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WE’VE INTRODUCED THE NEW ARRI ALEXA MINI, SONY A7 AND RED EPIC WEAPONS TO OUR STOCK IN RECENT MONTHS, AND CONTINUE TO BENEFIT FROM KEY SUPPORT FROM OUR WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF PANAVISION OFFICES AND DISTRIBUTORS.
Media Film Service recently aquired 3 of only 30 ARRI Alexa 65 cameras © ARRI
McDonalds © Island Studios
65 cameras in the world. The system comprises a 65mm digital cinema camera, custom-designed prime and zoom lenses, and fast, efficient workflow tools. “This dynamic and innovative camera, developed by ARRI Rentals in the UK, has taken the industry by storm”, says Neil du Toit, CEO of Media Film Service. “We are pleased that we are in a position to continuously offer world-class equipment to our clients and to grow the expertise in our industry.” In addition to this equipment’s exclusivity, South Africa added another notch to its name being the first country to use the new 65mm Alexa – on the shoot of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower. Another company combining
both studio space and equipment sales and rental is Visual Impact, who now represents Digital Sputnik in Southern Africa. Their modular RGB LED lamps are one of the most innovating developments in lighting technology over the last decade. This move is in line with the high demand for more sustainable products – a definite trend emerging in the industry, says Michele. “Our R&D team have released several proprietary LED products including the LED Flex Light, a thin, flexible and super lightweight LED Panel, and the LED Spring Ball – an LED battery-powered soft light.” Panavision’s local camera inventory is also growing faster than ever, she says. “We’ve
introduced the new ARRI Alexa Mini, Sony A7 and RED Epic Weapons to our stock in recent months, and continue to benefit from key support from our worldwide network of Panavision offices and distributors. These important factors enable Panavision to offer leading technologies and workflows to every corner of the industry.” Another trend in the industry is the rise of a much leaner method of filming – on-the-go shooting. This has arguably come about as a result of the many online platforms consumers frequent. “The influence of live-streaming and content providers such as YouTube, Netflix, Prime and iPlayer mean that the industry is no longer
looking to shoot solely for TV but are also looking to target a wider audience, shifting filming onto new digital platforms,” Michele explains, saying that part of what allows them to compete on an international scale is their in-house engineering and product development team – who are currently pushing the envelope in LED lighting. “Panavision continue to innovate and push the envelope in terms of development of optics for the motion-picture industry. With the recent Introduction of large-format digital cameras and the resurgence of shooting large format film, Panavision have invested in several series of spherical and anamorphic large format lenses purposefully designed to work with these larger format cameras. The Primo 70, Sphero 65, System 65 and Super Panavision 70 spherical series of lenses, as well as the Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses are all currently available. Panavision are also introducing the T-series anamorphic lenses, specifically designed for digital imagers. With a large variety of lens choices, cinematographers are able to achieve a unique look to fulfil their unique vision.”