A REAL MIXED BAG In our inaugural Rental Reports series, Andrew Prior, head of camera technology and development at RENTAL REPORTS | ARR I RENTAL
Arri Rental, discusses lens diversity, the impact of drama and the staying power of LED volume
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY
LEFT Andrew Prior has noticed a slight trend for TV dramas to be a bit more anamorphic
Everyone is doing a bit of everything right now, so when we watch our shows, it’s nice to see that they’re all slightly different three schools of lenses: there’s the clean, high-performing lenses; the quirkier vintage ones that are harder to handle and need to be learnt; and then you’ve got the in- between lenses that are clean, but still have a bit of character. And what’s interesting is that all of these lens types are currently out on shoots; everyone is doing a bit of everything right now, so when we watch
What’s new? Last time we spoke, the industry was getting back on its feet. We anticipated a perfect storm of busyness. ANDREW PRIOR: It’s been a very busy year – and on top of that, streamers are just haemorrhaging money right now. They are throwing cash at TV productions like there’s no tomorrow. And what’s interesting is that the shows being made – The Crown and The Witcher , for example – don’t really compare to what you would typically see on ‘normal telly’. They’ve got big budgets and, although it’s a wonderful thing for business, it’s a huge drain on resource – the industry is quickly running out of equipment, crew and space. To put it into perspective, we’re currently working across four or five big streaming shows, and they’re about six or seven months into production, which is unheard of outside the realms of feature
films. It’s the Batman films, the James Bond films, and the Spider-Man films that typically take that long to produce – and because TV budgets are now equivalent to the budgets of feature films, everyone wants to use the same equipment, but for a much longer period of time. Are there pieces of equipment being used in the production of TV now, that wouldn’t have been previously? PRIOR: I’ve noticed a slight trend for TV dramas to be a bit more anamorphic – it certainly isn’t traditional, but goes hand in hand with the increasing production value of TV. In general, though, the trend isn’t leaning more towards anamorphic or spherical, because – just as an artist chooses watercolour, acrylic or oils – it’s about their different uses and what they do to enhance the story. However, I’ve definitely noticed
24 DEF I N I T ION | AUGUST 202 1
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