ibc/cinec Roundup

From September 10 through September 14 we exhibited at the ibc in beautiful Amsterdam, only to jet straight back to Munich for the cinec show from September 18 through 20 (while simultaneously weathering the Oktoberfest).

Even though two trade shows in one month is exhausting, we have returned elated and optimistic, as the mood during both shows was very upbeat. We introduced many brand new major products, including the ARRIFLEX 235 camera, Master Primes lenses, ARRISCAN film scanner and the ARRI X CERAMIC  light and we are happy to report that the ARRIFLEX 235 and the ARRISCAN won the cinec award for best product in their respective categories.

During discussion forums, product panels, workshops and talks we had with many of you at both shows we found a renewed confidence in film as the premiere acquisition medium. Neither the savings producers were hoping for in HD, not the promised 35mm-like image quality did materialize, and some television shows that had switched from film to HD are now switching back to film. But not only is 35 mm film starting to pick up again, there is also a tremendous amount of work being done in Super 16. As a low cost/high image quality medium, Super 16 cannot be beat, especially since the introduction of new telecines, scanners, film stocks and lenses has elevated the achievable image quality to new heights.

A development that has clearly helped is the emergence of the Digital Intermediate (DI) as a mainstream production tool. Richard Crudo, ASC, President of the American Society of Cinematographers, said recently in the article "Go with the Flow" from Film & Video Magazine of August 2004: "You're going to see a huge resurgence in 16 as DI becomes more manageable and cheaper. People are going to say, "My God, look at the quality you can get out of this."

The introduction of new film products by Kodak (Vision2 film stocks) and ARRI (ARRIFLEX 235, Master Primes, ARRISCAN) have also sent a clear signal.

The ARRIFLEX 235 especially was the star at the cinec show, and our two dedicated 235 presenters had their hands full as curious customers continuously came pouring into the ARRI booth to see the camera.

Many third parties have started making and/or retrofitting products specifically for the 235, including cases, lenses, remote heads, barneys, underwater housings and more.

The original confusion created by the overly aggressive marketing of electronic camera manufacturers has subsided, and HD is an accepted medium now for material destined for television. To provide a cinematic tool for those applications, we are developing the ARRIFLEX D-20 camera, a film style digital camera, which was also a major point of interest at the ARRI booth.

We showed footage comparing the D-20 output with a 35mm film negative that was scanned with the ARRISCAN to demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of both formats. Since the D-20 uses the same lenses and accessories as the ARRI 35 mm film cameras, rental houses are assured that ARRI will continue to provide robust high quality imaging tools in this new hybrid phase of production, where film and HD are co-existing.