond und SterneKREUZ UND QUER / TV 60MORD UND TOTSCHLAGMYSTERY OF NATURE Gogol LobmayrNACHTS AvistaOPERNBALL ConstantinTHALIA Daniel Zuta FilmWEIHNACHTSFIEBER Hofmann & VogesWHEN THE LIGHT COMES Added FilmsWINTERSCHLÄFER X-Filme

TV-Commer c i a l sClient Production

ICOM Hager MossMEDIA MARKT Picture PlanetSATURN HANSA Picture PlanetSIEMENS GAP German Answer Prod.VELTINS RKP Roman Kuhn Filmprod.SCHWÄBISCH HALL RKP Roman Kuhn Filmprod.DEUTSCHE POST AG Embassy of DreamsTOYS ‚R‘ US REM Rapid Eye MovementPRO 7 E&P CommercialWMF E&P CommercialSÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG REM Rapid Eye MovementMEDIA MARKT InputPARFÜM CHOPARD ShortcutPSYGNOSIS SOFTWARE Numondo ChilliPREUSSEN ELEKTRA GAP German Answer Prod.THOMY HFFFIRE & ICE SPOT Bogner FilmHARIBO T2 FilmMOBILCOM BE-FREE Novotny & NovotnyMcDONALDS E&P CommercialPREMIERE RKP Roman Kuhn Filmprod.QUIX Picture PlanetFTI GAP German Answer Prod.

ARRI TV

Siemens

Mediamarkt

Mobilcom

Mobilcom

32

ARRI Sound

When the light comes

Sound Post Productionat ARRI Sound Studios

➔ Under the direction of Urs Egger (DIEHALBSTARKEN), Heiner Lauterbach, FrankaPotente and Gudrun Landgrebe star inOPERNBALL. Production: Constantin Film/Satel Produktion.A small excerpt from the contents: Thefamous television journalist Kurt Frazertakes on the job of covering the Viennaopera ball for the private TV channel ETV.During the European-wide broadcast, theunimaginable occurs: people, includingKurt’s son Fred, collapse and die in frontof the camera, victims of a terrorist poison-gas assult. Kurt, haunted by feelings ofguilt and self-accusation, is asked by hisboss at ETV to create a documentary ofthe event. Thus Kurt is pulled ever deeperinto the case …Hans Funck is currently doing the editing atARRI. Magda Habernickel and Annette Prey(Soundabout) are adding the sound, JörnPoetzl is recording the foleys and MonikaGussner is responsible for dialogue andfoley editing.This production, very demanding in termsof image and sound, will be mixed this De-cember in Studio A, after WHEN THE LIGHTCOMES, by Max Rammler-Rogall.

➔ WIDOWS, a Hager-Moss production, hasjust been completed and opens in the cine-mas in January. Directed by Sherry Horman(FRAUEN SIND WAS WUNDERBARES), it starsOrnella Muti, Katja Flint, Eva Mattes, UweOchsenknecht, Martin Benrath and manyothers.Kit Hopkins wrote the script for this “blackcomedy about women’s darkest and mostsecret dreams“ (original quote by SherryHorman). Christel Suckow did the editing(recently seen on TV with SKORPION). MarcelSpisak and Alex Saal added the sound,foleys Mel Kutbay, foley editing Evi Clau-dius and Annette Prey, sound mixing MaxRammler-Rogall.

Peter Wolf wrote the film music, supplyinga great score that at times feature a fullorchestra. In order to avoid losses in quality,the music mixed on several tracks wastransferred directly from the 32-track digi-tal tape via special interfaces into the Pro-tools. It is clearly noticeable that the stringsare far finer and without coarseness, thebasses sound cleaner than if they had gonethrough – possibly several times – the tor-ture of the DA-AD converter. It is alwaysstrange that all care often disappears whensupposedly loss-free digital prints are be-ing used. It was amazing for all concernedhow the soundtrack was audibly improvedthough the process.

