Jon Fauer, ASC www.fdtimes.

com Apr 2015 Double Issue 68-69

Art, Technique, and Technology in Motion Picture Production Worldwide

NAB 2015
Otto & Denny ARRI Alexa Mini
AJA CION Canon C300 Mk II
Codex Recorders, Vault, Review Leica M PL Mount
Servicevision 45 Crane ARRI Alexa SXT
Odyssey7Q+ DaVinci for DPs
ARRI Skypanels, L10 Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve & Fusion
Band Pro FS7 Short Canon XC-10, 5DS, 11-24 Zoom
Panavision & Light Iron Tiffen Dfx OFX Plug-In
AbelCine VariBob Preston Light Ranger 2
IB/E Canon Lens Conversion Kit Shooting Lens Grid Charts
Mole, NILA, Litepanels, Ianiro LED Lights New Cooke Anamorphics
Panavision & Light Iron Master Anamorphic Flare Sets
Scorpio 45' Crane ARRI Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom
Exodus Leica and Tiffen Sci-Tech Awards
Kingsman Panasonic VariCam 35 & V-RAW
The Second Best Marigold Hotel Sony F55 Shoulder Dock
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) New Fujinon Zooms

Art, Technique and Technology
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ARRI Renderings: Johannes Polta
2015 Film and Digital Times, Inc. by Jon Fauer
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FDTimes 68-69 Contents
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of the Unblinking Eye)............................................3
Birdman: Or (Interview with Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC)....................................... 4-6
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of 18mm)......................................................... 7-8
ARRI Alexa Mini..........................................................................................................9
Canon C300 Mk II............................................................................................... 10-11
Stephan Schenk on Alexa Mini, SXT, 65, Amira.................................................... 12-13
Michael Jonas on Alexa Mini, ARRI Alexa Mini, Codex and Alexa Mini..................... 14-17
Leica M PL Mount.....................................................................................................18
Still Moving Pictures by Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC.............................................19
ARRI Alexa SXT, Marc Shipman-Mueller on Alexa SXT, Codex on Alexa SXT........... 20-23
Canon 50 MP Sensor 5DS and 5DS R, Canon XC-10 (4K, 10:1 zoom, 1).............. 24-25
Dariusz Wolski, ASC on Exodus............................................................................ 26-27
Exodus on DaVinci at CO3.........................................................................................28
George Richmond on Kingsman, Rob Pizzey on Kingsman on DaVinci Resolve........ 29-31
John Paul Docherty on Kingsman on Fusion......................................................... 32-34
Shooting Lens Grid Charts.........................................................................................35
Cooke Anamorphic Primes...and now Zooms..............................................................36
ZEISS: 125 Years of Camera Lenses..........................................................................37
ARRI Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom 19-36 / T4.2, Master Anamorphic Flare Sets.........38
Canon 11-24 Rectilinear Wide Zoom..........................................................................40
Angnieux Anamorphic Zooms...................................................................................41
Tiffen Digital Filters for Resolve..................................................................................42
Otto and Denny get ASC Award.................................................................................43
Leica Sci-Tech Award, Interview with Leica's Andreas Kaufmann........................... 44-45
Tiffen Sci-Tech Award, Interview with Steven Tiffen............................................... 46-47
Panasonic VariCam 35 w Codex V-RAW Recorder.......................................................48
Panasonic VariCam Updates, Panasonic Hollywood Lab......................................... 49-50
AbelCine Accessories for VariCam 35.........................................................................51
Ben Smithard, BSC on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel............................... 52-54
Band Pro FS7 Crew at Coppola Winery.......................................................................55
Preston Light Ranger 2: Auto/Manual Focus......................................................... 56-57
DaVinci for DPs................................................................................................... 58-59
Codex Vault Platform, Codex Review Live............................................................. 60-61
Odyssey7Q+ The Journey Continues..........................................................................62
Panavision and Light Iron, Kim Snyder and Michael Cioni...................................... 63-65
Sony Shoulder Dock for F55/F5.................................................................................66
Chrosziel MB 565 Cine.1 Mattebox............................................................................67
Lentequip SafeTap, 16x9inc PL to E Mount, ..............................................................68
Excalibur, Crane Orca Bags, Easyrig & Flowcine Puppeteer.........................................69
Servicevision Scorpio 45 Crane, Scorpiolens Anamorphics.........................................70
Anton/Bauer, Litepanels Astra 1x1.............................................................................71
FUJINON 4K UHD 2/3" Zooms...................................................................................72
Sony HDC-4K...........................................................................................................73
Matthews Vator.........................................................................................................73
JVC GY-LS300 4K Camcorder...................................................................................74
Gecko-Cam IMS Mounts test Cameras with OLPF.......................................................75
Canon Lens Conversion Kit from IB/E Optics...............................................................76
DENZ 50-1000 Support, Directors Finder, King Peter, 90 Bracket..............................77
ARRI Lens Motors and WCU-4, Studio Matte Box SMB-2.............................................78
cmotion....................................................................................................................79
Vocas Accessories....................................................................................................80
Cartoni Tracker.........................................................................................................80
Wooden Camera in Burbank......................................................................................81
ARRI Accessories for VariCam 35, C300 Mk II, Sony FS7 ..................................... 82-83
Ianiro LEDHeads...LED Redheads...............................................................................83
ARRI L10 Focusing Fresnel LED, ARRI SkyPanels .......................................................84
New LEDs from Mole.................................................................................................86
Lee LED Filters.........................................................................................................86
ikan lights.................................................................................................................87
NILA ARINA..............................................................................................................87
AJA CION Update......................................................................................................88
loumasystems..........................................................................................................89
Sprayoff Rain Deflectors............................................................................................89
Transvideo StarliteHD-a, Gates Alexa Mini UW Housing, Sekonic C-700.......................90
EMIT at Micro Salon..................................................................................................91
RVZ at Micro Salon...................................................................................................91
ActionProducts Runner..............................................................................................92
Schneider Optics, EasyFocus EZ2..............................................................................92
Cover: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Emmanuel Lubezki, Alejandro Gonzlez
Irritu on Birdman. Photos by Alison Rosa 2014 Twentieth Century Fox.
Leica Summilux-C 18mm, CineTape, Preston FIZ, ARRI Alexa M.
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of the Unblinking Eye)
Photo: Darren Decker A.M.P.A.S.
The phone rang minutes before these pages went to press. Mr.
Starr on the line. Maury Starr, latest tycoon, studio chieftain
(name changed to protect the guilty) calls often to troll for news.
He fulminated, Whaddaya know about NAB?
96 pages. You can read FDTimes NAB issue on April 13, I said.
Whaddaya kiddin? I need your two-minute coverage right now.
Half of it is NDA, secret, not to be divulged until opening day.
You could hear teeth grinding as he puffed and chewed on his
Cohiba. Heres the thing. Birdman won 4 Oscars. In 2008, Slumdog
Millionaire won 8. There's gotta be a pattern, and my ticket to the
next awards.
Maury is an award-watcher. Patterns perceived often become
ingredients for his next film. This time, he was at a loss what these
patterns might be. I promised to do a little divination, and sent
him the following:
Birdman captured the imagination and votes of Academy
members with its audacity, acting ensemble, and above all,
style. Not style as in fashion. Style as in look, the way it was
done. Although seemingly a single take, it was was divided into
manageable takes joined with seamless transitions. At the ASC
Awards, Matty Libatique quipped that the math didnt add up.
The movie seems all the more impressive when you realize that it
plays in one continuous take somehow shot over 30 days.
Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu's Birdman took us on a giddy, gliding
journey down narrow corridors. The camera moves were like Das
Boot in a Broadway theater. Its not an accident, an unexpected
virtue of ignorance, that both Birdman and Slumdog Millionaire
both won Best Cinematography Oscars with their exuberant
joyride of lightweight, unblinking, in-your-face camera work.
Both films relied on new technology and custom modifications to
achieve their distinctive styles.
At NAB well see all kinds of new equipment that will spark the
imagination. While the cinema vrit cat on the shoulder took us
out of the studio and onto location, the new cats go on gimbals
and drones and may be more like Macavity the mystery cat (hes
broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.)
With lighter and smaller cameras, multicopters and rigs to move
them, lenses and lights to define new looks, filters and effects
to degrade those looks in ways that will horrify the engineers,
sensors will get bigger, with more resolution, as we viewers move
closer and closer to the movie screen, monitor, tablet or phone.
Some new products are not yet in this edition because their
designers are racing to the finish. Some will arrive at NAB
carrying prototypes, still soldering parts together in the taxi from
airport to hotel. Other companies like to surprise us on opening
day, revealing models under glass, pulling covers from mockups
like rabbits from hats. They will astound us in press conferences
and demos. AJA, Blackmagic, Cooke, Canon, Servicevision, Sony,
and RED are a few of the companies with lots of buzz and rumors,
cries and whispers.
ARRI surprised us with a flurry of pre-NAB announcements,
including the new Mini and Alexa upgrades. In this edition, Stefan
Schenk, Managing Director at ARRI Cine Technik, discusses his
views on where things are and where they're going.
Theres a lot of speculation about whats coming next from RED.
NAB 2006 is where it all began. A year later in the RED tent,
Jim Jannard introduced a little something we shot in two days
in New Zealand with Peter Jackson. It was a bold move that
invigorated the industry with ideas of democratizing the format
and following the path that digital still cameras were suggesting:
high resolution, gentle compression, small size, single CMOS
sensor. The early roadmap included larger and larger sensors from
the very beginningmapped out even to VistaVision, I think.
Jarred Land, President of RED Digital Cinema, said, VistaVision
still seems to be a perfect format for RED. It has the aesthetic
advantages of having a larger frame and retains the ability to still
use faster glass without hitting the limited availability of lenses
that 65mm has to deal withespecially on the wide end.
With our Dragon sensor testing out at the very top of the
still camera market, we naturally have a lot of customers who
primarily use still lenses. And, of course, there are a huge array of
options available for both new and vintage full frame glass.
Speaking of handheld form factors...as we started designing the
Epic and Scarlet cameras, we knew we had to get smaller than our
RED Onebut also up the resolution and other tech specs. Once
we hit that form factor and starting shipping Epics in 2010, all the
handheld guys kept asking if we could shave off any more weight.
And that is how using magnesium and carbon fiber instead of
aluminum was born. I think it has had a really big influence, since
many other camera companies have followed with their own
versions of Epic form factor.
There will be the usual debate at NAB comparing higher
resolution, wider exposure latitude, larger or smaller cameras,
different formats, formats that can handle all other formats, and
where to find a decent lunch in the culinary desert of the LVCC.
Whether youre the latest tycoon or seasoned cinematographer,
director, crew person, manufacturer, rental house staff, above the
line, or below the line, I hope this NAB edition of Film and Digital
Times will help fulfill the dream that if you can imagine it, you
can shoot it. Or, as Eli Cross (Peter OToole) said in The Stunt
Man, If God could do the things that we can do, hed be a happy
man.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 3
 Birdman: Or (An Interview with Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC)
JON FAUER: Why did you decide to do so much handheld
camera work on Birdman?
EMMANUEL LUBEZKI, ASC, AMC: When we started rehears-
ing the movie we hadnt defined the style of shooting. Then, based
on the blocking, the rehearsals and what we felt the movie needed,
we shot it half handheld and about half with Steadicam. Handheld
cameras, especially smaller ones like the ARRI Alexa M, allow you
to get really, really close to the actors. You can move within their
space and between them. It allows you to get into the eye of the
hurricane, as we say. I find that handheld has a more organic feel
and way of moving that is less mechanical than a Steadicam. The
Steadicam is beautiful for certain things, but its a bigger machine
and not as easy to get really close. The other thing with handheld
is that you can go from very low mode to high mode very quickly.
You were shooting handheld with the Alexa M. Was Steadicam
Operator Chris Haarhoff using an M or an XT?
Chris was using the Alexa XT. We were both shooting ARRIRAW.
The other thing about the Alexa M, for me, is that I like to oper-
ate a lot and I like to frame. I think framing is an essential part
of cinematography. Even though Chis is an incredible Steadicam
operator, I like to have the camera in my hands. I can react to cer-
tain things, actor movements, reactions and so on. I can time the
panning from one actor to the other. Its harder for me to express
to the Steadicam operator how to do it, even though we do many
rehearsals. There is something as a cinematographer that I like
about being in control of my own framing.
How did you decide when you do a scene handheld and when
to do it with the Steadicam?
The shot almost determined how it would be done. There are cer-
tain scenes, like long hallways or long moves at certain speeds that
4 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
required the steadiness and gliding of the Steadicam. And there
are other scenes that required the daintiness of handheld. Its bi-
zarre: the movie, the blocking, the spaces informed us very quickly
as to the best way to do it. We had one or two occasions where we
switched from one to the other after many rehearsals. Suddenly
wed say, This has to be Steadicam or vice versa. It happened a
couple of times. But mostly the movie tells you how to do it.
Are you shooting in this similar style on your current movie?
No, because this was a very particular concept for Birdman. The
script was written in a way that called for this idea of the one shot.
If we had found a space connected to the back of the theater that
would have allowed us to do it in one shot, Alejandro would have
done it. We cut just because we couldnt find the right space to do
it in a single take. So we did half of the shots in the real theater
and the other ones, in the guts of the theater, were built on a stage.
But it was written as a one shot movie. I think every movie, ev-
ery script, every story requires a different kind of approach. The
movie were doing now (The Revenant) requires its own particular
language.
Its just too bad that the Alexa Mini that ARRI just introduced
the other day wasnt available for Birdman. You would have
had a much lighter camera to carry.
It was inconvenient timing for us that the Mini wasnt ready then.
But we were able to work with the M. Also, we were lucky because
we really could have not done Birdman the way we did if the M
and XT were not out yet. We did extensive tests. We could not
have done it on film. We tried film. We tried other cameras. It was
truly a meeting of a creative script and technology that allowed
me to do the movie this way.
Based on what you did, will a lot of people use small cameras
Emmanuel Lubezki, contd
Birdman photos by Alison Rosa 2014 Twentieth Century Fox
like the Mini instead of larger shoulder-resting cameras?
Its not based on what I did. I think the new cameras physical-
ity, weight, size, price, and quality are going to change the way
people make movies. I think the size, quality and weight of cam-
eras will have tremendous impact on how directors make their
movies. On the other hand, you have the Alexa 65 camera that is
bigger than the XT, but the image is absolutely outstanding and
exquisite. Other cinematographers are going to want to use that
camera on their movies and Im sure audiences, at some point,
will always want to see everything in the theater with at least that
amount of resolution, because its absolutely breathtaking. So who
knows? To me what is important, and what I wish for, is that we
have many brushes, many different tools to tell stories and ex-
press emotion in different ways. Its fantastic there are all these
movies. I wish that we could be still using film because it would
be another brush. I dont know if its better or worse, but its just
different. So the more tools we have, I think, the better and more
interesting movies will be for the audience.
Speaking of tools, how did you decide on the lenses that you
picked, the Leica Summilux-C?
I love the image quality of those lenses. I love that you can be very
close focused. I love the weight. As Im getting older and doing
handheld, the weight becomes a factor. I love the way they flare.
I love the way the lenses capture the quality of the actors skin.
Again, after doing extensive tests, we decided to do it with those
lenses and I still think that it was a good idea.
You shot most of Birdman on the 18mm Summilux-C?
I would say almost everything on the 18mm. A couple of times,
maybe we used the Master Prime 14mm and even a 12mm. What
happens in the movie is subtle, and I dont think many people
noticed it. I dont know if we made it too subtle, but as Riggan
Thomsons life is imploding or collapsing, the set is also chang-
ing. The width of the hallways is changing. Its getting narrower,
the ceilings are getting lower, and everything is getting more and
more claustrophobic. And as hes becoming more unglued, we
were going a little wider with the lens to create this impression in
the sets. It was very subtle. I dont know if people noticed it, but
we thought it was a good idea at the time.
Conventional wisdom is you cant shoot a whole movie, espe-
cially with a lot of drama, on a really wide lens unless its all
comedy. Having seen the movie, I didnt even realize it was
shot on that wide a lens.
You know what happened? Ive been using wide lenses now for a
long time. Y Tu Mam Tambin, directed by Alfonso Cuarn, was
all done with the 18mm. I think on the last three or four mov-
ies that Ive done with Terry Mallick, the normal lens packages
consisted of the 18, 14, 16, 12, and 8 mm lenses. On the very last
movie I did with Terry, I think our normal lens was the 12mm.
You get used to it because these new lenses dont distort. They are
very wide and, obviously, they can go very close to the faces of the
actors. You can see every detail. But the fact that you can see an
actor or a character in their environment, in every shot, in close-
up, is very interesting to me. You can have a close-up and even if
youre very close, you see the context and that is very exciting. You
can have multiple actors in the shot. Also, these new lenses dont
look like the old fish eyes. These are very rectilinear lenses and I
do like to use them very much.
Also, when youre close to an actor youre really close. And thats
something the audience feels. Its something that you cannot do
in theater. Its something that really makes films unique. For ex-
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 5
Emmanuel Lubezki, contd
ample, with Michael Keaton, sometimes the front element of the
lens was maybe three to six inches away from his face. You can
see his breath. You can see his sweat. You can see his anxiety and
the audience feels that. If you take a 400mm lens and you see an
actor, you can be apparently as close, but you will feel that extra
amount of air between you and them. It feels like a documentary
about lions in Africa where the filmmakers are not really close.
You can see the animals close-up thanks to the telephoto lens, but
youre not really there.
This idea of being in the eye of the hurricane, I think, is enhanced
by being close to the actors. Its funny, because the actors were not
used to that on the first day of rehearsal. On that first day, they
asked, Whoa, what is this? Are you really going to be this close?
It took them a second to get used to the presence of the camera
being right there, and then they were really, truly performing for
the camera. So its a good feeling. Now, again, I dont think its for
every movie. Its specific for certain projects and I dont think you
can force a style onto a piece of material. You have to really think
if its the right way.
On Gravity our main lens was the 14 and the 18 mm Master Prime.
I like making movies with very few lenses and not jumping from
one focal length to another. I like not switching from very long
lenses to wide lenses. Maybe on the next movie I will do lots of
that, so better not to talk about that. I might regret saying it.
You said you tested the lenses extensively. How did you wind
up settling on the Summilux-C?
In addition to what I said before, I like the way they flare. We
had a lot of mirrors with light bulbs. Some lenses will collapse
with that amount of contrast if you put so many little bright light
bulbs so close to the lens. Some lenses dont manage flares very
well and will just get completely milky. Some lenses are just too
flarey. The Summilux lenses were able to handle all that, which
was very important to us, because we had so many scenes in front
of the makeup mirrors and in the theater with all the practical
lights. I liked the way the skin of the actors looked through those
lenses very, very much. I liked the fact that they could focus very
close for what we were doing. Theres a whole long list of why we
picked them, and thats what we do before a movie. You pretend
you know nothing and you go and test. For every movie you have
to go in like a film student and look at whats there, test all the
equipment, test the lenses and see what they feel like.
What was the difference between the Summilux-C and other
lenses you tested?
Some lenses are way harder, apparently sharper, and a little more
contrasty. A lot of contrast wasnt good for this movie. But on
other movies I only used contrasty lenses. For example, Children
of Men was done only with Master Primes, because we wanted
that contrast and that clear an image. I adore Master Primes but
on Birdman they would have been heavy. On Birdman, 12 min-
utes into a take you have to make a very slow pan and your arm
is shaking from all the weight and youre collapsingso extra
weight would not be good at all.
I liked that the Summilux lenses opened to a T1.4. The difference
between T2.0 and T1.4 is a lot. Its double the amount light. We
hardly used them wide open, but when we did, it allowed us to
shoot a couple of scenes outside in the street and other places
6 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
without movie lights that other lenses would have required.
I also love the Panavision Primos and Im using a few of them on
my current movie. I think Im lucky that I can test all these lenses
before the start of a film.
Did you shoot mostly wide open in the theater?
In the theater we would be pulling iris constantly. I wasnt using
movie lights, so the exposure between the exterior of the theater,
the lobby, the area where the people were sitting, and the stage
were very different. You could go in one shot from T1.4 to T5.6
to T8, to T2, constantly changing. When Im operating, the DIT
does the iris changes for me. When I work with Terry Malick, the
Steadicam operator does the iris changes. When somebody else is
operating, I do those changes. On Children of Men we went from
a 1.4 to an 11. Its incredibly nerve wracking and its a very delicate
operation because if you mess up you really ruin the shot. Its just
another tool, and its very important to have a wireless iris control.
Its a very helpful thing to have when you are shooting.
You had a lot going on when you were operating. On Birdman,
you had Gregor Tavenner pulling focus and Abby Levine, the
DIT pulling iris. So you had two separate wireless units?
Exactly. Which add weight. Every time you add something you
are adding weight with cables, brackets, wireless video assist, and
accessories.
In your world, is it technique that influences the technology?
In other words, you get the script and then you find the tools to
do it or is it the other way aroundthe tools come along and
then you say, Aha, I can do such and such with it?
Its both and I dont know the percentage, but obviously, when a
new tool arrives, you can get ideas. Someone will say, I can do a
shot I could never do before and it would be great for this mov-
ie or vice versa. Usually I have a script, a scene, a director, were
thinking about a tone and we have these needs. I think about how
I can do it. Does the technology exist, do they have it, or do we
need to come up with a solution ourselves? Sometimes you see
something new. Lets say drones. Suddenly I think of a shot that
Ive never been able to do, that fits a movie perfectly. Now its pos-
sible, so lets see if we can make it work.
Is there anything I didnt ask that I should have asked?
The only thing I would ask is the one thing were lacking right
now. It is for more dynamic rangeHigh Dynamic Range. And
not high dynamic range as in still photography, but for cinema.
For example, when were shooting exteriors, backlit and without
any lighting, Id like to be able to capture all the information from
the deepest shallow and the actors black hair to the highest high-
lights around the sun. Id like to see the shape of the sun and the
rays of sunlight. In the state of things right now, you cant.
Is this a function of the camera or of the projection?
Its a function of the camera. Right now people are talking about
High Dynamic Range projection. That will help, for sure, but if
you didnt capture that information on the camera in the first
place, then you wont be able to project it anyway. I think its both.
Its in projection and its in camera, but mostly, I think, its in cam-
era and I hope that changes. As a user I just beg them to come up
with a plan.
Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of 18mm)
Gregor Tavenner
Gregor Tavenner, AC/Focus Puller on Birdman (above, left),
leading focus (not follow focusing) on Michael Keaton, with Op-
erator Chris Haarhoff, SOC at right. They used a Leica Summilux-
C 18 mm prime lens for almost the entire shoot. Gregor said:
The Summilux-C 18 mmour favorite! We also had a 14 and
a 12 mm Master Prime. I think they got one shot each in the fi-
nal cut. The 18 mm Leica was a rock star. I like its contrast and
lack of distortion. Many times we hit minimum focus at 1' 9". We
had longer Leicas but never chose to use them. I was the lucky
sod who got to carry the jet pack for the entire show. It was a
backpack with ARRI Alexa M body and recorder. The Alexa M
camera head was tethered with a fiber optic cable. The camera
head weighs 6.4 lb. The camera body weighs 12.1 lb. The back-
pack included the camera batteries. I would say 40% of the movie
was Steadicam, 50% handheld (Chivo) and 10% crane.
I had developed a backpack rig for the Alexa M on World War Z
midway through that show when they released the M. So it was
a natural progression: you get full frame 4:3 ARRIRAW with a
lightweight camera head.
This was perfect for Chivo and long takes. The freedom and mo-
bility of the separate camera head completely justifies any issues
with a tether; its not a problem. I always had a CineTape mounted
on the camera as it is a great tool. I did not use a focus monitor:
the action was too organic and one needs to lead instead of follow.
Chris Haarhoff, SOC
On February 8, 2015, Chris Haarhoff, SOC won Camera Operator
of the Year for Feature Film at the Society of Camera Operators
Awards for his work on Birdman. Chris wrote, in his SOC notes:
In mid February 2013 Emmanuel Lubezky (Chivo) invited me to
join the rehearsals for Birdman in LA. It became very clear, as the
days progressed, that I was really taking part in an audition, and
before I could actually enjoy my good fortune, I was swept up into
a world that had all the elements of a runaway train. The concept
of shooting a film in an apparently single shot has precedence all
the way back to Hitchcocks Rope, but the intimacy and energy,
along with the pure scope of Birdman, promised to set it apart.
Alejandro Gonzlez Irritu had brought this unusual story into
production driven purely by a contagious passion, and as we
moved our rehearsals to New York, the scope of what we were
trying to achieve took on a life and mass that seemed ominous.
In very uncharted territory, we attacked each day with a fair dose
of uncertainty, shedding many of the cinematic staples that film-
makers have embraced over the years. It truly was a collaborative
effort with Chivo doing the substantial hand-held portion of the
film. What confidence we both may have had was directly fueled
by Gregor Tavenners sublime focus and support.
Chris and I spoke at the SOC event. He was in Australia a few days
later, and got in touch for a follow-up.
Jon Fauer: Please describe the rig.
Chris Haarhoff: This rig is the first PRO of its kind, serial number
001. The arm is essentially the prototype of the PRO arm that you
see all over the world today.
Working in the narrow confines of the theater?
Except for a few strategic LED panels, essentially every light was a
practicaldimmable and photographable. I seldom had to watch
out for a light but shadows were a different story. The timing of
the dimming and the flagging of lights behind camera had to be
perfect considering how close we would be to the actors.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 7
 Birdman: Or (The Unexpected Virtue of 18mm), cont'd
Where was Gregor as you raced through these narrow corridors?
Gregor was as close to me as he could be. Sometimes if I was start-
ing to drift off course he would give me a quick tap, but he was
usually about 5 feet behind (ahead). When the camera worked
through 360 degrees he would sometimes get as close to the rig
as possible and then drop to the floor. When we were doing a
critical push I would try and open up the gap between myself and
the camera and I would feel him right over my shoulder. He was
incredibly nimble.
Was someone guiding you?
No, except perhaps at the end of a long backward move that end-
ed in a hard stop, I would ask my dolly grip to be there so that
I didnt overshoot. On another occasion we built this great big
ramp that sloped down from about 15 feet high onto the stage for
the introduction of Ed Norton off Zacks descent to the stage. It
was only three feet wide without any safety railing and I needed
someone to make sure my first step didnt turn into a free-fall.
Rehearsals? How many takes?
Although we had blocked out almost every scene in the weeks be-
fore principal photography, the morning rehearsals were the only
ones that really counted. Maybe 4 or 5 full run-throughs with a
second team, who were all excellent actors and their observation
of the smallest details were a great asset. There was more rehearsal
behind the camera than in front, getting all the lighting cues, the
flagging and the physical geometry. When the actors arrived we
would rehearse/shoot straight away as they needed to be at full
speed for everything to work. We probably shot on average about
17 takes on the scenes that travelled a lot. Of those, maybe 5 were
incomplete because of a very rarely fumbled line or mostly be-
cause I screwed up or lost the plot. On what might be a typical day,
we would get through maybe 4 takes before lunch, none of which
were acceptable. We would break for lunch, lick our wounds, and
try to rest up for the afternoon. It then became a game of trying to
8 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
peak before the point of diminishing returns. Gregor pointed out
that Alejandro would start to relax around take 12 to 14. Once we
had a couple that he liked we would try and add an extra great
take as a safety but that rarely was an improvement.
Your preparation for thisphysical training?
The day I got the job I stepped onto a treadmill, and while shoot-
ing I made a pact with myself to take every opportunity to run up
stairs. I needed to wake my legs up for quick bursts. Ultimately
nothing really matches the workout that the daily carrying of the
Steadicam delivers, so that was the main source of any real fitness.
Exhaustion?
From one take to the next, there is a real sense that you are dig-
ging into reserves by the end of the shot, but as anyone who does
Steadicam knows, there is a gradual descent followed by a sheer
cliff. Not knowing how many takes we had ahead of us, I had to
be careful not to throw everything into the earlier takes. The trick
for both Gregor and me was to disguise any sense of exhaustion in
front of the actors. The same went for Chivo who truly juggled the
demands of the lighting and shot design while doing all the hand-
held portions of the film. The Alexa M may be a light camera but
when held out in front, it begins to weigh a ton after two minutes.
Strangely, I would rate the effects of emotional and mental ex-
haustion higher than the physical.there were so many moving
parts to every shot with so much invested and no fall back.
What else?
Just that I feel enormously fortunate to have been involved in this
film. It was grueling but ultimately very satisfying. I commend
both Alejandro and Chivo for their boldness and the entire crew
for their attention and focus. Everybody had to bring their A
game and I think it shows. I feel that every cent ended up on the
screen and as a movie, it and its success reflects the sincerity by
which it was conceived.
ARRI Alexa Mini
Heres a camera that Chivo and Chris Haarhoff would have en-
joyed on Birdman. The new ARRI Alexa Mini has a carbon fiber
body and weighs 5 lb. Its titanium PL mount is connected directly
to the sensor assembly for unwavering flange focal depth. It can
also accept interchangeable lens mounts of the ARRI Amira for
B4 video and EF (Canon) lenses.
The Alexa Mini can be operated by wireless remote control, as a
normal camera with the ARRI MVF-1 multi viewfinder attached,
or with an on-board monitor. It has user buttons on the camera
body.
Alexa Mini is compact, quiet and (hurray) has a symmetrical
design. You can shoot in almost any orientation: upside-down,
portrait mode, straight up, down, etc. There are many mounting
points.
A sigh of relief can be heard worldwide today. Alexa Mini comes
with a 4:3 sensor. It will have an automatic de-squeeze mode for
anamorphic lenses.
The camera records 0.75-200 fps, ProRes or uncompressed AR-
RIRAW, either in-camera to CFast 2.0 cards or to a specially-de-
signed external Codex recorder. The Codex recorder can handle
up to four image streams simultaneously. For example, you might
use 4 Alexa Minis at one time for car rig shots, stunts, or 360
plate shots.
Alexa Mini images will match all other Alexa cameras.
Alexa Mini has a built-in lens motor controller. New active lens
motors can be connected directly. iOS or Android tablets can be
connected via Wi-Fi to remotely control camera functions such
as the motorized internal ND filters. Wowinternal ND in some-
thing this small. The ARRI Alexa Mini is scheduled to ship in
May 2015.
NAB Booth C4337
Alexa Mini microsite: arri.com/alexamini
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 9
 Canon C300 Mk II
Heres a camera ADM (Anthony Dod Mantle, DFF, ASC, B.S.C)
might enjoy, since hes been using the C300 lately: C300 Mk II.
Its hard to believe that the Canon C300 was introduced 3 years
ago. The camera has been very successful. Add a bunch of zeros
after the 300 in the name, and you get very impressive numbers.
Now, Canon introduces the successor: EOS C300 Mark II. It re-
cords what almost everyone had been asking for: internal 4K.
There are so many new features inside the familiar C300 body
shape, maybe they should have named it the C400 or C4K. At
least 4 prototypes will be on hand at Canons NAB booth.
Here are some of the new things in the C300 Mk II:
RAW recording via connectors at rear of camera.
Internal ND filter cuts 8 and 10 stops of exposure in camera
(previously the maximum was 6 stops)
EVF can display a clean picture area without text. Informa-
tion can be positioned outside the picture area, along the
edges of frame.
You can send a waveform via HD SDI to video village.
Improved EFV and monito: sharper and clearer
HD SDI and HDMI connections
10 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
New battery: 12 VDC industry standard
Beefier fan, no fan noise
Dynamic range has been increased to an astonishing 15
stops. Dual DIGIC processors (two separate processors,
working in parallel) expose the image at 2 different ISOs
simultaneously, high and low.
ISO: 100 - 102,400
Sensitivity has been changed, we can now use lower ISOs
(with the C300 it was recommended not to go below 640)
Base ISO is 800 (instead of the light-meter vexing 850).
Normal exposure latitude is 6.3 stops above and 8.7 below.
Rec. 709, cine gamut, Rec. 2020, ACES compatible.
Previous Canon log is still available.
Slow shutter to sec, timelapse
24-bit audio
Dual pixel autofocus. Covers a wider area. Can tune auto-
focus parameters. Autofocus boost (auto/manual), Face
detection, manual focus. Focus control wirelessly via iPad
or iPhone with WiFi adapter.
Canon C300 Mk II, contd

3 indications of focus status: front, back and in-focus shown
by arrows and colors. As you turn the lens barrel, the rect-
angle showing focus area turns green when sharp. You can
position the rectangle with the joystick control.
Cinema lenses now read out in f or T stops.
Detachable cables to onboard monitor different lengths.
Handle unit is more practical, with more -20 threads and
cheeseplate attachment.
Interchangeable mounts: comes standard in EF, with op-
tions for locking EF or PL mount. Mounts can be changed
in the factory, at a qualified rental house or service facility.
By the way, there are 12 EF mount Cinema EOS lenses now
Sensor is 8.85 Megapixels: 4096 x 2160
Records internally to AVC Intra 422 10-bit or Cinema
RAW externally
Rolling shutter issues have been eliminated because readout
is 2x faster
Maximum internal frame rate: 30 fps in 4K, 60 fps in 2K,
120 fps in HD
An accessory audio interface has XLR audio connectors.
Internal recording to CFast 2.0 cards in 60 or 128 GB ca-
pacities for 20 or 40 minutes in 4K. In 2K, recording time is
greater than 2 hours.
Shipping estimated September 2015.
Price is expected to be similar to original C300, around
$17,000.
NAB Booth C3628 and C4325
usa.canon.com/cusa/professional

