"Bigger, Brighter, Better": ARRI at NAB

From April 9 to April 12, 2018, the broadcast industry’s largest annual trade fair, the NAB Show, drew many global players together in Las Vegas. ARRI, the motion picture and broadcast equipment manufacturer, was an active participant and took the opportunity to display its newest offerings to visitors over the four days of the show. ARRI was very pleased to welcome many long-term customers as well as renowned cinematographers, gaffers, grip, and camera operators who value the company’s commitment to the highest standards in professional equipment.

The day before the show, ARRI hosted well attended dealer meetings for its camera systems and lighting partners. The informative sessions provided ARRI’s trusted dealers the opportunity to learn about the new products and offerings available on the show floor. As in years past, ARRI product managers took the chance to continue their professional exchange with industry professionals and partners, in ARRI’s pursuit to deepen its connection to real-world issues and needs

Before the doors opened on the first day, Dr. Joerg Pohlman, member of the Executive Board at ARRI, together with Stephan Schenk, Managing Director ARRI Cine Technik, Glenn Kennel, President ARRI Inc., and Markus Zeiler, General Manager ARRI Lighting, addressed the ARRI team attending the show. Dr. Pohlman praised the booth set up and thanked the entire team for their efforts. “We have the best team in the industry,” he declared, “Let’s have a great show!”

During the show, ARRI also took the opportunity to connect with partners and industry friends by hosting two booth receptions. After the show on Monday, Lighting partners gathered for refreshments and camaraderie while on Tuesday evening, members of the ARRI Partner Program were invited to stay and mingle after the show had officially closed its doors for the day. ARRI Asia also hosted a dinner for their customers and partners at the Hofbrauhaus Las Vegas on Tuesday evening.

The ARRI booth was located in the Central Hall and enjoyed steady traffic over the duration of the show. ARRI was happy to welcome the Society of Camera Operators for a guided tour of the booth. Women in Media also stopped by, and were given a hands-on overview of ARRI’s latest products by Customer Relations Supervisor, Olivia Hiyam Aboudaid. ARRI is always pleased to have the support of long-term industry friends such as Bill Bennett ASC, who gave a career talk and introduced the ALEXA large-format camera system at the Vimeo Stage this year. 

ARRI was also the recipient of several awards during the course of the show. For instance, the ALEXA LF won the Production Hub NAB Award of Excellence. and the SkyPanel S-360 was awarded Production Winner at The Studio Daily Prime Awards

For the first time at NAB, ARRI presented its new large-format camera system, including the ALEXA LF camera, the ARRI Signature Prime lenses, and the LPL mount. Featuring a sensor slightly larger than full frame, ALEXA LF records native 4K with ARRI’s best overall image quality. Using live models this year, booth visitors could take the LF camera for a test drive to see the superior capturing power of ARRI’s new full-format camera system for themselves. The ALEXA LF camera and ARRI Signature Prime lenses could also be inspected up close in display cases at the front of the booth.

Also new to NAB this year were the ARRI filters. In demonstrations over the course of the show, visitors were shown how easy the ARRI filters are to keep clean, even in the face of grease, permanent marker, and lotion. Back at NAB after a short hiatus, archival technology took center stage with the new ARRISCAN XT. Customers were encouraged to learn about ARRI’s latest version of the award-winning ARRISCAN. Thilo Gottschling, Sales Manager of Archive Technologies at ARRI, and his team, were encouraged by the great interest from diverse companies wanting to professionally archive their historical footage. ARRI also introduced the new cforce mini RF lens motor at the show. Now with radio frequency, this lens motor eliminates the need for an additional camera-mounted receiver unit. On display at the show for all to see were also the new Unit Bags II in three sizes. Always a very popular area of the ARRI booth, the camera stabilizer systems corner featured the new Stabilzed Remote Head SRH‑3 this year which just began shipping the first day of the show. 

John Gresch, Vice President of ARRI’s Lighting Division in Los Angeles, inspired his team with the slogan “Bigger, Brighter, Better,” and this certainly captures the lighting presence at NAB 2018 as well. ARRI Lighting announced Firmware 4 for the ever popular SkyPanels. The latest Firmware updates will offer ten brand new features, putting more control and power into the hands of the gaffer, lighting director, or programmer. Now completing their state-of-the-art, high-speed electronic ballast range, ARRI introduced three new versions of the EB MAX ballast at NAB 2018. All three were on display and highly recognizable with their new red handles. A definite highlight of the ARRI booth this year was the LED Lightshow. Featuring five different light and sound routines, the Lightshow attracted guests every hour to witness the power and flexibility of ARRI lighting.

ARRI was also very active this year on social media. Thousands of viewers were able to follow ARRI this year at NAB 2018 via Facebook Live feeds and Instagram Stories. These platforms gave ARRI the opportunity to connect live to its customers and fans worldwide, even if they were not able to attend the show. For those who missed the feeds during the show, many videos are still available on ARRI’s Facebook channel. Please visit to witness ARRI’s very first live booth tour hosted by Executive Board member, Dr. Joerg Pohlman.

ARRI camera system and lighting equipment was also on display and in use at many other exhibitor’s booths at NAB, showcasing the compatibility, reliability, and excellence of ARRI products. Every year NAB is an important date in ARRI’s calendar. We would like to thank all the guests who stopped by our booth and followed us on social media during the show.

Photos: Cotch Diaz