➔ WHEN THE LIGHT COMES is mainly set inSpitzbergen, where it is pretty dark andterribly windy. In the Dutch/French/Germanco-production, Francesca van Thielen asEllen and Joachim Krol as Lars shiver underthe direction of Stijn Coninx. The shots inthe broad snowy landscape are impressive,and the story about the idealistic city girlEllen and the cranky trapper Lars is mov-ing and funny.The editing is still in progress on the Avidin Amsterdam. Marcel Spisak is co-ordi-nating the entire sound post-productionat ARRI and is responsible for the sounddesign. Alex ‘Rumble’ Saal is creating thesound effects on the Protools, foleys are be-ing recorded in Studio B with Hans Kramski.Also in the sound crew are Magda Haber-nickel – original sound, Steffie Geißler –dialogue and foley editing. After finishingthe original English-language version in 6-track Dolby SRD, the German version will bemade, and dubbed by Lingua-Film for TV-60.Max Rammler-Rogall recorded pre-mixingpartially on the Sony-Dash. That saves aconsiderable amount of material costs andmakes it possible, for example to createeffects pre-mixing in the desired tonal bal-

Opernball When the light comes

33

ance and spatial positioning while leavingthem physically separate on more tracksthan with perf.

➔ CASCADEUR, a German production, seemsset to become the ultimate stunt and actionfilm. Enriched with humorous moments, itrelates the adventurous search for the leg-endary amber chamber. Hardy Martinsdirects it and also manages the trick of play-ing the smart hero Vincent, and as a trainedstuntman he also performs the dangerousstunts. At his side is the extremely expres-sive Regula Grauwiller in the role of Christin,and Heiner Lauterbach can’t be beaten asthe villain ‘Oberst’.What looks great on the screen also needsgreat sound to match. The crew consistsof Magda Habernickel, Marcel Spisak andAndre Alves. Joe Fürst and Andi Schneiderwill be in Studio B for three weeks startingin December just working on the foleys.Music is by the newcomer Philipp Kölmelwho delivered promising layouts for thetest mixes.Uwe Klimmeck is working on the Avid atARRI and doing final editing until earlyDecember following the last days’ shootingin Venezuela.A small but exciting test for our sound crewwas the projection of a trailer at the Open-Air-Cinema on the Königsplatz. The sound-mix, only just mastered on the DAT wasstarted in sync with the still ‘wet’ 35 mm print.The trailer shows among other things a chasescene between a go-cart and a helicop-ter on the Königsplatz. Image and soundwere super, also of course because of thelink between the location on the screenand the real scene. For the crew and quiteobviously also for the audience a greatshow. A further trailer of the newly filmedimages in Venezuela was shown at the filmdays in Hof. A larger report on the indi-vidual steps in sound and mixing will follow.

➔ MEN IN BLACK was the chartbreaker ofthe year and in terms of sync processingalso one of our highlights. Pierre PetersArnolds dubbed this science fiction comedywith Ronald Nitschke as Tommy Lee Jonesand Jan Odle as Will Smith.MEN IN BLACK, these guys really have atricky job: the earth is teeming with aliensdisguised as people. A group of superagents – the men in black – have the taskof getting rid of them.Sound-wise there was a lot of action in thisfilm too, and so mixing the German versionwas a challenging job for Klaus Wendt. Forthe first time in Germany a film was mixedat the ARRI-SOUND Studios in all threecurrently available digital sound formats:SDDS, DTS and Dolby-SRD.

➔ DAS EWIGE LIED by Franz Xaver Bognerwill be mixed by Tschangis Chahrokh fromlate October in Studio C. The main rolesare played by Tobias Moretti and Jörg Hube.Film editing Susanne Hartmann, sounddesign Hans Weiß, sync editing MonikaGußner.A particular characteristic of this soundproduction is certainly that a lot was sub-sequently dubbed (approx. 800 takes), withthe result that creating an original sound-track through a combination of originalsound and dubbed dialogue is very com-plicated. Producer is Film-Line Arno Ort-meier. Sound format TV-Stereo.

