American Cinematographer - September 2017 - 10

To survive and thrive for decades requires commitment, focus,
diligence, savvy planning and, most importantly, a consistent
vision that remains relevant even amid radical shifts in the
prevailing winds of industry.
As the Arri Group turns 100 this year, the company's
executives, employees and clients can all testify not only to the
venerable brand's historic achievements in motion imaging,
but also its enviable ability to skillfully anticipate and adapt to
turbulent changes in production and post technologies. "The
development of world-class film recorders and scanners paved
the way for the widespread adoption of the digital-intermediate process by the mid-2000 decade," says ASC associate
Glenn Kennel, president and CEO of Arri's U.S. subsidiary.
"More importantly, it provided the foundation for the development of Arri's digital-camera and
software expertise, supported Arri's transition from a precision mechanical technology base to
today's base in digital electronics and software, and helped us build the technology foundation
and hire the staff we needed to become a world-class digital-camera manufacturer."
"The last 10 years have seen the most decisive changes in the history of this company,"
says ASC associate Jörg Pohlman, who serves as co-managing director of the Arri Group along
with fellow ASC associate Franz Kraus. Adds Kraus, "At the time that we developed the
Arriscan - I remember it very well - we all said it would be the first step to a digital camera.
But the one thing we couldn't [compromise on] was that it would have to be as good as the
capture of film was."
Michael Goldman's article on the company's latest milestone ("Arri's Second Century,"
page 96) also salutes the achievements of other influential Arri executives - like Volker Bahnemann, Kennel's predecessor as president and CEO of the U.S. operation - while offering user
testimonials from prominent ASC members and a look at more recent developments, such as
the Alexa 65 camera.
Arri equipment was among the inventory on the trucks servicing all of the projects
covered in this issue's main features.
David Stump, ASC went above and beyond his duties as visual-effects supervisor on the
Starz fantasy series American Gods by serving as our on-set correspondent and by interviewing
the show's cinematographers, Aaron Morton, NZCS; Darran Tiernan, ISC; and Jo Willems, ASC,
SBC, for this month's cover story ("Sacred and Profane," page 32). Peter Flinckenberg, FSC
offered associate editor Andrew Fish a visit to the set of the Showtime series I'm Dying Up Here
("Funny Business," page 80), which follows the travails of standup comedians struggling to
make their names on the Los Angeles circuit during the 1970s.
This issue's special focus on international production is showcased with coverage of two
projects produced entirely abroad. Australian correspondent Simon Gray reports on the
comedic action-thriller The Hitman's Bodyguard, shot in London, Amsterdam and Bulgaria by
Jules O'Loughlin, ASC, ACS ("Killer's Keeper," page 52), and London correspondent Phil
Rhodes investigates the U.K.-based period crime drama Peaky Blinders ("Mean Streets," page
66). Tips on shooting outside the U.S. can also be found in this month's Shot Craft column
(page 16).

Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
10

Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

EDITOR'S NOTE
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 2017
