ARRI pledges to support 35mm film for at least a decade more

Photo from ARRI newsletter.This past Monday, I wrote a piece entitled “Making Sense of the Digital Conversion“, which dealt with the ramifications of the widespread digitization of movie theaters. The other element of the digital conversion, of course, is taking place on the production side.

Doomsdayers seized the opportunity to lament “the death” of film production last year when popular manufacturer ARRI ceased production of 35mm cameras. This was no doubt a significant news story, especially considering that ARRI makes the industry’s preeminent digital alternative, the ALEXA, used on dozens of film and television projects in 2011, including Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and HBO’s “Game of Thrones”.

But “the death” of film production? Hardly. In their April newsletter, ARRI says that it will continue its commitment to the 35mm format for at least the next decade. They have an extensive stock of existing camera equipment, plus they can make custom builds when required. Here’s a bit of what ARRI heads Dr. Martin Prillman and Franz Kraus had to say:

As a subscriber to [the] belief that the film/digital discussion is too polarized at present and that the co-existence of these two formats means more creative choices for creative people, ARRI is committed to supporting film-based systems for the next ten years at the very least.

To download the full newsletter, which includes a neat story on “The Avengers” D.P. Seamus McGarvey shooting his first digital feature on the ALEXA, click here.