PERSONNELWe can expect a considerable boost forthe area of post-production sound fromConny Freund who was previously takingcare of feature film and series projects.She will now take over co-ordination be-tween customers, editors and sound mixersin all questions on sound processing.

TECHNICAL NEWSAn important technical improvement forour Studio A is the installation of a newlink-up system. The system from ColinBroad which is also installed at Twicken-ham/London and some other studios, willin future integrate the main fuctions of allreproduction and recording machines andall image carriers. Thus all bi-phase linkedperf runners, all Sony-9 pin logged ma-chines such as the Sony-Dash, DA-88, filmprojectors and VTRs can be linked andcontrolled in a master remote with all maindrive functions, locate-function, track-select,autopunch, loop, scrub etc.This finally allows use of the Sony-Dash fornormal mixing and not only for special pro-ductions such as the previously mentionedKarajan processing, as until now the link-up times were unacceptable. In Studio Ait is now also possible to master directlyonto Digi-Beta. Use of linked DAT and DA-88 has also been made a lot more comfort-able.Studio B is finally receiving a long-need-ed face-lifting, and ‘by the way’ a Sound-craft-Delta-console, although considerablyimproved through small audio toys such asFocusrite pre-amps and compressors – allgreat!The Harrison series 12 console in Studio Cis getting 8 additional tracks and will thenbe even better equipped for the future forlarge TV productions.An additional Protools suite and a studioespecially for commercials is currently inthe planning stage. Further details in thenext ‘NEWS’.

Max Rammler-Rogall

Men in Black

34

SAT IS 97 The Paris Tradeshow

Above: Expo personnel from TECHNI-CINE-PHOT:Jean-Louis Deriaz, Philippe Deriaz, Heide-Evi Jacob(ARRI Munich), Yves Clanet, and Bernard Thuault.Below: Jean-Yves Boisson and Francois Bel fromles cinéastes animaliers associés. At the ARRI GB/Eclalux stand

In October, the SATIS exhibition was heldin Paris for the 15th time. Originally a tradefair for film only, it has developed into themost important exhibition for professionalaudio-visual products in France. At the lastSATIS, over 25,000 visitors found out aboutthe latest trends and products.

TECHNI-CINE-PHOT, the exclusive agentfor ARRI cameras in France, presentedtheir range at one of the largest stands atthe exhibition. There was particular interestin the new Integrated Video-System IVS,the Shift and Tilt Bellows System and theVariable Primes and of course in the ARRI-FLEX 535 B, 435 ES and 16SR 3.

Activity in the French feature film industrywas extraordinarily high this year. LESVISITEURS II was able to secure one of thelargest budgets for 1997 and was filmedon ARRIFLEX cameras, just as Part I hadbeen. In this economical context SATISoffered the opportunity for a lively exchangeof ideas which film schools (FEMIS, LOUISLUMIERE), rental houses, freelancers andfilm technicians all took advantage ofwith great enthusiasm.

ARRI GB also presented its current lumi-naire programme at SATIS together withits new agent Eclalux. Eclalux will in futurebe the direct contact for all sales and ser-vice questions in the French lighting market.

During the exhibition, ARRI demonstratedthe Pocket Par luminaire for the first time inFrance. Due to its special accessories such asgobo projector and light guide it attractedmuch interest. Further new products ondisplay were the ARRI X 40/25, Junior150, T-12 and T-24 plus as well as theMinisun 21/50.

During the exhibition over 350 customersfrom North Africa, England, Belgium andGermany received information from ARRI/Eclalux and had the opportunity for an in-depth discussion.

35

Dietrich Lohmann

Camera Workshopin Kuala Lumpur

Golden Lion for Takeshi Kitano

Dietrich Lohmann died on 13.11.1997 atjust 54 years of age. As a representative ofthe ‘new German Film’, he worked withdirectors such as Fassbinder, Schlöndorff,van Ackeren and Sinkel. Later his namecould be found in the credits of variousEuropean productions.