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 11

 Stephan Schenk on Alexa Mini, SXT, 65, Amira
Stephan Schenk (above right) is Managing Director at ARRI Cine
Technik and heads ARRIs Business Unit Camera Systems. Michael
Jonas (at left) is Product Manager of the ARRI Alexa Mini.
JON FAUER: A lot of new camera announcements were made
by ARRI during the last weeks: a new software update road
map for Amira, then the Alexa Mini, and Alexa SXT.
STEPHAN SCHENK: Not to forget Alexa 65, which has been
launched by our colleagues from ARRI Rental. So yes, we have a
lot of news for our customers. But the great thing about all that
is that none of these announced cameras are making the others
obsolete. Based on the tremendous success of our classic Alexa
which by the way, is still in our line-up and is still being sold in
what will soon be its 6th yearwe received a lot of feedback on
what to improve. We are trying to turn as many of those sugges-
tions into products or product upgrades.
How has the reaction to Amira been since it started shipping
in June last year?
Amira has been very well received and, as I mentioned, not by
replacing ALEXAs. We have reached out to new customers who
might have used Alexa on one occasion or the other, but now
have really invested in Amira, because it is exactly the right tool
for what they do. Take Jamie Oliver with his cooking show or the
NFL. TV shows have embraced Amira for productions like Das
Supertalent, the German equivalent of Americas Got Talent, as
well as Reality TV shows. The 200 fps capability is making it a
popular choice for commercials. I just read in a British magazine
that Amira last year was the 4th most rented camera in the UK,
quite remarkable considering that we just launched it mid-year.
I have to thank all the early adopters here for relying on Amira.
Whats next with Amira?
We try to get even betterboth, in hardware and softwareto
ensure a long product lifecycle, as with Alexa. We made a new
eyepiece because we received feedback to improve it, and we did.
Then we announced the software update road map for the next 2
12 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
updates. With SUP 2.0 Amira supports 4K UHD, and with SUP
3.0 it will have a 50 Mbps codec. So Amira will give customers a
huge number of options from low broadcast-style data rates to
Alexa-quality ProRes 444 high data rates. And we, of course, are
already thinking about what to add next.
The Alexa Mini announcement got a lot of attention. You must
have received a lot of feedback and questions. It ranked among
the highest number of hits ever on FDTimes online.
Same with us. Our server was down for 15 minutes. Not that I like
that, but the interest in Alexa Mini was and, more importantly,
continues to be phenomenal.
Are we in a new era of hand-held camera work? Slumdog Mil-
lionaire a few years ago and now Birdman both won best cin-
ematography Oscars with lighter, smaller, hand-held cameras.
Not so sure. Both Anthony and Chivo use normal form factor
cameras on their projects, too.
In Birdman Chivo used Alexa M but also Alexa XT. Anthony had
9 different camera types on Rush, including a classic Alexa Plus
and Alexa Studio.
I think DPs chose their tools according to their shooting style but
even more according to the project needs. And this is exactly why
we have so many different cameras. At ARRI we believe in dedi-
cated cameras for dedicated jobs not in one fits all.
Theres a long history at ARRI where our studio cameras were
accompanied by our lighter and smaller companion cameras like
the 2C, 35-3 and 435 or the ARRICAM LT. Many DPs like to have
well balanced cameras in a pick-up and shoot configuration and
not only box cameras that need to be complemented by accesso-
ries like a Christmas tree.
What market is the Alexa Mini aimed at?
The Alexa Mini is a companion camera to the Alexa in the first
place. Our customers ideally would like to have the same image
quality for their A, B and C cameras. Alexa Mini gives them ex-
actly this. But equally, Amira is a wonderful shoulder mount cam-
era for handheld work. It has the same sensor and image quality
and can also be easily intercut with Alexa and Alexa Mini footage.
Secondly, there is a fairly new style of shooting out there, where
DPs use gimbals and multicopters for their projects. There is a
huge interest in Alexa Mini among these creatives.
How did the idea for the Alexa Mini first begin?
Actually it started way back with Alexa M. In the early days of
Alexa, our customers requested a smaller and lighter model for
rigs, cars mounts and special applications in addition to their A
camera. Also for the 3D rigs, the classic Alexa was not the ideal
choice. Ask Larry McConkey, who bravely had a 3D rig with 2
classic ALEXAs on his Steadicam on Hugo Cabret.
That was the reason we built the Alexa M. James Cameron and
Vince Pace approached us because they wanted to have Alexa im-
age quality in a smaller form factor for their 3D rigs.
About the same time, I first met Anthony Dod Mantle, and asked
him whether he would consider the classic Alexa. He said, Well,
my shooting style is a bit different and I like to have a small form-
factor camera. So I said, What if we remove the head? He
Stephan Schenk on ARRI, contd
Alexa 65 Alexa SXT
available through ARRI Rental
said, Certainly that would be an interesting idea. From that day
on, our email subject line was Marie Antoinette as the Alexa
M developed. He was one of the first to use it, on Trance. Quite
a number of significant productions have used Alexa M: X-Men
Days of Future Past, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, T.S. Spivet and
Divergent to name just a few more.
But the requests were eliminate the cable, because a fiber connec-
tion between the head and the back end is not always ideal. So
now we have an answer to this with Alexa Mini.
Why couldnt you come up with Alexa Mini earlier? Was it a
physical limitation of shrinking the electronics down to that
size?
Yes, at that moment in time, we could not squeeze everything into
a small package, so we had to separate the camera head and the
recording unit with a tether. Now we are able to benefit from ad-
vances, some of which are also seen in Amira.
What is important to point out is that the entire processing hard-
ware is already inside the camera. Theres no need for external
computer cards and a computer to get the files processed. It is
all in the camera. You record completely processed color images
onto internal CFast 2.0 cards or onto the Codex recorder.
In your travels talking to customers, are most people going to
use the Mini with internal data cards or do you think they will
use the external Codex recorder?
I think there will be both. Most people will shoot ProRes to the
CFast 2.0 cards and ARRIRAW up to 30 fps can also be done like
this. But there are a lot of requests for high speed in ARRIRAW
these days, and that is when they certainly will use the Codex re-
corder. Furthermore, the Codex records multiple cameras. Also,
an external Codex is helpful in more dangerous scenarios where
you may not want to record data on a camera that might get dam-
aged, but is recorded externally, somewhere safe. Or maybe in a
helicopter mount so you can easily swap capture drives.
Youve been pretty busy lately with yet another new camera.
Tell us about the Alexa SXT.
SXT stands for Super Extended Technology. Again, the list of
wishes to improve and complement the Alexa is very long and
our Product Manager Marc Shipman-Mueller and our R&D team
in Munich are not getting tired of looking for ways to incorpo-
rate them in software updates. But some requests cant be fulfilled
with software upgrades based on the same electronic platform;
you need a higher performance base. Now with Alexa 65 we have
this platform. However, Alexa 65 is a 65mm large-format camera
and not the answer to all questions of shooting Super 35.
Amira Alexa Mini
By using Alexa SXT, our feature film, TV drama and commercial
customers can now benefit from Alexa 65 electronics and also
from some new features that we implemented first on Amira, like
3D LUT-based looks. Therefore they will have a very powerful
tool for their projects.
The 4K discussion continues and ARRI now also announced
4K features. What is your view on this subject?
All of our new cameras offer an in-camera 4K recording. How-
ever, and we have said this over and over again and it remains our
message: spatial resolution is just one parameter of an image. If
you look at what Alexa SXT will give you, it is not just 4K Cine
and 4K UHD. We always aim to deliver the best overall image
quality and also the best overall production costs, i.e. efficient
workflows, reliable functionality, fast and easy color grading and
VFX work.
Some production companies insist on native 4K.
First of all, Alexa 65 has a 6.5K sensor. If a customer wants high
spatial resolution that is an option from ARRI through our ARRI
Rental group, as there will be business-to-business deals possible.
Also, with Alexa SXT, Mini and Amira, our 4K image looks fan-
tastic and we ask all our customers to just compare images. The
creatives out there dont shoot test charts, they want to tell a story.
Therefore we are not dogmatic about which pixel count to use,
but about delivering the best image quality.
We do not claim that we have a new sensor, we openly say that we
use our ALEV 3 sensor with a very mild 1.2 up-sample to create
4K UHD or 4K Cine in-camera. The ALEV 3 sensor may have
fewer pixels than others but we think that our design of each pixel
delivers more information with excellent results. But again, we
leave that decision up to the user. Try, compare, and then judge
the image quality.
In this years award season, the vast majority of nominated feature
films used Alexa. This is true not only for cinematography but
also for VFX. Four of the five VFX Oscar nominated films were
captured with Alexa, except Interstellar, which was shot on Imax.
This says something about the quality of our pixel design.
Its going to be very exciting NAB for ARRI.
We really have a great camera line-up: Alexa 65, Alexa SXT, Alexa
Mini and Amira. And dont forget, we have lighting, lenses and
accessories too. In particular, with our anamorphic lens range
and the new flare options, there is much to see. Were really look-
ing forward to NAB.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 13
 Michael Jonas on Alexa Mini
Michael Jonas is Product Manager of the ARRI Alexa Mini at ARRI
Cinetechnik.
JON FAUER: How did you first become involved in the Alexa
Mini?
MICHAEL JONAS: Flying remote controlled helicopters used to
be my hobby. When I worked at AVID, we built a small multiro-
tor in our spare time. I was quite into the scene and had a lot of
contacts. After I joined ARRI, a lot of people called me about be-
ing able to fly the Alexa. But Alexa cameras were not originally
intended for this. A few people tried and built big multicopters,
but it was pretty clear that just increasing the size of these rigs was
not going to be sufficient for the kind of agility and movement
required.
I used to be the project manager for the Alexa XT recorder mod-
ule which had just been delivered so I had time to look into the
large emerging market of gimbals. At the time, the idea of hand-
holding multirotor gimbals kept coming up and Freefly intro-
duced the MoVI. I went to a BBC tech meeting and talked to us-
ers. Next, we developed preliminary specs for a camera, including
the size and optimal weight. We discussed the concept with our
engineers who said they could try to shrink the Alexa electronics,
but there would be a cost factor. We began with an exercise focus-
ing on size and weight and cost. It wasnt unrealistic. We decided
to build a prototype and see whether it would work out. And it
did. It started as a very small idea and now its a very, very cool
project.
How does a guy from Avid, like you, wind up building cameras?
Ive been in the motion picture industry for quite a while. I used
to work for Das Werk doing VFX and later for a start-up called
NXX/Alienbrain which got acquired by AVID. My focus used
to be VFX and postproduction workflows, meta-data and asset
management. I live next door to ARRI and I knew a few people.
They were interested in hiring someone with a post background
to do research on workflow and codecs. It seemed interesting
and I joined ARRI. Initially, I worked on defining post produc-
tion strategy, but a few weeks into the job, ARRI needed a project
manager for Alexa XT and I was thrown in at the deep end.
Lets talk about the Mini. What is its intended use?
It was designed to be a companion to Alexa in order to cover all
the scenarios where our larger cameras were not ideal. The goal
was to have another tool in the ARRI toolbox which would have
the same image quality but focus on low weight and a compact
form factor. As it turns out the camera is really exciting because
there are so many different ways you can use it and I look for-
ward to seeing where this camera is going to end up. Underwater
is a very exciting application because Im a diver myself. Getting
in touch with all these cinematographers who seek to get special
shots is amazing and very rewarding.
Lets go into specific details. How do you plug in a lens motor?
The lens motor plugs directly into the titanium PL mount. There
is an L-Bus interface with a Lemo plug on the PL lens mount.
You can daisy-chain up to 3 cforce motors from there. Each cforce
motor has two connectors. The daisy-chain keeps cabling simple
and clean. We are going to release a new cforce model for the
Alexa Mini that is smaller and lighter, but still has very serious
14 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
torque. It is called the cforce mini and will work very well with
primes and midsized zooms.
The PL mount has the same four pin lens contacts?
It is an Amira style PL mount with LDS contacts. You can use our
new titanium mount, and you will also be able to use the LDS
steel mount of the Amira. These mounts provide power for the
Fujinon Cabrio zoom lenses. Also, you can use Amiras EF mount
on the Alexa Mini, and the B4 mount.
Are third party manufacturers making mounts for Canon,
Leica, Nikon, and other lenses?
I know there is a range of mechanical mounts available from P+S
Technik, which include Nikon F-mount, Canon FD, Panavision
and I believe Leica R.
What are you doing for the viewfinder?
Its basically the same EVF as used on the Amira. The cable is a
little different because we have a new, very rugged connector on
the camera body. Same EVF, new cable.
Alexa Mini has a 4:3 sensor. Will it handle anamorphic de-
squeeze in the viewing?
Not initially, but in a later software release with a license upgrade
it will do 4:3 recording and de-squeeze anamorphic.
I guess your PCA group is busy building rigs to shoulder-rest
the Mini and mount the Codex recorder on the back?
Well offer a complete, modular cage consisting of multiple
adapter plates and side arms. There is going to be a minimal, very
lightweight adapter plate and a more complex one with 15mm
rod support. We will provide a bridge plate adapter so that the
camera can be mounted to our traditional cine-style bridge plates
like BP-8 and be used with a long lens on a tripod if needed. We
will have side arms that offer our standard rosettes for handgrips
and extensions. There is going to be a battery plate that mounts
on rods and has some special features for balancing. Also there is
going to be a shoulder pad.
ND filters, LUTs, Monitors, Controls?
The Alexa Mini has motorized internal ND filters, very much like
the system we have on Amira. Alexa Mini features our advanced
look management known from Amira with 3D LUTs and CDL
color controls in the camera. The camera does not need a view-
finder: camera controls can be managed with a four-button inter-
face. We will provide a new version of the Transvideo StarliteHD
5 OLED monitor which integrates with the camera and will pro-
vide a touch interface. One thing I often forget to mention, that a
lot of people asked about, is that the camera has an audio input.
Its a Lemo 5-pin connector in front for stereo line level input.
We are going to build an LCD control panel for the camera as
well. Its a standalone LCD system that you can connect to the
camera in order to do the setups. The LCD screen and the buttons
around it will be very much like our RCUs. It has two connectors.
You can daisy-chain it between the camera and the viewfinder so
you can put the LCD on the right-hand side for the assistant and
use the viewfinder on the left-hand side. This LCD panel will also
work on Amira so you can use it on the right-hand side assistant
panel as well.
Michael Jonas on Alexa Mini, contd
And the antenna in back?
Its for our lens control system. WCU-4 will be a good remote
control unit for the Alexa Mini providing control of lens motors
and operational parameters. Theres also Wi-Fi built into the cam-
era so you can control it via a smartphone, tablet or laptop wire-
lessly. Its a web-based system so you dont need an app. You just
join the network of the camera and call up a specific web page
and you will have full control of the camera. It looks similar to the
menu or the display in the viewfinder.
Where is the recommended place for mounting an on-board
battery?
We will provide a battery plate that will go on rods. Most of the
gimbal operators will actually use the battery on the right side of
the camera. Right now we are using Velcro to attach the battery
adapter there but we are looking into something more ARRI-
like. I know that Freefly is working on a way to mount the battery
on the side as well. There is going to be a very exciting new battery
from PAG UK which provides 90Wh of power and I think around
10A of current in a very small and lightweight form factor.
It is going to be very good with the Alexa Mini.
Do we have to worry about blocking the cooling vents?
The cooling vents intake is on the camera right side. The exhaust
is on the back. A nice feature of the camera is that it is symmetri-
cal and you can easily rig it upside down. So if you need the clean
side for the battery mount on the other side, just switch the cam-
era around and flip the image.
How long does it take to boot up the Mini?
The camera boots in about 12 seconds, which is quicker than
some of the accessories we have tested.
Several rental houses who recently purchased anamorphic
lenses, and need cameras with 4:3 sensors, are wondering
whether to upgrade to an Alexa SXT or purchase an Alexa
Mini.
I think they will need both. Alexa XT and Alexa SXT still is the
better choice as the main unit camera. The Mini is the companion
camera. The advantages of the Mini vanish very quickly with the
The ARRI R&D camera team for the Alexa Mini, in Munich.
amount of equipment you add on the camera. If you look at a
typical main unit camera, its usually built up with a video trans-
mitter, motor controller, video monitor, UDM, lens motors, and
what not. Next, add a large zoom lens, lens support, rugged base-
plate, and you wind up with a large and relatively heavy package.
Then, compare the practical day-to-day differences in media, of
using internal CFast 2.0 to Codex Capture Drives. CFast 2.0 cards
are very small and you need to take care of them, which is okay if
you are aware of that. Im not one to downplay CFast, but you can
literally drive a car over a Codex Capture Drive, and not much is
going to happen (hopefully).
In a really rugged environment, the Alexa XT is the gold stan-
dard and I think will remain the gold standard because its actu-
ally built so solidly. The Mini has been designed to be small and
lightweight. It is rugged, but not to the extent of the Alexa XT.
If you try to build the Mini up to an A-camera configuration, it
isnt a big advantage anymore. It starts to become what people call
a Frankencamera. The Alexa is very streamlined and efficient for
what its designed to do.
Of course, for somebody like Anthony Dod Mantle who likes to
shoot handheld in front of his body, the Mini is the better choice
for him.
If I were a rental house buying a Mini body, what else would I
need to complete the package?
Along with the Alexa Mini, you would probably buy the view-
finder, the cage, the mounting option for the viewfinder, battery
plates, a shoulder set, and base plate adapter.
If you want to control the camera in handheld mode, then a big
advantage is in using our wireless control unit WCU-4 because it
can remote-control the camera and you will be able to change all
the operational parameters as well as control focus, iris and zoom.
Youll probably want to buy three of our new cforce mini motors.
When you will actually be delivering the first Minis?
If all goes well, then we will start shipping in May.
Congratulations on a brilliant camera and its rapid introduction.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 15
 ARRI Alexa Mini
Mini Specs

Camera 35mm digital camera with carbon fiber body

Weight ~ 2.3 kg / 5 lb (camera body with titanium PL lens mount)
Length: 185 mm / 7.3 (camera body with PL lens mount)
Width: 125 mm / 4.9
Height: 140 mm / 5.5
Sensor: 35 mm ARRI Alev III CMOS,
Formats: 4:3/16:9 switchable active sensor area Camera Left Camera Right
Shutter: Electronic shutter, 5.0 - 356.0
Latitude: 14+ stops dynamic range EI 160 to EI 3200
(measured with ARRI Dynamic Range Test Chart DRTC-1)
EI: EI 800 base sensitivity
Filters: Built-in motorized ND filters 0.6, 1.2, 2.1, and clear.
Mounts: Titanium PL mount with L-Bus connector and LDS
EF mount
PL mount with Hirose connector and LDS
B4 mount with Hirose connector
Finder: Multi Viewfinder MVF-1 (OLED ) with flip-out LCD screen
and military-grade connector to camera.
Onboard Transvideo StarliteHD monitor with touch screen *
Media: CFast 2.0 memory cards (internal)
Front with PL Mount Front without Mount
Photosites (with surround view)
16:9
HD: 2880x1620 (3168x1772)
2K: 2868x1612 (3154x1764)
3.2K: 3200x1800 (3424x1926)
4K UHD: 3200x1800 (3424x1926)
4:3
2K: 2867x2150 (3168x2160) *

Recording formats
HD 1920x1080
2K Cine 16:9 2048x1152
2K Cine 4:3 2048x1536 * Titanium PL Mount Rear
3.2K 3200x1800
4K UHD 3840x2160
ARRIRAW 2.8K 16:9 2880x1620 *
ARRIRAW 2.8K 4:3 2880x2160 *
Recording codecs
ProRes 4444XQ, 4444, 422 (HQ), 422, 422(LT), ARRIRAW *
Video outputs
2x HD-SDI out 1.5G and 3G: uncompressed HD video with embedded
audio metadata, SDI-6G interface to external CODEX recorder *
Also
Built-in remote control via ARRI Electronic Control System and Wi-Fi, Symmetrical: Top (above) and Bottom (below)
support for cforce motors, built-in motorized ND filters, interchangable
lens mounts and ARRI Lens Data System. Manual and auto white
balance.

* may not be available at product launch, available as a software

upgrade later in 2015.

NAB Booth C4337. arri.com/alexamini

16 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Codex and Alexa Mini
Codex Multi-camera recorder
Alexa Mini dimensions
Codex Multi-camera recorder can
record ARRIRAW from 4 ARRI
Alexa Minis simultaneously
The Codex Multi-camera recorder for Alexa Mini has
8 channels of HD-SDI input plus metadata and em-
bedded audio, which means it can record ARRIRAW
from 4 ARRI Alexa Minis simultaneously. This will
be good for multiple cameras on car rigs, stunts, and
multi-camera shoots. Its design incorporates a versatile
cheeseplate system to mount accessories to it, or it to
planes, trains, automobiles and other interesting places.
When implemented, the camera will record RAW in-
ternally up to 30 fps onto CFast 2.0 cards or externally
to the new Codex Multi-camera recorder.
The CODEX Multi-camera recorder will have 8 x 6G-
SDI inputs. This equates to 360 fps of ARRIRAW, which
can be used across the inputs. So for example, you could
have 2 cameras at 120 fps and 2 at 60 fps. To achieve the
120 fps, 2 x SDI connections must be used.
Codex Multi-camera recorder uses Codex Capture
Drive 2.0 / Codex Capture Drive SXR media that is also
compatible with the Alexa 65 and CODEX V-RAW
Recorder. These products will also be able to support
legacy Capture Drives.
For CFast2.0, Codex has a reliable path based around
Mac Pro or MacBook Pro. Codex Vault Platform is now
available on OS X and, when combined with Codex Re-
view and Codex Archive, provides an entire dailies and
archiving system with a small footprint.
Were excited to showcase our cutting-edge recording
technology with this exciting new camera and continue
to partner with ARRI to provide the tools that our in-
dustry needs, said Marc Dando, Managing Director of
Codex.
NAB Booth C1817. codexdigital.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 17
 Leica M PL Mount
The Leica M PL Mount is here.
This rugged adapter lets you attach PL
mount cine lenses onto Leica M (Typ 240)
rangefinder cameras. Of course, youll want
to use Leica Summilux-C and Summicron-
C primes, but the adapter will work with
almost any other PL cine lens.
By accepting PL mount cine lenses, Leica M
cameras become very interesting friends for
cinematographers, both on set and on loca-
tion scouts. With the M PL Mount, Leica M
cameras can be used as directors viewfind-
ers with real-time framing. You can capture
the image as a still or video. An articulating
electronic viewfinder (Leica EVF-2) pro-
vides a crisp, high resolution image.
The integral baseplate attaches directly to
the lens mount and the base of the camera,
providing support for heavier PL mount
lenses without putting stress on the native
M mount. It comes with a handgrip.
The Leica MPL Mount Adapter is compat-
ible with both the Leica M (Typ 240) and
Leica M-P (Typ 240) digital rangefinder
cameras. Both cameras have a 24-Mega-
pixel CMOS Leica format (24x36mm)
sensor. Shoot stills in RAW DNG and/or
JPEG. Shoot video in full HD 1080p .MOV
video at 24, 25 and 30 fps (MJPEG, 4:2:2,
100MB/s).
Both cameras come with the native Leica M
mount, compatible with a large selection of
legendary Leica M lenses.
The M PL Mount provides an additional
interesting and useful function. Because
the M is a 24x36mm format camera, you
can see the entire image circle of native PL
format lenses. You get a graphic image of
exactly how much image area the lens will
cover as well as the overall image shading
(vignetting, illumination). You can crop
this in Photoshop as needed.
Because PL lenses dont have mechanical
rangefinder coupling, of course you can-
not focus through the Leica rangefinder.
Instead, focusing is done through the EVF.
Technical reminder: flange focal depth
of Leica M lenses is 28.70 mm
Flange depth of PL lenses is 52 mm.
Diameter of PL lens mount is 54 mm.
Leica Camera and CW Sonderoptic:
NAB Booth C3623. cw-sonderoptic.com

18 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Still Moving Pictures on Leica Monochrom by Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC

Above: Last year doing late jury duty at Camerimage I found myself walking in the streets of Bydgoszcz, Poland back to the hotel. One late-hour
streetcar was going by. ISO 5000no problem, actually feels like nice Ilford grainbrought back memories of days with my first camera ever,
walking around with a roll of B&W. Leica Monochrom brought back the feeling that every shot matters. You respect the frame somehow and dont
just shoot a bunch. I liked feeling that again.
Below: A little later I crossed a bridge in Bydgoszcz and found this amazing city-sculpture. I didnt think I could capture that image in the dark, but
no problem. I also took one at ISO 10,000 but didnt need to.

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 19

 Marc Shipman-Mueller on Alexa SXT
Alexa SXT EV Alexa SXT Plus
Marc Shipman-Mueller is Product Manager for Camera Systems at
ARRI, which includes all Alexa 35mm format digital cameras and
accessories (except Alexa Mini) as well as film cameras.
JON FAUER: Tell us how the Alexa SXT came about.
MARC SHIPMAN-MUELLER: We saw that there was a market
demand for more features in the Alexa. With the Alexa 65 elec-
tronics we had the horse power. With the 65 image processing
chain and the Amira color management and noise reduction we
had the code to make that happen. So we decided to create anoth-
er evolutionary step in the Alexa line, the Alexa SXT. The Alexa
XT cameras extended the feature set of the Alexa Classic cameras,
and the Alexa SXT now extends the feature set of the XT cameras
even further.
You have new boards and new software. What about the sensor?
We kept that the same. There seems to be some confusion about
this, so let me be very clear here: the Alexa SXT cameras have the
same sensor as the previous generations of Alexa cameras, the
3.4K ALEV 3 sensor, that is the basis for the image quality of all
Alexa cameras.
Tell us about the features of the Alexa SXT.
There are a couple of features were still looking at and were not
quite sure if they are going to make it to the final product. We try
to announce only things we know will work. We try to be a reli-
able partner, because when people invest their money in our gear,
that is a lot of money and serious business. But here is what we
have so far: There will be ProRes 4K, better image quality, a totally
revamped color management system and three independent HD-
SDI outputs.
How does the ProRes 4K work? You said the sensor is 3.4K?
Yes, and that sensor has played a vital part in the success story
of the Alexa. What our tests have shown, and what we hear from
our customers, is that with this sensor we have superb overall im-
age quality, extremely wide dynamic range, fantastic skin tones,
and great sensitivity. With the extra horse power of the Alexa 65
electronics and the new image processing chain, we can take the
image from the sensor and do a minimal up-sample in-camera,
either to ProRes 4K UHD or to ProRes 4K Cine.
I have to ask a difficult question now. Most of us have been
trained by ARRI, I think it goes back to the scanner days, that
to get the best picture you have to over-sample. If you want a
4K image, you really have to be shooting or scanning in 6K. So
now were being told that this mild up-sampling is perfectly
okay. What happened in the meantime?
That is a fair question. First of all, in those days we were talking
20 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Alexa SXT Studio
about scanning film, which is a completely different proposition
from shooting digitally. There, we have a transformation from an
analog medium with grain to a digital medium. Additionally there
have been a number of changes in technology and in our under-
standing of what is important to create a good looking image.
Now, scientifically, if you want the best resolution of a black and
white test chart, you should over-sample. However, an image is not
just resolution. Some people talk as if all a cinematographer does
all day is shoot black and white charts and resolution is the most
important image quality parameter. But that is not the case, there
is so much more to it. It is silly to look at just one aspect of the im-
age and make all decisions based on that. Parameters like dynamic
range, noise, skin tone reproduction and the quality of the debayer
are actually much more important than just resolution.
And then the technology has also changed. Debayering has got-
ten much better, the electronics are much more powerful and we
have learned a lot about in-camera image processing and up-sam-
ple algorithms. We have a whole color science department that
continually pushes the envelope of what is possible, and that is
very important. They came up with our in-camera up-sample al-
gorithm which is just fantastic.
So at some point we entertained the idea to do this mild up-sam-
ple from 3.2K photosites on the sensor to 3.8K (= 4K UHD) pix-
els in the file. There were many inside ARRI who were opposed
to that. But we have learned that theory will only get you so far
and at some point the only way to really know is to shoot a test.
The results looked great. That convinced everybody within ARRI
that its possible to do a mild up-sample of 1.2x and still get the
beautiful images everyone is used to from Alexa. Now we have an
answer for those who need to record a 4K image, be it in 4K UHD
or 4K Cine.
Can you explain the differences between 4K UHD and 4K
Cine? And should it not be 4K DCI instead of 4K Cine?
With all the different new formats out there, this has gotten a bit
overwhelming. To avoid confusion, we are making a clear dis-
tinction between the number of photosites on the sensor and
the number of pixels in the recorded file. We are also making a
distinction between what is recorded in-camera, which we call a
recording format and what ultimately comes out of post, which is
a distribution format. When you start mixing up all those terms,
it can get very messy.
Sofor 4K UHD, we are using 3200 x 1800 photosites on the sen-
sor. We then do a mild up-sample with a factor of 1.2x in-camera
to the ProRes 4K UHD recording format with 3840 x 2160 pixels.
The distribution format is a 3840 x 2160 pixel 4K UHD TV deliv-
Marc Shipman-Mueller on Alexa SXT, contd
erable. This, by the way, is the same method, the same photosite
count, the same up-sample factor and the same resulting pixel
count as used in Alexa Mini and Amira, so here again we have a
great sharing of technology.
Then what is 4K Cine?
4K Cine is a recording format unique to the Alexa SXT. We use
3414 x 2198 photosites from the sensorOpen Gatethe full
sensor area, and with the same 1.2x up-sample we create a 4096 x
2637 pixel ProRes file. From that you can create a 4K DCI distri-
bution format in post. Now, our recording format has some more
lines than the distribution format. The DCI container is 4096 x
2160, but we record 4096 x 2637 in-camera, so there is some wig-
gle room up and down for repositioning or placing VFX markers.
That is the difference between our 4K Cine recording format and
the 4K DCI distribution format. The recording format has some
more lines for some extra flexibility in post. [see Chart 1]
In the Alexa SXT, do you have the choice of not up-sampling
ProRes to 4K?
Sure. The Alexa SXT provides a number of ProRes recording for-
mats that cover most of the needs of our customers. You can re-
cord ProRes in HD, 2K Cine, 3.2K, 4K UHD or 4K Cine. And you
can do that with all the different ProRes flavors, from ProRes 422
to ProRes 4444 XQ.
Can you shoot ProRes 3.2K and then do the up-sample your-
self later in post?
Yes. ProRes 3.2K is a recording format we already have in Alexa XT
cameras with SUP 11. We are seeing some productions that shoot
ProRes 3.2K and do a post up-sample to 4K UHD. But we are also
seeing some productions shooting ProRes 3.2K when they want
an HD or 2K deliverable. The 3.2K gives them extra space around
their image for resizing, reframing, rotating or stabilizing. In fact,
in our online ARRI Frameline Composer we now have a preset for
exactly that purpose, called 1.78:1, 2.8K inside 3.2K. You can find
the Frameline Composer in the TOOLS section of the Alexa web
pages. It is a great tool for making your own framelines.
Lets talk about the SXT and internal ARRRAW recording.
The SXT can record ARRIRAW just like the XT camera. We have
the 16:9 ARRIRAW up to 120 fps, 4:3 ARRIRAW up to 96 fps and
Open Gate ARRIRAW up to 75 fps.
Is there any in-camera up-sampling planned for ARRIRAW?
No, that gets recorded straight as it is on the sensor. Anyone who
shoots ARRIRAW has to do some post anyway, and they usually
prefer to use their own up-sample algorithms if they need to up-
sample.
Open Gate is becoming more and more popular for high-end
features. But it has a larger image circle. How can you figure
out which lenses will work and which will not?
For that we have a new online tool, the ARRI Lens Illumination
Guide. It is also in the TOOLS section of the Alexa web pages. Ev-
ery lens is brighter in the center than in the corners: that is called
the lens illumination. We wanted an easy way for customers to
get a feeling of how lenses performed in Open Gate. You choose
a sensor mode and what framelines you want to check out, and
then you choose a lens model, focal length, iris and focus setting,
which are all parameters that affect the lens illumination. The re-
sulting image shows you how the illumination falls off towards
the corners and if you get vignetting. Some lenses do better and
others worse. One of the lenses that does really well is our Ultra
Wide Zoom UWZ 9.5 - 18, since it was designed for a large image
circle. Most high-end primes wider than 18 mm have an issue
shooting Open Gate, so the UWZ really solves the question of
how to shoot wide angle with Open Gate.
Are the Lens Illumination Guide images computer generated?
No, we actually shot all those lenses on an Alexa with Open Gate
in front of an integrating sphere with a grey chart. We have most
ARRI lenses in there already, but the guys are still shooting, so we
will add more lenses as time goes by. I think the UWZ is next in
line. You can see the result right there on the screen or save the
image as a JPEG file.
Nice. Lets get back to the SXT. What did you mean when you
said theres better image quality on the Alexa SXT?
Well, we have completely re-written the image processing chain
and changed the architecture, which includes a lot of small image
quality improvements. Theres a new pixel correction algorithm
originally developed for the Alexa 65. That helps. Then we inher-
ited the noise reduction from the Amira. Personally, I have never
been a big fan of noise reduction in-camera, as it can create arti-
facts that can be difficult or impossible to remove in post. But this
noise reduction is very mild, nothing too crazy, and looks really
nice and clean. Of course, it is off by default and you can turn it on
if you want to. In sum, all that adds up so you get a better picture
out of the camera.
The color management has also changed?
Yes, just like Amira and Alexa Mini, we have a new look file that
includes the ASC CDL (Color Decision List) and a 3D Look-Up
Table. Those can be applied individually or together to any of the
monitoring outputs or to the recorded ProRes file. We are now
changing some of the tools so they will be the same tools for the
Alexa SXT, Alexa Mini and Amira. In addition we can also output
Rec 2020 gamma, which has a very wide color gamut. We know
there are some Rec 2020 monitors in the works and when they are
here, the Alexa SXT will be ready for them.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 21
 Marc Shipman-Mueller on Alexa SXT, contd
You also mentioned three HD-SDI outputs?
Now that we have this powerful engine in the SXT cameras, we
can do three fully-independent HD-SDI outputs. DITs really de-
pend on independent outputs. With the Alexa SXT, on a typical
feature or TV series set, you can send a clean Log C image to
the DIT who does a preview grading to show the director what
the image will look like. At the same time you can send a clean
Rec 709 image to the dolly grip and the monitor right next to the
camera, and a Rec 709 image with status information overlays to
the cameras on-board monitor. And any of those can also have
the ASC CDL and/or 3D LUT applied, or alternatively be in Rec
2020. This is a really powerful in-camera setup that provides a lot
of options for the DITs.
I noticed that youre offering an SXR Module upgrade for own-
ers of existing XTs.
Thats correct. We feel it is important to offer an upgrade path in
order to protect our customers investment. Anybody who owns
an Alexa XT, except the XT M, can get the SXR Module upgrade,
and we are planning on pricing it in the same vicinity as the XR
Module upgrade.
What is the difference between a new SXT camera and an XT
camera with the SXR Module upgrade?
At this point in time they will have the same features. However,
there are always new things were working on. And when we build
a brand new SXT camera, we can already put provisions in there
to prepare for future features. Doing that for an SXR Module up-
grade would be cost prohibitive.
I read that Alexa XT cameras since January this year can get
the full SXT upgrade for free.
It is our philosophy to make sure that our customers have a func-
tioning business model, so we try to make sure that those who
Chart 1: Alexa SXT 4K Recording and Distribution Formats
Recording Photosites Up-sample Pixels in
Sensor Mode
format on sensor factor recording format
16:9 ProRes 4K UHD 3200 x 1800 1.2 3840 x 2160
Open Gate ProRes 4K Cine 3414 x 2198 1.2 4096 x 2637
22 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
recently bought a camera are not left in the dust. Anybody who
bought an Alexa XT camera starting January 1, 2015, or who will
buy one until were starting to ship the SXT cameras, will get a
full SXT upgrade for free. Thats the complete SXT camera, the
whole shebang, the full Alexa SXT with all the upgrade options
that will come later. Thats a great deal because the SXT is going to
be slightly more expensive than the XT.
So if you buy an XT now you can actually earn some money with
it and then you get a free SXT for actually less money than what
you would pay if you buy an SXT once it comes out. However, this
does not include the XT M.
Now I have to ask some tough questions. Why do you not offer
this full SXT upgrade for free for XT cameras before January
2015?
First off, those who had bought a camera a while ago, theyve al-
ready had the ability to make some money with the camera. Sec-
ond, we also have to make some money to finance all that devel-
opment, so we cant extend an offer like that forever into the past.
There has got to be a cut-off point that makes financial sense for
our customers and for us, it is a precarious balance we are trying
to achieve there. And third, we still have the SXR upgrade avail-
able to all XT cameras ever sold.
Why is the XT M excluded from all this?
Well, now that we have the Alexa Mini, it fulfills most features of
the Alexa XT M, and the effort to create an Alexa SXT M would
bear no relation to the number of customers who would still buy it.
A last difficult question: the Alexa ALEV 3 sensor is probably
five or six years old by now. Isnt it getting past its prime in
terms of Moores Law, even for image sensor technology?
First, I have strong doubts that Moores Law is applicable to sensor
design. And second, the photosite design of the ALEV 3 is unique
and really brilliant. That design gives you the great dynamic range
and the highlight handling that the Alexa has, it gives you the sen-
sitivity, the low-noise floor and the beautiful skin tones. The sen-
sor design, combined with the ever-improving processing chain,
has stood the test of time. So far I have not seen any camera that
surpasses Alexa.
Of course, we are working on a new sensor; we are a camera man-
ufacturer. However, were only going to release it in a product if
we can achieve a better overall image quality than in the Alexa.
And that is not an easy task for anyone.
We feel the Alexa SXT is a great camera with many new options
and future-proof images for high end professional productions.
Distribution Pixels in
ARRI Cameras
format distribution format
4K UHD TV 3840 x 2160 Alexa SXT, Alexa Mini, Amira
4K DCI 4096 x 2160 Alexa SXT
ARRI Alexa SXT Summary Codex on Alexa SXT

