American Cinematographer - August 1989 - 81

Arriflex Unveils New 65mm Camera
Far left: Non-oper¬
ating side of ARRI

765, with full func¬
tion LED readout

for

fps, shutter
opening angle, filn
length, total film
consumption, and
warning indicators
Readouts
on

foun

are

both sides of

the
left:

camera.

Near

Operator's

side, with 1000'

displacement

mag¬

azine, viewfinder
extender, new two

speed follow focut
120mm Zeiss prime
lens, 6.6

x

6.6

swing-away matte
box,

Arritlex unveiled its new 65mm
and lens system, the ARRI 765, at
the American Society of Cinematographers
in Hollywood, and will be delivering 65mm
camera

systems to key producers in Los Angeles for
evaluation this summer. Designed by ARRI
R&D on the latest CAD systems, the 765 is
believed to be the most advanced motion

picture camera system in any film format
designed, according to Volker W.
Bahnemann, ARRI president.
"Interest is growing in Holly¬
wood in the superior image 65mm orig¬
ination provides," Bahnemann noted.
"Producers know grosses are higher in
70mm release theaters, that their special
effects are usually produced on 65mm or
ever

other wide formats, and that 65mm will
enhance and preserve their filmed invest¬
ment for the widest possible use in the
future. But until now they had to pass on the
format because the available camera tech¬

nology did not provide the production effi¬
ciencies they've come to expect in shooting

production efficiencies by integrating ad¬
vanced microprocessor control technology
with sophisticated mechanical design, thus

bringing forth a 65mm camera that is effec¬
tively two cameras in one. Electronics and
mechanical design combine to make a quiet
sync-sound camera rated at under 25 dBa,
and simultaneously make it a high speed
camera capable of operating from 2 to 100
frames per second. This advanced design is
complemented by a new series of Zeiss

quiet 765

camera system to

provide these

First of the New Wide Film Processes
Reaches Production," written by William

Stull, ASC.
"He begins, 'For the past few
months, the outstanding topic of discussion

designed by Zeiss specifically for the 765's

seeking to learn about it.'
"He discussed Grandeur, a film

65mm format.

"Given the

large number of first
run and special venue theaters that feature
standard 70mm projection equipment, and
the developing base of 65mm production
and post-production technology," said
Bahnemann, "it will be possible for pro¬
a

combined release

to both first run theaters and

special venue-

type locations, creating an enormous eco¬
nomic

potential for the future."
Bahnemann continues: "In

Arriflex created the versatile and

February 1930 issue of this Soci¬
ety's journal, the American Cinematogra¬
pher, and an article entitled, "70mm - the

standard lenses, from 30mm to 350mm,

35mm."

re¬

searching the history of 70mm technology,
we

began

August 1989

a

ARRI head.

with the

in cinetechnical circles has been wide film.
Sound and color are accepted realities, but
wide film is generally unknown, and yet so
inevitable a development that everyone is

ducers to aim towards

on

half century

ago

-

specifically,

developed by the Fox Film Compa¬
ny: 'In this system, the width of the film
itself is 70mm with a frame of 22.5mm by
48mm, leaving a 7mm wide sound track in
the customary position at the left of the
picture.' The article deals with many of the
arguments still familiar today - grain, light
on the screen, and composition, and it ends:
'Then, with the perfection of the modern
color processes, combined with the new
process

naturalness of the wider film, what more
the industry wish for?' At approximately
the same time, every studio had experican

American

Cinematographer

79
American Cinematographer - August 1989

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