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| Lothar Stickelbrucks (left of camera) and Alannah Sennheiser (right of camera) with a young camera and a young horse. |
Gut Aiderbichel (www.gut-aiderbichl.com) is a farm in Austria at the Waller lake with a unique philosophy of trying to improve the world through action. Specifically, they save animals in distress, and give them a new home on the farm. Many European actors act as sponsors for these animals, and the farm is also a popular travel destination for family trips.
A Paradise for Horses was a TV film that aired on Austrian television in January 2006 to such positive feedback, that it is now a TV series. According to Michael Aufhauser, the man who runs Gut Aiderbichel, A Paradise for Horses is a "make-you-feel-good" series that captures the high spirits on the farm.
Cinematographer Lothar Stickelbrucks was the first to use an ARRIFLEX 416 in Austria to capture this series that also benefits from the scenic locations in and around Salzburg. Marc Shipman-Mueller interviewed Mr. Stickelbrucks and first assistant Alannah Sennheiser about their impressions.
Mr. Stickelbrucks, what was your experience with the ARRIFLEX 416 as a cinematographer?
Lothar Stickelbrucks: I am very happy with the 416. The most important improvement is the viewfinder system. With the 416 viewfinder I can see everything! I see the whole picture, but it is so sharp that I can also examine details at the same time.
Because it is so sharp, I can judge the focus, I can see immediately if something in the shot is in focus or not. I also love the fact that the color balance of the viewfinder is just like what I saw in dailies. And the effect I get with diffusion filters looks in the 416 viewfinder just like it looks on film, so I can judge what strength filter to use simply by looking through the viewfinder.
Images in 16 mm cameras are usually pretty dark. And I always rehearse with the same T-stop that I use for shooting. With the 416, that is no problem, it is great to have such a perfect viewfinder image! There was a day-for-night shoot, where we had filters in front of the lens and a dark T-stop, and I was still able to see an image. During night shoots, I was able to see an image in the dark.
I first thought the RGB ARRIGLOW is a bit of a toy. But then we had a night shoot, and I don't really like the red ARRIGLOW, it somehow changes the color impression I get. I found that a blue or green ARRIGLOW was much more color neutral, it did not change my impression of the color balance of the image. So maybe it is not just a toy.
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| Alannah Sennheiser (left) and Lothar Stickelbrucks (right) working with the 416. |
And how is it working with the 416 for the assistant?
Alannah Sennheiser: I had fun working with the new camera. Especially for me as a woman the lighter weight made a huge difference. It is really a lot lighter, and it is easy to hold and grip. I can handle this camera with one hand. And because it is so light and well-shaped, it is also great for handheld.
It is so quiet that we sometimes did not know if it was running or not. A really quiet camera is great, as it saves time that we would have spent in the past dealing with sound issues. Our soundman said: "I cannot hear this camera at all, even when the mic was pointed directly at the camera." Magazine loading is very simple. I looked at it once, tried it and it worked OK for me.
Lothar Stickelbrucks: Changing mags was very fast and easy, one can tell that this is a carefully considered system. It is a pleasure to work with. We shot in small rooms and in the heat, and we had no problems.
How did the 416 work in day-to-day shooting situations?
Lothar Stickelbrucks: I am very satisfied with this camera, it is very compact. I shoot a lot of 35 mm, and of course 35 mm is better than 16, but when I saw the dailies from this show, I was very impressed. We used modern lenses and Kodak Vision2 stocks, and the images looked great. Our client, when they saw the dailies, was also very happy with the image quality.
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| The 416 on a car rig. Note the viewfinder, which is positioned so the cinematographer can quickly and comfortably check the shot's composition. |
Did you use the Wireless Remote System?
Lothar Stickelbrucks: Yes. We had many crane shots and some car shots, and it was great that we did not have to fiddle around with extra boxes for the wireless focus. It's all built into the 416, which speeds up working with this camera.
Would you have considered shooting "A Paradise for Horses" on HD?
Lothar Stickelbrucks: No. I have shot HD, and I have a background as a video technician, but in my opinion HD cannot reach the image quality of 16. The contrast range alone I can get out of the Vision2 negative is fantastic. On negative, I can capture contrasts that the human eye cannot see, but I could not do that on HD. Super 16 mm film, properly exposed, cannot be beaten by HD. I believe that properly exposed Vision2 material, even at 200 ASA, looks now like 35 mm film looked eight to nine years ago.
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| Lead actor Francis Fulton Smith (left of camera) and cinematographer Lothar Stickelbrucks (behind camera) on the set. |
We all have attempted to achieve the film look on HD, but it remains that, an attempt, it is not the film look. Of course, given unlimited time and money, I can make every format look good, but that is really the crux, we do not have unlimited time and money, and in the real production world you cannot beat Super 16 for efficiency.
Thank you, Mr. Stickelbrucks.
Lothar Stickelbrucks: Thank you for letting me use this new camera! It think it is a very successful design. I am now trying to get it for my next shoot, and will be sad if I cannot have it!
Marc Shipman-Mueller
| A Paradise for Horses Camera Crew |
| Production Company: |
Degn-Film GmbH. & CoKG |
| Cinematographer: |
Lothar Stickelbrucks |
| Focus Puller: |
Alannah Sennheiser |
| Loader: |
Michael Übleis |
More interviews about first 416 prductions can be found at:
For detailed information on the products visit:
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