I met Dietrich Lohmann shortly before pro-duction started for the TV series WAR ANDREMEMBRANCE, which marked his break-through into the American market. Duringshooting he met Branko Lustig, who offeredhim the DoP’s job on THE PEACEMAKER, thefirst feature film project by Dreamworks(Spielberg, Geffen & Katzenberg).

I am proud that he chose me to work withhim on many films. He was far more than justmy boss, my teacher, my friend. He wasalways a patient listener, and he enjoyedexplaining his subtle lighting dramaturgy.With Dietrich Lohmann we have lost not justa great personality in international film, butalso a wonderful person. My sincerest sym-pathy goes above all to his longtime com-panion, Babette.

Robert WiesmannARRI Camera Rental Department Manager

The Japanese DoP Takeshi Kitano wasawarded the Golden Lion at the VeniceFilm Festival for his film HANA-BI. This wasthe seventh film by Takeshi Kitano, one ofthe most well-known Japanese camera-men. The jury praised in particular his un-mistakable and innovative style. HANA-BIwas filmed with an ARRIFLEX BL 4s suppliedby the Rental Department of ARRI’s agent inTokyo, NAC.

A year ago, Cine Equipment PTE Ltd. inSingapore established a branch in Malay-sia. Now the nation’s film-makers had theopportunity to check out the latest ARRI-FLEX cameras for two days. ARRI productmanager Günter Zoeh demonstrated theARRIFLEX 435 as well as the complete535 camera system. The comprehensiveaccessories and the resulting creativeopportunities met with particular interest.

36

Key Contacts

Support CameraGünter ZoehD-089-3809-1209

Camera Rental,MunichRobert WiesmannD-089-3809-1325

Lighting Rental,MunichHubertus Prinzvon HohenzollernD-089-3809-1345

ARRI TVFranz KrausD-089-3809-1512

ARRI DigitalfilmAngela ReedwischD-089-3809-1574

ARRI Lighting RentalTim RossGB-0181-561 6700

ARRIFLEX CorporationFranz WieserUSA-0914-353 1400

CSC Camera ServiceCenterNeil BahnemannUSA-0212-757 0906

ARRI CanadaPenny WatierCDN-0416-255 3335

ARRI ItaliaMassimo LobefaroI-02-26 22 71 75

ARRI SoundMax Rammler-RogallD-089-3809-1628

LaboratoryJosef ReidingerD-089-3809-1339

ARRI contrast GmbH,BerlinLaboratory, Sound,VideopostproductionPeter PetersenD-030-3 000 91-11

ARRI GB LtdNick ShapleyGB-0181-848 8881ARRI MediaGB-0181-573 2255

Published by: Arnold & Richter Cine Technik, Türkenstr. 89, D-80799 MünchenEditor, editorial office, text: Editor J. Thieser, Marita MüllerWith additional text by: Rolf Thissen, Dirk Martin Heinzelmann, David Lent,K. Jacumet, K. Kehrer, Max Rammler-RogallArtwork: Heilig, Schmid, Beisenherz / MünchenPrinted by: rapp-druck GmbH, FlintsbachLitho: EDTZ, Ottobrunn

Technical data are subject to change without notice

http://www.arri.com

Arnold & Richter Cine Technik, Türkenstraße 89, D-80799 MunichPhone D-089-3809-0, Fax D-089-3809-1791

Expo Calendar 1998

Below are the most important exhibitions where you can find outabout ARRI products and services:

13 – 16 March 1998 S.I.P.I. Paris

06 – 09 April 1998 NAB Las Vegas

20 – 22 May 1998 SMPTE Tokyo

12 – 14 June 1998 ShowBiz Expo West Los Angeles

19 – 21 September 1998 cinec Munich

11 – 13 November 1998 InterBee Tokyo

13 – 15 November 1998 LDI Phoenix

arri news magazine ibc issue 1997

Documents