Adapters and
cards, top to
SXT bottom:
Media CFast 2.0
Bay SxS PRO/PRO+
XR
ARRI Alexa SXT
SXR
with SXR Capture Drive

Like a long-running popular TV series, ARRI announced the Codex once again collaborated with ARRI on data and record-
latest evolution of the Alexa sisters: Alexa SXT (Super Xtended ing for the Alexa SXT. The companies engineering teams worked
Technology). Same body, same sensor, upgraded hardware and closely together to create a high-performance, integrated record-
software. ing system as well as on-set, near-set, and after-set data manage-
Alexa SXT cameras offer ProRes 4K recording, improved image ment from camera through post, that is recognized as an industry
quality, color management and 3 fully independent HD-SDI out- standard.
puts. SXT cameras will record ProRes 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pix- Alexa SXT cameras use a new revised Codex recording engine,
els) and ProRes 4K Cine (4096 x 2637 pixels) with mild in-camera similar to the system that is built into the new Alexa 65. They use
up-sampling. This is similar to what Amira does. The difference the latest SXR Capture Drives, which offer a staggering data rate
is that while Amira does ProRes 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) of 20Gb/s. Alexa SXT cameras have a new media bay, developed
SXT does both 4K UHD and 4K Cine. by Codex, that uses adaptors for new SXR Capture Drives, exist-
Alexa SXT cameras use the same 3.4K Alev III sensor of previous ing XR Capture Drives, SxSPRO/PRO+ cards and CFast 2.0 cards.
models. Increased performance comes from electronics devel-
oped for Alexa 65 and Amira. The latest FPGA processors provide
improved image quality, with faster processing, advanced pixel
correction and optional noise reduction. New electronic boards Codex SXR
enable faster and more powerful image processingwhich is Capture
what makes the mild 1.2x in-camera up-sampling to 4K possible. Drives
Like their XT predecessors, Alexa SXT cameras have Open Gate,
4:3 Anamorphic and Spherical modes, 16:9, and can record AR-
RIRAW or ProRes.
Look creation in the SXT has roots in the advanced color man-
agement system originally developed for Amira. A new type of
look file, the ALF-2 (ARRI Look File 2), contains an ASC CDL
(Color Decision List) as well as a 3D LUT (Look-Up Table). The
new color management engine can easily match the look of cur-
rent Alexa cameras, but also offers new, customizable looks. Pre-
viewing looks on set is improved, including the option to use the Codex S-Series
wide color gamut of Rec. 2020 gamma. ALF-2 files and the tools with Codex
that create them are compatible between Alexa SXT, Alexa Mini Vault Platform
and Amira. and Review
Alexa SXT cameras have 3 fully independent HD-SDI outputs.
For example, a Log C image can be fed to the directors monitor
for a pristine image with live grading, while a clean Rec 709 im-
age can go to video village, and a Rec 709 image with information
overlays can be displayed on the cameras on-board monitor.
The first Alexa SXT cameras are planned for release around mid-
2015; the full range will comprise Alexa SXT EV, SXT Plus and
SXT Studio models, replacing current Alexa XT cameras. (Alexa
Classic EV model will remain in the line-up).
arri.com/alexa NAB C4337

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 23

 Canon 50 MP Sensor 5DS and 5DS R
Canon has raised the bar in 24 x 36 mm format sensor resolution.
The new EOS 5DS and 5DS R DSLR cameras have 50.6 megapixel
full-frame CMOS image sensors. This is the realm of medium for-
mat, and larger prints from a smaller camera are possible.
Essentially the two models are the same, with one significant dif-
ference. The 5DS has a regular OLPF (Optical Low Pass Filter).
The 5DS R camera has OLPF cancellation. No, its not removed,
because that would change the flange focal depth. (If you re-
moved the OLPF, youd have to change the depth of the cameras
EF mount, or change the FFD of all your lenses.)
The OLPF on the 5DS, and on most digital cameras, helps to mini-
mize moir and color artifacts. It acts like a kind of diffusion filter.
It does this by separating each light ray in both horizontal and
vertical directions. However, that comes at a price: the sharpness
of the image is slightly reduced.
The Canon EOS 5DS R cameras OLPF cancellation effect deliv-
ers greater sharpness and finer detail. It does this by using the
same number of optical elements as a regular OLPF, but instead
of having horizontal and vertical separation crystals, the 5DS R
has one vertical separation element, and then another crystal to
negate the vertical separation effect. So the image is sharper and
you can see more details. The camera comes with a warning, Pos-
sibility of moir and color artifacting is greater. Fortunately, there
are methods to help eliminate these effects while capturing and
during post-processing.
Shake and vibration are not the friends of high-resolution images.
Recognizing this, the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R cameras were de-
signed to minimize camera shake and improve stability with a re-
inforced chassis, baseplate and more rugged tripod thread. Theres
a mirror vibration control system to mirror bounce and camera
shake. To help maximize stability and minimize vibrations, Canon
24 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
added a new Arbitrary Release Time Lag Setting in Mirror Lock
mode in both models. You can also set various mirror lag modes
(press the shutter button once to lock the mirror, then again to
release the shutter).
One of the most exiting new functions for cinematographers is the
built-in intervalometer and bulb timer for time-lapse sequences
and long-exposures. Shooting fireworks, star trails, sunrises, sun-
sets, and moving clouds are, well, a breeze.
The Time Lapse Movie function (first time for EOS cameras)
takes a continuous series of still photographs and automatically
combines them in-camera into a 1080p Full HD .MOV movie
file. Interval adjustments can be set from 1 second to 99 hours, 59
minutes and 59 seconds. The number of shots are adjustable from
2 to 3,600. Maximum playback time is 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Both cameras shoot in 1080p Full HD up to 30p. The Intelli-
gent Viewfinder II provides almost a 100 percent field of view,
so what you see is what youre shooting. The finder now shows
cropped frames: 1.3x mode at 30.5 megapixels, and 1.6x mode at
19.6 megapixels. The cameras have dual card slots for CF and SD
memory cards, including Ultra High Speed (UHS-1) SD cards.
Every notice how your NAB pictures never have consistent ex-
posure from one frame to the next? Like the EOS 7D Mark II,
the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R cameras have an advanced Auto
Exposure system that detects and compensates for flickering light
sources such as sodium vapor lamps. It automatically adjusts the
shutter speed to help reduce disparities in exposure and color, es-
pecially during continuous shooting. The new Auto White Bal-
ance includes Ambience Priority and White Priority
The EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R DSLR cameras are scheduled to ship
in June 2015 at around $3,699.00 and $3,899.00 for the body only.
Canon XC-10 (4K, 10:1 zoom, 1)

Heres an exciting new camera from Canon. Their 5D paved the way for
still cameras that shoot video. This one is a video camera that shoots
impressive stills.
If Canons XC-10 looks like a mirrorless camera, well, it is. It will be at
home on gimbals, drones, rigs, remotes, and anywhere else a lighter,
smaller 4K camera with attached zoom lens is requested. Tim Smith
called it a POV and rig camera on steroids. Its also a lot more.
One of my favorite features was the removable prism finder that clips onto
the tilting rear LCD monitor. Its very sharp, focusable, and compact. The
XC-10 runs on the same batteries at Canons DSLRs like the 5D. Theres a
swiveling right handgrip.
The XC-10 has a 1-inch sensor and an attached 10:1 zoom lens: 8.9-
89 mm f/2.8-5.6. Thats the impressive equivalent of 24-240 mm in
full frame 35mm still format (and approximately 16-160 mm in 35mm
Academy Format.) The Canon XC-10 records 4K UHD 3840x2160 AVC
Interframe 422 8-bit up to 30 fps , 60 fps in HD. Files are MXF .MOV
compressed 4K.
You can shoot 12 megapixel stills, or you can get 8 megapixel framegrabs
from the video recording. Ships May or June 2015.
NAB C4325, C3628. usa.canon.com/cusa/professional

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 25

 Dariusz Wolski, ASC on Exodus
Dariusz Wolski, ASC attended film school in Lodz, Poland. Then
he went to New York, tried to get a job, worked as a camera as-
sistant and moved to L.A. where he started in music videos, com-
mercials, and movies. His many credits include recently released
Exodus: Gods and Kings, directed by Ridley Scott. When we did
this interview, he was shooting The Martian in Budapest.
2015 marks the 80th anniversary of Angnieux. Since Darius has
been a longtime user of their lenses, it was only fitting to include
an interview with him. His comments on working with zooms
are quite interesting.
JON FAUER: Tell me a little bit about your current job, The
Martian.
DARIUS WOLSKI: It is directed by Ridley Scott. We describe
it as Robinson Crusoe on Mars: an astronaut stranded on Mars
struggles to survive. It stars Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen
Wiig, and Matt Damon. Its not Sci-Fi. The story is realistic. Its
very intriguing; everything the astronaut does is quite feasible.
We have consultants from NASA and they say, You cant do this;
yes, you can do that. So our character grows potatoes on Mars
and there are attempts to rescue him and so forth.
And youre shooting this in 3-D?
Its 3-D, yes.
What equipment are you using?
Panavision equipment and 3ality. Since my early 3-D days, we
used RED cameras because of the size. Now were using RED
Dragons. Our lenses are small Angnieux Optimo zoom lenses,
so we dont have to change lenses to change focal lengths. The big-
gest problem in 3D is changing lenses, because that takes forever.
Basically we devised a system with lots of multiple cameras. This
movie has four rigs. On Exodus we had five rigs. We have two
wide rigs and two tight rigs. Thats why those little Angnieux
Optimo zooms are basically indispensable. They are the best
26 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
thing that could happen for us. We have 15-40 mm T2.6 Optimo
zooms for the wide rigs and 28-76 mm T2.6 Optimos for the tight
rigs. With that range, we dont change lenses, which is great. We
line up the shot and adjust the focal length.
On Exodus we actually went a little bit longer because it was just
really a big landscape movie and so we also had a fifth rig that had
another set of small Angnieux Optimo zoom: 45-120 T2.8. I
was afraid to use longer lenses at first, but when you deal with big
landscapes, they actually work pretty well.
Are the lenses in PL or PV mount?
There should be one universal mount for all cameras.
Hah! That would be nice.
And all electrical plugs worldwide should be the same.
That may happen when theres just one RAW format for all
cameras.
Itll never happen.
Back to lenses: on your regular movies, not 3-D, are you also
using zooms more than primes? And especially on digital
shows?
Not just in the digital world. Using a zoom is just simpler. Even in
the film world, I use Optimo short zooms all the time. Why not
have a zoom lens that is as small, or smaller, than many primes?
Some people have to have a lot of big, heavy equipment, but for
me its not necessary. When it comes to the quality of the Optimo
lenses, they are wonderful.
Of course, you can debate that certain primes made your shot or
gave it a look, but, as you know, everything is so sharp these days.
Film stocks are sharp, the digital images are sharp, and as long as
you treat these zooms well, theyre absolutely beautiful.
Its surprising we dont use zooms more often as variable
primes.
There is a stigma that goes way back to the 1970s, when the earlier
zoom lenses came. Some of them breathed, they were not that
sharp, not that fast, and during a zoom, they could go out of fo-
cus. There were all those issues. It was a very complicated optical
thing. Actually there were two stigmasthe first was technical,
that the image was not good enough. The other was artistic. The
idea of zooming in and out made people think of television. But
when you look at all the great movies, people used zooms. Billy
Fraker and Vilmos Zsigmond used zooms in the 70s. Thats how
it was.
Vilmos was talking about using zooms on McCabe and Mrs.
Miller (1971).
Of course. And then there was this weird notion that you shouldnt
use them. But you can look at it both ways. For example, you can
be on the roof of the building, following a car way down below,
and zoom out to establish the scene, as Billy Friedkin did on the
French Connection and many films.
You can make a statement out of it and make the zoom noticeable.
Or you can just do it gently. If we watch various movies, most of
us wont even notice whether a zoom was used or not. Using a
zoom has become a classic way of telling a story.
Dariusz Wolski, ASC on Exodus, contd
Right now youre using zooms as variable primes? Dont get me get me started on the film vs digital world. I love
Yes. Basically its a variable prime. But you can a zoom in and those last purists who shoot film and they do such a heavy DI
adjust the frame slightly during the shot. You can sneak in or out. manipulation, you wonder wheres the film? Give me three print-
It holds up, even in 3-D And it totally works. ing lights like we used to do. Then lets talk about film. Its a sen-
timental notion.
Do you remember the first time you used an Angnieux zoom?
What format will The Martian be released in?
The first time was probably as a camera assistant, in the 80s. I
remember putting them into blimps with all those little strips Widescreen 2.35:1
and gears. In those days, of course, using primes was beneficial: And youre composing that way? Or leaving extra room for
sharper, faster, smaller. But there were certain situations, like, effects?
when you went outside, where zooms were indispensable. No. We compose the shot carefully. Ridley is quite precise about
What about matching the two lenses on your 3-D rigs? composition. He is a visual director.
Well, that takes a little work. I dont do that personally, but we Is there anything youd like to add about Angnieux?
have a great crew. We prepped at Panavision in LA. And we are Its a fantastic modern lens right now. I mean, their short zooms
supported by Panavision here in Budapest. The reason I use Pan- are revolutionary. If you have to make a low-budget film, you can
avision is that I appreciate their vast network, with their excellent take one camera, and you can take those two zooms, and you can
service. When it comes to making movies all over the world, I shoot the entire film with two short zooms. You can hand-hold,
find that Panavision still has the best service system in the world. you can use them as variable primes. They are practical. Thats
Theyll do anything for us. You go to England, you go to Budapest, how we do our big 3-D movies. But we are pretty much shooting
you go to Australia, you go anywhere, and youre talking to the our whole film with two lenses. The bottom line is thats pretty
same people. much all you need. Unless theres an effects shot that needs a su-
Other rental houses can buy a bunch of cameras. But can they per long lens or super wide lens. And I think if you talk to every
deliver? You can buy 10 cameras and be a rental house, but can experienced director, thats what they will tell you.
you really service a big movie with a lot of equipment changes Theres no mystery to it. I mean, one director will go a little bit
and additional stuff? Thats why, for me, Panavision is still the best longer, some a little wider, but the bottom line is thats how you
place in the world. tell the story. And those Angnieux zooms have all that range in
Do you see continued interest in 3-D? Whats the next phase? one or two lenses.
I think 3-Ds going to fade out. I initially had to learn how to deal
with it, and I love it. Ridley Scott loves it because he enjoys shoot-
ing big movies and epics. I think what we do with 3-D is pretty
seamless and good. But at the same time, you can show the same
film in 2-D and 3-D. I dont know how really advantageous it is
in the end.
On this show, are you shooting full 6K?
No, its actually 5K. And the Angnieux zooms cover that image
circle.
For you, whats the difference between film and digital?
Lately were seeing a film reaction to the digital world. Its like,
Oh, digital is not pure, so to be pure, were going to shoot film.
Ive shot lots of film. Its not like Im some new kid on the block; Photos: Kerry Brown 20th Century Fox
Ive shot a lot of movies on film, and I love film. But everyone for-
got about bad baths on Monday. And things could go wrong. Was
it the camera? Was it the lab? Or was it Kodak? Was it the wrong
batch? Everyone forgot about those details.
Remember green dailies? What happened? First, fire the camera-
man. But then it was learned that some guy fell asleep at the lab.
Everyone has forgotten about those stories.
And the dreaded phone call from the lab at 3 in the morning.
Yes. Racing to the lab early in the morning. Unfortunately, we are
losing people with skills to run a film lab. Nobody who is 30 years
old wants to be a lab technician any more; theyre all working on
their computers, shooting movies on GoPros. Whos going to be
the guy in the lab at two in the morning making sure the tempera-
ture in the bath is okay?

