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First Master Primes in Use
Since the end of August we have begun shipping Master Primes and, together with the Master Prime prototypes, these lenses are already being used on various productions. Even though it has been difficult to get a hold of anyone because they are all out shooting, here are some comments from the very first Master Prime users.
In the United States, Michael Ballhaus (Gangs of New York, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Goodfellas) is currently shooting a feature film called "The Departed", directed by Martin Scorsese (The Aviator, Gangs of New York, Goodfellas). Mr. Ballhaus is using Master Primes, Ultra Primes, ARRICAMs and 435 cameras. |
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Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin and Martin Sheen headline this remake of a 2002 Hong Kong hit film, revolving around the rivalry between the Boston police force and a gang. A gangster infiltrates the police force while a young police officer infiltrates the gang. Suddenly the race is on to uncover each others identities.
Michael Ballhaus commented on his use of the Master Primes: "The film called for many low light set ups, including location street scenes at night with very little light to work with. I chose the Master Primes in order to work with the available light and to preserve the natural look of the scenes. On several occasions the Master Primes saved last minute setup changes, late in the day, when the daylight was disappearing. These scenes would not have been possible to shoot without these lenses. I am truly impressed with the optical performance of the Master Primes." The production company is also extremely impressed with the Master Primes, as they saved on setup time, personnel, lighting and grip equipment needed to accomplish these delicate shots. Technical support for this feature is provided by ARRI CSC in New York.
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From June 2005 on, a number of Master Prime prototypes were used by cinematographer Frank Griebe (Heaven, Run Lola Run) on the feature film "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer". This film is an adaptation of the book by Patrick Süskind that has sold over 15 million copies world wide and has been translated into 42 languages. The film is directed by Tom Tykwer (Heaven, Run Lola Run) and produced by Bernd Eichinger (The Fantastic Four, Nowhere in Africa, The Name of The Rose). It is a Constantin Film production, starring Dustin Hoffman, Corinna Harfouch, Alan Rickman and Ben Whishaw.
It is the story of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille who develops a superior olfactory sense, which he uses to create the world's finest perfumes. His work, however, takes a dark turn as he commits horrid crimes in search of the perfect scent.
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Cinematographer Frank Griebe started out with just a few of the first Master Prime prototypes, but liked them so much that he requested to have the missing focal lengths immediately sent to the set when they became available. He notes: "I am very excited about the speed, resolution and brilliant image quality of the Master Primes! The large selection of focal lengths, the pleasant focus behavior and the sharpness cannot be beat by any other lens. I also appreciate the perfectly round iris, which provides an organic feel for this historical feature. In my opinion, these are the lenses of the future." Presently, Mr. Griebe's first unit is shooting with an almost complete set of 11 Master Primes to complement the ARRICAMs, 435 and 235 cameras they rented from ARRI Rental Germany in Munich, while the second unit has a few Master Primes of their own.
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The honor of the very first professional production falls to Bill Bennett, ASC. He not only shot the famous candlelight test images, but also used the Master Primes on a Suzuki car commercial, where he was shooting a car on snow in the blazing sun on top of a mountain at the Mammoth ski resort. "The Master Primes perform extremely well in low light, but they are so flare-less, that they work equally well in the blazing sunlight. You have created a truly universal set of lenses, usable in all lighting conditions, from the darkest scenes to the brightest", Mr. Bennett reported.
Aside from having supplied Master Primes to various commercials already, ARRI Media in London is providing ARRICAMs, 435 cameras and Master Primes for the feature film "Sunshine", directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, A life Less Ordinary, Trainspotting).
Cinematographer Alwin Küchler (Proof, Code 46, The Claim) was nice enough to give us his first impressions of the Master Primes, while his assistants Ollie Tellett and Pete Byrne were checking out the camera gear.
Mr. Küchler said "In our tests with the Master Primes I was very impressed with their resolution and contrast. One scene especially comes to mind, where we shot a test in a corridor lit all in red. Now red is a difficult color to capture and reproduce, and we shot at T1.3! The Master Primes showed so much detail it was amazing. I also plan to use low light levels and a lot of practicals, so the widest stop of T1.3 will come in very handy. I am very enthusiastic about the Master Primes. "
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Andy Subratie, Head of Camera Operations at ARRI Media adds: "The response to the Master Primes is amazing. Our customers love the look and the feel, but most of all they like the optical performance. Everyone who has shot with them has been very impressed. We have a lot of requests for the Master Primes, and we are trying to get more lenses now that lens production is ramping up."
Marc Shipman-Mueller
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