The long expected arrival of 3ality’s stereoscopic 3D acquisition systems on the European rental market has happened, just in time for Arri Media to respond to a surge of interest in 3D from all forms of content makers, writes George Jarrett.
The deal inked by the two companies has its origins in tests that Arri ran last August with two Alexa cameras on a TS-2 rig (pictured), and subsequent talks during IBC. Arri can supply shooting systems to TV, commercial and feature film producers, and it is offering that group the use of six testing and familiarisation rooms at its Uxbridge HQ.
The other element of this deal sees the rental house setting up a service and spare parts centre for all 3ality products, and the serious work gets underway next week with a fully subscribed technicians course.
The executives at the heart of this deal are 3ality Digital CEO, Steve Schklair, and Bill Lovell, who heads up Arri Media’s digital department.
Lovell said: “3ality Digital’s reputation has been built on the quality of its products, and it is all about the capability of the system.
“Its rigs are largely designed for TV with the useful knock on value in movies. Live TV is essential, and you have got to be ready to use dailies for feature film production,” he added. “Together with our camera and grip ranges, we will be able to provide content makers with complete S3D production systems.”
Announcing that Arri will start with volumes of the TS-2 and TS-5 rigs, and then the TS-4 side-by-side rig if demand calls for it, Schklair said: “Arri Media has a stellar reputation and it provides the perfect platform to expand the availability of our products.
“It fully understands advanced digital technologies, has industry-recognised technicians and support and is the perfect partner for us on this side of the world,” he added. “We haven’t yet committed to other partners in Europe, so at the moment, Arri Media is the most convenient place for anyone in Europe to rent systems.”
Further rental deals might happen in time, but Schklair will be busy enough supporting Arri in 2011. When he learned that Lovell was reporting four or five major features, US productions, starting shooting in the next few months, coupled with concerns about the UK having enough suitably trained people, he was not surprised.
“It is why we did the deal with Arri Media in the first place,” he said. “We are fully committed to supporting Arri with whatever it might need to handle any projects it lands, and that includes training, which will be ongoing.”
Asked how closely the emerging European S3D market mirrors the US market, Schklair said: “The European 3D broadcast market has actually been a bit ahead of the US, thanks to Sky’s ground-breaking efforts, although the US market is moving quickly.
“Regarding feature films, there is still something of a budget threshold when it comes to making 3D movies, but that delta is declining on a weekly basis,” he added. “As the price comes down, the format will become more accessible to independent filmmakers.” Asked about 3ality’s experience with wireless shooting, and what it is offering as its latest technology, Schklair said: “We currently have two major features shooting wirelessly with our TS-5 systems, and we’ll be making some product announcements prior to NAB. One of these things will be a graphics management system.”
www.arrimedia.com
www.3alitydigital.com
The long expected arrival of 3ality’s stereoscopic 3D acquisition systems on the European rental market has happened, just in time for Arri Media to respond to a surge of interest in 3D from all forms of content makers, writes George Jarrett.
The deal inked by the two companies has its origins in tests that Arri ran last August with two Alexa cameras on a TS-2 rig (pictured), and subsequent talks during IBC. Arri can supply shooting systems to TV, commercial and feature film producers, and it is offering that group the use of six testing and familiarisation rooms at its Uxbridge HQ.
The other element of this deal sees the rental house setting up a service and spare parts centre for all 3ality products, and the serious work gets underway next week with a fully subscribed technicians course.
The executives at the heart of this deal are 3ality Digital CEO, Steve Schklair, and Bill Lovell, who heads up Arri Media’s digital department.
Lovell said: “3ality Digital’s reputation has been built on the quality of its products, and it is all about the capability of the system.
“Its rigs are largely designed for TV with the useful knock on value in movies. Live TV is essential, and you have got to be ready to use dailies for feature film production,” he added. “Together with our camera and grip ranges, we will be able to provide content makers with complete S3D production systems.”
Announcing that Arri will start with volumes of the TS-2 and TS-5 rigs, and then the TS-4 side-by-side rig if demand calls for it, Schklair said: “Arri Media has a stellar reputation and it provides the perfect platform to expand the availability of our products.
“It fully understands advanced digital technologies, has industry-recognised technicians and support and is the perfect partner for us on this side of the world,” he added. “We haven’t yet committed to other partners in Europe, so at the moment, Arri Media is the most convenient place for anyone in Europe to rent systems.”
Further rental deals might happen in time, but Schklair will be busy enough supporting Arri in 2011. When he learned that Lovell was reporting four or five major features, US productions, starting shooting in the next few months, coupled with concerns about the UK having enough suitably trained people, he was not surprised.
“It is why we did the deal with Arri Media in the first place,” he said. “We are fully committed to supporting Arri with whatever it might need to handle any projects it lands, and that includes training, which will be ongoing.”
Asked how closely the emerging European S3D market mirrors the US market, Schklair said: “The European 3D broadcast market has actually been a bit ahead of the US, thanks to Sky’s ground-breaking efforts, although the US market is moving quickly.
“Regarding feature films, there is still something of a budget threshold when it comes to making 3D movies, but that delta is declining on a weekly basis,” he added. “As the price comes down, the format will become more accessible to independent filmmakers.” Asked about 3ality’s experience with wireless shooting, and what it is offering as its latest technology, Schklair said: “We currently have two major features shooting wirelessly with our TS-5 systems, and we’ll be making some product announcements prior to NAB. One of these things will be a graphics management system.”