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 27

 Exodus on DaVinci at CO3
Blackmagic Designs DaVinci Resolve was used at Deluxe Cre-
ative Services Company 3 by colorist Stephen Nakamura (above)
to grade 20th Century Foxs Exodus: Gods and Kings.
Directed by Ridley Scott and shot in 3D by cinematographer
Dariusz Wolski, ASC, Exodus iswellthe story of Exodus.
Moses (Christian Bale) confronts Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses (Joel
Edgerton) and leads 400,000 extras escaping Egypt.
The overall look of Exodus: Gods and Kings is a departure from
what audiences normally associate with an epic Bible film. The
idea is that youre watching these epic battles and the seas parting,
but its not the same kind of movie as The Ten Commandments or
Ben Hur. Its designed to feel more realistic, said Nakamura. The
images we had to work with were already beautiful.
In mastering the images separately for 2D and 3D release, Na-
kamura had to keep in mind the different display characteristics
of the two formats in terms of the screen brightness and maxi-
mum highlights. While the standard for 2D projection is 14 foot
lamberts, most 3D projection is 3.5 fL, with significantly dimmer
highlights and much less contrast between the brightest and the
darkest images.
When youre working at 3.5 fL, you need to globally pull ev-
erything up to get the midtones and shadows feeling like theyre
in the right place to look as much as possible like the 2D ver-
sion, Stephen said. But when you do whats necessary to get the
midtones and shadows in the right place you can start to clip the
highlights. So then you need to isolate those areas of the frame
that clip and pull them back down. This can be a time consuming
process where you draw power windows and build highlight keys
or use other tools to isolate the highlights and manipulate them
without affecting the midtones and shadows.
But on this production, Stephen was pleasantly surprised to find
28 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
a Highlight and Shadows tool on DaVinci Resolve 11s Color
Match Palettes that let him bring those highlights into the neces-
sary range for 3.5 fL display without having to create the elaborate
secondaries he previously needed.
I use it all the time now, especially when Im grading for multiple
display formats, as we did as on Exodus. Its pretty incredible. In-
stead of using all the tricks I previously had to resort to, I can just
dial down the highlight adjustment where I like it and everything
else falls into place.
A lot of Exodus, especially as it gets more intense, was designed
to be really desaturated, with a lot of cold tones in the color. It
was something I could apply over the whole image, but there were
some portions where color, especially the red in blood, was very
important to the story.
You really want to see the color of the blood but once youve
pulled the color out of the image, you cant just key portions of the
frame where theres blood and pull the color back up, he added,
explaining that he used DaVinci Resolves parallel node function
to solve the problem. I created the desaturation in one node,
then keyed the blood in the next node, and then used the parallel
node to bypass all the desaturation and color shifts toward blue
specifically within the keyed portion of the frame, where the red
blood was. Then I could dial that correction up or down until I
found where it brought out the color in the blood without looking
artificial within the context of the whole shot.
Stephen also fine-tuned color for some of the day-for-night se-
quences by bringing the brightness down, pulling some of the
color out and making everything a little blue to indicate moon-
light. He used highlight keys to bring the sky down, along with
a combination of power windows and tracking to bring people,
especially faces, slightly up.
Unless a character is moving around like crazy, you can draw a
shape around whatever you want to bring up, it tracks really well
and the result is very organic looking. I also worked with some
digital sky replacement elements. The VFX company delivered
these as separate elements that matched the daylight surround-
ings. Rather than having them approximate the final day for night
look, the VFX house built skies and other elements that matched
the daylight environment. Then I held those pieces in an alpha
channel so we could create the day for night all at once in the
finishing theater.
For Stephen Nakamura, Exodus, like all his work for Ridley Scott,
was challenging and exciting. Theres no director in the business
more attuned to the power of visual storytelling, he said. Stephen
replied to some follow-up questions by email.
Jon Fauer: Do you do all your grading on DaVinci Resolve?
Stephen Nakamura: Always.
Did you work in 4K on Exodus or?
2K.
How and where was the look set?
There were some looks set in the dailies [done by Fluent Images],
which we used as a visual guide, but we didnt actually transfer
the corrections themselves. Dailies were done by Fluent Images.
company3.com blackmagicdesign.com
George Richmond on Kingsman
George Richmond, BSC was the cinematographer on Kingsman:
The Secret Service, a Twentieth Century Fox Film production di-
rected by Matthew Vaughn.
Anthony Lanes review in The New Yorker is always better than any
spoiler alert: The conceit upon which Kingsman rests is a simple
one. The service in question is international, filthy rich, and inde-
pendent of any government, although it is based in London and
staffed by British agents. They are modelled on the Round Table,
with sobriquets to match: Arthur (Michael Caine), Galahad (Co-
lin Firth), Lancelot (Jack Davenport), and so on. They fight evil,
crime, and other caddish deeds, and the front for their headquar-
ters is a tailors called Kingsman, in Savile Row.
In case all this sounds too decorous for its own good, be advised
that the director is Matthew Vaughn, who made Kick-Ass (2010),
and whose idea of decorum, as far as I can gauge, involves switch-
ing to slow motion, in the wake of a savage punch, the better to
show us an uprooted tooth sailing gracefully by.
Speaking of sailing by, ski jumping is the subject of Eddie the Eagle,
a film now being produced by Mr. Vaughns Marv Films. Eddie
was Great Britains beloved ski jumper in the 1988 Calgary Winter
Olympic Games. The cinematographer is George Richmond. We
spoke to George on location in Seefeld, Austria. He was using pret-
ty much the same camera and lens package as on Kingsman: Hawk
anamorphics on ARRI Alexa cameras, all from Vantage Film.
JON FAUER: How did you arrive at the look of the film?
GEORGE RICHMOND: The creative starting point was old spy
movies from the 60s and 70s. We started referencing some of the
early James Bond films as well as shows such as The Avengers.
Matthew asked me early on, why dont films look like old films
Photo: Jaap Buitendijk
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp
anymore? We used that as a starting point, adding our own twist
on the classic spy concept as we went along.
Cameras and lenses on Kingsman?
We had ARRI Alexa XT cameras recording ARRIRAW on the
main unit. We used the Blackmagic 2.5K Cinema Camera to gen-
erate all the images for the monitors. Hawk V-Series anamorphics
were our main lenses. We carried a set of Hawk V-Lites for the
Steadicam. The other lenses were Cooke S4 sphericals, Angenieux
handheld zooms (15-40mm and the 28-76mm), an Alura long
zoom, and the Cooke mini/S4 primes for the skydiving sequence.
Arri Media (now ARRI Rental) in London was the rental house.
They own a few sets of the Hawk V-Series, V-Plus and V-Lites, but
we went directly to Vantage for the second set of V-Series and two
sets of their 45-90 and 80-180 mm zooms for both units.
On a VFX-heavy show, why use anamorphics?
Because the Hawk lenses gave a cinematic feel to the movie. Even
though we cut spherical scenes in, 80 to 90% of the movie is ana-
morphic. They basically give you a cinematic feeling. They have
pleasing aberrations. Anamorphic lenses give you wide back-
grounds, but youre actually shooting with a longer focal length,
because theres a longer lens inside of it thats being bent to make
it wide. So you get a shallower depth of field. It makes actors look
more film star-like. You really get the look of the actors because
the lenses separate them from the background and it really allows
you to concentrate on what youre looking at. I think it just makes
them look good.
The other very good reason was that Matthew Vaughn had never
shot on spherical. He wanted to shoot anamorphic too. So the
big decision was what lenses to choose and youre kind of down
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 29
 George Richmond on Kingsman, contd
to two choices really; you go Panavision or you go Hawk. And
Vantage Hawks were the ones for this, because they just have that
look.
The thing I like about the Hawk V-Series lenses is that they dont
have the blue streak flares that the Panavision ones do. They feel
slightly smoother and they have slightly more extreme aberra-
tions around the edges. It seems almost as if they were designed
for digital.
Why are so many lenses looking better on digital?
Its because digital has a harshness; it has a sharpness to it because
of the lack of grain and the lack of texture thats inherent in film.
Film just softens everything off a little bit, which is why we use it.
Actually, my first point of reference when shooting digital is the
glass. I shot a mini-series for the BBC about the great train rob-
bery and we used ancient Cooke Speed Panchro spherical lenses,
which were basically 1930s glass rehoused. They made it feel and
look old. Theyre warm and theyre soft. And they have this slight
portholing and loss of exposure on the edges. So the glass is the
most important thing.
In ways that filters cannot do?
Filters just dont, no. Because filters affect everything in a flat way.
If you put a soft filter on, it affects everything. If you use an old
anamorphic lens it allows the point of sharpness to be sharp, but
it affects everything else, basically in layers.
You used all the Hawks: the V-Series, V-Lite, and V-Plus?
Basically the main sets were V-Series, which are among the older
ones that they have. I think the oldest set is the Hawk C-Series.
The next series that they made, in the 90s, was the V-Series, and
then they updated those with the V-Plus, which have a different
baffle inside the lens and theyre a little bit more contrasty. I didnt
use the V-Plus primes; but I did use the V-Plus zooms. So all the
primes were V-Series, the zooms were V-Plus, and then we used
V-Lites for handheld and Steadicam. Most of the second unit and
the fight sequences were done with spherical lenses.
The anamorphics matched the spherical lenses nicely.
Yes, but thats because we spend a lot of time in the DI suite grad-
ing them and a lot of those lenses were squeezed at the edges, to
give a sort of anamorphic feeling to those spherical lenses. They
digitally re-invented and added little bit of a pin cushioning in
post, so to speak.
At what stop did you shoot?
Our target stop was sort of T2.8 to 4, and they work well there. If
youre shooting anamorphic wide open you can get certain focus
aberrations all around. But most of the movie was studio based so
I could light it up to make the target stop.
Making a target stop, thats something the old movies did. They lit
their sets up to make their lenses work best. I worked with Alex
Thompson, BSC years ago. I was one of his clapper-loaders and
he always maintained that anamorphic looked best at T4 to 4.5 on
film. So hed light everything up at T4 to T4.5.
What lenses did you use on your last film?
Unlocked was a Michael Apted film. Its very good, with an amaz-
ing cast. Michael Douglas, John Malkovich, Noomi Rapace, and
30 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Orlando Bloom. We shot in Prague and in London. We used the
Hawks again. I like those lenses.
Describe the skydiving sequence on Kingsman.
Brad Allan was 2nd unit director; Craig OBrien was aerial unit
DP with helmet mounted cameras and a belly mounted 2.5K
Blackmagic Cinema Camera.
We had six days to film this sequence, which we had previsual-
ized and then broken down into smaller bite size pieces of action.
With just under a minute of free-fall time on every jump, Brad
and his team were able to film up to three different elements over
50 or so jumps. For additional cuts they relied on Blackmagics
Pocket Cinema Camera, equipped with a 16mm prime, and had
it fitted to a special wrist mount. We got some fantastic shots, par-
ticularly when the hand goes up behind the back of the parachute
to pull the release cord.
In filming that sequence there was a lot going on. We had a he-
licopter for two days, shooting air-to-air with long lenses, and
we had cameras on the ground shooting up with long lenses. We
filmed the sequence using spherical lenses as they were lighter
and more manageable in the air. It also meant that we had the
ability to reframe in post if necessary.
Speaking of post...
Joshua Callis-Smith was the DIT and Rob Pizzey was Goldcrest
Posts colorist. We applied grades on-set that followed through
to post production. Ive become very aware of the science of
DaVinci Resolve when it comes to solving color issues and bal-
ancing cameras on set, more than I ever thought I would. We took
ARRIRAW and applied LUTs on set to view warm, cold, dark
and light setups. The LUTs were created in preproduction, which
meant two or three days were spent doing lighting and camera
tests at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios ahead of principal cast
arriving. We had stand-ins wearing the real wardrobe to test how
these would look.
With the help of Goldcrest, we created a series of looks in Resolve,
saved them as 3D LUTs and then applied them to a second set of
tests using different lights and colors to make sure they performed
correctly across all of the lighting conditions we might use dur-
ing production. This allowed me to start creating the look of the
film before the cast arrived and gave me options when the director
showed up as to how we might approach a particular scene.
Colin Firth as Harry Hart, impeccably dressed spy, in Kingsman, The Secret
Service. Photo: Jaap Buitendijk. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp
Rob Pizzey on Kingsman on DaVinci Resolve
Rob Pizzey is Senior Digital Intermediate Colorist at Goldcrest Post
London. He discussed work on Kingsman.
I started out as a runner at Soho Images in 1992. After about 16
months, I progressed into the VT department. I had been run-
ning for about 6 months when I decided that I wanted to become
a colorist. It amazed me how much an image could change with
grading. I worked extra hours learning the controls of the telecine
suite and came in on my days off to practice. In 1996 I got my
break on the night shift grading dailies on top-end commercials
and tv shows. After 3 years I moved on the day shift and start-
ed working with clients on drama and documentaries. In 2000
I moved to Soho 601 to grade commercials and promos. This
was great fun and full on. Color correction was becoming an ex-
tremely creative part of the post production business due to the
tool set that was then available. The company merged with SVC
and became One Post. It was here that I got the chance to grade
feature films in 2004 and have not looked back since. I have been
fortunate to have worked with some very talented cinematogra-
phers and directors over the last 11 years. Last year I moved to
Goldcrest London with my colleagues, where a brand new and
exciting state of the art facility has been built. I am looking for-
ward to the future.
I worked with cinematographer George Richmond before on a
number of films such as Sunshine On Leith, A Thousand Kisses
Deep, and a few promos. I know that he likes to set up the look of
the film prior to the shoot in order to use it on set as well as for
the dailies.
For Kingsman we had a lot more time to prep than on the other
projects we did together. George pre-lit some of the sets at Leaves-
den studio whilst actor stand-ins wore the costumes to test how
they would look in the lighting conditions that he would use dur-
ing the filming. This allowed me to set basic looks on the DaVinci
Resolve for each interior with a range of different exposures for
George to use. For example: Daylight 1 stop under, or tungsten 1
stop over, etc.
For exterior set ups, George tested at some of the locations used
in the film and we used the same procedures. We set looks with
different exposures, i.e Day Exterior 1 stop under, Night Exterior
normal exposure, and so on. All in all, we set about 25 differ-
ent looks for George to apply as LUTs. Those looks were used
on set and for the dailies, so the rushes were already an accurate
representation of the final looks George
wanted to give to this project.
We also spent some time with Georges
DIT, Joshua Callis-Smith, to test those
looks with his own equipment, making
sure his display monitors were matching
what we saw in the DI theatre, and ulti-
mately what we would use as a starting
point for the DI. Laurent Treherne, Techni-
cal Director of Goldcrest, set up Georges
main on-set monitor first to match the DI
theatre screen, then set the main monitor
for the hero edit suite to match. All the
other monitors we did our best with, but
were limited by their controls to adjust pic-
ture settings. The dailies looked so good
and balanced that a pre-grade was not needed in the edit suite to
match the scenes.
When it came to the final DI there were no shocks as everybody
knew roughly how the film would look. We wanted a rich looking
film with filmic blacks. Everything based in the Kingsman world
had to be rich and lush looking. Eggsys world was a little darker
and more oppressive.
With George, the lighting is key. I used the color corrector to
tweak the look and isolate small parts of the frame to emphasize
the mood he was creating.
During the first two scenes of the film we also had to carry out
some anti-aging grading using a wide range of techniques to make
the lead actors appear younger as the scenes took place quite a few
years earlier than the rest of the film. We also had to carry out a
fair bit of wig line removal and beauty correction throughout. All
those shots were done in context using our color grading system,
all in real-time, to give us the flexibility to adjust and modify each
of those shots up to the last day of grading.
I graded Kingsman using the Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve at
Goldcrest Post London. Goldcrests workflow is based on using
Resolve throughout the full DI process, including conforming,
final online editing and assembly. Using the same system at ev-
ery stage of the DI process gave us the flexibility to never have to
render or commit any shot until it had been fully signed off. The
multi layer and compositing capability of the system also allowed
us to independently grade each part of a comp shots. Examples
are the HUD Head Up Display shots and the complicated verti-
cal wipes such as in Valentines factory.
We decided from the start that on Kingsman we would not de-
bayer any of the ARRI Alexa Raw footage prior to the DI. We
worked from the 3K RAW source data throughout the DI process,
allowing us to keep as much spacial and color details as possible
until the final render of the reels. On some of the extreme lighting
shots, I was able to pull more details from the shadow or highlight
by directly changing the exposure of the RAW data prior to ap-
plying the color correction. It was fantastic to work with George
Richmond and Mathew Vaughn on Kingsman.
blackmagicdesign.com/davinciresolve
NAB Booth SL219
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 31
 John Paul Docherty on Kingsman on Fusion
1. Eggsy and Harry in front of window. Anamorphic lens. Green screen.
2. Green screen extracted using Fusions powerful set of keying tools.
Fusion is a leading visual effects and motion graphics software
toolset. VFX Supervisor John Paul Docherty describes it this way:
I see Fusion as a sort a Swiss Army Knife for VFX. It has a decent
paint system, its very fast, its an accurate color space compositor,
and has a good chunk of a 3D system thrown in. On set its great
for mock ups and quick roughs to give the DP and Director an
idea of what can be done to make the best of whats in front of the
camera. In post, these ideas can be worked up to finals in any col-
or space and any resolution. I have a lot of background in 3D so
the extensive 3D environment makes it particularly good for me.
Fusion Studio was used by John Paul Dochertys VFX house Doc &
A Soc (Docherty & Associates) to construct many of the complex
visual effects in Kingsman: The Secret Service. Two time BAFTA-
nominated visual effects supervisor John Paul Docherty (Skyfall,
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, and The Golden Compass) com-
posited more than a hundred VFX shots using Fusion Studio.
Docherty worked with digital matte painter Jim Bowers to create
360 degree environments for key sequences in the film, including
a huge hangar filled with aircraft and secret service staff.
The whole shot was an environment created by matte painter
Jim Bowers, and we added in various moving elements, including
workmen, a plane being towed and a man arc welding at the back,
which is a little throwback to Lost in Space, said John. There are
about ten layers of environment in that shot, and then we ran it
through Fusion Studios 3D environment. The shot went through
an awful lot of changes within Fusion, including re-lighting the
whole thing, without needing any additional elements from Jim
and then the foregrounds shot was keyed in.
Compositing for major explosion effects was also carried out in
Fusion Studio, with Docherty creating glass shatter effects, to-
gether with mattes of building exteriors, which were overlayed
32 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
3. CG re-lighting is adjusted for final integration into plate.
4. The final shot.
on live pyrotechnic footage shot with high speed cameras. In the
explosion sequence we had to deal with four shots filmed with
high speed cameras at Leavesden on a cold, rainy day. I then had
to render this in, together with the glass shattering effects Id cre-
ated. We had to deal with multiple image formats and lots of lens
distortion, as well as some pretty dramatic color space and resolu-
tion differences before we could effectively comp in the office and
taxi elements.
Fusions Dimension Optical Flow toolset was also a key element
in Dochertys work, particularly when complex re-speeding is-
sues had to be overcome. In one scene we move from the after-
math of an action sequence to a moving taxi with the Kingsman
logo flashing on a back seat monitor. This looks like quite a simple
shot but the speeds on both sides had been adjusted by the editor,
which works really well, however he would throw in cut frames
that made the respeeds very complex. Fusions Optical Flow did
very well handling all of that.
Conflicting schedules meant that overall visual effects supervi-
sor Steve Begg (Skyfall, The Wolfman, Batman Begins), one of the
UKs most respected visual effects artists, had to move onto an-
other production. Docherty was asked to take over as additional
visual effects supervisor, splitting the remaining VFX with John
Bruno (Titanic, Avatar, Oscar for The Abyss). Docherty covered a
broad spectrum of shots, ranging from full CG and environmen-
tal simulation to cosmetic retouches, fixes and pyro work.
John said, Theres a very long shot where Valentine, played by
Samuel L. Jackson is revealing his evil plan to Michael Caines
character, Arthur. The actors were shot on different days with dif-
ferent camera moves and no motion control. The complex work-
flow involved a load of tracked patches, re-speeds and reanimated
elements as well as heavy duty color matching. Fusion handled it
with ease.
John Paul Docherty on Kingsman on Fusion, cont'd
1. Live explosion shot slow motion against blue structure at Leavesden.
2. Integration and cleanup of explosion in Fusion.
Interview with John Paul Docherty
John Paul Docherty was born in Glasgow, Scotland. When he was
12, he moved with his parents to Toronto, Canada, got a BA at
University of Toronto, moved back to the UK, and has been in
London ever since. We did a follow-up interview a few weeks ago.
Jon Fauer: On Kingsman, did you talk with George Richmond
about look, lighting and matching? And with the Director?
John Paul Docherty: Yes, the VFX dept worked with George on
a lot of the sequences to get the look just where he wanted it,
not just using Fusion, but Resolve in the DI suite as well. And of
course, Matthew Vaughn was involved in all of this.
Kingsman was an anamorphic show?
Some of it was and some of it wasnt. It was every format known to
man. The main unit had Hawk V-Lite Anamorphics. Most of the
plates and dialogue were anamorphic. Pretty much all the effect
shots were spherical, with Cookes mostly. There were Cookes and
Canons. A good chunk of it was Alexa. Some of the stuff in the
air was RED. Some of the POV stuff was Blackmagic Design cam-
eras, some high speed stuff on a Phantom, a Canon 5D for some
of the other bits and bobs. It was basically anything we could get
our hands on. There were Hawk Zooms and big Alura Zooms.
What about the effects shot in the hanger?
Basically the foreground plate was anamorphic, shot on Alexa and
everything through the window was CG. And the people mov-
ing in the background are CG as well. Yeah, all of that. Theres a
welder in the back, which we sort of snuck in as a little homage to
Angus Bickerton and his work on Lost in Space, which Docherty
also worked on. All the planes were mostly put together by a bril-
liant sort of 2-D matte painter Ive worked with a lot. He did a
lot of the background work f in Skyfall, when Bond goes to the big
3. Fusion flexible node system is fully scalable, allowing for multiple
staging areas and outputs. Pictures courtesy of Blackmagic.
4. The final shot. Pictures Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
Dragon Casino. He also did a lot of the surrounding airport stuff
for the plane crash stuff in Casino Royale.
What does he use to create the mattes?
He uses all sorts of stuff. Mostly its Softimage and Photoshop.
And a lot of fancy tools for textures that he warps and does in his
own weird and wonderful way. Hes very, very CG conscious. Ive
worked with him on god knows how many movies now. And the
good thing is we can exchange files and I can run them up in Fu-
sion. We can effectively run a 3D comp between us. We bounce
the files between us and work it up from there. That shot went
through an awful lot of changes. It was quite difficult, originally,
to get it looking realistic. It was about 15 layers of normal passes
and lighting passes.
In addition to Fusion, do you use Resolve as well?
George and Eddie Hamilton, the editor, put together a color work-
flow for the show. Because every lens and every camera format
known to man was used, everybody used DaVinci Resolve Lite, the
free version, to do their final QuickTime assembly to go into the
edit. We could then take Georges 3D LUTs that hed created on the
full Resolve for on set use. We could apply those to the QuickTimes
so when they were dropped into the edit, it looked pretty much like
what Matthew (the director) saw on set and didnt look completely
different. So in that sense everybody, all the vendors, used Resolve
to create QuickTimes that went into the edit.
I did a lot of work in the DI suite on the big Resolve at Goldcrest
with George as well. For example, the parachute sequence was
shot on many different cameras. To get the look consistent, we
graded in Resolve and in Fusion, at both ends, to get it all to sit
together. Then George and Matthew both had passes on it as well.
We shot the green screen material over four separate days. One
day was blinding sun, the next was overcast. It was one of the last
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 33
 John Paul Docherty on Kingsman on Fusion, cont'd
sequences to finish, and it wasnt anything to do with CG. It was
just purely color intensity and matching.
Ive been using Fusion for years. I knew Steve Roberts, the guy
who originally wrote it, back when he was in Australia. When
he moved to Canada they were about three blocks from where I
went to school in Toronto. As Ive said, Fusion tends to be like a
Swiss Army knife. So if Im on set, its a valuable tool that helps
me show a director how moving the camera three degrees to the
right could help production save a million pounds I can whack
that together on a laptop with a little server under my arm. Rather
than trying to explain it in words, I can just grab the DP, grab the
Director and say, Have a look at this. Or ask, Is this what youve
got in mind?
Fusion has a very fast paint system, its a fast render, and its got
a pretty fancy 3-D system. The guys at Fusion are very good. You
can call them up and talk to Steve Roberts or one of the software
guys. Theyre very responsive.
What was the company originally?
They were an Australian Production Company that built this
compositing system around 1987. It was originally called Digi-
tal Fusion, and it went through 4 or 5 versions. Around version
5 Steve and the entire company emigrated en masse to Canada.
Blackmagic Design took it over, and are doing a brilliant job.
Theyve said that a Mac version is coming.
You mentioned grids for compositing. Some producers are try-
ing to talk crews out of their prep days doing test charts in ad-
vance. Id love to hear your point of view on that.
We tend to try and insist on that on any show these days, no mat-
ter what the budget is. Otherwsie, producers are throwing money
away, because itll cost them five times as much at the end of the
day. Ive had that argument so many times.
In VFX, a day in prep will save you five days in post if youre
smart. If youre spending $50 million on the VFX then maybe you
can afford to wing it afterwards, but otherwise it ends up detract-
ing from the look of the thing. Im absolutely all for decent prepa-
ration. I really push pre-vis for a lot of things and camera lens
grids are absolutely essential in this case. I mean, some of these
anamorphic lenses are horrific, and as I said, we had all kinds of
brands on this show.
Theres an explosion shot in the film where an office in Whitehall
blows up and the stunt guy jumps out of the explosion. We used
Fusion to remove the lens distortion, to undistort it to match the
spherical stuff correctly. The distortion around the outside edges
in that anamorphic lens was just one of the most amazing Ive
ever seen. It had massive chromatic aberration and the edges
turned to mush.
Normally what you do is work out a lens distortion that straightens
everything up so if its barreling you end up pin cushioning it to
make all the lines straight. You basically make the geometry cor-
rect, then you invert it, and finally you put back the same distortion
on your CG that the original footage had and stick it back on top.
Now, just to play devils advocate, since we accept pin cushion
and barrel distortion in anamorphics on non-VFX shots, why
is it so important on VFX shots to match?
34 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Thats the point. You put it back. You end up with the same distor-
tion in the end picture. You undistort it during the compositing
to get the CG to match. Then you distort the entire thing back the
way the original picture was. For example, if youve got a bit of
debris flying across the screen in CG, say at 20 miles an hour, its
a consistent path, right? But everything else in the shot, the back-
ground plate, is going to be slowing down on the outside edge
because of the distortion, and things will separate, things will fall
apart, and physical dynamics will all look wrong.
Lets take your example of the hanger shot where you have the
two actors on either side of the frame. That was shot with an
anamorphic lens. Now hypothetically, what if you did not shoot
those grid charts and what if you had the distorted foreground
with the undistorted background; would you have fringing or
whats would happen?
When the camera pans left to right, the edges of the hanger
would move at a different rate than the camera inside the room
and it would separate. It would swim against the background. You
would get a bit of fringing as well around the outside edge, but
thats pretty easy to fake in the CG.
The most important thing is if you dont get it right, anything CG
that you stick onto anything real will separate at some point when
the camera moves. Itll fly off and therell be gaps or itll float and
hang on.
As you know, 50% of what we do is put fake bits onto real ob-
jects or into real environments and the minute the camera moves,
youve pretty much given the game away. So without those lens
charts its really hard to get that right and you end up with track-
ing errors wherever the CG floats relative to the background be-
hind it. It gets quite technical.
Fortunately the grids on this show were shot by the guy who was
in charge of the match moving, a guy named Wesley Froud. Hes
one of the best tracker guys in London Ive ever seen. He made
sure the tests were shot with all the different focal lengths, at all
the major focus distances and apertures. He shot tests to show
any sort of breathing on the lens. Bear in mind, some of the lenses
we had werent exactly first rate. Obviously the worse the lens the
more necessary this was, because youve got more dramatic flaws
in the geometry that youve got to cover up.
Theres another thing to bear in mind, particularly with anamor-
phic. And you really have to convince the camera department,
because they get quite upset about this. You know, you might have
three 40 mm anamorphic lenses on the show. And you cant just
shoot one grid test chart with one of them. Thats because theyre
not all the same. They may all be 40 mm lenses, but theyre great
big tubes of glass, and they have their own internal geometry that
varies. So you have to test each one by serial number, not just by
focal length. And you have to slate it with the serial number.
Fusion 7 visual effects and motion graphics software is now avail-
able free of charge from Blackmagic Design. The free version of
Fusion 7 is fully loaded with visual effects and motion graphics
tools like 3D compositing, paint, rotoscope, re-timing, stabiliza-
tion, titling, 3D particle generator, and multiple keyers.
NAB SL 219 blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion
Shooting Lens Grid Charts

This article reminds me of Mel Londons famous story about the
client who asked for just one more shot. They were filming in
Hong Kong. The one more shot was in the middle of Africa.
Marc Paturet, President of Hand Held Films, called the other day.
Jon, how about a little article on testing lenses for anamorphic?
It was a good follow-up to our interview with Kingsman VFX Su-
pervior John Paul Docherty about the need for lens grid charts.
Marcs got lots of anamorphic lenses in his rental fleet, including
Hawk V-Plus, V-Lites, Elites, and the latest in Cooke and Ange-
nieux. The little article grew into a massive project, and the results
will be covered in a series of articles. The topic of this episode:
shoot lens grid charts for all your VFX jobs during prep, whether
spherical or anamorphicbut especially anamorphic.
Hand Held Films supplied the Alexa XT and Hawk V-Lites for
a large Rums of Puerto Rico production (therumtimes.com).
It begins as a period piece in 1598 and follows the hundreds of
years of partying that followed. Sonnel Velazquez was DP and
Jorge Garrido was AC. Francisco Cueto was the Post and VFX
Supervisor at Reaktor Post.
Meanwhile, back in New York, the job had wrapped and Rick Gioia
shot the lens grid chart tests at Hand Held Films in New York.
VFX Supervisor Francisco Cueto said, They should always do
that in the beginning. But Production is its own little island and
they do not want to incur any additional expenses of shooting lens
tests. Their concern is delivering the production on time. Post-
production is not their budget. Production will avoid anything
that will incur an additional cost because that may reflect nega-
tively on their budget even though in the end it will save lots of
time and money in post.
What happens if you dont provide VFX with grid charts?
This was a period piece, so its lit by torches. We have some in the
distance that are out of focus, and had to create additional com-
posited torches equally out of focus, to give us the proper bokehs.
Whats really interesting is that most of our 3D software is based
on the concept of a pinhole camera and they dont consider lens
distortion. They cant really track a distorted image well. The lens
grid helps us. If not, then youre going to start guessing. I would
recommend you shoot the charts and also get the camera crew to
fill out camera reports carefully. And be very careful to put the
correct lens and camera information on the slate: camera name,
format, lens name, focal length, distance, T-stop, serial number.
Heres a quick how-to, most of which camera assistant Rick Gioia
followed when shooting the test at Hand Held Films:
1. If the rental house doesnt have a lens grid chart, you can
download and print them with a large format printer on 4 x
8 paper and mount to Gatorboard.
2. Camera should be level and centeredno pan, tilt or roll.
3. Ideally, camera is on a dolly to easily change distance.
4. The lens grid must fill the frame, ideally to the edge of chart.
5. Focus on the center of the grid. That helps determine curva-
ture of the lens (how the edges may lose sharpness).
6. Use two lights, on either side, at 45 angle to chart
7. Your VFX Supervisor should advise on focus distanceusu-
ally around 8.
8. Discuss lens aperture. In addition to shooting the grid at
various apertures, you may be asked to shoot a large white
surface at different T-Stops to see if theres any shading
(vignetting).

So the bottom line is to be sure the tests are done, even if it means handheldfilms.com
sharing the cost across shooting and post production budgets.
When you walk into Vantage Film in Weiden, Germany, one of
the first things you see is a big, precise grid chart on the wall. Why
is shooting lens grid charts so important?
Peter Martin, Owner of Vantage, said, Every lensanamorphic
or sphericalhas distortion, and every lens needs a grid when the
job is important. CGI is widely used in many of the films we outfit.
For these productions, grids are essential. We do grids all the time.
Francisco Cueto said, As you get to a wider field of view you have
a fair amount of geometric distortion and chromatic aberration.
For creative reasons, the project decided they really wanted to use Example of lens test grid shot with an Anamorphic Prime Lens.
the Hawk lenses.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 35
 Cooke Anamorphic Primes...and now Zooms

Cooke is expected to begin shipping their 25 and 135 mm Anamorphic /i

lenses around NAB 2015 with the 180 and 300mm to follow later this year.
There may also be a few other surprises.
And here is one of those surprises. A Cooke Front Anamorphic Zoom is in
the works. Like the Cooke Anamorphic Primes, it is a true front anamorphic
lens with 2x squeeze. The focal length has not been divulged.
Cooke Chairman Les Zellan said, In the storied tradition of Cooke 5:1 and
10:1 zooms, this is the first in a series of front anamorphic zoom lenses that
will complement Cookes set of anamorphic /i series anamorphic primes
lenses.
The photos above are renderings that arrived just as we were about to go to
press. We hear that another surprise lens may be coming for Cine Gear in
June.
Cooke Optics will be at NAB booth C8643. cookeoptics.com

36 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

ZEISS: 125 Years of Camera Lenses
1890 was a busy year. Tchaikovskys ballet The Sleeping Beauty
premiered in Russia. John Philip Sousa marches were big in
America. The US Weather Bureau was founded. Kaiser Wilhelm
dismissed Iron Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. A day later, on
March 21, 1890, the first camera lenses were shipped from the
ZEISS factory in Jena. That was 125 years ago.
Carl Zeiss started his company in a small workshop to repair
microscopes in 1846. From the 1880s, optical engineer Ernst
Abbe expanded the product line with camera lenses using glass
with enhanced optical properties that produced by Otto Schott.
Paul Rudolph, a scientist at ZEISS, designed the Anastigmat
camera lenses built from 1890 and renamed Protar in 1900. Some
of his optical designs, like the ZEISS Planar and ZEISS Tessar
lenses are still incorporated in camera lenses to this day.
At NAB 2015, ZEISS will present its entire lens line-up:
SLR lenses, including ZEISS Otus high-end lenses
ZEISS Loxia E-mount full-frame lenses
ZEISS CP.2 Compact Primes
ZEISS CZ.2 Compact Zooms
ARRI/ZEISS Ultra Primes
ARRI/ZEISS Master Primes
ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphics
Michael Schiehlen, Director of Sales, ZEISS Camera Lens Busi-
ness Unit put the portfolio in perspective. He said, The Loxia
and Otus lenses are a big success story. Our CP.2 lens family is
an industry standard for high quality entry to the motion picture
market. The CZ.2 family is complete. We started shipping the first
CZ.2 15-30 serial production units in February and are currently
ramping up production to fulfill a long line of back orders. Cus-
tomers with RED Epic Dragon cameras will be especially happy
to know that the 15-30 lens is the first Cine Style Zoom that cov-
ers the entire Dragon sensor (34 mm diagonal) at focal lengths
wider than 20 mm.
The Compact Zoom CZ.2 15-30/T2.9, CZ.2 28-80/T2.9 and CZ.2
70-200/T2.9, like the Compact Prime CP.2 lenses, have an in-
terchangeable mount system (IMS). They can be used on most
motion picture, HDSLR and professional video cameras. ZEISS
Compact Zooms comply with 4K technical specs and, like ZEISS
Compact Prime CP.2 lenses, cover sensors up to 24x36 full frame
still format (image circle diameter up to 43 mm).
NAB booth C9543. zeiss.com/cine
ZEISS Otus 1.4/55
and 1.4/85
lenses for F
and EF Mount
full frame still
cameras
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 37
 ARRI Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom 19-36 / T4.2

ARRI is introducing a new Ultra Wide Anamorphic Zoom based Very low distortion, even at 19 mm
on ARRIs spherical UWZ 9.5-18 mm T2.9. Rear anamorphic cylinders
Thorsten Meywald, ARRIs Product Manager for Lenses, says, Almost no image breathing when focusing
The AUWZ is probably the most complicated lens we ever Uniform field illumination
produced. It has 36 lens elements including aspherics and crossed Extreme close focus up to the front lens element
cylinders. The lens is very high in resolution and contrast and Fixed entrance pupil position over the entire zoom range
extremely low in distortion even at the wide end. The mechanical LDS lens metadata
design is similar to our UWZ but slightly longer and has a smaller Matches the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic Primes
front diameter. Because its an anamorphic lens we have optimized Interesting- anamorphic flares
the look. It has some very unique flares and a kind of creaminess 180 optical image rotation (upside image to be flipped electronically)
and magical quality, especially with night shots.
Zoom Lens: 19-36 mm T4.2
Lens Mount: PL with LDS data contacts
Image Circle: 29.26
Sensor Size: 22.5 x 18.7mm
Squeeze: Anamorphic 2x squeeze
Aperture: T4.2 - T22
MOD from Image Plane: 0.6 m / 2 ft
Length (lens mount to front) 397.1 mm / 15.634
Front Diameter 114 mm / 4.488
Weight 5.5 kg / 12.1 lbs

2x Anamorphic AUWZ 19-36 T4.2

Spherical UWZ 9.5-18 mm T.2.9

38 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Flair with Flare: Master Anamorphic Flare Sets

ARRI has a new series of Master Anamorphic Flare Sets.

Each of the 7 ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic lenses gets its own
individual and easily replaceable front and rear glass elements.
They can be used individually or in combination. This results in 4
Master Ana permutations: no flares, front flare element only, rear
only, and combination front and rear.
When the Master Anamorphics were introduced in 2013, you
could almost hear the collective cry of cinematographers for
more aberrations, flares, veiling glareall the stuff that the sci-
entists at ZEISS and ARRI worked so hard to eliminate. In the
meantime, for many the pendulum has swung back to a more
pristine look and the Master Anamorphics are working hard on
features worldwide.
Still, the Master Anamorphic Flare Set is an essential toolkit, pro-
viding a range of customizable looks that can be tailored to indi-
vidual style, story, and situation. As Zero Mostel said, Something
for everyone.
The front and rear glass elements of each Flare Set have a spe-
cial lens coating that enhances flaring, ghosting and veiling glare.
These effects are consistent across all of the Flare Sets. You can
control the aberrations by changing the lens aperture or position-
ing extra flare lights out of frame (Maglights attached to matte-
box aiming into the lens). The Master Anamorphics retain their
resolution, lack of distortion and corner-to-corner optical perfor-
mance even with the Flare Sets attached.
An ARRI Master Anamorphic Toolkit (purchased separately) is
used to exchange the front and rear optical elements. It only takes
a few minutes: each flare element is pre-aligned in a metal frame.
With the Master Anamorphic Flare Kits, a set of Master Anamor-
phics multiplies and essentially becomes four different sets, each
with different characteristics, yet still free of curved horizons, fo-
cus breathing, mumps, barrel and pincushion distortion.
ARRI: C4337 arri.com
ZEISS: C9543 zeiss.comm/cine

Flare Set framegrabs from demo

short shot by Tom Fhrmann, BVK
Opposite: AUWZ framegrabs from
Jonathan Yis demo short
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 39
 Canon 11-24 Rectilinear Wide Zoom
Canon says their new EF 11-24 mm f/4L USM ultra wide-angle
zoom lens has the widest angle of view (12605 diagonal) of any
rectilinear full-frame 24x36 mm Digital SLR lens.
Rectilinear means that straight lines stay straight, without fish-
eye distortiongreat for architecture, underwater, and action.
(Other examples of rectilinear lenses are the ARRI/ZEISS Ultra
Prime 8R and ARRI UWZ 9.5-18. But these are 18x24mm format
and cost a lot more.) Rectilinear wide angle lenses are differ from
fisheye in how they stretch objects towards the edge of frame.
This exaggerates perspective: interiors look larger and POV shots
from the front of a car appear faster. However, circular objects at
the edge of frame, like an actors head or a lightbulb, get enlarged
and take on an oval shape.
Canon makes a bunch of wide angle zooms:
EF 8-15 mm f/4L Fisheye USM (Full-frame)
EF-S 10-18 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM (APS-C format
EF-S 10-22 mm f/3.5-4.5 USM (APS-C)
EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L II USM (full-frame)
Canons new EF 11-24mm f/4L USM has a minimum focus dis-
tance of 11 inches (at 24mm). It has a 9-blade circular iris.
This new L-series (red band, top-of-th-line) lens has 16 elements
in 11 groups, with a 3 group zoom system and rear focus. There
are 4 aspherical lens elements. It has 1 Super UD (Ultra Low Dis-
persion) element and 1 UD lens element to significantly help re-
duce chromatic aberration and provide high resolution.
A prism shows a rainbow spectrum because different wavelengths
of light refract, or bend, at different points. The same thing can
happen in photographic lenses, where its called chromatic aber-
ration. It is most noticeable as color fringing at the edges of ob-
jects. Combining convex and concave lens elements helps correct
this, but not entirely. Regular optical glass can have trouble elimi-
nating aberration. Canon developed crystal fluorite for lenses in
the 1960s. In the 1970s, Canon produced UD (Ultra Low Disper-
sion) lens elements. This technology was improved with Super
40 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
UD lenses in the 1990s. Combinations of fluorite, UD and Super
UD elements are used in many of Canons L-series lenses.
Wide-angle lenses are susceptible to flare and ghosting. To help
reduce these, the EF 11-24 mm uses a Canon proprietary Sub-
Wavelength Structure Coating (SWC) and Air Sphere Coating
(ASC). SWC is applied to the rear surface of the first and second
aspheric lens elements, and ASC is used on the front of the fourth
element. The SWC coatings are effective for light rays entering
the lens at a large angle of incidence. ASC coating helps for light
rays entering the center of the lens. The new lens also has Canons
Super Spectra Coating (SSC) to enhance light transmission and
optimize color reproduction.
The Canon EF 11-24 mm has manual focus and zoom
rings. Aperture is controlled electronically from the cam-
era or through the mount. The lens has autofocus.
The full-time manual focus that can override AF mode. As with
all L-series lenses, this one is resistant to dust and water. A fluo-
rine coating on the front and rear elements helps reduce smears
and fingerprints and makes the lens easier to clean.
The Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM ultra wide-angle zoom lens is
scheduled to be ready in late February 2015 for an estimated retail
price of $2,999.00. tinyurl.com/CanonUWZ
Specs
Focal Length / Max Aperture: 11-24 mm f/4
Lens Construction: 16 elements in 11 groups
Diagonal Angle of View: 12605 - 8400
Focus: AF with full-time manual
Min Focusing Distance: 11 in. / 0.28 m
Filter: Rear insert-type
Max. Diameter x Length: 4.3 in. x 5.2 in.
108.0 x 132.0 mm
Weight: 41.6 oz / 1180 g
Angnieux Anamorphic Zooms
NAB will be the first USA public showing of the Angnieux Op-
timo 30-72 mm Anamorphic Zoom. It joins the 56-152 in the
Angnieux 2S series of 2x horizontal squeeze anamorphic zooms.
Both lenses come in PL mount, with Panavision PV mount avail-
able on request. Focus barrels are easily interchangeable from feet
to meters, with more than 50 focus marks, and rotate 320. The
anamorphic elements are at the rear of the lens. There is very little
distortion and no breathing. Skin tones are smooth and cosmeti-
cally pleasing. Bokehs are round in the center and form smooth
semi-circles toward the edges. 56 mm T4 110 ISO 800
The Optimo 30-72 A2S can be used with the 2 Optimo extenders:
1.4x and 2x.
The Wide Angle Adapter WA 0.75x works on the Optimo 56-152
A2S. Both lenses work with Angnieuxs optional ASU servo unit.
Philippe Rousselot, Matty Libatique, Dante Spinotti, and Declan
Quinn are just a few of the cinematographers who have shot fea-
tures with the 56-152 Anamorphic Zoom recently.
NAB C7419. angenieux.com
75 mm T4 110 ISO 800
Angnieux Anamorphic 30-72

100 mm T4 110 ISO 800

Angnieux Optimo Anamorphic 30-72 mm T4 2S Series Zoom
Zoom Ratio: 2.4X
Horizontal Focal Length: 30 - 72 mm T4
MOD: 2 ft 2 in / 0.65 m
Image Coverage: 4 perf. scope: 28.8 mm diagonal
Weight (approx.): 5.3 lbs - 2.4 kg
Length: 227 mm Front Diameter: 114 mm

Angnieux Anamorphic 56-152

152 mm T4 910 ISO 800

Angnieux Optimo Anamorphic 56-152 mm T4 2S Series Zoom Nice bokeh

Zoom ratio: 2.7x
Horizontal focal length: 56-152 mm T4
MOD: 21 / 0.63 m
Image coverage: 4 perf. scope: 28.8 mm diagonal
Weight (approx): 4.8 lb / 2. 2 kg
Length: 210 mm / 8.3 Front Diameter: 114 mm
Framegrabs from test with Bertone Visuals 56-152 on an ARRI Alexa XT
recording ARRIRAW. Thanks to Camera Assistant Loren Azlein, shown
here, Gianluca Bertone, and the crew at Hollywood Camera Rentals.
DaVinci grading by Marco Paonessa. bertonevisuals.com

