American Cinematographer - November 1990 - 44

535 Camera

System

(Continued from Page 41)

My assistants Phil Abraham and Sandy
Brooke really liked many of the assis¬
tant-oriented features," noted Fauer,
"but they did have a few
such things as the buttons

problems with
used to
electronically load-in magazine informa¬
tion,

and

some

of the function indicator

markings silkscreened on the camera
body. I don't think the 535 has
reached its full potential yet, but I
expect it will by the time the first
production models become generally
available."

Simplified Shooting at
Napoleon Videographics
The 535 was next used on a spot
directed by Marty Napoleon, Napo¬
leon Videographics principal (an
affiliate of Manhattan's National Video

Center), and director of photography
Nick Hutak, to solve

production
problem on a recent shoot for Combat
Roach Discs. Developed by agency
a

Carafiello, Diehl & Associates, the

spot's concept included a single-take
high speed POV of a cockroach
running

through

a

kitchen cabinet full of

household items, that was to end with a
cabinet door being pulled open by a
live actor speaking his lines in real time.

Kenworthy-Nettman Snorkel
camera, Hutak preprogrammed
535 to run at 1 2 fps to speed up

Using
on

a

the

the
the Snorkel/roach
ramp up

to 24

run,

and then to

fps simultaneously with

the camera on a crane and a Snorkel
lens attached, it's hard to get to the
finder for the necessary visual lighting
checks. Ordinarily we would have had
to construct
to

the

pull-apart set to get close

a

camera

to

Instead, I just got

make those checks.
on a

ladder,

the 535's finder around

to

swung

whatever

angle was convenient, and made

my

visual check." The 535 is the only
35mm camera with this feature.

Bernd Heinl and the
First 535 Feature
Swingover Finder Finds
Heavy Use
And most recently, LA-based Director
of Photography Bernd Heinl (Baghdad

Cafe, 1987) took

a

535 system

through Camera Service Center, along
with his favorite Agfa XT-320 stock, on
location in Rhode Island and New York
to shoot "Claude" for first-time director

Cindy Lou Johnson. "The 535's real
advantage was its Swingover Finder
system," said Heinl. "We had a lot of
small practical locations such as
kitchens and car interiors where being
able to place the finder at all sorts of
odd angles meant getting the shot. In
one kitchen scene I had to
literally sit in
the sink, and in

get a POV

one car

shot I had

to

from the driver's seat with

the driver in it. In both cases,"

Heinl, "I simply

said

the finder to the
so-called non-operating side and
continued shooting".
"We

were

swung

also able

to

track both

the real-time actor opening the cabinet
door - all without changing exposure
or

depth of field. Camera assistant
Gwynn had suggested the 535
Hutak for the spot after seeing the

Anne
to

at the Arriflex Camera Assistant
Certification Course. She knew that the
535 could be programmed for auto¬
camera

matic

speed changes with full auto¬

exposure

compensation

-

all without

external add-on accessories
feature unique to the 535.

-

a

built-in

Swingover Viewfinder
"The viewing optics are what
the 535 for me," noted Hutak.

42

made
"With

and operator on a

Panther
dolly through narrow doorways by
placing the finder directly up and back
over the
magazine. With the operator
camera

535
The

"Claude" Director of Photography
Bernd Heinl and 1 st Assistant Alex

Layton and their 535

on

location in

Rhode Island.

viewing from behind the magazine,

we

had an extremely narrow profile and
could go wherever the dolly could go."
As it stands now, we expect to begin
deliveries of 535 camera systems by
late Fall. If you'd like a personal
demonstration of the 535, or reserve
one for a test shoot, call
Juergen
Schwinzer or David Ritoch at Arriflex
New York at (914) 353-1400, fax

(914) 425-1 250;

or

Bill Russell

at

Arriflex Los

Angeles at (81 8) 841 7070, fax (81 8) 848-4028. AIM

Close-up

Swingover Viewfinder

The 535's finder is unique among 35mm camera systems:
it frees both the viewing system and the operator from being tied
to the left side of the camera. The 535's Swingover Finder can
be easily and quickly pivoted from camera left to camera right

position within a 270° arc. When positioned on camera
right, both assistants and operator have full control with the 535's
right side-mounted controls and LEDs. The Finder also pivots a full 360° parallel
to the lens axis, which permits viewing from above, below or in front of the cam¬
era. And the 535's Finder rotates 360° inward/outward in order to adjust for
either right or left eye viewing on either side of the camera.
at any

ARM
American Cinematographer - November 1990

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 1990
