Arri-news 2014

DP Bojan Bazelli, ASC, and 1st AC John Holmes test the new Studio Matte Box SMB-1 prior to taking it out on a feature film SMB-1: THE TILTING MATTE BOX Spectral , a sci-fi thriller about a special ops team fighting supernatural beings that have overrun New York City, is the feature debut of commercials director Nic Mathieu. While readying their camera equipment for the shoot in a test room at ARRI Rental Budapest, cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, ASC, and 1st AC John Holmes spoke to ARRI News about why they had requested the new ARRI Studio Matte Box SMB-1, with its integrated tilt module and anamorphic accessories. What cameras and lenses are you using on this production? Bojan Bazelli: We’re using three ALEXA Studio XTs and also the ALEXA M. It’s an anamorphic project and our main lenses will be ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphics, because of their ability to shoot wide open without any compromise in quality. They also display no breathing at all when pulling focus, and no distortion. Why did you decide to try the new SMB-1? BB: To be honest I put the SMB-1 on my gear list for Spectral without studying all the features in depth. I’d heard that it had a tilting function and anamorphic accessories, but I wanted to try it mainly because it is something new from ARRI. I’ve always used ARRI cameras, starting with an ARRIFLEX 35 BL on my shoulder when I was 17, so I have a lot of trust in the products. Having tested it, what do you think of the new stackable filter stage modules? John Holmes: I like the new design. Not only does it reduce the amount of filter stages you have on the camera, but it also gives you flexibility in building five possible configurations. DP Bojan Bazelli, ASC (right) with 1st AC John Holmes 32 ARRI NEWS