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 41

 Tiffen Digital Filters for Resolve
Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter v4 software is now available as a plug-in
for high-end post production software like DaVinci Resolve.
Gianluca Bertone, head of Bertone Visuals said, I believe that
traditional glass filters have their reason to exist and being used
on camera. I also believe that when cinematographers are craft-
ing imagery in principle photography they should also be aware
of the tools available to them later on when seated in a digital
intermediate bay with a colorist. The dialogue between these two
professionals shouldnt be only about adjustments of color and
contrast, but also about filtration. The harsh realities on tough
locations could mean that DPs may not have all the creative filters
(e.g. Pearlescent, Satin, Promist) they would like to have.
"Knowing that these are now available in DaVinci Resolve is a
very effective tool. Previously, Tiffen Dfx was available as a stand-
alone product for stills and as a photo plug-in for filtering and
effects in Adobe Photoshop, LightRoom and Apples Aperture.
And for motion products, the Dfx video plug-in worked in Avid,
Apple Final Cut Pro X, and Motion, along with Adobe Premiere
Pro and After Effects. But now, Dfx being available with DaVinci
Resolve is a good combination when DPs and colorists are work-
ing together in the grading suitewhich happens quite often.
42 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Tiffen Dfx OFX Pro Plug-in, like the other Dfx products, does a re-
ally good digital job of approaching the looks of hundreds of Tiffen
glass filters, specialized lenses, optical lab processes, film grain,
lighting and photographic effects. One Dfx OFX Pro plug-in li-
cense will run on Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, Assimilate Scratch,
and The Foundrys Nuke, if installed on the same machine. Dfx
Standard plug-in will run in Resolve Lite and Sony Vegas.
Once installed, you can access Tiffen Dfx OFX Pro in Resolve by
going to COLOR mode. Select your filter effect from the OFX
Panel/Library, use the controls in the selected filter parameters
there and/or use the option of clicking on the button for the Dfx
interface and try the onboard available presets and customize the
parameters while viewing in the large Preview area and the addi-
tion of comparison views of before and after filtration.
In the example above, we picked Soft/FX, one of our favorite
glass filters. Notice that the grades of filtration are different in the
digital world. Instead of the familiar 1/2, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, we see
sliders for Blur-Horizontal, Opacity, and so on. We selected 15.0
Blur-Horizontal.
Tiffen NAB Booth C6019. tiffen.com
At top: Framegrab of Cooke
Anamorphic/i 100 with digital
Dfx OFX Tiffen Soft Fx graded on
DaVinci Resolve.
Credits: Camera Assistant Loren
Azlein with Bertone Visuals Cooke
Anamorphic/i 100 mm on ARRI
Alexa XT. DaVinci grading by
Bertone Visuals Marco Paonessa.
bertonevisuals.com
Otto and Denny get ASC Award
At the ASC Awards in Hollywood on February 8, Kees Van
Oostrum, ASC announced, Tonight, for the first time, the Bud
Stone Award will be given not to one person, but two, and its
only fitting. Fierce business competitors by day, friends at night,
these two men might be described as two nuts from the same tree
a Hollywood odd couple that can only be celebrated together.
Though their respective heritages were worlds apart, they became
allies, and their new optics allowed us to see clearer, frame better,
and compose the images that illuminate our creative endeavors.
For almost 40 years, their innovations, their engineering and,
perhaps most importantly, their caring, have made an important
difference for filmmakers. Their accomplishments advancing
the art of film have not only touched each and every member of
the audience here tonight, but cinematographers, directors and
Denny Clairmont, left. Otto Nemenz, right.
producers around the globe. It is with great pleasure and honor
that I would like to invite Denny Clairmont and Otto Nemenz to
receive this years Bud Stone Award.
Shortly after, Barbara Streisand accepted the ASC Governors
Award: My favorite cameramen, were the ones who never said,
No, it cant be done. Every director needs a partner and thats
the cinematographer. Without that support, its a nightmare. With
it, its a joy. When you have a close relationship with your DP,
you develop a shorthand that makes the work so pleasant. Its a
kind of deep understanding an artistic bond.
I love directing much more than acting, and it must be clear by
now that I especially love cinematographers. After all, they turn
your dream into a reality.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 43
 Leica Sci-Tech Award
The Oscar Sci-Tech Awards Show writers must take secret plea-
sure in torturing the hosts with unpronounceable names and
tongue-twisting jargon. Hosts Miles Teller and Margot Robbie
endured words like voxels and recipients thanking wives, ex-
wives and offspring named Oscar. Here is part of the transcript
from Leicas Summilux-C award.
Margot Robbie: The Leica Summilux-C lenses deliver ultra-high
optical performance...can all we note just for a second that I get
all the hard things to say and Miles doesnt.
Miles: Im the beauty here, Im the eye-candy.
Margot: And Im the brains. Am I right? Thats just a little unfair.
The Leica Summilux-C lenses deliver ultra-high optical perfor-
mance for film and digital cameras. They incorporate novel tel-
ecentric...are you serious?..multi-element, aspherical optics and
this full series of prime...(applause)...thank you...Im not done
yet...full series of prime lenses deliver unprecedented optical and
mechanical performance.
Miles: What did she say? On the mechanical side, precision ma-
chining gives each focus ring and iris ring accuracy and ease of
repeatability for the operator. The small size of the lenses means
smaller camera packages, cases, and rigs. On the optical side, the
aspherical elements in each lens create a telecentric path of light
allowing more illumination across the entire field. The beauty of
these lenses was seen in Birdman, Gone Girl, and Whiplash.
Margot: Oh God, I loved Birdman. I loved that movie.
Miles: Did you see Whiplash?
Margot (interrupting): The Academy presents the Scientific and
Engineering Award to Iain Neil for designing the optics and to
Andr de Winter for designing the precision mechanics in the
entire range of Leica Summilux-C lenses.
Iain Neil: On behalf of Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, owner of CW Son-
deroptic and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Leica Camera,
and Andr de Winter, Id like to thank the Academy for this award.
Of course the lens project was a team effort and Id like to thank
Christian Skrein and Otto Nemenz for the concept and original
specifications of the lenses. Some other people involved in the lens
project whom Id like to thank: Erik Feichtinger, Gerhard Baier,
Rainer Schnabel, Uli Schroeder, Bill McCreath, and Roland Elbert.
I apologize to the many others involved in the project whom I did
not mention, but all of their efforts are appreciated.
44 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Interview with Andreas Kaufmann
L-R: Erik Feichtinger, Christian Skrein, Andr de
Winter, Iain Neil, Andreas Kaufmann, Gerhard Baier
As the lenses were being developed over the past five years, I had
interviewed most of the cast of characters involved in the project.
But we had never really discussed the point of view of Dr. Andreas
Kaufmann, Chairman and Owner of Leica Camera. After all, he
was the one who took the risk, made the investment, and bore the
responsibility. He was the admiral of the Summilux-C expedition.
Here is his interesting narrative on how these lenses came about.
JON FAUER: What does the Sci-Tech award means to you and
to Leica?
ANDREAS KAUFMANN: We are delighted to receive a Sci-Tech
Award for our Summilux-C lenses. It is an honor for us and for
our customers, not only for the cine lenses but also for the rest of
Leica itself.
So the glamor and excitement of Hollywood might spill over
into your still world?
Well, if theres glamor and excitement connected with the Scien-
tific and Technical Award, yes.
How did the Summilux-C project begin?
In 2005, we were told by the Leica management that somebody
had come to the company with the idea of producing Cine lenses.
They were German guys and they proposed building cine lenses
based on the architecture of the Leica Reflex Camera R lenses.
Thats when a few other people came into the picture. There was
Christian Skrein, in November 05, with the connection to Otto
Nemenz. I had the first meeting with Otto shortly after. Knut
Heitmann, our former manager of research and development at
Leitz, suggested that I talk to a fellow in Italy named Iain Neil.
We decided that the project could not be done within Leica at
that time because we had started restructuring the company. This
was towards the end of 05 beginning 06. I had a talk with Iain
Neil, the optical designer. At the time, he was at Media Lario, an
Italian company near Brescia, Italy. I met him there. We agreed to
work on this project. He added two former colleagues from Elcan
(previously Leitz Canada) to the team. One gentleman was Bill
McCreath, and the other was Andr de Winter. We already knew
Andr, because he also worked for Leica in Wetzlar. Then they
added one or two other guys from the former Elcan team. This
was set up in 06 as a virtual Leica cine lens design team.
Interview with Leica's Andreas Kaufmann, contd
Who did what?
Iain was the optical designer. Bill McCreath supervised sourcing
of components, and still does today. Andr de Winter was the
mechanical designer. There were quite a few other individuals
involved.
Including you.
Yes, there was a little bit of Kaufmann.
I should also say that Uwe Weller was part of the success. He and
his company were the only ones who really were able to make the
mechanical design a reality. The cams and cam followers were de-
signed in such a way that they were the most complicated curves
Weller ever did. (The distance from 6 feet to infinity is the same
on every lens in the set, and the spacing between the focus marks
is mechanically expanded.) It was a design that most people said
basically you couldnt produce, with tolerances of something like
a micron. So, Weller Fine-Mechanics is part of our company, and
they were also a great part of the success.
Why was there interest in doing these lenses in the first place?
During the restructuring of Leica Camera it was very clear that
one key element at Leica was the optical competence in design-
ing, developing and producing optics. When we started to look
into this segment, we thought it would make a lot of sense for
Leica to also be established in the cine lens market.
How did you organize all this?
First we had to find someone to finance it because we decided to
do it outside of Leica.
That was you?
I decided, on behalf of my family and me, to organize it as a sep-
arate entity. When we got the first order from Otto Nemenz, I
would say that sort of gave us the push to say, Yes, we can do it.
Why were the lenses so difficult to build?
Well, Iain was very clear and until now hes right. We had to build
lenses that look into the digital world and go beyond 4K, with 8K
on the horizon. They should also work with film cameras. They
should be the smallest and most compact prime lenses. So he
went for a design that I would say, in terms of production, basi-
cally skipped the word tolerances. In production, its easier to do
something where you have a certain amount of tolerance built in.
Here, theyre basically non-existent for certain lens elements. We
also have a very unique asphere from a very strange glass mate-
rial which also has to be glued to another non-aspheric element,
etcetera. So we have quite a few tricky things built in. Its a mas-
terpiece, but hard to produce.
In your opinion, what is the great appeal and whats so unique
about these lenses?
Its a great combination of a few things that are hard to combine.
Theyre really small. They are not heavy. They have the same front
diameter. They have a very special focus scale where all the focus
marks are in the same position. And they have a very special look.
I really must say that Iain and his team designed these lenses with
a Leica look that is beautiful. Its crisp. Its rare. It has pleasing
qualities of depth of field that you can play with. They are all T1.4.
Its a combination of quite a few things.
How would you define the Leica look?
Very natural and smooth skin tones.
Very crisp eyelashes, yet skin is silky smooth.
Especially when you work with the depth of field.
A lot of rental houses are asking for more sets, despite the fact
that theyre hard to get. What can you tell them?
We have ramped up production since November 2014. We deliv-
ered around 140 sets, and have at least 3 times as many more on
order, which is quite a lot.
Here we are with a brave new digital world where many cin-
ematographers are resisting an unadorned, sharp look. How
do these lenses help address that?
For example, David Finchers Gone Girl was shot mainly with Lei-
ca Summilux-C lenses at very low light levels. He shot completely
on RED cameras. I think our lenses helped to create this look in
the digital world because they capture the light in a certain way.
What other features were they used on?
Summilux-C lenses were on Birdman, Iron Man 3, Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon II, The Theory
of Everything, Whiplash, and many others.
I read an article in FT (Financial Times) that Leica Camera is
doing well.
Were doing quite nicely. Were investing in three serious prod-
ucts which we will show in 2015, 2016. Leica has always been in
a very special part of the market. We keep it that way and try to
also go up-market. We developed the S system as a professional
system and we acquired the brand Sinar to go into the medium
format. We think we can carve out a very comfortable niche in
the market.
Can you explain how your different companies are associated?
You have an alphabet soup with ACM, CW, Leica, and so on.
ACM, our holding company, owns 100% of CW Sonderoptic and
55% of Leica Camera.
And where does Leica Camera go from here?
We will announce some new things at NAB and at IBC. We will
try to speed up production of the Summilux-C lenses. We will try
to get as many sets out as possible. The Summicron-C lenses are
doing well. A little known detail is that even though they are PL
mount, most can cover 24x 6 mm full frame still Leica format,
which for certain cameras and productions makes sense.
Coming back to the Sci-Tech Awards and Hollywood, every
good film cries out for a good ending. When the film is suc-
cessful, theres a sequel. The interesting and good story here is
the journey of Summilux-C cine lenses receiving a technical
Oscar. Theres drama and conflict. They were designed to the
most incredible, impossible standards ever dreamed of. Is
there a sequel?
I sometimes say, We will never produce a lens like this again.
What, never?
Well, hopefully it will be something brilliant.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 45
 Tiffen Sci-Tech Award

An Academy Award of Commendation was presented to Steven Tiffen (center), Jeff Cohen (right) and Michael Fecik (left) for their pioneering work in
developing dye-based filters that reduce IR contamination when neutral density filters are used with digital cameras. The Tiffen Company identified the
problem and rapidly engineered a series of absorptive filters that ameliorated infrared artifacts with lenses of all focal lengths. These widely adopted
filters allow cinematographers to work as they have done with film-based technology. Photo by Matt Petit A.M.P.A.S. Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards February 7, 2015, Beverly Hills, California.
Below, Steve Tiffen taking selfie with star Margot Robbie. Photo: Jon Fauer

46 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Interview with Steven Tiffen
JON FAUER: What does the Sci-Tech Award mean for you and
for the Tiffen Company?
STEVEN TIFFEN: This is the third time weve been recognized
by the Academy. It is a tremendous honor when the people you
get up and go to work for every day take a moment and analyze
the technology, research it in depth, deliberate, debate, and de-
termine that it is not only a product that they want to purchase
but its a product that they want to honor. Its an enormous trib-
ute that we accept humbly and gratefully. Its wonderful that the
Academy continues to recognize the technological breakthroughs
and advancements that make the ability of telling stories available
to everyone. That, to me is a very important thing to continue and
hold dear.
What were the other two awards?
My father received an award for the development of our lami-
nation process, the color core manufacturing process, that is the
foundation of all the filters that we make. The proprietary process
that he developed back in 1951 was honored by the Academy with
a Sci-Tech Award back in 2000. Earlier, we received an award for
the Ultra Contrast Filter back in the 90s.
Going back to 1951, how did he figure all this out? Its endured
more than 50 years, half a century, the test of time.
Its a proprietary process. Trade secret. Sort of like the Coca-Cola
recipe, only a few know it.
Like the Secret Kitchen at Crustacean Restaurant not too far
away from here in Beverly Hills.
Secret sauce. It was a process that he used over years of develop-
ment, trial and error, and working it out. As you said, it has stood
the test of time.
At the Sci Tech Awards this year, 95 percent of the honors went
to software companies and maybe five percent hardware. Do
we see that is where the industry is heading or was it a peculiar-
ity of the committee?
Like everything else, elements ebb and flow. Software is a driv-
ing force in the business. So much new software has been devel-
oped and it needs to be recognized. A lot of it might have been
the Academy catching up to recognize these companies because
some of the software and hardware had been developed earlier.
For example, the DLP projection system was honored and it is
not new. Maybe its because these technologies have now been
so universally adopted, but when they were first introduced they
werent as widely recognized.
No matter what, were still going to continue to see the advance-
ment of what Ill call analog technologies. We saw the Leica Sum-
milux-C lenses awarded here tonight. You had Tiffen filters. The
Biscuit Jr camera platform and MAT Towercam. Certainly theres
still the need for mechanical analog technology that supports the
digital technology, and vice-versa.
In the filter business, do you see it staying optical versus digi-
tal, and where is that heading?
The one thing Ive noticed is that optical filtration has greater
depth, and it just looks right. Our Dfx Digital Filter software is
there to allow you to do things that you didnt do in-camera. But
in the end, they give out awards for the best cinematographers.
No matter what format they decide to shoot onfilters, cameras,
lenses and lights are all the choices that cinematographers make
to allow them to help tell the story that the director wants and ul-
timately convey the message visually. These are tools, just as soft-
ware is a tool, for cinematographers to choose at their discretion.
And as long as we continue to stay relevant, and companies like us
continue to make products that are needed by cinematographers,
well be around a long time.
I think many cinematographers prefer optical glass filters be-
cause they bake in a look that is established from the get-go.
And glass filters give the cinematographers complete control, in-
camera, while shooting. Cinematographers are educated this way;
they understand the process. Again, these are tools, like a util-
ity knife to cut gaffers tape. Filters are there, like an artists pal-
ette, to enable a cinematographer to have color choices, diffusion
choices, and effects choices at their fingertips at the moment that
theyre capturing the image. Thats always going to be the desired
method. I will tell you that we finished the year ending in 2014
with our greatest filter sales in the history of our company. Even
with all of the digital technology that exists today, clearly optical
filters are in great demand.
Motion picture production is not like sports broadcasting for TV.
While we may sometimes want a reality look, film is often the
stuff of dreams, with scenes that take us to faraway and distant
places. Maybe harsh reality isnt the desired effect. Optical filters
are a quick, easy, inexpensive, and controllable way to manage the
image and help create a look.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 47
 Panasonic VariCam 35 w Codex V-RAW Recorder

Panasonic VariCam 35

Codex V-RAW Recorder

Codex is designing and building the V-RAW Recorder for Pana-

sonics Varicam 35. It records uncompressed 4K VariCam RAW
(V-RAW) at up to 120 fps. The Codex V-RAW Recorder attaches
directly to the VariCam 35 camera body without cables.
The V-RAW Recorder uses Codex Capture Drives, the gateway
to the entire Codex universe of Vaults and Docks.
Codex will show the V-RAW Recorder for VariCam 35 at NAB,
along with RAW footage.
Codex
Capture Panasonic NAB Booth C3607. panasonic.com/varicam
Drive Codex NAB Booth C1817. codexdigital.com
Codex V-RAW Recorder

48 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Panasonic VariCam Updates
VariCam Accessories
Accessories, including power breakout boxes, for VariCam are
available from AbelCine, Wooden Camera, Vocas, ARRI and
many others. See individual articles in this edition.
Panasonic NAB Booth C3607. panasonic.com/varicam
VariCam 35 sensor size
I didnt have sensor size information in the FDTimes February
VariCam Report. The active 4K active pixel area is:
24.576 mm wide x 12.960 mm high (4096 x 2160)
image diagonal 27.784 mm
UHD area:
23.040 mm x 12.960 mm high (3840 x 2160)
image diagonal 26.435 mm
Firmware Upgrade 2.0 February 2015
Multi Home Page Push the SYSTEM button for the basic
functions of the Home page, with access to Camera Index,
Reel count, and Window Burn. (V-35/HS.)
AVC-Intra 4K 4:4:4 12-bit Recording internally to express
P2 card. Frames rates of 23.98, 25, 30 (29.97) in 4096x2160
and 3840x2160. 24 fps in 4096x2160 only. (V-35.) menu selection offers 800 and 5000 ISO. The ISO (ALL)
AVC-Intra 100 (HD/2K) up to 120 fps (VFR) High speed
(120p) VFR recording with HD/2K resolution can be done
with Main Recorder on VariCam 35. It works when the
system format of Main Recorder is set in HD/2K mode and
VFR is ON. You can select the System Frequency as 23.98p,
24.00p (2K only), 25p, 29.97p, 50p and 59.94p. The recorded
file format is the same with regular AVC-Intra 100 format
regardless of the VFR speed. Slow speed varies depending
on the VFR setting and System Frequency. (V-35.)
24.00p support 24p recording works only in DCI 4K/2K
mode. (4096 x 2160 / 2048 x 1080), not in UHD (3840 x
2160). Its possible to a combination of 4K 24p in the Main
Recorder and 2K 24p in the Sub Recorder. (V-35.)
ProRes HD (HQ) Recording ProRes HD (HQ) recordin-
up to 60p can be done in Main Recorder, not in the Sub
Recorder. VFR recording is supported up to 60p. V-35/HS.
4K recording (AVC-I 4K) in Main Recorder with ProRes
HD in Sub recorder can NOT be done. (V-35). HD record-
ing (AVC-I 100) in Main and ProRes HD in Sub Recorder
can NOT be done. (V-35/HS). ProRes HD in Main and
AVC-I 100 ( AVC LongG ) in Sub recorder IS indeed pos-
sible. (V-35/HS.)
New User Clip Naming To show the relationship of files
being recorded simultaneously in the Main Recorder and
Sub Recorder, the user clip name in the XML file will be
used. (V-35/HS.)
Color Grading (CDL/LUT) with LiveGrade via WiFi
or the cameras LAN connection and WiFi. For WiFi, a
Dongle is necessary. (V-35/HS.)
LAN Control the camera remote controller AK-HRP200
can be used with Ethernet cable connection. The MENU
control on the VariCam control panel can be remotely
control from HRP200. Menu will NOT appear on HRP200
screen; you need a separate monitor for menu display. In
V-709, most function work. In V-Log, only Shutter ON/
OFF, Shutter Speed, EI, VFR and Auto WB will work.
(V-35/HS.)
Skin Tone Detail in enhanced mode, Main V-709.
(V-35/HS.)
Window Burn text burned onto Sub recorder video.
(V-35/HS.)
AVC-Intra 4K (4:2:2) 120p VFR Recording in Main
Recorder onto express P2 card. Bit rate of 4K/60p (50P) is
800 Mbps. 120p with same compression algorithm requires
1.6 Gbps. However, the maximum expressP2 card record-
ing speed is 1.2Gbps. So, Panasonic needs to develop a new
compression format such as AVC-I 4K LT (as in Light).
This AVC-I 4K LT format will support 4K/(60fps - 120fps)
in VFR mode. Because it is a new compression format, NLE
and grading systems will need to support this compression
format natively. Panasonic expects 3rd party support in the
near future. (V-35.)
Native ISO - ALL ISO selection added. The Dual Native ISO
menu offers all available ISO settings, eg: 800, 1000, 1250,
1600, etc. (V-35.)
Firmware Upgrade 3.0 planned end of April 2015
ProRes 422 HQ (HD up to 120p). (V-35/HS.)
AVC Intra 2K 444 . (V-35.)
AVC Intra (HD) 444. (V-35/HS.)
AVC Intra (HD) 200. (V-35/HS.)
Water Mark text burn-in over image. (V-35/HS.)
False Color. (V-35/HS.)
Noise Reduction switching ON/OFF. (V-35/HS.)
Low ISO support 640, 500, 400, 320, 250, 200. (V-35/HS.)
FAN SPEED (REC AUTO/MATCH CODEC/ALWAYS
FULL). (V-35/HS.)
Focus assist function assignable to LENS RET-SW USER but-
ton. Selectable from EXPAND or ASSIST. (V-HS.)
MON OUT FORMAT select (When 4K/2K, 2048p/
SQUEEZE/SIDE CROP). (V-35/HS.)
LDS Lens Data System support. (V-35.) Panasonic is con-
sidering /i Lens Data support. Both systems provide power
to servo lens units through the contacts. They also allow the
transfer of lens metadata to the recorder. VariCam also has a
standard Hirose connector for " and some PL lenses that are
so equipped. (eg: Fujinon Cabrio.)
Interval/One Shot/Pre REC function. (V-35/HS.)
VFR (Up to 60p) on SUB recording. (V-35/HS.)
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 49
 Panasonic Hollywood Lab
Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory (PHL) opened this February in
Universal City, CA. It is Panasonics link between the Hollywood
production community and their own Research and Develop-
ment teams.
I got a guided tour last month by Takahiro Mitsui, Lead Engineer
of the Panasonic VariCam. The facility has a camera test room
50 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
that mirrors the one at Panasonics headquarters in Osaka.
Theres also a grading suite with 4K projector, and DPs are invited
to come in with their camera tests and examine the footage in the
theater. PHL is at 3330 Cahuenga Blvd West, a short few blocks
from In-N-Out Burger, and within shouting distance of Universal
City Walk.
AbelCine Accessories for VariCam 35
VariCam
Mounting
VariCam Top Handle Standoffs
Kit

VariBob

AbelCine has designed and built

some helpful accessories for the Panasonic VariCam.
VariCam Mounting Kit AB-PNV-100
The VariCam Mounting Kit provides additional accessory attach-
ment points for the Panasonic VariCam 35/HS. The kit includes a
top-mount cheese plate to mount a microphone holder and other
accessories near the front of the camera, and a cold shoe mount.
The Cold Shoe Mount attaches securely with a single screw, and is
anchored to prevent rotation.
VariCam Top Handle Standoffs AB-PNV-200
These Top Handle Standoffs replace the original handle standoffs
supplied with the VariCam. They lower the handle by about an
inch to create a more streamlined profile and improve weight dis-
tribution when attaching accessories to the handle.
VariBob - VariCam Power Breakout Box
VariBob is a power breakout box, about an inch thick, that at-
taches to the top of the VariCam 35 and recorder. It conforms to
the shape of the camera body, with cutouts to avoid interfering
with the cameras control panel. The top of the unit doubles as a
cheese plate, providing a number of -20 and 3/8-16 threaded
holes for mounting accessories.
The VariCam 35 is long. VariBobs location is not only convenient
for ACs, but keeps the length of the camera the same, compared
to power distribution plates that sit between the onboard battery
and camera or recorder, and add to the overall length.
NAB Booth C8008. abelcine.com

AbelCine VariBob
XLR-4/M 12V in: 2x P-tap:
DC power input. This can be (Not seen here.) Unfused outputs
fed by a short cable from provide unregulated 12V DC power.
the P-Tap connection on the
battery mount (for battery Trigger output
operation), or directly by a (2.5mm jack):
power supply. Passes through the trigger
signal from the R/S connec-
tions to the camera (via the
4-pin Hirose on the camera).
XLR-4/F 12V out:
Main DC power output. This
can be used when using a 2x 2 pin Lemo:
power supply to pass power Outputs, fused at 3A each,
through to the camera. provide unregulated 12V DC
2x RS 3-pin Fischer: power for accessories.
Output 3A (total) regulated 24V DC power, and pass
through an R/S trigger signal to the camera.

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 51

 Ben Smithard, BSC on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
I spoke with Ben Smithard, BSC (above) about his work as Cinema-
tographer on The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, released in
the USA on March 6, 2015. Photos: Laurie Sparham. 2014 Twen-
tieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
Describe the look and style of Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
It involved lots of conversations. Most of the preparation for the
film and how it was going to look came about by just being there,
taking photographs, going to locations, and discussing. The expe-
rience of being in India was a big part of making the film.
We were following characters who were experiencing India in a
similar way that I was experiencing it. When all the cast and crew
from England got there, along with a massive Indian crew, it al-
most felt as though we were part of the story.
Of course, John Madden, the director, and I discussed all the usu-
al things you discuss when youre making a film. You make refer-
ence to other films and photos. This is a contemporary film set in
a real place and we were shooting it for real.
I have a love of photojournalism and photography, so I was like a
kid in a sweet shop when I got there. I was taking photographs of
everything. The hardest thing about shooting this movie was try-
ing to avoid the cultural clichs of India, photographically. Thats
very difficult because India is one of the most photographed places
in the world. The difficulty came in making something completely
original. So the look of this film was driven by the story. You fol-
lowed the story, followed the characters.
John Madden is not only a great director, he is an amazing crafts-
person. I think thats a great thing in a director, somebody who
really understands the craft of filmmaking. When youve got an
ally like that, theres nothing you cannot do.
Camera choice
Originally there was a conversation about shooting film on the
project. But we were in Jaipur and Udaipur, which is quite a long
way away from the lab in Mumbai. Although they shot film on
52 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
the first Exotic Marigold Hotel, I had a bit of concern about the
reliability of the laboratory.
I shot my previous film, Belle, on the Sony F65. I think it was the
first British feature film done on the F65, and I liked the look.
When we moved away from film on the Second Best Exotic Mari-
gold Hotel I decided on the F65 because I knew that we would be
taking the cameras from London and shipping them to India. I
was very happy with the camera and the rental company that I
use, Movietech in Pinewood Studios, London. They are very reli-
able and the lenses from that company are amazing. Theyre all
really well looked after. You know youre going to get really good
backup with them, which was important being in India. When I
used the F65 on Belle, there were no technical hitches at all with
the camera. It was completely reliable, and if youre shooting in
India, you need a reliable camera.
My decision to shoot with the F65 was based mainly on the fact
that Id already shot a movie on it. I knew what I was getting with
the camera. We took three F65 cameras. We shot with two and we
had a spare body the whole time.
I also took a RED Scarlet with me. I used it for interior car scenes,
because its smaller or I could make it really small. The cars in the
film were tiny. Theyre mostly night scenes. They matched nicely.
In the digital world, the differences are quite subtle. Its not like
film, where there are big differences between the film stocks.
Lenses
Our entire lens package came straight from Belle. I knew what I
was getting. I used the whole range of Cooke S4 primes from 14
to 135 mm. I also used the Angnieux 17-80, which is my per-
sonal favorite zoom lens. Its very sharp. Theres a really nice look
to it. I have that on my camera nearly all the time. I also had the
Angnieux Optimo 24-290 and 28-76.
If youre going to use very good glass like the Cooke S4 lenses,
then you need good zooms. I like working on zooms as much
as I can. I use the primes for handheld or Steadicam. Ive never
had any major problems trying to match them, to be honest. I
like the Angnieux Zooms. I like the way theyre built. They are
well-made, and well-constructed. If theres a very slight color shift
between zooms and primes, its easy to correct in the DI. That
never really worries me.
On My Week with Marilyn, I used Cooke S5/i primes. That was
the first time theyd been used on a film. They looked great. But
lately, I think people are obsessed by using old lenses.
I did a big commercial in Argentina at the end of last year and I
wanted to shoot Anamorphic on the Alexa. I was offered a set of
vintage Kowa Anamorphics from Musitelli, the rental house in
Uruguay. They had a really interesting look. One of them was just
unusable because it just wouldnt focus at any T-stop. As there
were only four in the set, I had three lenses to shoot with. But
those three were great. I think on my next film I probably would
like to shoot Anamorphic.
Diffusion or filtration
I sometimes used diffusion. John Madden, the director, wanted
the film to look as realistic as possible, so I didnt over-diffuse it. I
used very light diffusion here and there, but nothing that was too
noticeable.
Ben Smithard, BSC, contd
Left: Director John Madden John Madden and Ben Smithard with Angenieux Optimo Angenieux 28-76. Right: Ben Smithard, BSC
Also, the atmosphere where we were shooting, Jaipur, in north-
west of India, is a city in desert scrubland. If you can imagine,
its a bit like California. You dont really see blue skies very often
because theres dust in the air. When youre in the city, you dont
see lots of white clouds. Its very bright this time of year. But ev-
erything had a diffused quality already, so we didnt need to over-
diffuse the images with filters.
At night, it gets foggy, so night scenes dont need diffusion on
the lenses either. We did a lot of night shots, and around 2:00 to
4:00 in the morning that time of the year, there was a lot of roll-
ing fog. It could really fog up our whole location. We were very
lucky. In some scenes, the background looks like I filled it with
smoke, but I didnt. Its actually fog. There were a couple of takes
with people at night in front of really blown-out highlights from
car headlights. But there wasnt anything wrong with the camera.
In India, many people just have their headlights on full-beam or
theyre not adjusted very well. Its quite foggy and dusty and the
highlights bloom. Theres nothing you can do about that. Thats
just India at night. I havent been to many places like that before.
Working together with the director
This was a film consisting of many scenes with complicated cam-
era moves and very good actors. I had worked with quite a few of
them before. I operate A Camera (the main camera). I have done
this on every movie Ive made. It is a big job when youre lighting
as well. But its something I do and I enjoy.
In doing very complicated camera moves with famous actors,
their positioning and blocking within the scene is crucial. Youre
doing intricate movements around them and designing dolly
moves. The thing is, John may be sitting at the monitor and Id
be either tracking left and then pushing into a two-shot or swing-
ing over into a three-shot and then going into a single over-the-
shoulder and then pushing in. As we were doing it, hed under-
stand exactly, always, all the time. Hed know precisely what my
problem was and hed say something like, Okay, Maggie, you just
need to move a little bit to the left and then when the cameras
there, you just move forward a couple of feet so you open up onto
that character.
And this would happen on a daily basis because John just gets it,
he sees it, and he makes my job so much easier. If I had to do all
of that myself, it would take so much more energy. And then what
happens is you get it all lined up and its rehearsed really well and
youve got it and you finally realize, Oh, you know what? Ive got
to light this bloody scene. So if youve got a director whos just
brilliant like John is, you can do all that because hes guiding you
and helping. It was a perfect collaboration.
John Madden came from theater and television, and he excels at
being able to move the actors into the right positions for the shot
to work.
John also understands light. It is quite unique for a director to
really get what youre trying to do with the light, and that makes
a huge difference to a cinematographer. For example, you walk
into a location, and as a cameraman you naturally want to put the
camera in a place that takes advantage of the natural light. You
gravitate to where the camera should be. John always understands
that. He doesnt push you into a part of the location that doesnt
really work for the available light. I wouldnt be saying to the di-
rector, This is going to look much better here because the light is
coming from that direction from behind that building and backlit
there. He understands immediately what youre trying to do to
make the image look much better.
Fluid Head
We used a Cartoni Maxima head, and I used it for the first time on
Belle. I really liked it. Its a bit beefier and stronger than the others.
Its really smooth. When youve got an F65 with a big Angnieux
zoom on, its better because it can take a bit more weight.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 53
 Ben Smithard, BSC, contd
Scorpio 30+7 crane and remote head
Now I own it. When I finished Marigold Hotel, I bought it off
Movietech. It lives upstairs in my office in my house, three stories
up. Its a bit heavy with the box that it comes in, climbing up all
those stairs. I take the head out the box and carry it up separately.
But its a great head.
Crew
We brought key crew members from England. I took a focus
puller, second AC, Steadicam operator (Alastair Rae), DIT, key
grip, and data wrangler. We had an Indian gaffer. He came highly
recommended from somebody Id worked with before, and he
was a very good gaffer.
The entire crew was massive. I would check the call sheet every
day just to see how many people there were. When you added it
up, there would very rarely be fewer than 400 people. Thats cast
and crew. Sometimes with extras and so on, it went up to a thou-
sand. There were a lot of people. When I first arrived, I wondered,
Wow. How do you work on a film set with so many people?
But ultimately, the dynamics of the movie process isnt that much
different because all those people are spread out all over the place.
Theres definitely more people on an Indian film set than in the
West, for sure. But it was manageable, easy to get along, and I
enjoyed pretty much all of it.
Grip and Electric
The production service company was called India Tech One.
They were really helpful. The cameras and all the grip gear were
shipped from London, including the dollies, track and tripods.
The Servicevision Scorpio cranes and remote heads came from
Mumbai.
Our gaffer owned the lighting company in Mumbai. It was top-
notch. We had every type of light. We had moving lights on all
the dance numbers at the end. At the wedding party, we had a
massive amount of light. Some of the night scenes had really big
lighting set-ups. I planned the lighting like I do on every film. If
you plan it to the very last detail, it just makes things so much
easier when you get there and you just go through as much detail
with the director as possible.
We were shooting in a great big colonial fort with big, high walls
all the way around it. There was a huge house inside the fort. The
surrounding walls of the fort were 30 or 40 feet high and about
54 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
Director John Madden
15 feet wide. So we could put our lights all the way around, and
whichever way we were pointing, we could turn the lights on or
off and take advantage of backlight and three-quarter backlight
or whatever. There were always 25 to 30 electricians on every day.
So when you asked to move five 18Ks, it got done very quickly.
Thats a big move. We had every HMI from 200 watts to 18K. We
had at least two ARRI Maxes and maybe more.
Because it was a contemporary film, I didnt have any reserva-
tions about using all types of light. Apart from LEDs. I havent re-
ally gotten into LEDs yet. For night interiors we used Dedolights,
Kino Flos and small Fresnel units.
DIT
We had a DIT who came to India. We had a data wrangler as well.
An issue I have on pretty much every film I do is that since Im
operating A Camera, I dont get to sit and watch monitors on
set. People ask me all the time whether I am interested in grading
on the set. Im not really, to be honest. Because I feel that grading
should be done by the colorist, at the end, in a suite that probably
cost half a million quid in a perfect environment. I think if I didnt
operate the camera, maybe I would be sitting in a tent playing
around with color wheels and trying to get a certain look. But
I cant do that. I just want to get the densities and contrast right
from shot to shot and in the dailies.
Some cinematographers, and I applaud them, set the look to be
as a close to how they want it while theyre shooting, so everyone
gets used to it in the offline and there are no surprises when you
grade the final film. But the truth is Ive never had an issue with
the final grade anywhere. I just go in there and do what I always
thought the film should be like anyway.
DI and grading
Finishing was done at Molinare, which is the company that I use
often, with the same grader, Gareth Spensley. He graded Belle,
and other feature films and TV projects that Ive done. Their main
DI suite is one of the best in London. We graded on Baselight. Ga-
reth is a genius with that piece of machinery. John was very happy
with them as well. I graded in 2K. But they conformed in 4K. The
4K conform was there for us to use, if we ever needed it for more
detail or for compositing. But ultimately, the project was 2K.
Band Pro FS7 Crew at Coppola Winery

Its no secret that Band Pro pours palatable potations in their after-
hours NAB gatherings. Further confirming that fine cameras and
lenses can be described like fine wines, Band Pro sent a crew off
to the Inglenook Winery in March 2015 to shoot a new 4K short.
Originally founded in 1879 by Gustave Niebaum, Inglenook is
owned by Francis Ford Coppola and his wife Eleanor Coppola,
who continue to honor the fine winemaking tradition of this his-
toric vineyard in Rutherford, CA, in the heart of Napa Valley.
The short was shot using the Sony FS7 with Leica Summicron-C
lenses outfitted with Movcam FS7 accessories and a Paralinx Ar-
row wireless system. A Fuji IS-Mini was used to apply LUTs on
set. The producton was supported by San Francisco-based rental
house Videofax.
DP Randy Wedick said: In our previous 4K short films weve
always acquired RAW. Because the Sony FS7 was designed as a
lower budget camera for owner-operators and smaller produc-
tion companies, we shot in 4K XAVC 10-bit to the internal cards.
I was surprised to find there was still a lot of room to move in
color correction. While it lacks some of the ins and outs of its
professional brothers, the F5 and F55, the FS7 really is in the
same family and the images attest to that. The Leica Summicron-
C lenses make a real difference when you have a powerful sensor
to render images on.
Editor and Colorist Bobby Maruvada oversaw 4K post and color
correction. Editing was done on Adobe Premiere in native 4K,
and migrated into Bobbys Baselight system for seamless color
correction handoffs. Color correction was performed in ACES to
ensure maximum precision.
Producer Brett Gillespie said, The work thats being done at In-
glenook is really rare and wonderful. Turn on the news these days
and all you hear about are old treasures slipping away. Inglenook
is just the opposite. Instead of letting a glorious legacy fade, the
entire Inglenook staff have created a vibrant now that will reso-
nate for a long, long time. Having the opportunity to capture this
renewal is a real honor.
The short will be screened at NAB in the Sony booth, and as part
of the Filmmakers Forum at Band Pros booth C10408.
bandpro.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 55
 Preston Light Ranger 2: Auto/Manual Focus

Preston Cinema Systems is at NAB Booth C9247 with their newly patented Light Ranger 2 (LR2). Howard Preston calls it a critical
focus tool for the digital cinema, television and broadcast world. You still work with your familiar Preston FIZ. The LR2 intuitively
guides focus-pulling in the correct direction, near or far. You confirm this by viewing on almost any monitor, which gets a graphical
overlay from the LR2. There are a number of modes: manual, autofocus, or basic distance measuring. prestoncinema.com

Sensor Unit Preston Light Ranger 2 consists of two parts:

Sensor Unit
The Sensor Unit attaches to the camera. It sits on top,
preferably above the lens, but can be placed anywhere thats
convenient. A quick setting calibrates the offset.
A beam of infrared light from the Light Ranger 2 bounces
off the objects in the scene, and is captured by the detector
array behind the units lens.
Its safe infrared light. The camera cannot see it.
There are no lasers, no ultrasonic signals, no transponders
attached to actors.

