Do you remember when you heard about ARRI for the first time?
I think it was 1999, I was a student at that time. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Georgian film industry was destroyed. After a 10-years pause, I worked for a big Georgian-German co-production. Now famous cinematographer and my friend Phedon Papamichael helped to bring in the necessary equipment from Germany at that time. It was my first shock when I saw how much equipment is needed to make a film. After this project, I, together with my friends, decided to create a rental service.
How was your first shot with ARRI products?
I see myself belonging to the generation of digital cameras; I feel more peaceful and comfortable using them even though my first encounter was with film cameras. I shot my first two movies on the ARRIFLEX 435 Extreme and ARRICAM ST.
ARRI also offers an ARRI Approved Certified Pre-Owned program. Would you ever recommend that someone buy a used ARRI camera?
To be honest, I have never used this option. This program is still quite young, but it could be very attractive for many customers, especially from emerging markets. ARRI’s technical products have a long-life span, as evidenced by the fact that the award I received in 2019 was for a feature film shot with the first generation of ALEXA cameras and Ultra Prime lenses that were developed more than 20 years ago. Obviously, the possibility of purchasing ARRI equipment “with mileage,” complete with a factory warranty similar to a new model, is really very interesting for potential users. I will always recommend ARRI.