Video Interface Unit

Video Interface Unit
The Video Interface Unit attaches to the back of almost any
monitor. It receives focus information from both the Light
Ranger 2 and the Preston FIZ HU3 Hand Unit.

How it Works
Light Ranger 2 works with the Preston Wireless FIZ system
HU3 hand unit and MDR3 motor driver.
Plug the Serial port into your MDR3, power it up, aim,
calibrate, and shoot.

56 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Preston Light Ranger 2 (contd)
Enter and exit
Autofocus by
pushing the
"AFocus" Soft Key.

The silver colored

button on the HU3
acts as a hold
function when
pressed. This
prevents the motor
You still control focus the way you always did. The Light from focusing on
Ranger 2 divides the video monitor into 16 zones, like a bar an actor crossing
graph. Rectangles above the horizontal line show areas behind in front of camera.
your established distance. Rectangles below are in front. This
graphically shows which way to turn the knob of your wireless
FIZ hand unit. Areas that are in focus are shown in green, and
Measuring Mode
take the lens depth of field into account.

Manual Focus
In Manual focus mode (above), distances are represented by 16
rectangles. The height of the rectangle above or below the center
line tells you whether the subject is in front of, behind, or within
the lens depth of field. Subjects within the DOF are identified
with green rectangles, otherwise the rectangles are white.

Autofocus

The Basic Range mode shows distances from the cameras image
plane to the subject. The vertical bars show distance graphically,
and the numbers below each bar show the distance numerically.

Specs
LR2 System consists of Light Ranger 2 Sensor and Video Interface.
Requires FI+Z HU3 (Handunit) and MDR3 (Motor Driver/Receiver)
LR2 ranging module
Operating Range 1 to > 40
In Autofocus mode, a red rectangle shows where the distance Horizontal angle of view: 18
measurement is taking place. The width of the rectangle is Vertical angle of view: 3
controlled by the north-south axis of the HU3 navigation key. Number of detection zones: 16
The horizontal position of the rectangle is controlled by the Power: 10-32 VDC
east-west axis of the navigation key.
LR2 Video Overlay Unit with G4 wireless link
You can make a smooth move from autofocus to manual
Power: 10 28 VDC
control. See the picture above and the two different Lens and
Video Input: 1 HD-SDI
Knob readouts in the upper left box. In this example, its telling
Video Outputs: 1 HD-SDI loop-through
you that the Lens is autofocused at 60. But your FIZ Knob is
1 HD-SDI with graphics overlay
set to 112. If you switch from Auto to Manual at this point, the
Wireless Transceiver: G4
focus barrel will jump to the position determined by your FIZ
Parallax Range: 20 inches (50cm)
hand unit knob.
Calibration: Menu driven using focus target or manual
To avoid a focus jump when changing from Auto to Manual offset entry.
mode, you should turn your focus knob (Knob: 112) from
These specifications are preliminary and may change.
112 to 60 so that both distance match. Next, exit Autofocus
www.prestoncinema.com
mode using the HU3 softkey (above, top of next column).

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 57

 DaVinci for DPs
On-Set Camera LUT Creation
by Andy Shipsides
Shooting in RAW and Log offers a lot of flexibility in post-production color grading. This is terrrific, but as a DP you want it graded the
way you shot it. Heres a quick look at how Blackmagic Designs DaVinci Resolve can help.
DaVinci Resolve is a powerful color finishing application found in many of the worlds high-end grading suites. Resolve Lite has most
of the same features, and is available as a free download. Its a wonderful tool that many DPs have on their laptops to create looks right
on set. Because Resolve is so well accepted by the production and post-production community, a look created in Resolve is a pretty
universal standard.
To help get DPs and FDTimes readers on their way to learning Resolve, were doing a series of practical articles. The first episode is
about creating Look Up Tables (LUTs) that can be loaded right into a camera on set. To get started, download your free copy of Resolve
Lite and start it up.
The best way to begin creating a LUT for your camera is to bring some test footage into Resolve. Once Resolve is launched and running,
you can either log in as an admin or create a new user. This helps you manage projects on a shared computer. Now create a new project,
and youll find yourself at the Media Import page of Resolve. This is where you bring footage into the Media Pool.
1. The upper left corner is called the Li-
brary. This is where youll see all of your at-
tached hard drives and media cards.1 I have
a folder with some footage in it. Double
click on the folder to bring it into the Me-
dia Pool, which is the window just to the
right of the Library. Resolve will work with
a large number of media formats out there,
so you shouldnt have a problem importing.
Once you have your clips in the Media
Pool, click the Edit Page Button, which is
found on the bottom-center of the screen
next to Media. This is where you will cre-
ate a timeline where any footage you want
to grade will live. We arent trying to edit
anything here; but only media in a timeline
will be available for grading in the next step.
Library Media Page Button Edit Button Import clips into your projects Media Pool.

2. In Edit Mode, right-click in the Time-

line tab, choose Create New Timeline, and
uncheck the Empty Timeline box. This will
automatically populate your timeline with
all clips in your Media Pool.
(Alternatively, once you have a timeline
created, go to the Media Pool tab and
drag clips on the timeline, on the lower
right side.) The order or length of the clips
doesnt matterwe just want to start color-
ing them.
Now lets go to the Color Page. Click on the
Color Page button at the bottom-center of
the screen. This will take you to the page
where all the color grading is done.

Create a timeline under the Timeline tab. Color Button Clips from Media Pool in Timeline

1. On Mac, Resolve has a checkbox in the Preferences > Media Storage to Show all mounted volumes in the Library. If the box is checked, any
attached hard drives or disks will show up automatically in the Library. If the box is unchecked, you will only see drives and disks that have been
added to the Scratch Disk section of the Preferences > Media Storage. On Windows, there is no checkbox to show all mounted volumes, and you
need to manually add volumes as scratch disks for them to populate in the Library.

58 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

DaVinci for DPs, contd
3. In Color Mode, your clips are lined up
in the order you put them on the timeline.
Below the clips, on the lower left side, are
your color grading tools. Here youll find
color wheels, primary adjusters and RGB
mixers. For now, lets just stick with the
color wheels for Lift, Gamma, and Gain ad-
justments. Another important area to note
is the Node graph area in the upper right
corner. This is essentially a layering system
in Resolve, although we really only need the
one node for our work.
To create your look, you may want to start
with a LUT that Resolve already has in-
stalled they have many for various cam-
eras. To apply a LUT to a specific clip, go to
the node window (upper right), and right
click with your mouse on your node. You Use these tools to color grade your image Clips on your timeline appear here
should see an option to apply a 3D LUT.

4. I have many 3D LUTs installed in my

systembut the default ones are good.
If I were working with an Alexa, for in-
stance, I would start the grade by applying
the ARRI Alexa LogC to Rec709 3D LUT.
This would generally get me in the right
starting spot.
From here, you can grade your image with
the Lift, Gamma and Gain color wheel con-
trols, and any other basic tool you want to
try out.
Note that Contrast and Saturation adjust-
ments are found below the wheels.
When you are finished adjusting your im-
age, its time to export the LUT so it can be
used in camera or with a LUT box connect- Export a 3D LUT or Apply a LUT to your clip here
ed to an on-set monitor. Panasonic VLUT here in the Node graph area

To do that, right click on your clip and select Generate 3D LUT (cube). This will make a 3D LUT (.cube) file that is compatible with a
number of systems. Sony F5 and F55 cameras can work with these files natively. These files will work with the ARRI Amira when you
run them through ARRIs Amira Color Tool, and can be converted into ALF-2 (ARRI Look File 2) files to work with the new Alexa SXT.
Also note the option to Generate 3D LUT (Panasonic VLUT); this will make a 3D LUT native to the Panasonic VariCam 35. These files
will also work with different LUT boxes from Blackmagic, AJA and Fujifilm IS-mini. (The LUT created will be a 33 point .cube LUT
(33x33x33). The HDLink uses 17 point .cube LUTs (17x17x17). So you may need to convert the 33 point to 17 point to work properly.)
I recommend grabbing a still of the work youve done in Resolve for future reference. In the COLOR menu bar: View -> Stills -> Grab
Stills. This will store a still image of your grade in a stills library (usually center of COLOR mode screen), which you can then export
to various formats by right clicking on the thumbnail. You can email a still to the editor, post supervisor, and DI colorist for reference.
This is just an appetizer of a few of the many things Resolve can do. I hope this is helpful. Look out for future articles in this series diving
deeper into the great tools of Resolve for DPs.

Andy Shipsides is the Director of Education at AbelCine. AbelCines training department offers practical classes for serious imagemakers on all levels
on professional production technology encompassing cameras, optics, audio, lighting, workflows and post solutions. Classes are available in-person
at their New York, Chicago and Burbank locations, as well as online. For more information: training.abelcine.com AbelCine at NAB C8008
To download a free copy of DaVinci Resolve Lite 11: blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve Blackmagic at NAB SL219
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 59
 Codex Vault Platform

Codex and Kodak contain five letters, sound similar, and both Recognizing that archiving your digital negative is a critical step,
represent universal worldwide standards of recordingone an- Codexs Vault Platform for OS X can also include a Codex LTO-6
alog, one digital. Heres an update from Sarah Priestnall, VP at Drive (Thunderbolt), along with Codex Vault Archive software to
Codex. make a verified LTFS archive.
Codex provides a complete and secure data workflow procedure
from production to post.
Using advanced image science and processing along with pow-
erful GPU processing, Codex Vault Platform and Codex Review
provide the tools for a fully-featured dailies and archiving system.
They offer a unified workflow for many different cameras com-
monly used today ARRI Alexa and Amira, Canon C300 MkII
and C500, Sony F55, Panasonic VariCam 35, Codex Action Cam,
etc.
Vault ingests all kinds of media Codex Capture Drives, SxS Codex Vault Platform is now Backbone-aware connecting
Cards, Sony AXSM cards and CFast 2.0. seamlessly with Codex Backbone, a complete, secure digital pro-
Codex Vault Platform 4.0 and Codex Vault Review 2.0 have so- duction pipeline and media management system, that makes
phisticated tools for color grading and LUT management, QC, digital files and associated metadata available to authorized users.
metadata editing, playback and audio sync so all deliverables can Codex Backbone makes it easy to keep track of assets and meta-
be created faster than real-time within one system. data so that productions can finally take advantage of the efficien-
On-set looks created with Codex Review Live can automatically cies that have long been promised by digital tools.
be applied to deliverables or used as the basis for a further grad- NAB Booth C1817. codexdigital.com
ing pass.
In addition, Codex has been working with ACES during its devel-
opment and Codex products now support ACES 1.0, the produc-
tion-ready version recently released.
Now, Codex Vault Platform is available on Mac Pro and MacBook
Pro. This offers even more flexibility: you can use hardware other
than Codex S-Series and Codex XL-Series.
On-set, near-set or integrated into a SAN in a post facility, Vault
Platform is an incredibly secure environment for creating dailies
and archiving the digital negative, no matter where you are.

60 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Codex Review Live
Introducing Codex Review Live to manage color and create
looks on set. With an intuitive User Interface, Review Live lets
you work directly from the live camera feed over HD-SDI. With
a 3D LUT box attached, you can create, preview and grade looks.
These looks can be applied automatically when generating de-
liverables with Codex Vault, or can be exported as ASC-CDL or
3D LUTs of various formats, to be applied in other software. This
means that the looks and grades created with Codex Review Live
can be used to communicate creative intent from the set, forming
the starting point for color-consistency from dailies through DI.
Review Live is fully synchronized with Codex Backbone, where
the look-related metadata is securely managed in the Look Li-
brary for collaborative use throughout post production.

Look Processing Hardware

In its first iteration, Review Live will work with the Fujifilm IS-
mini. Other hardware will also be supported. The software can
control and manage up to 32 IS-minis installed in-line with the
HD-SDI outputs of the camera to supply the on-set monitors with
the graded HD-SDI signals. By the way, the IS-mini is a remark-
able tool. It solves the problem of so many monitors on set look-
ing so different. Plug one IS-mini into each monitor, and after
an automatic calibration process with its dedicated X-Rite probe,
every monitor, even disparate or dreadful ones, will display color
and contrast that are remarkably similar. And Tangent Element
panels are fully integrated with Codex Review Live for primary
color correction.
Color Grading
Review Live has a simple interface with controls to adjust Offset/
Power/Slope/Saturation, Printer Lights, and Custom Curves. Looks
can be saved with a user-defined name in the Codex look library.
Exchanging Looks
The look will be applied to the recorded material automatically
during playback so that it can be seen on set. When a look is sent
to the LUT Box, the settings are saved and marked with the cur-
rent timecode and the exposure index (EI).
Review Live app synchronizes the saved looks with Codex Vault
Platform:
When media is offloaded, Vault checks the timecode and EI of
each clip. It then finds the look that was applied to the corresponding
LUT box at that time and puts the look info in the clips metadata.
The look can then be applied automatically when playing back
in Codex Review or when generating deliverables.
Codex Review will also pick up the settings and allow further
tweaking of the color parameters during dailies review.
The look can also be exported in various formats so that it can
be loaded into other software for dailies and color grading.

Codex On-Set Review Live Look Management

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 61

 Odyssey7Q+ The Journey Continues

by Mitch Gross pensive video engineering equipment, and the functionality is

With the ongoing success of the Odyssey monitor/recorders, added to the Odyssey monitor/recorders at no additional cost.
Convergent Design decided not to introduce a new product at Scheduled for May and June are additional monitoring functions,
NAB but instead focus on expanding the feature set of the current as well as expanding the recording capabilities of the Odyssey7Q
Odyssey7, Odyssey7Q and flagship Odyssey7Q+ models. In an and Odyssey7Q+. These models can already record Apple ProRes
accelerated, focused program, new firmware releases are sched- in 4K , UHD, 2K and HD. The frame rate capabilities will be
uled monthly to roll out new functionality to the entire Odyssey raised considerably, with 4K and UHD captured in Apple ProRes
lineup. up to 60p, and 2K and HD captured up to an incredible 240p. An
In March, along with additional Apple ProRes recording formats Odyssey7Q+ with an F55 will record 4K Apple ProRes at 60 fps.
on all models, the Odyssey7Q+ welcomed HDMI 4K->HD re- A C500 with an Odyssey7Q+ will record HD up to 120 fps. If one
cording, in which a 4K signal over HDMI is supersampled to a has the Sony FS7/FS700 Record Option, then 4K RAW can be
high quality HD Apple ProRes recording. This process avoids the captured in 4K Apple ProRes at the cameras top speed of 60 fps
limited downconverters built into some of the smaller cameras and 2K RAW will be available to be recorded in 2K Apple ProRes
such as the Sony A7S and the Panasonic GH4 and offers HD re- at what is again the cameras top speed, a blistering-fast 240 fps.
cording to cameras such as the Samsung NX1, which has no HD Convergent Design, Inc. NAB Booth C8012.
output at all. The result is an HD recording with visibly superior convergent-design.com
MTF and greater color depth and fidelity, vastly improving the
capabilities of these small cameras.
In April, a complete overhaul and vast expansion is coming for
the monitoring functions in all of the Odyssey models. Advanced
dual-level color zebras, a zooming Vectorscope, fully program-
mable False Color exposure mode, and an improved Focus Assist
peaking system join the 4K Pixel Zoom, RGB Waveform and His-
togram, and programmable Frame Guides (with up to five mul-
ticolor frame lines at once) on all Odysseys. The Odyssey7Q and
Odyssey7Q+ will also enjoy a new custom 3D-LUT system, with
an internal library available on the Odyssey recorder and con-
trolled routing of the LUTs independently to the OLED screen,
the monitoring tools, and the different SDI and HDMI outputs.
This LUT control and routing alone replaces a small cart of ex-

62 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Panavision and Light Iron
Kimberly Snyder is CEO of Panavision. Michael Cioni is CEO of
Light Iron.
JON FAUER: Tell us about Light Iron joining Panavision.
KIM SNYDER: Were very excited about the coming together of
Light Iron and Panavision. Panavision has always stood for high
quality customer service and really focusing on efficiency for
filmmakers. As we looked at how the industry is evolving, it be-
came very evident that our customers wanted end-to-end, turn-
key services. We needed to provide more than cameras and lenses
for image capturewe needed to provide workflow procedures.
Panavision has known of Light Iron for a long time. We were very
impressed with their technology and creativity, so we decided to
come together. Were looking forward to bringing workflow in-
novations to market soon, starting with the on-set services and
the Outpost capabilities.
JON: Light Iron seems to have been among the first in work-
flow for almost every camera: the original RED Ones, Epics,
then Alexa, and Panasonic VariCam 35.
KIM: We had been watching them from afar for a while and when
we decided to expand, we got to know them a lot better. We think
its a really good fit between the two companies.
JON: Will they be working on both the east and west coasts?
KIM: Yes. They will retain their current locations. In addition, we
will incorporate their Outpost and Lily Pad equipment (basically
mobile processing labs doing on-set data management, backups,
transcoding and near set-dailies). Were going to start our focus
with North America and then definitely extend globally.
JON: Will Light Iron be working on non-Panavision jobs and
continue with their post and grading services?
KIM: While we see a lot of opportunity in providing end-to-end
services, customers can still choose whichever services they want.
JON: Michael, is production still catching
up with technology?
MICHAEL CIONI
Yes, since film sets arent conducive to com-
puters and networking, production crews
werent originally interested in using IT
(Information Technology). But over the
last dozen years, creatives have had to use
cameras that are in fact computers, and that
has changed the paradigm.
JON: Initially, computers attached to
cameras made many cringe, because they
slowed production down: long boot-up
time, crashing software, security.
MICHAEL: Right. And remember that post
production 20 years ago wasnt an IT-cen-
tric group either.
When the post world adopted IT, there was
a vast improvement in speed, quality, and
precision. No one would argue that com-
puter integration in post-production wasnt
a really big deal. Well, whats to stop us from assuming that the
same transition cant happen on a set or location? But we cant ac-
complish that unless we are a part of the group that is deploying
the camera, lens and capture hardware.
Theres no better company to combine with than Panavision be-
cause of their inventory, history, R&D, reach and scope. If you
have the greatest rental house of all time that has just one location
and the greatest IT-centric post house of all time that has just one
or two locations, you just cant reach enough customers, no mat-
ter how good you are. Youd only be touching a small percentage.
Thats not in the best interest of the medium.
JON: What does this mean for the big post house? I think you
are suggesting a new kind of lab that travels to you, wherever
you are in the world.
MICHAEL: Yes, its mobile. Light Iron is a post house that didnt
invest in dailies equipment or dailies personnel. Instead we de-
signed a new way to produce dailies by being IT-centric.
JON: Elaborate on IT-centricity.
MICHAEL: We use computer-driven processes that increase the
speed of prductions. Either way, a creative person is usually best
served with speed. Its hard to measure creative processestheres
no tape measure for that. But I think speed is something that all
creatives crave. If you could do something faster, view it sooner
and have it more immediately, that would be better than slower.
Very few would argue with that. Creative people have decisions
to make. But if a production or studio can shrink a schedule, they
will. For example, some TV shows used to get 10 days to shoot,
but now only get seven. How do you save time without losing
quality? We have to get the creatives information faster.
JON: Take us through a hypothetical scenario. The camera
is on location. They shoot. The data card is full and removed
from the camera. What next?
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 63
 Interview with Kim Snyder and Michael Cioni
MICHAEL: Actually, the beginning begins in prep. Weve been
taking our mobile systems to the prep floor of the rental house.
Thats really where post begins. Its not post. This is Pre-Post. The
DP must be there. Post is after.
JON: Youre establishing looks and LUTs on the prep floor?
KIM: From the moment the project gets a green light, we want
to start talking about prep and begin servicing the production.
Cinematographers may already have worked out their concepts
and know how they would like to shoot. But with our combined
camera and workflow experience, wed like to provide appropriate
options. For example, we might say, Did you know that the Vari-
Cam 35 has wireless CDL capability? Of course, our customers
will make the decision. Then, well support that decision in prep
with the camera and the onset services.
Michael has used his company to provide education. We hope to
continue that at Panavision. Educating the community about the
technology that exists, the different cameras, the types of work-
flow, and providing that as a service leads into the consultation
part when people are considering what theyre going to do.
MICHAEL: The biggest challenge ahead is the perspective change
that is required. When the Sony F900 came into the market, Pan-
avision was one of the largest providers of those cameras. You
probably got almost 10 years of rentals out of those cameras. That
was the beginning of perspective change from film to digital and
it took a long time. Now, were doing it again. Everyones shooting
digitally and is comfortable with it, but what theyre not comfort-
able with is losing control. Film was actually a tool that enabled
cinematographers to protect their work, because it was exposed
in a little, magic box.
JON: It was mysterious. No one could see it until the next day.
MICHAEL: It was mysterious and the film that went through the
box could be locked. And they couldnt change it very easily.
Only a few people were certified to be able to use it, manipulate
it, change it, view it. It wasnt like today where almost anyone can
intercept a hard drive and say, I have a computer and I can do
some kind of post production job. Its very hard to measure that,
but in the past, it was easier. We have a challenge and education is
part of that. Education is going to be geared towards a perspective
change of confidence and answers that will allow cinematogra-
phers to maintain the control that they once had.
When you ask whether they like digital, most cinematographers
will say they do like it. Do they like it better than film? Yes, but...
And the but is usually, When the data leaves the set, its gone.
And Im not in control. So they start to have this grip on some
of the material on set because they know when it goes away, they
could lose their creative control. What better group than Light
Iron and Panavision to use very clever technology to give that
control back? Thats something a studio isnt going to fight against.
Content owners want everything to look better. They want bet-
ter productivity, but at the same time, they want creatives to be
satisfied in attaining their vision. We want cinematographers to
maintain control and to be happy. The medium itself has recently
given control to almost anyone. Thats just the way digitization
works. We need to rein that in, to make sure people not only have
the best tools, but also have the ability to protect their interests.
64 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
KIM: Of course, it starts with the glass. Weve always designed
unique lenses. Its important to note that were continuing to in-
vest in glass because that is the first step in terms of cinematog-
raphers being able to control the look in the camera. Moving to a
workflow that secures it even further is important.
MICHAEL: Yes, the key is to combine software and hardware.
Most rental houses cannot develop significant hardware and most
post houses dont develop significant software. For both Panavi-
sion and Light Iron, R&D is truly our core competency.
JON: Many post houses dont do the preproduction and cam-
era prep with a crew to set LUTs and looks.
MICHAEL: Most post employees have never seen a prep floor.
With half of our staff, thats their job. We have the largest fleet of
on-set carts today. We started building them five years ago right at
the moment that data-centricity started to enable a smaller plat-
form. Computers used to be the size of rooms, right? Now, theyre
in a wrist watch.
The day that we were able to conceive of it was a tiny little fun
story called Avatar. John Knoll was doing some effect shots in San
Francisco at Kerner Optical and they needed to review footage
in 3D on the set, but they couldnt review it from the video tap
because they were shooting high speed.
When you capture from a tap, its always real time. Knoll was
shooting overcranked in 3D and the only way to watch it in slow
motion was to watch the original footage. So we needed some-
thing that could process the footage in real time and play it back
in slow motion. It had to be mobile and be able to wheel on the
set. We built it in our lobby, and that was our first Outpost system.
We called it Outpost because it was like post, but out of the house.
The light bulb went off and we built more. In the beginning, the
carts were crammed, and it was hard to fit all that gear into a
single mobile system. It was really heavy. But now, its small and
everything fits nicely.
JON: It seems there are a lot of DITs with their own homemade
carts. Perhaps the LA legacy of customized cars lingers in cus-
tomized carts. The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Stream-
line DIT Cart.
MICHAEL: The role of the DIT came about organically. Digital
cameras came out and they needed a helping handthe DIT got
classified to be that helping hand.
I believe the Digital Imaging Technician brings value to the set
through creative contribution, color and control. Some people,
unfortunately, think its an unnecessary position. So DITs have
to demonstrate as much value as possible, and were able to help
equip them in any areas they require.
KIM: Were going to provide training. This will ensure that con-
tent owners realize how the DIT role can save them money, while
making a better product. Once they see that on a large scale, the
debate over DIT viability will go away and people will see how
this is something that will remain and not be a temporary digital-
transition role.
JON: How is this going flow into post and the final DI? Will
you be involved in that or hand it off to one of the established
companies?
Interview with Kim Snyder and Michael Cioni, contd
KIM: We hope to be involved, but thats not a requirement.
JON: Will Light Iron continue to do finishing?
MICHAEL: Yes. We do about 60 features a year. And about
10 TV shows.
JON: Let me guess how youre going to do this in the fu-
ture. The DP and DIT work with your Outpost tools, set
a look, store that look, and send it all the way through the
post chain, through to dailies and on to post and final
grading.
MICHAEL: Exactly, and more. We provide same-day dai-
lies that are colored and syncedbecause its got to have
sound, right? Usually you cant do that on the set. We actu-
ally involve the audio department because theyre recording
the hero sound. We dont want a scratch track. We want the
hero sound. The sound mixer is right over there, on set. Okay.
Give me the audio data card. We pull the camera data card
with the hero picture and the hero sound, combine them, add
the color and then we process all the footage in the way they
want it. Then we put encrypted data on iPads for review and
start uploading it to the Internet on the same day it was shot.
On some shows, production will bring the editor in proxim-
ity. Theyll be editing footage that was shot in the morning
in the afternoon.
JON: Lets pretend Im a Hollywood producer and I say,
Doing dailies on set is going to slow production down. On-set Lily Pad
I dont want the DP futzing with grading while the actors
are waiting.
MICHAEL: Absolutely fair argument. Yes, there are DPs
who, if you offer a powerful tool, are going to go over and
spend a lot of time with it. But I believe, as I mentioned ear-
lier, that DPs try to maintain that grip because they know
when it leaves, they lose control. If I could show you, the
cinematographer, that you were guaranteed the same con-
trol on the set as you are off the set, would you bury yourself
in that on-set cart all day long? Probably not. You would at-
tend to your regular job of lighting, composition, and all the
things you normally do to keep the show running efficiently.
Thats where well take the technology. DPs dont have to busy
themselves with grading on set all the time. The unit produc-
tion managers will notice the DP doesnt have to be in the
tent all day. The DPs can be on the set, which they prefer.
JON: So, essentially, DPs will have more support on set.
KIM: It goes back to productivity. To your point about the
studio exec saying it will slow things down: our new col-
laborations on technology should increase productivity. Al-
though the actual process of filmmaking is about creativity,
speed is still their friend. We see that as suppliers of services.
Thats our job.
MICHAEL: These ideas will be game-changers. Thats why
were having fun with this. Light Iron would never be able to
do this on its own and Panavision wouldnt do it on its own.
Synergy is necessary for this to be successful.
panavision.com Near-set Outpost

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 65

 Sony Shoulder Dock for F55/F5

Sony NAB Booth C11001

sony.com/35mm

Sony CBK-55BK Shoulder Mount Dock (Doc Dock)

provides easy access to camera functions via
familiar controls.
Shoulder pad and entire sled adjust fore-aft for
balance.
Easy docking and undocking no tools necessary.
Same Audio Control Panel as Sony ENG cameras.
Supports Wireless slot-in audio receiver.
Inputs and Outputs on the rear panel.
Supports RAW Recording with AXS-R5.

Menu knob

REC Shutter MIC AUTO WHITE /

LEVEL BLACK Balance Power: DC In Headphones Audio IN Audio OUT
Start/Stop
XLR 4-pin XLR 3-pin XLR 5-pin

Compartment for
Wireless Audio Receiver
Audio Control Panel

GAIN / ISO,
Assignable Switch,
WHITE BALANCE

MENU ON-OFF
MENU CANCEL-BACK

Assignable
Buttons 6, 7, 8
Hirth Tooth Rosette Adjustable Shoulder Pad Optional Sony AXS-R5
for handgrips RAW Recorder

66 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Chrosziel MB 565 Cine.1 Mattebox
Architect Mies van der Rohe said, God is in the details. Usu-
ally we hear about devils in details. There are other bedeviling
D words. The DP hates Dropping Diffusion filters on the Damn
studio floor.
Chrosziels new MB 565 Cine.1 Mattebox is here to help. One of
its best features is a little part on the bottom, innocuously called
Filter Tray Catcher part 510-19." Although the designers at
Chrosziel no doubt would prefer me to wax poetic about all the
other wonders of this mattebox (coming, coming), this Filter Tray
Catcher will arrest the descent of so many expensive pieces of
glass that youll probably be able to purchase an entire collection
of Chrosziel Cine Matteboxes with the money saved. The catcher
clamps onto the bottom of the mattebox, and swings away when
you want.
The MB 565 attaches two ways: clamp directly onto the lens, or
slide onto 15mm or 19mm rods. It is modular. It expands to ac-
commodate 1, 2 or 3 separately detachable filter stages. Each stage
rotates 360 independently. It accepts 4 x 5.65 (Panavision Size)
or 5.65 x 5.65 filters.
The MB 565 fits onto lenses with a maximum front diameter of
150 mm. Step down rings cover smaller diameters.
The swing-away bracket adjusts 5 mm horizontally and vertically.
Theres also a tilt option, which reduces reflections of practical
lights in the shot, like car headlights. (Use bellows or a fabric do-
nut when tilting.)
Chrosziel NAB Booth C6037. chrosziel.com
Distributed in USA by Schneider Optics
Schneider Optics Booth C6037. schneideroptics.com

French Flag

Threaded Accessory Bar Filter Stages for 1 - 3

with slider Filter Holders

Filter holders Pivot for Side Wings

Rosettes for Handles Set of expandable

Side Wings

Safety Loops

Swing-Away Unit

15mm Rod Clamp Swing-Away Arm

19mm Rod Clamp Filter Tray Catcher

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 67

 Lentequip SafeTap 16x9inc PL to E Mount
The ubiquitous P-Tap (Power Tap)
seems to have been around for-
ever, powering everything imag-
inable. Its a simple, little 2-prong
plug that connects accessories di-
rectly to a camera battery.
Theres one minor problem. You
can inadvertently plug a P-Tap in
backwards. If you see smoke or
smell burning components, the
negative and positive DC connec-
tions have been reversed.
Now, Lentequip comes to the rescue with their new SafeTap. Most
important is the ability to see a reverse polarity connection and
prevent the equipment from being powered incorrectly.
The SafeTap also has over-voltage protection, low voltage noti-
fication, and a sleep mode to prevent deep discharging a battery
should an accessory be left unattended past the 10V cut-off. Dur-
ing normal operation there is also continuous short circuit moni-
toring in the event that the power consumption exceeds the 8 am-
pere threshold. All these modes of operation are displayed to the
user via its multicolor LED located at the back of the connector.
The SafeTap was also designed with easy and speedy assembly in
mind. Knock-out sections on the left and right side of the housing
allow for easy cable exit. Cable strain relief is accomplished with
a simple yet effective tie wrap which resists considerable pull-out
forces thanks to friction features built into the lower shell hous-
ing. The SafeTap is Patent Pending. Its available now from 16x9
Inc, Lentequips new exclusive distributor for select products.
MSRP is $79.00. Its on display at NAB in 16x9inc and Band Pro
Booth C10408. 16x9inc.com lentequip.com

The LED Display of the SafeTap The PL to E Mount from 16x9Inc is made of aluminum and stain-
Connector shows 4 different less steel. Flange focal depth can be adjusted by removing 6 screws
colors in static or various pulsing for access to shims. Theres an optional 15mm mini rod support
patterns. bracket for heavy lenses.
Flashing Red: Uh-oh. The Shown above on a Sony FS7 with the Movcam FS7 Base Kit, dis-
SafeTap was accidentally tributed by 16x9 Inc: Riser Plate, Multi Baseplate, Side Bracket,
plugged in backwards. Top Clamp, FS7 Top 15mm Clamp, FS7 Distribution Box and 4x
Green: All systems are good 8 15mm Rods.
and the input voltage is 16x9 Inc Booth C10408. 16x9inc.com
between 11-18V .
Fast Flashing Orange: Input
voltage is above 18V.
PL to E Mount on
Slow Flashing Orange: Input Sony A7 Camera
voltage is at or just below 11V,
signaling a low battery.
Blue: Input voltage has fallen
to 10V or below and the
connector is in sleep mode.
Red: 8 amps of current limit
have been exceeded.
(P-Tap is a registered trademark of
Anton/Bauer.)

68 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Excalibur Crane
Orca Bags
Orca Bags are in NAB booth
C10408.
Company CEO Ofer Me-
nashe founded Orca Bags to
build bags and accessories
for maximum protection of
sensitive equipment. Their
R&D team has been working
in the cinema, TV and audio
business for over 30 years.
Some of the Orca Bags well
see at NAB: camera back-
packs, rolling and shoulder
bags with built-in LED light-
ing to find stuff late at night
on dark locations, backpacks
with integrated rain covers,
audio bags with lightweight
aluminum frames and com-
fortable harnesses, etc.
Ofer said, Orcas philosophy is simple: design products that re-
flect the input of working industry pros, and give them products
to get the job done easily, comfortably and efficiently. The result
is a field-proven line of smart bags and accessories, expertly de-
signed to carry and protect delicate video, lighting and sound
gear, and to assist users on set, on location, or wherever they may
be working. orcabags.com
Orca Bag for FS7
Band Pros NAB Booth C10408 includes the Ex-
calibur from Tecnopoint in Italy. It is a crane and
remote head for lightweight cameras.
www.tecnopointsrl.com
Maximum total arm length 8.7 m
Max height from ground 7.4 m
Base width 1.0/1.2 m
Distance between wheels 800 mm
Maximum speed 0.8 m/s
Easyrig & Flowcine Puppeteer
New products from Easyrig
will see the light of day in
16x9 Incs booth at NAB.
Easyrig inventor and DP Johan
Hellsten has been building
the cameramans original
backsaver since 1994 in his
Easyrig
factory north of the Swedish
Arctic Circle.
There are thousands of
Easyrigs easing the weight of
handheld cameras worldwide.
They come in various models
for different payloads and
shooting styles.
Flowcine is another fine
Swedish company, building
accessories for Easyrig and
other products. Peter Karlsson
is the Product Manager.
The Flowcine Puppeteer is an accessory for using gimbals on
the Easyrig. It helps you tilt the rig easily at the center of gravity,
reducing the force normally required.
The Puppeteer mounts on top of your gimbal. Adjust the
balance so the gimbal is centered and hook it onto the EasyRig.
The Puppeteer comes in two versions: Single Axis and Dual
Axis. The Single Axis Puppeteer is available now and can be
upgraded to the Dual Axis when it becomes available around
May 2015. NAB Booth C10408.
easyrig.se flowcine.com 16x9inc.com
Flowcine Puppeteer
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 69
 Servicevision Scorpio 45 Crane

Toby Copping called in from the far side of the world. Hes key
grip on the latest Pirates of the Caribbean now shooting along
Australias Gold Coast. Paul Cameron, ASC is DP. Cameras
are Alexa XT with Panavision V-series lenses. Theyre using 3
cameras full time, sometimes 5. There are usually 15 grips on
the job, up to 23 when you include riggers. Maximum length: 14 m (4511)
Toby was the first person to get Servicevisions new Scorpio Minimum length: 2.26 m (74)
45 crane. (Number 2 is with Ludj & Bild Media, and more Telescopic range: 11.74 m (386)
will be delivered soon. The first one in LA will be next June at Max optic axis height: 14.20 m (462)
Servicevision USA.) Telescopic column max extension: 0.84 m (29)
Payload in Underslung: 70 kg (154 lb)
This is Tobys third Scorpio crane and he had it flown in from
Payload in Overslung: 45 kg (99 lb)
Barcelona. It arrived a week before principal photography.
Programmable telescopic arm movement.
Toby said, The reason we went with it was that we wanted a
Data display on screen of most parameters.
compact crane. The 45 is a few inches larger than a 30 crane,
4 telescopic sections plus Central Arm.
telescopes like a 50, and has the latest electronics with track-
Head can be mounted Underslung or Overslung.
ing compensation, record and playback. This re-
peatability takes out a lot of the guesswork. The
stabilized remote head is easy to undersling or to
go rightside up.
Servicevision listens to customers. I have been
there, and spend hours with Alfredo, pencil in
hand, describing things wed like to see. We sent
6 of our guys to Barcelona for training on service.
The Scorpio arm is anodized. The dolly platform of the 45 has
wheels that pivot over the center of the tires so less leverage is
required. The fact that I have serial number 1 is not a disad-
vantage because electronic updates are made with an SD card.
Toby is head of Toby Copping Grip Services. They rent every-
thing from wedges to cranes. They have Scorpio Classic, Mini,
Micro, and Stabilized Remote Heads to go with their 23, 30+7
and now the 45 crane. The Scorpio 45 rides in its own special
truck. Coming soon: a Scorpio 64.

Scorpiolens Anamorphics
Late-breaking news for NAB: Servicevision is com-
pleting the design of a new 138-400 mm T4
Anamorphic Zoom.
Scorpiolens Anamorphics are shipping now:
35, 40, 50, 75, 100 mm.

135 mm will be next, followed by the

150, 25, and the rest of focal lengths.

NAB Booth C8139

servicevision.es
servicevisionusa.com

70 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Anton/Bauer Litepanels Astra 1x1

Performance Quad Performance Dual

Gold Mount Charger V-Mount Charger

Gold Mount G-90 batteries

V-Mount V-90 batteries

Once upon a time, you had to make a major decision in your ca-
reer. To power your gear with Gold Mount batteries or to power it
with V-Mounts. That was the question.
Anton/Bauer has been the company with the eponymous indus-
try name that often was used interchangeably with the product,
probably to the horror of the legal team looking out for the brand.
When the camera assistant yelled, Get me the Anton/Bauer, that
meant Camera Battery. And obviously, it had a Gold Mount.
Anton/Bauers Gold Mount was introduced in the late 70s, and
has been an industry standard ever since. Gold Mounts have
three solid mechanical connections and self-cleaning, gold-plated
connectors.
The other batteries came in V-Mount, but you couldnt get them
from Anton/Bauer (unless you used an adapter). Lately, that has
changed. Anton/Bauer Digital Batteries and Performance Char-
gers now come in both signature Gold Mount and in V-Mount.
There are 3 battery capacities: 90 Wh, 150 Wh, and 190 Wh. The
models are V90, V150, V190 and G90, G150, G190.
For NAB 2015, Anton/Bauer will be showing their latest develop-
ments in battery safety. The Digital Battery Series is being up- Litepanels new Astra 1x1 Bi-Color LED light was first introduced
dated with Fuse Link technology, developed from Tesla Motors to the industry at Cine Gear Expo last June. Actually, the launch
research efforts. Fuse Link adds a protection circuit within each was at legendary Lucys El Adobe Caf across from Paramount.
Lithium-Ion cell pack, preventing damage to adjoining cells if a
Now, a whole extended family of Astra LED fixtures are coming
single cell fails because of severe impact, puncture or heat. Fuse
to NAB 2015.
Link acts like a kind of giant fuse that can isolate a single cell from
the rest of the pack. Astra 1x1 Series is the top of the line. The lights are 4 times
brighter than the original Litepanels 1x1 and come in Bi-Color,
Anton/Bauer is previewing their new Asset Management System
Daylight or Tungsten models. Their output is comparable to a 2K
(AMS). Its a helpful system for large companies, rental houses
tungsten softlight and they consume about 110 Watts of power.
and broadcasters to track the status of every battery in their in-
ventory. Every batterys essential information can be tracked and Astra 1x1 EP Series is intended for independent, documentary
monitored, like remaining run-time, temperature, voltage and ca- and news productions. The fixtures are 2x brighter than the origi-
pacity. When an Anton/Bauer battery goes onto a Wi-Fi enabled nal Litepanels, and come in Bi-Color or Daylight models. They are
Performance Charger, the AMS will automatically upload the in- comparable to a 1K tungsten softlight and consume about 55 W.
formation to a web-connected server. All pertinent data required Astra 1x1 E Series is the entry-level line. These are as bright as
for tracking and performance analysis will be accessible online the original Litepanels, and come in Bi-Color or Daylight. They
once a user logs in. It will be available in the third quarter of 2015. are comparable to a 500 W tungsten softlight and consume 30 W.
Anton/Bauer, Litepanels, OConnor, and all the Vitec Brands will In sum, there are now 7 Astra LEDs in the family, all providing a
be in NAB Booth C6025. video.antonbauer.com square foot of soft, high CRI, dimmable (100%-0), gorgeous light.
In the Vitec NAB Booth C6025. litepanels.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 71
 FUJINON 4K UHD 2/3" Zooms
Gordon Tubbs, VP of Broadcast and Com-
munication Products at FUJIFILM North
America, made an interesting comment.
The introduction of high-end 4K " lenses
and 4K " 3-chip cameras is probably going
to restore the separation of the cinema and
broadcast markets. These lighter, smaller
lenses provide greater depth of field and
much longer zoom ratios than their 35mm
counterparts. However, it is likely we will
see motion picture crews using these lenses
and cameras.
Hes right. How many 80x zoom lenses are
out there for 35mm format? For that mat-
ter, how many 22x zoom lenses are just 9
inches long?
Fujifilm introduces the new UA Series of
Model Name UA80x9BESM 4K 2/3 lenses at NAB for 4K/UHD Broad-
Focal length 1x / 2x (with extender ) 9-720 mm / 18-1440 mm cast applications. The UA80x9 and UA22x8
are specified as 4K lenses. Like the Fujinon
Zoom ratio 80 x
ZK series of cine lenses, they are designed
Extender 2x with large diameter aspherical elements.
Maximum Relative Aperture (F-No.) 1:1.7 (9-350 mm) 1:3.5 (351-720 mm) 4K UHD optical performance is achieved
M.O.D. from Front of Lens 3.7m from center to corner throughout the zoom
range while image distortion is suppressed.
Approx. Size (HxWxL) 258 x 264 x 610 mm
The UA Zooms were designed for the new
Approx. Weight 23.5kg 4K/UHD cameras.
Both lenses have High Transmittance Elec-
tron Beam Coatings (HT-EBC) which re-
sult in richer colors and greatly improved
blue response, increased light transmission,
reduced ghosting and less flaring. A pro-
prietary anti-fogging design in the UA80x9
minimizes lens fogging and reduces down-
time due to moisturea critical concern
when shooting in all types of weather con-
ditions, for example, a sports event in the
rain.
Fujifilm NAB Booth C7025
fujinon.com

Model Name UA22x8BERD

Focal length (1x)/(2x) 8.0-176mm / 16-352mm
Zoom ratio 22 x
Extender 2x
Maximum Relative Aperture (F-No.) 1:1.8 (8-124mm) 1:2.55 (125-176mm)
M.O.D from Front Lens 0.85m
Filter Thread M127x0.75 (Filter attaches to lens hood)
Approx. Size (Front Diam x Length) 110 x 241.5mm
Approx. Weight (without Lens Hood) 2.55kg

72 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Sony HDC-4K Matthews Vator

Coming next: Yoga for Grips? Maybe not.

But for NAB 2015, Matthews Studio Equipment has added a
sixth member of the new Vator III series. These are heavy-duty,
cranking stands for large light fixtures.
The black Vator II stands were updates of the original Vators and
were introduced about 15 years ago. The new, gray Vator IIIs
are manufactured using the latest CAD-CAM designs, precision
laser cutting and CNC machining. They have a precision rack
and pinion gear drive mechanism with only two moving parts
in the drive train. This provides years of reliable operation with
minimal maintenance.

The new Super Vator will be added

to the seriesnow six models
that range from a two-foot single
riser Lo Boy, through the Crank
and Super Cranksall the way to
the Mega Vator offering a 15-foot
height and 200 pound capacity.
The Vator series, along with sev-
eral other new support from MSE,
including Floatcams Pan/Tilt
Head and the Matthews Slider
Cart can be seen at
NAB Booth 5437
in Central Hall.
msegrip.com

Sonys new HDC-4K is a 4K 3-chip camera coming at NAB.

Each of the 3 CMOS sensors has 8.8 million photosites. The
camera can be used ENG style, with its attached shoulder pad
and with a lightweight 4K servo zoom lens.
The HDC-4K can also be used in a cradle / build-up kit for a big
4K box zoom lens. The camera can share the same system acces-
sories (switchers, 10 Gbps fiber) as the F55 + CA4000 35mm PL
Photo at top: David Arellano
broadcast system. Sony NAB Booth C11001
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 73
 JVC GY-LS300 4K Camcorder
JVCs GY-LS300 4K UHD Camcorder is a small, lightweight
Super 35mm CMOS sensor camera with a versatile Micro Four
Thirds (MFT) lens mount and internal recording.
Whats interesting is how many MFT lenses and lens adapters
there are on the market. Best of all, the MFT mount on this JVC
camcorder allows full coverage of the 13.5 Megapixel Altasens
Super 35mm sensor without vignetting. You can attach PL lenses,
Canon, Nikon, APS-C, Full Frame, Leica M, S or T, and so on.
The LS300 records 3840 x 2160 UHD (16:9) at 150 Mbps onto
SDHC or SDXC memory cards, as well as full HD (16:9). If you
mount a native MFT lens, it will cover 3584 x 2016 in 16:9 aspect
ratio.
Super16 lenses fit and will cover a 2K area of 2304 x 1296 in 16:9
format and 2340 x 1234 in 17:9. JVCs Variable Scan Mapping
feature will maintain the lenss native angle of view.
JVCs 4K AL41410C Altasens Super 35 (4096 x
2160) CMOS 13.5 Megapixel sensor. Altasens is a
wholly owned subsidiary of JVC Kenwood Corp. with
headquarters in Westlake Village, CA.
74 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
The LS300 records 4K to 2 internal slots with SDHC or SDXC
(UHS-I Speed class 3) memory cards. Files are convenient Quick-
time (.MOV) format. A UHD monitor can be connected with an
HDMI cable for live viewing and direct play back. The LS300 also
downconverts UHD signals to standard HD with outputs from
SDI or HDMI connectors.
The MFT lens mounts 11-pin connector accommodates Auto Fo-
cus on enabled lenses. The 3.5 LCD display has 920K pixels, and
the .24 LCOS viewfinder has 1.56 Megapixels. Theres a 3-posi-
tion ND filter (1/4, 1/16, 1/64).
Power is supplied via an AC-to-12VDC adapter or an internal
7.4VDC battery. Dimensions are 135 mm(W) x 190 mm(H) x 263
mm(D). Delivery is expected in April 2015 at MSRP $4,395.
NAB Booth C4314. pro.jvc.com
JVC GY-LS300 MFT mount showing 11-pin lens
connector and 13.5 Megapixel Super 35 sensor.
Gecko-Cam IMS Mounts test Cameras with OLPF
Gecko-Cam Lens Projector
Birefringent crystal showing double refraction. Photo: APN MJM.
PL Mount: OLPF unscrews easily
Gecko-Cam IMS mounts with OLPF for PL, Canon EF and Nikon F.
It would be almost unthinkable for a rental house to not have a
good lens test projector. It helps decipher the optical characteris-
tics of your lens: geometry, aberrations, and focus.
But what happens when you use the same lens on a film cam-
era and then a digital camera? Most digital cameras use an OLPF
(Optical Low Pass Filter) in front of the sensor to reduce moir
effects. Its usually birefringent crystal and works by slightly sepa-
rating each ray of light into two or four rays that are slightly offset.
But OLPFs are not standardized. They come in different thick-
nesses and grades of diffusion. In fact, you can swap OLPFs on
RED Epic cameras.
The universal standard for flange focal depth of a PL mount cam-
era and lens in the film days was 52 mm (give or take to com-
pensate for amount of play in the gate). But if you have a filter
between the rear element and image plane, the depth is increased
by 1/3 the thickness of the filter. So, you have to adjust the depth
of the cameras lens mount accordingly to ensure accurate focus
marks.
The Gecko-Cam lens projector, seen at many of the worlds largest
rental houses, have an Interchangeable Mount System (IMS). It
lets you to use different types of mounts on a variety of lenses for
digital cinema and TV production.
Now Gecko-Cam provides IMS mounts with and without OLPFs
built in. This lets you see how the lens performance might differ
on analog cameras compared to digital cameras. (Some day cine
cameras will have sensors dense enough that OLPFs may no lon-
ger be needed, or are cancelled out, as were seeing on the latest
Canon, Sony and Nikon digital cameras, but thats another story.)
Gecko-Cams new IMS mounts come with 2 different OLPF filter
thicknesses: 2.5 mm and 3 mm. They can be differentiated by the
color of the rubber O-ring around the barrel.
Red: 2.5mm OLPF (Flange Focal Depth of 52.90mm)
Blue: 3 mm OLPF (FFD: 53.06 mm)
No O-ring: No OLPF (FFD: 52.00 mm)
Gecko-Cam was founded in Munich in 2002 by a band of ARRI
alumni and cine service wizards. They make and sell collima-
tors, lens test projectors, flange depth measuring tools, special-
ized lens and camera service tools. Gecko-Cam also distributes
Wooden Camera, Element Technica, Tangohead, V-Bag, Bluestar,
and many others. Gecko-Cam repairs and modifies equipment,
services most lenses (even ARRI Macros), and has been a RED
Certified Service Center since January 2011.
NAB C8530 and C8430. gecko-cam.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 75
 Canon Lens Conversion Kit from IB/E Optics

e-UMS-EF Mount

Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm

T2.95-3.9 with EF mount

Up to now, the Canon Cine-Servo 17-120mm T2.95-3.9 came in

either PL mount or Canon EF mount. You had to decide on one
or the other.
Now you can go at least 6 ways. The UMS Conversion Kit from
IB/E Optics mounts to Canons 17-120mm Cine-Servo Zoom
and offers full compatibility with their Universal Mount System
(UMS). Once the UMS Conversion Kit has been installed by a e-UMS-EF Mount
qualified technician, you can quickly switch lens mounts in the
field between PL, Canon EF, Nikon F, Sony E, Sony FZ, and MFT
mounts without even having to adjust flange focal depth.
This straightforward and quick system is great for rental houses
and anyone using Canons 17-120 on a variety of cameras.
The UMS Conversion Kit for Canon 17-120 comes with an /i data
equipped PL Collar and EF e-UMS (Canon EF mount with elec-
tronic contacts).
A qualified lens technician must remove the original Canon lens
mount, install the UMS Conversion Kit, and calibrate the de-
fault flange focal depth, zoom center axis, and EF electronics.
Thereafter, UMS adapters may be switched in the field without
further futzing. The UMS Conversion Kit has been designed for
maximum adjustability of the center axis, preserving the ability to
maintain Canon-specified center axis tolerance, and enabling the e-UMS-PL Mount
lens to zoom without image drift.
As an authorized Canon Cinema Lens Service Partner and IB/E
partner, AbelCine is qualified to offer full service on these Canon
and IB/E products, and installation is included with purchase of
the conversion kit. NAB Booth C8008.
abelcine.com ibe-optics.com

Details
PL e-UMS supports Cooke /i data protocol
EF e-UMS supports Canon protocol
Backwards compatible with all field-switchable UMS adapters
Stainless steel construction
Easy PL locking mechanism
Compatible with both PL and EF versions of the Canon Cine-Servo
Preserves original camera compatibility e-UMS-PL Mount
Reversible installation procedure
76 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
DENZ 50-1000 Support, Directors Finder, King Peter, 90 Bracket
New Products from DENZ in NAB booth C8434.

600mm Support for the new CANON 50-1000 (CN 20x50) Zoom
Top handle for the Canon 50-1000
600mm dovetail Baseplate
DENZ universal-bridge-plate (BP-multi
special)
Pair of 19mm carbon fiber rods, 600mm and
700mm long
Lens support with clip-mechanism on both
sides (for 19mm rods)
Rod-support for long lenses
Rod-channel for long lenses
DENZ BP12 adapter (for Alexa)

DENZ Directors Finder (OIC 35-A)

Anamorphic / Spherical viewing
PL or Panavision Mount
Eyepiece with 5.0 diopter adjustment
Uses Arriflex 435 / 535 ground glasses
-20 thread for monopods
Special support bracket to balance heavier lenses
Pivoting wooden-handle with DENZ soft-touch coat-
ing (locks with Hirth-gearing)

DENZ KING PETER Chip Positioning Gauge

How do you check and adjust your sensor for proper alignment inside the camera?
DENZ has come up with a new product in their measurement family. KING PETER
is a computer-aided optical device that measures the alignment of sensors in profes-
sional digital cameras with PL, EF, PV, MFT, and other mounts. King Peter measures
the x / y-axis, rotation around the optical axis, and the inclination of the image sensor
relative to the lens mount. It can also check for curvature. The King Peter system con-
sists of a special gauge and a central processing unit (DENZ PC). Peter Denz founded
his company 45 years ago, and I assume he has ruled regally, hence the eponymous
name King Peter.

Denz Digital Camera Bracket 90 (DCB 90)

Portrait mode video framing is increasingly popular. You can see it at many trade and
fashion shows (tall fashion models dont comfortably fit anamorphic 2.39:1 format unless
they are sprawled horizontally.)
To avoid cropping or pillaring the sensor area when rotating the aspect ratio vertically,
DENZ developed a 90 camera support. This positions any digital camera at a 90 angle
on any tripod or dolly. Now, instead of cropping the image at its sides, the sensor is in an
upright position delivering full resolution. The system consists of two 90 angle brackets,
2 redesigned BP-multi-special baseplates, a universal balancing bracket, a camera-specif-
ic support plate, and 4 rods as an option.

For more info: Przisionsentwicklung DENZ Fertigungs GmbH, Otto-Hahn-Str. 12-14, D-85521 Ottobrunn/Mnchen, Tel: 089 62 98 66 0
denz-deniz.com

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 77

 ARRI Lens Motors and WCU-4
ARRI (all upper case) and cmotion (all lower case) may not agree on typesetting or adhering to the
NYTimes Manual of Style, but they do agree on motors, and have partnered to develop the new
cforce mini motor.
The cforce mini motor is a small and lightweight lens motor that will be on the shopping list of
many Alexa Mini owners. The motor weighs ~173g / 6 oz including rod clamp and lens gear. It
drives lenses with nimble speed and torque. Each motor has two LBUS connectors, and you can
daisy-chain up to three cforce mini motors together. The cforce mini is fully compatible with all
cmotion LBUS devices.
So, on the new Alexa Mini, plug your first cforce mini motor (probably focus) directly into the
connector on the PL lens mount. The second motor (probably iris) plugs into the first motor. And
so on. Dont have a mini or Alexa Plus? ARRIs new AMC-1 motor controller provides the radio
receiver and electronics for other cameras.

The Active Motor Controller AMC-1 is the

camera-end partner of the WCU-4 Wireless
Compact Unit. Its a small lens motor controller
and wireless receiver with an LBUS interface
that can connect up to three daisy-chained
cforce motors. It is designed for cameras that
dont have ARRI wireless receivers. Since its
small and light, it is helpful on rigs and drones.

The Wireless Compact Unit WCU-4 has M4 mounting

points on top and bottom. The new WCU-4 Plate can at-
tach to either, providing many 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 mount-
ing points. It can serve as a table stand, go on a C-stand
by adding a spigot or attach to a monitor. It weighs 67 g,
and is made of aircraft-grade aluminium.

Studio Matte Box SMB-2

ARRIs Studio Matte Box SMB-2 is intended for 4 x 5.65 filters

positioned either vertically or horizontally. It works well with
most primes and smaller zooms. An integrated tilt module is
available and all versions have stackable filter stages, allowing
quick reconfiguration.
There are two sunshades available: one for 4:3 aspect ratio and
the other for 2:1 production formats.
When shooting a standard 2.8K image with Alexa and using 3
filter stages, the SMB-2 covers lenses up to the 14 mm Master
Prime and 14 mm Ultra Prime, as well as all Alura zooms.
At right, used in combination with either the SMB-1 or SMB-2,
the triple filter frame stacks two or three glass filters together
and occupies two regular matte box slots to help prevent un- Triple Filter Frame for
wanted reflections between filter surfaces. SMB-1 and SMB-2
studio mattebox
ARRI NAB Booth C4337. arri.com/pca
78 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
cmotion
Pan-bar zoom
The new cvolution pan-bar zoom offers the same ergonomic con-
trol layout as the cvolution zoom, but is equipped with a built-
in czoom-clamp. This lets you mount the zoom control on any
15mm-32mm rod, ideal for pan-bars, gimbals and Steadicams.
The built-in LBUS connector not only provides connection to any
cvolution camin, it also a gives you a direct connection to cmo-
tions cforce motorfor a streamlined stand-alone motor control
system.
The new zoom offers all existing czoom features including change-
able scale control (focus / iris / zoom) and motor calibration. cmo-
tion is working on new features, which will be announced soon.
cforce mini new lightweight, intelligent motor
As mentioned elsewhere, cmotion has partnered with ARRI to
develop the new compact and lightweight cforce mini motor.
Weighing less than 6 ounces, cforce mini provides precision and
power for any setup where size and weight are critical. Equipped
with the same twin LBUS connectors as its big brother motors,
up to 3 cforce mini motors can be connected to any compact LCS
camin (which is less than 6 ounces), cvolution LCS camin (less
than 8 ounces) or broadcast adapter. And, with the new ARRI Al-
exa Mini also using the same LBUS connector and protocol, these
motors and ARRIs AMC-1 offer even greater flexibility.
The cforce mini will provide a lighter option for all existing stand-
alone cmotion products including pan-bar zoom, cvolution knob
solo and broadcast / ENG adapters.
compact LCS new software features
It is now possible to create, display and save up to 14 lens files
on any new or existing compact LCS hand unit (optional license
required). Create customized lens files through cworld with your
smart device and transfer them to the internal memory of the
compact LCS. This will allow you to select the active lens and dis-
play real time focus, iris, zoom and depth of field data clearly on
the hand unit. 4 new color themes have also been added to en-
hance the display in all lighting conditions.
cvolution software update
New for cvolution this NAB is the popular quick match lens func-
tion. It has received an upgrade increasing its storage capacity to
20 individual quick match files, which can be saved and named
in the internal memory. This feature is now also available for left
handed operators.
cvolution has integrated Focus Technologys Wards Sniper Mk3
laser range finder, and is compatible with ARRIs UDM, Cine
Tape, and cmotions cfinder II.
Stealth mode This new feature allows the operator to deactivate
all the LEDs on the camin to avoid unwanted reflections when
shooting at night.
cvolution is now fully compatible with the compact motors from
SinaCam, and the automatic iris function on ARRIs Amira.
New ARRI Alexa mini wireless compatibility
New and existing cvolution systems (equipped with ARRI white
RF), will be compatible with the new ARRI Alexa Mini. Up to
3 cforce mini motors can be connected directly the camera and
controlled through 1, 2 or even 3 separate wireless controllers.
cmotion/camadeus welcomes Aki Schirmer
In mid February, Aki Schirmer joined cmotion. He covers the
American market from the office in Burbank for camadeus prod-
ucts (cmotion, Gecko-Cam, Panther and Denz). He is responsible
for the German and Swiss cmotion markets, operating from their
newly established branch office in Munich, based at Gecko-Cam
in the Bavaria Film Studios.
NAB Booth C8430. cmotion.eu or camadeus.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 79
 Vocas Accessories Cartoni Tracker

Focus with Vocas and the new MFC-2S, a modular follow focus
system with wooden palm support that lets you easily focus
the lens and balance the camera at the same time. Vocas has a
complete line of accessories for most of todays popular cameras:
shoulder supports, wooden and industrial plastic handgrips,
handles, PL to E-mount adaptors, matteboxes, supports, etc.
NAB Booth C10518. vocas.com

Sony FS7

Cartoni introduces TRACKER at NAB 2015. Designed for ENG,

locations and documentaries, it can support cameras from 3 kg
(4.4 lb) to 20 kg (44 lb).
Tracker has a stylish, compact design and comes with a variety
of high-end features. Cartonis patented wing is a continuously
adjustable counterbalance system that delivers consistent perfor-
Panasonic VariCam 35 mance throughout its +/- 90 tilt range. Cartonis patented laby-
rinth system ensures for smooth, precise pan and tilt movement.
Ergonomically designed knobs and levers make the head easy to
use. Although weighing just 4 kg (8.8 lb), the head is extremely
durable due to its use of lightweight and ultra-strong magnesium
alloys. Tracker is backed by Cartonis 5-year warranty.
Tracker belongs in every ENG cinematographers kit, said Elisa-
betta Cartoni, President and CEO of Cartoni. It provides per-
fect balance and complete freedom of movement no matter what
ARRI Alexa Mini camera you have or where you are shooting.
Celebrating 80 years in camera support, Cartoni designs, engi-
neers, manufactures and assembles its full range of products in
Europe from its Rome plant, established in 1935.
Cartoni makes a wide range of fluid heads for both video and
film applications. The companys products support cameras of all
sizes and descriptions, from DSLRs to lightweight 4K cameras to
the largest studio cameras. Having been to their factory, I was
ARRI Amira impressed by their commitment to maintaining the highest in-
dustry standards for quality, reliability, performance, durability
and features.
The company will be showing Tracker alongside its complete
line-up of fluid heads, tripods, pedestals and camera accessories
at NAB 2015, Booth C9039.
cartoni.com

80 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Wooden Camera in Burbank
Shoulder Rig v2

Wooden Camera will open a Los Angeles showroom on May

16th. Every product should be on display and in stock for im- This is clever. You can slide the camera base left or right for
mediate purchase. 923 W. Olive Ave. Burbank, CA 91506. balance using the adjustable NATO standard Crossbar
Tel: 855-966-3226. The Dallas, Texas headquarters remain. adjustable shoulder pad uses Arca Swiss style lower dovetail
Meanwhile, lots of new products for NAB. Quickly setup and breakdown for easy packing
NAB Booth C9948. woodencamera.com Leather handgrips

Universal Mattebox NATO Lock System and Magic Arm

Attaches directly to lens or to rods

Swing- away version with 15mm LW rods and ARRI style bellows
143 mm clamp on opening with all standard insert sizes
19 mm and 15 mm studio adapters available
Top, side, and bottom flag options
Quick snap-in reduction rings
Universal cloth donut option
NATO standard quick release accessory
Versions for GoPro, LCDs, and 1/4-20 - 3/8-16
Magic arms available in 7 and 11 inch lengths, with and without
quick releases

D-Box
D-Box is a customizable power distribution box
for camera accessories. (Wooden Camera
C-Box is for video)
Choose power outputs from any combination of
2-pin Lemo, 4-pin Lemo, 4-pin Hirose, 3-pin
Fischer, D-Tap (P-Tap), USB
4-pin Mini XLR available as power input
V-Mount and Gold Mount sandwich versions
also available
User changeable by unscrewing panel and
unplugging connector pigtail
10A fuse is easily accessible
Regulated power where appropriate

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 81

 ARRI Accessories for VariCam 35 ARRI Accessories for C300 Mk II

Top Plate
Top / Side Plate

Lightweight Support
Lightweight VariCam 35 in
Support Handheld Mode Baseplate
Shoulder
Pad
BP-8 or 8 Bridgeplate

ARRI Pro Camera Accessories (PCA) for the VariCam 35 / HS let The Cine Lighweight Support Plate for Canon C300MkII fits the
you go quickly from studio to comfortable handheld mode. original C300 and C500. It has built-in front and rear 15 mm rod
sockets. Standard Hirth Tooth rosettes are located on each side
Start with the basic kit. for handgrips. For studio mode, a standard Studio Baseplate for
Its a Lightweight Sup- BP-8 or BP-9 Bridgeplates can be screwed on.
port with rosettes on
each side for handgrips, The Top Plate for Canon C300 Mk II has two built-in 15 mm rod
shoulder pad, and sock- sockets. There are many 3/8-16 and 1/4-20 threaded holes to
ets for 15 mm rods. mount the camera in underslung or low mode, to attach a top
handle, and to screw in accessories.
Next, add the Top / Side Plate for
VariCam 35 / HS. It has many 3/8-
16 and 1/4-20 threaded holes
for accessories. It nicely avoids
blocking the cameras cooling
fans. Theres a 15 mm single rod
socket for lens motors, a focus
hook, and provision to mount the
VariCam control panel.

The Broadcast Plate for Canon C300 Mk II is a little bit more com-
plicated than the Cine style. It adds a shoulder pad that slides fore
and aft for balance. Of course, this plate raises the camera higher.
You can quickly go from handheld to studio mode by snapping it
onto a VCT-style tripod adapter plate.
Now its time for studio mode. Screw in a Studio Baseplate to the
bottom of the Lightweight Support. Then slide everything, shoul-
der pad included, onto a BP-8 or BP-9 Studio Bridgeplate with 15
or 19 mm rods or a VCT tripod adapter.

82 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

ARRI Accessories for Sony FS7
Lightweight Support with 15mm rods and VCT tripod plate
Studio Kit with 19mm rods and Studio Bridgeplate
The heart of the matter is a new lightweight base for the FS7, with
a built-in shoulder pad, rosettes for handgrips, and 15 mm rod
sockets. The base snaps onto a VCT plate or attaches to a studio
baseplate that slides onto a standard BP-8 or BP-9 bridgeplate.
ARRIs LAS-1 is a lens support that attaches to the lightweight
base and takes the strain of heavy lenses off the vast assortment
of third-party lens adapters.
ARRIs Top Plate for Sony FS7 has lots of -16 and -20 threaded
accessory holes and provisions for various handles: Alexa CCH-1,
Alexa M CCH-2, or the original Sony FS7 top handle. The top
plate has two focus hooks. The plate is slightly raised above the
camera, so long accessory screws will not cause damage.
The Viewfinder Bracket is like the ones on current ARRI cameras.
Top view of Studio Kit showing Viewfinder Bracket and Top Plate
Studio Kit for FS7 with view of LAS-1 Lens Adapter Support
Ianiro LEDHeads...LED Redheads
Ianiro LED Redhead kit with barndoors,
stands, gel frames, case. AC power supplies,
Gold Mount or V-mount battery plates
The original Ianiro Redhead was introduced in 1962. The offi-
cial name was Ianiro Ianebeam. This open face 800w quartz light
became an instant hit because of its light weight, versatility and
distinctive body color. Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC, said the Redhead
(1K) and her sister, the Blonde (2K), could light almost anything.
Ianiro has reincarnated the venerable Redhead with LED tech-
nology. The fixture is still compact and distinctively red-orange.
Fabrizia Ianiro, Managing Director, said, We often hear cinema-
tographers say they cant replace HMI PARs or open face lights
with standard LED flat panels. True. But with Ianiros focusing
LED lights, this is now possible. Ianiros LED lights offer a direc-
tional beam of light that is really uniform, controllable, versatile,
with no multiple shadows. Unlike some 1x1 LED panels, which
are more dazzling than illuminating and actually have limited
Lux beyond one meter, Ianiros Redheads throw a powerful LED
beam a long distance. A real punch of light.
To get soft light for close ups, add diffusion like Lee 216, 251, or
soft boxes (the same ones you use on halogen Redheads, as well
as the new Snapbags designed specifically for Redheads by DOP
Choice). For light at longer distances, the new LED Readheads
are powerful and controllable.
This is not an existing unit simply adapted to an LED chip. It is
a completely redesigned fixture, where the custom LED driver,
proprietary Ianiro LED array, and the LED heat sink are all made
in-house in Italy with a new, dedicated parabolic reflector.
Only the outer housing stays the same: with its iconic Ianiro
Redhead design, one of the most popular lights of all time. Youll
probably never have to change hot, burned-out bulbs again. No
more worries about dreaded fingerprints that might etch away the
quartz bulbs and cause them to explode. The new LED bulbs are
ever-green (in the environmental sense, not the color, of course).
Oh, about color...the lights come with a CRI over 90.
All Ianiros LED products are developed by Ianitronic, the Ianiro
business unit dedicated to LED R&D. ianiro.com
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 83
 ARRI L10 Focusing Fresnel LED
L10-C. Color temperature, tint and
hue can be continuously adjusted
from 2,800 K to 10,000 K, with Plus
or Minus Green and RGBW colors.

L10 is currently the biggest and brightest in ARRIs L-Series of

focusing LEDs. It has a 10 inch Fresnel lens, hence the name L10.
L10-DT. Daylight Tuneable with
L10 consumes 400-510 W and is roughly equivalent to a 2K adjustable daylight color temperature
tungsten Fresnel. from 5,000 K - 6,500 K. 10%
L7 has a 7 diameter Fresnel lens and is about equivalent in light brighter than the L10-C, and is good
output to a 1K tungsten Fresnel. for matching daylight balanced light
L5 has a 5 lens and is similar in light output to a 500 W tung- sources (sun, HMIs, etc).
sten Fresnel, while consuming only 115 W. It is half the weight
and size of an L7.
ARRI L5, L7 and L10 LED Lights have DMX and continuous
onboard 0-100% dimming. Each come in 3 versions:
C as in Color, the C models are fully tuneable from
2,800 10,000 K, with green/magenta adjustment (Plus or
Minus Green) and Hue and saturation of RGB+W colors.
DT models are Daylight Tuneable from 5,000 - 6,500 K.
TT is Tungsten Tuneable from 2,600 - 3,600 K.

L10
Dimensions in mm L10-TT. Tungsten Tuneable with
adjustable tungsten color tempera-
ture from 2,600 K to 3,600 K. 5%
brighter than the L10-C. Good for
matching conventional tungsten
fixtures.

84 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

ARRI SkyPanels

SkyPanels are a new line of ARRI LED soft lights. Imagine a 2K Different color temperature panels are available, including 2,700
zip light thats cool to the touch, plugs in the wall, comes in re- K; 3,200 K; 4,300 K; 5,600 K; and 6,500 K.
mote phosphor or fully tunable versions from 2,800 K to 10,000 SkyPanels are made at ARRIs Lighting factory in Stephanskirch-
K, and produces a flattering wrap-around light that actors and en, about an hour south of Munich. We visited them recently and
cinematographers will love. have a full factory tour coming soon to FDTimes.
Gaffers will love it as well. In addition to pretty portrait lighting, NAB Booth C4337 arri.com/skypanel
SkyPanels work really well as space lights. Because the light qual-
ity is soft and the fixture is thin, theres no need for silk skirts SkyPanel Specs
hanging down. Skypanels dont need acrophobia-inducing dis-
tances from studio floor to grid. Diffuser panels on the front of Models: S60-C, S60-RP, S30-C, S30-RP
the SkyPanel are interchangeable, making quick and easy work of Lamphead Weight: 12kg (26.5 lbs)
going from heavy to light diffusion. Lamphead Dims: 815 wide x 432 high x 133 deep (mm), including
yoke. 32 x 17 x 5 (inches)
The first SkyPanel to ship this September will be the mid-range Output: > 8900 candela
S60. It has a lighting surface of 645 x 300 mm (25.4 x 11.8 in). The Color: C versions: 2800 - 10,000K, green-magenta
S30 is a smaller model, half the length. So, think of them as a 2 correction, Hue and saturation for vivid color
long and a 1 long LED zip light. You can choose between fully
color tuneable or remote phosphor models. RP versions: Changing of different RP panels
2700K, 3200K, 4300K, 5600K, 6500K,
Like the L-Series of ARRI LED Fresnels, SkyPanel C (Color) ver- Chroma Green
sions are fully tuneable. CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) is Interface: On-board knobs and buttons, DMX, RDM, USB-A
adjustable from 2,800 K to 10,000 K, with excellent color rendi- (for firmware updates via USB stick), LAN
tion over the entire range. Plus and Minus Green correction is Power: AC or on-board battery input,
available with the turn of a knob. Vivid color selection (party col- consumes approx 400 W
ors) and saturation adjustment is also possible.
SkyPanel puts out a tremendous amount of light in a soft and uni-
form beam field. Brighter than a 2 kW tungsten soft light or a 6
kW tungsten space light, the SkyPanel S60 maintains color and
consistency when dimmed.
The light wraps around objects, eliminating harsh shadows and
making for a beautiful...well...beauty light. Mixing some 2,000
calibrated red, green, blue and white LEDs into one single source
of soft light, shadows appear smooth and do not have multiple
edges or strange colors.
If tuneability is not required, a remote phosphor version of the
SkyPanel is also available.
Remote phosphor technology uses powerful blue LEDs to excite a
panel coated with phosphors. Remote phosphor versions of Sky-
Panel are roughly 10% brighter than the color versions and have
a lower price.

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 85

 New LEDs from Mole Lee LED Filters

300w Vari-Soft LED 220w Vari-Soft LED

Equivalent to a 2K Soft Light Equivalent to a 1K Soft Light

As we like to say in New York, and New Yorkers like to say in Las
Vegas, Fuhgettaboutit.
Forget about forever again having to worry about matching
LEDs to your tungsten lights. Especially when you have LEDs
from different companies mixing with LED practicals and trof-
fers. If anyone thinks all is "peachy," just navigate your shopping
cart down the Home Depot LED lighting aisle to see how each
brand is quite different.
Another complaint when using LEDs is that they often feel very
blue and harsh, especially when you are trying to match them
with tungsten lighting. LEE Filters have come to the rescue with
Mole Richardson adds a 1K and their specifically designed LED CTO Filters. They will convert
2K tungsten equivalent LED white LED sources (color temperatures from 5000-7000K) to the
softlight and a Senior 5K equiva- equivalent of a 3200K tungsten source. This means that different
lent focusing LED Fresnel to types of luminaires can now be nicely blended together.
their line of LED fixtures.
leefilters.com
The focusing Senior LED con-
sumes 900 W, which is quite ef-
ficient for a unit comparable in
output to a 5000 W Molequartz
Baby Senior Solarspot.
The LED Softlights have DMX
control, onboard dimming and
color temperature adjustment
from 2700 to 5600 K.
900 W Senior LED
The Fresnel 900 W Senior LED
comes in daylight or tungsten.
Moles LED line includes:
100 W Tweenie LED
150 W Baby LED
200 W Junior LED Converts 7000K LED
400 W Studio Junior LED to 3200K Tungsten

(The wattage refers to power Converts 6200K LED

consumption.) to 3200K Tungsten

NAB Booth C4342 Converts 5500K LED

to 3200K Tungsten
mole.com
Converts 5000K LED
to 3200K Tungsten

86 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

ikan lights
Ikans new Piatto Lights use edge-lit LED technology, producing a
soft accent light without multiple shadows. As the name suggests,
Piatto (Italian for plate or flat) lights are about an inch thick and
lightweight. They work well as an eye light and are also good for
product shots to pick up details in a label or add a highlight.
There are four configurations to choose from: two rectangular
(10 x 3 and 7 x 4), and two round (9 and 6 diameter). All
are 5600K with 95 CRI and are dimmable down to 10%. They run
off a 12V 2A power supply or batteries, and come with Canon,
Panasonic and Sony battery plates.
Ikans White Star LED Fresnels have a 14-50 degree beam, good
color rendering index, spot-to-flood focusing, local built-in dim-
ming, a digital readout for assigning the lights to a DMX channel,
and a quiet active-cooling system. White Stars come in three ver-
sions: 4/100W, 6/ 200W, and 6/ 350W.
Coming soon: an architectural version in designer white.
ikancorp.com
NAB C6537
NILA ARINA
Arina means not wanting in Sanskrit. Jim Sanfilippo likes San-
skrit and names his lights, and company, accordingly. Nila means
blue. Zaila means rock hill or mountain. Varsa means rain. The
only non Sanskrit name is Boxer. Jim says, It means very square
shaped light in Nila design speak.
The new Nila Arina light is clearly not wanting. It is being
shown publicly for the first time at NAB 2015. It is one of the most
powerful LED fixtures available today. The Nila Arina can replace
a 2500 watt HMI, and it only draws 800 watts.
Arina is the next generation version of Nilas very popular SL fix-
ture, but provides greater punch, substantially less weight and has
a much narrower profile.
With an Arina, you can do away with heavy cables, generator
power, external dimmers and frequent lamp replacements that
normally are associated with HMIs.
By drawing only 6 amps, multiple Arinas can operate on one
standard 20-amp circuit. Imagine lighting a stage by plugging
lights into the wall. Or filling in a bright, sunny location with an
LED fixture.
The new Arina still offers the same features found in Nilas other
lights, such as on-board or DMX-controllable dimming, holo-
graphic lenses, flicker-free operation for high-speed photography,
all packaged in an inductively-cooled (no fan), durable, housing.
Nila NAB Booth C1724
nila.com nila.tv
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 87
 AJA CION Update
Begin the day with a good breakfast, our teachers told us. And
NAB traditionally begins at AJA with their hearty breakfast for
the press early in the morning before the doors of the LVCC open.
The AJA Breakfast Club is the reason this page in our NAB edition
is relatively short. We learn all the good stuff during that breakfast
meeting. They are very zipped-lipped in Grass Valley up to open-
ing day, but like clockwork, every year, AJA always astounds with
ready-to-ship new products that theyve secretly been working on
all winter.
New AJA CION Firmware announcement at NAB
Run to AJAs booth when the doors open or check online for
information on the latest CION firmware release. There will be
image improvements, new features and useful enhancements.
AJA CION v1.1 Firmware
AJA CION v1.1 Firmware Update was released last month.
Exposure Index
Exposure Index (EI) values have been increased. New values are:
EI 320, 500, 800, 1000
Improved
Overexposure latitude is improved. Before this firmware update,
very overexposed portions of the image (clipped values) could
display a color shift.
An issue has been fixed where the Unity white balance selection
was not correctly displayed when using the Super Out on-
screen display overlay information. Before this firmware update,
4 was displayed instead of Unity.
Corrected the hyperlink on the CION web User Interface Firm-
ware Update page. When connected to the Internet and the hy-
perlink is clicked, the correct web page is now opened.
Updating
Firmware updates are uploaded to the AJA CION camera via its
built-in web UI. AJA recommends performing a Factory Reset
under the CONFIG menu before doing the firmware update.
88 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69
For detailed directions, read the CION Production Camera Op-
erations Manual. You can download it from the AJAs CION on-
line SUPPORT page.
Gamma Curves or Not
AJA CION shoots 4K 4096x2160, UltraHD 3840x2160, 2K, and
HD. It can capture images at up to 4K 12-bit 444, which pro-
vides wide dynamic range and latitude. CION has dierent ways
to control how an image is captured.
1. One of several gamma curves is selected and applied to the im-
age while shooting. You can still color correct in post, but you
dont have to.
2. An expanded gamma curve is applied to the image while
shooting. Here again, you can color correct in post, or not.
3. No in-camera gamma curve is applied to the image. With this
setting, you need to spend time in post grading the image.
Exposure Index and Gamma selections are found in the EI menu.
If Gamma Disabled is selected, the image will look very con-
trasty. Essentially, the only image processing applied to the image
is the debayering process to transform the raw sensor data to a
linear image. (Color correction and white balance are disabled
when this setting is selected.)
Gamma Disabled
Like a raw workflow, you may prefer to control the gamma, white
balance and color correction processing in post-production. Be-
cause no in-camera gamma curve has been applied, the footage
will need to be post-processed.
Without a gamma curve applied, the majority of the image will
reside in the lower portion of the exposure range. To correct
the image, lift the mid-tones and the shadows. It is important
to perform lifting gradually within the mid-tones and shadows
to achieve optimal image quality. You should not need to lift the
highlights in post when using the Disabled gamma selection;
instead you may need to lower them depending on how much
you have raised the mid-tones and the shadows.
Expanded 1
This gamma selection helps with high-key scenes where the ma-
jority of the image is quite bright. To correct the image, lower the
mid-tones and the shadows. You may need to lift the highlights
depending on how much you lowered the mid-tones and shad-
ows. Expanded 1 gamma is not available at EI 800 or EI 1000.
Color Correction Settings
The CION menu offers choices of color correction: Flat, Skin
Tones, Normal and Video. Flat assumes youre doing color correc-
tion in post: it basically disables in-camera color correction and
what youll see on the monitor while shooting appears washed
out and, well, flat. Skin Tones creates a look with less saturated
skin tone values when compared to the Normal color correction.
Normal and Video are pretty much self-explanatory.
After the AJA Breakfast Club on April 13, check FDTimes online
for the latest news and visit the AJA Booth: SL2505.
AJA Booth SL2505 aja.com
loumasystems
Le Tobrouk is an electric, 4-wheel, all-terrain camera scooter.
The yellow scooter was developed by Loumasystems with Alex-
ander Bugel for Galate Productions Les Saisons, (The Seasons).
the new documentary by Oceans-famous Jacques Perrin and
Jacques Cluzaud.
Le Tobrouk is excellent on rough terrain. It provides smooth ac-
celeration. The articulating design reduces centrifugal force on
Steadicam and Steadicam Operator during turns. The suspen-
sion is hydraulic, front and rearreminiscent of one of the great-
est camera cars of all time, the Citroen Deux Cheveau. You can
adjust the height and ride to the driving platform.
In addition to working with a Steadicam, Le Tobrouk can be
mounted with a platform to accept a gyro-stablized head.
Le Tobrouk is now available for rent from Loumasystems.
loumasystems.biz
Specs
Widest width: 95 cm
Minimum length: 222 cm
Maximum lengtht: 242 cm
Height: 140 cm, 170 cm with seat at rear
Front wheels: 58 cm
Rear Wheels: 66 cm
Weight: 220 kg (23 kg for the battery)
Rear seat: minimum height of socket block: 70 cm
Other mounting: 510 mm space between the rear wheels
Maximum speed: 70 km/h
Acceleration with a load of 380 kg : 0-70 km/h in 5.5 seconds
Batteries: lithium-polymer 3 Kwh (84 v, 400 A)
Distance with one battery for intensive use: 20 km
Distance with one battery for light use: 35 km
Recharge time for one battery: 3 to 4 hours
La Tobrouk comes with 3 batteries and 1 charger
Sprayoff Rain Deflectors
Sprayoff rain deflectors have glass discs that spin at high speed to
shed rain, snow, spray and even mud (on one model).
Setup is quick and easy. The rain deflector simply slides into the fil-
ter slot of your mattebox. Power can come right from the camera.
Schulz Camerasupport Booth C8334 in the Bavarian Pavilion.
sprayoff.de
Sprayoff micro
Weight: approx. 0.500 kg Disc diameter: 118 mm
Disc speed: approx. 3.800 rpm Power supply: 24 V or 12 V
The Micro works in a mattebox like the ARRI LMB-5, LMB-25 or MB-19.
Sprayoff milli
Weight: approx. 0,85kg Disc diameter: 144 mm
Disc speed: approx. 4,500 rpm Power supply: 24 V
The Sprayoff Milli is intended for rain and snow. Designed to be used in
the following matteboxes: ARRI LMB-15, 25, MB-18; Bright Tangerine
Misfit, Viv, or Strummer DNA.
Sprayoff mini
Weight: approx. 1.0 kg Disc diameter: 169 mm
Disc speed: approx. 3,500 rpm Power supply: 24 V
The Sprayoff Mini is for larger diameter lenses and deflects rain and
snow. Designed for the following matteboxes: ARRI LMB -4, MB-14;
Bright Tangerine Strummer DNA 6, Blacklight; and Panavision MBPC.
Sprayoff giga
Weight: approx. 1.6 kg Disc diameter: 218 mm
Disc speed: approx. 3,000 rpm Power supply: 24 V
The Sprayoff Giga is a mud-deflector and has been designed for more
difficult assignments. It was designed to be used with the ARRI MB-14
mattebox only, however it may work with additional new ones coming on
the market at NAB.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 89
 Gates UW Housing for Alexa Mini Transvideo StarliteHD-a

Gates Underwater Products announced a new underwater hous- The StarliteHD-a is an evolution of Transvideos StarliteHD.
ing designed for the ARRI Alexa Mini. Waterproof mechanical It is a 5 OLED monitor with touch screen, intuitive interface
controls line up with the Minis user-buttons, so you have access and ability to record to SD card. The StarliteHD also generates
to main camera controls as well as user-assignable and frequently PDF clip reports using the metadata from cameras and lenses
needed functions like white balance, peaking, display overlay, equipped with LDS or /i protocols.
and false color. Lens settings are adjusted with a Focus/Iris/Zoom
control. The touch screen will be used to control the new ARRI Alexa Mini
as well the ARRI Alexa through proprietary Transvideo software.
The Gates Mini works with the new ST5, a waterproof external
monitor housing for the Transvideo StarliteHD OLED monitor. With its light weight, small size, pristine picture and video tool-
Together, the ST5 and StarliteHD provide a lightweight, small, sets, the StarliteHD-a will be de rigeur for Mini and other ARRI
high resolution 5 diagonal display that can also record H.264 cameras. Availability estimated May 2015, around 1600 Euros.
proxies to an SD card. gateshousings.com Software updates to follow from ARRI and Transvideo.
NAB Booth C9806 transvideo.eu transvideointl.com
Sekonic C-700
Once upon a time, measuring color tem- Transvideo StarliteHD-a
perature was simple and the remedies on gimbal rig with
came in tubes of Lee or Rosco. Alexa Mini.
But digital sensors can often be less for- Photos: Parafoto
giving, and some LEDs and fluorescents
are more equal than others.
Sekonics new C-700/C-700R Spectro-
Master series measures every light source
(LED, HMI, Fluorescent, and natural
light). Its CMOS sensor measures in 1 nm
increments, showing spikes in light source
output. This is very helpful when working
with LED and fluorescent lighting. Up to
now, weve mostly used industrial meters;
this one is specifically designed for cin-
ematographers and photographers.
The touchscreen is easy to navigate and
provides many options: CRI, color tem-
perature, camera and lighting filter sug-
gestions, white balance correction, spec-
trum graph, comparison of multiple light
readings, etc.
macgroupus.com
NAB Booth C11139

90 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

EMIT at Micro Salon RVZ at Micro Salon
RVZ is a rental house in Paris. Theyve been in business for 25
yearsthe founder was a gaffer providing grip and electric equip-
ment. Still equipment followed for high-end fashion shoots. With
the arrival of camera assistant Samuel Renollet to run the cam-
era department, they became one of the major renters in Paris of
REDs, Alexas, and all kinds of lenses and accessories.
At AFC Micro Salon, RVZ showed a prototype rectangular ring
light (contradiction in terms but still a good name). It attaches
to the front of an LMB5 mattebox. Its LED, bi-color daylight-
tungsten, and dimmable.
They built a new split diopter holder that rotates and accommo-
dates two split diopters of different powers at one time. This is
great for shots where you have two really close objects in different
parts of the frame and you still want to hold focus for something
at normal distance.
RVZ showed a set of PL mount modified Hasselblad V-lenses
(classic series for the 500 / 2000 / 200 / 900 camera family). 56 x
Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC and Vittorio Storaro AIC, ASC at Micro Salon 56 mm image coverage. www.rvz.fr
by Ben and Andrew Steele
The 15th annual AFC Micro Salon took place in February 2015,
with exhibits, screenings and seminars in La Fmis film school,
formerly the Path Montmartre Studios, Paris. Once again, the
Emit booth had lots of new products, with the Emit sales team
and their manufacturing partners on hand for hands-on demos.
The new Motorized Slider by Ronford Baker (below) was first seen
as a prototype at Cinec. RB sliders come in all kinds of lengths. It
is now possible to motorize them, complete with programmable
soft stops and adjustable feathering. They will be able to reach a
maximum speed of 1 ft/sec with a max load of 70 kg up to a dis-
tance of 100 meters and can also move vertically.
Rectangular Ring Light
The Gizmo Remote Head from A&C comes with new Gyro Assist
modules, providing smooth performance even at low speeds.
The ball bearing gimbal Maxima MX30 for cameras up to 30 kg
comes from Betz Tools and FomaSystems. It works while riding,
walking, driving or docked on a tripod, stabilizing all 3 axes (tilt,
pan and roll) electronically.
This was the premiere of Chrosziels new MB 565 Cine.1 Matte-
box, developed as one mattebox system for many configurations.
Panthers new Precision Leveling Tracks will save time thanks to
their 0-67 cm adjustable telescopic tubes.
Paglink HC-PL94 Battery comes in Gold Mount. Multiple Split Diopter Holder
www.emit.fr Photos: Garry Yankson and Hugues Faure

Hasselblad V-Series in PL Mount

Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 91

 ActionProducts Runner Schneider Optics

Schneider Optics will show new products at NAB booth C6037.

The new True Steak Schneider Optics Confetti filters create ef-
fects that appear as sparkles or fireworks in multi-colors, blue,
red, orange, green, yellow, pink,violet and gold.
Brian Goff, inventor
and designer of the Schneiders 92mm MPTV Clear and ND Filters thread directly
ActionProducts Runner onto the front of Leica Summilux-C Lenses, maintaining the
same front diameter. They dont vignette (unless you stack them).
The Clear and IRND Filters have high efficiency multi-layer, anti-
Carrying a heavy load above chest level can quickly lead to fatigue reflection coatings to minimize flare and ghosting.
and becomes a distraction. Its a chemical reaction in your body
familiar to most gimbal camera operators. Schneider-Kreuznachs Xenon FF-Prime Lens series has inter-
changeable mounts and covers up to full frame 24x36mm format.
From Switzerland, land of fitness and fine tools, comes the new schneideroptics.com
ActionProducts Runner. Its an exoskeletal device that mechani-
cally helps an operators strength and endurance by transferring
the full weight of a handheld or gimbal stabilized camera to coun-
terbalanced spring-loaded arm supports.
The Runner lets you work longer with less fatigue. Since you dont
have to worry about managing the weight of the gimbal, your ef-
forts can be devoted to camera moves and framing. The adjustable
payload support accommodates more accessories on the camera
that might previously have been unrealistic to carry.
Put the Runner on like a backpack. The width is adjustablecom-
fortable for most body shapes and able to get through doorways. EasyFocus EZ2
The lightweight harness is padded. The spring loaded arms adjust The EZ2 is a lightweight and compact
in height and width. active focus assist.
Your hands are not locked in. With the camera neutrally buoyant, Invented by Fritz Gabriel Bauer AAC,
you are free to slide your arms in and out of the forearm half- designer of the Moviecam and
rings at any time. The Runner arms hold all the weight and main- Arricam lines of cameras, EZ2 is
tain the cameras position. This is also helpful when putting on the next generation Easyfocus
and taking off the rig. You can get in and out of the harness as if system. Focus is now easier and
it were a backpack (no need for help from others). The hooked more precise in setups with
tether lets you easily hand off the camera/gimbal to other opera- cranes, rigs, remote heads,
tors during the shot. All in all, the Runner is a great way to be Steadicam, etc.
nimble with your gimbal. It begins shipping mid to end of April.
More info: innocinema.com and actionproducts.ch The EZ2 distance reader that goes
on top of the camera is significantly
Supports payloads up to 15.0 kg / 33 lb smaller, lighter and easier to
Up to 140 cm (55) boom range balance. The EZ2 incorporates all
Stabilizes gimbals horizontally and vertically functions of the previous Easyfocus
Fully milled aircraft grade aluminum construction system, with a touch-screen tablet PC,
Operate with or without forearm harness built-in wireless and LCS options.
Lowered arm locks for easy mounting/dismounting
Built in C-Stand docking bracket NAB N8031. easyfocus.at
Adjustable, padded, lightweight harness and adjustable belt
Adjustable in height and width
19mm carbon fiber rods on back and on arm segments
Narrow design easily goes through doorways
Spring packs and ball bearing joint articulation
Load adjustments made by simple knob

92 Apr 2015 Issue 68-69

Business in Boston by Talamas
by Dave Talamas, President of Talamas, a motion picture, broad-
cast and audio sales, rental and service company founded in 1979
in a 375-square foot office space. Before that, Dave worked with
Stuart Cody as sales and rental manager. talamas.com
The business is rapidly changing, yet maintaining traditional re-
quirements. Theres a rapid proliferation of new cameras pushing
the envelope of resolution and sensitivity, external recorders, lens
technology, LED lighting and more efficient HMI fixtures.
ARRI Amira is a remarkable camera that produces astounding
quality and now will offer UHD. The capable new Panasonic Vari-
cam is also quite interesting with high sensitivity and low noise.
The Sony FXW-FS7 is another game-changer on the lower cost
side of the cameras. The ability to support the legion of Canon EF
lenses with a Metabones adaptor and the ability to record 4K in-
ternally makes this camera very popular in the reality TV market.
Boston has long been a documentary film town driven by the
flagship PBS station WGBH, and continues in that tradition. Now
these documentaries are increasingly utilizing large sensor cam-
eras with a variety of lenses. Boston has seen a large upward swing
of commercial film production growing steadily in the last few
years, fueled by the tax credit and the changes in technology that
have allowed more indie films to be created here.
The new Sony PXW-FS7 camera is extremely popular as a lower
cost option to the Sony F5 and F55. The natural mates for all the
new cameras are the proliferation of cine style zoom lenses with
rocker zoom controls, as in ENG lenses, first introduced, I be-
lieve, by Fujinon with the 19-90. While there will always be tradi-
tional cine-style prime and zoom lenses, cost considerations and
ease-of-use have made these lenses extremely popular. We are
very excited to have received our first three Canon 17-120 lenses.
Boston is a smaller market than that of New York, Chicago, Atlan-
ta, and others. However we are one of the largest university cites
in the nation, and many student films are made here. Along with
other companies in rentals, production, and post production, we
have to reach out to national and international customers to im-
prove and round out the customer base. We are also buoyed up by
some mainstay local companies that do not always go national for
their spots (Bose, Dunkin Donuts, CVS, Hasbro, Keurig).
Changes in the market
In Boston, and I believe countrywide, there is a fragmentation
of the market due to changes in content delivery, new lower cost
technology, large sensor cameras with EF and PL mounts, tradi-
tional PL mount cameras in smaller form factors, the ARRI line-
up of Alexas, Amiras and now the Mini, as well as the dizzying
array of new cameras such as the Sony A7S which is 4K capable,
and even -inch and -inch sensor cameras.
Format fragmentation is also evident: types of codecs used, HD
vs Ultra HD / 4K. As a rental house we offer all of these. However
most of our clientele still primarily work in 1920x1080, though
we are beginning to see a trend towards archiving in 4K.
I feel its important that we started investing and developing our
expertise in this area because our market has demanded it. Even
traditional clients whom weve had for many years, such as This
Old House, were still shooting on an F900, but now demand a
large format sensor camera. Im well aware that Time-Warner is
very much interested in developing 4K for acquisition and future-
proofing. This is driven by their advertisers.
What we see in our market seems to follow the current worldwide
average. About 90 to 95 percent of productions worldwide are
shooting either in Pro-Res, XAVC, or non-Raw, and only five to
ten percent of the high-end features and commercials are shoot-
ing in Raw. But this will change and Raw will increase. You could
say there is a lot of talk about 4K, but predominantly were still
seeing HD and 2K going out the door because of its practicality.
Archiving in 4K is becoming more prevalent. Capturing in REC
709 to reduce post production time is still common with many of
the shows we have work with.
Lenses
There seems to be more rapid development in lenses than there
has been in the past. We have Canons CN-E 15.5-47 T2.8 and 30-
105 mm T2.8 Cine Zooms with the Duclos modifications for EF
and PL mounts. The Fujinon Cabrio 19-90 T2.9 and the 85-300
T2.9 are very popular. We are also interested in the new Cabrio
25-300 T3.5 as well as the new Angnieux Optimo 25-250 T3.5
zoom. What is interesting is that all these zoom lenses have, or
will have, a servo unit. This is driven by the demand for faster
work and smaller crews as budgets are squeezed.
Anthony Bottaro, Chief Engineer at Talamas, adds that Cooke
S4/i and Zeiss Ultra Primes are very popular. The other popular
lenses here are the Angnieux Optimo 15-40 T2.6, 28-76 T2.6,
and the 45-120 mm T2.8. And we have a 24-290 T2.8, but that
goes out less often in our documentary market than the lighter,
smaller Optimos. The 45-120 seems to go out most often.
Where the industry is going
Ted Driscoll, our Senior Account Manager says that more fea-
ture film work is coming to Boston: both independent and studio
movies. They are taking advantage of the tax credits which have
been very successful. Mike Duca, our Product Specialist says that
attention to detail, personalized service and accessibility are im-
portant. We have developed relationships with DPs and produc-
tion companies over the years.
What we strive for, and I believe we achieve, is to provide the level
of quality and expertise expected by our clients. This includes
outstanding service, technical ability, meticulous maintenance,
and a congenial demeanor born of our real enjoyment, passion
and enthusiasm for the industry in which we operate.
Issue 68-69 Apr 2015 93
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