Rumor No More: ARRI Reveals Their 6K 65mm Cinema Camera, the ALEXA 65
There have been rumors floating around about ARRI developing a 6K 65mm digital cinema camera for some time. The mysterious camera finally made its official debut at this year's Cinec event. Introducing the ARRI ALEXA 65.
The ALEXA 65's sensor is around 3x bigger than that of a Super35. ARRI Rental shares plenty of information about the camera. Here's what they have to say about the sensor itself.
At the heart of the ALEXA 65 is the A3X sensor; the largest high-performance motion picture sensor available on the market today. The sensor has a 54.12 mm x 25.59 mm active imaging area, which is even larger than the film gate of ARRI’s 765 65 mm film camera.
The maximum recordable resolution from the A3X sensor is 6560 x 3102 photosites, with a dynamic range of more than 14 stops. The sensor design is based on the same photosite technology as the ALEXA XT, therefore image attributes such as colorimetry and dynamic range will match well with any member of the ALEXA family. This allows productions the freedom to mix the use of 35 mm format ALEXA XT cameras with the larger 65 mm format ALEXA 65, without having to worry about adopting different workflows or any additional color correction of images in postproduction.
Here is some basic information about The ALEXA 65 pulled from the Cinec Munich issue of Jon Fauer's Film and Digital Times.
Technical Specifications
65mm Digital Cinema Camera
ARRI A3X CMOS sensor
5-perf 65mm (full camera aperture)
6560 x 3102 resolution (maximum recordable)
54.12 x 25.58 mm Sensor size (active image area)
Weight: 10.5 kg / 23.2 lb
ARRI XPL Mount (64mm diameter)
200 - 3200 ISO. Base is 800 ISO
Dynamic Range: >14 stops
Uncompressed ARRIRAW
LDS metadata
Electronic Shutter 5° - 358°, adjustable in 1/10° increments
0.75 to 27 fps (upgrade to 60 fps planned for early 2015)
The new ALEXA 65 has a similar design and ergonomics as the 35mm ALEXA, except that the body is a little wider, adjusted to fit the massive sensor. The ALEXA 65 was designed not just as a standalone camera, but as an entire camera system, complete with lenses and workflow solutions. ARRI has rehoused Hasselblad lenses -- high-performance 65mm primes and zooms, which include a 50-110 mm Zoom 65, as well as 8 primes that range from 24mm to 300mm. As far as the workflow goes, the Codex Vault will "handle RAW data from regular ALEXAs as well as from the ALEXA 65."
If you're wondering if ARRI has any plans to include more lenses or mounts for the ALEXA 65, the answer is... maybe. Kraus says that it all depends on how well the camera system is received by the industry.
No word yet on prices or availability Per ARRI Rental (see their comment below), this is a rental-only item (none of us could afford to buy one anyway!). For more information on ARRI's new ALEXA 65, head on over to Jon Fauer's Film and Digital Times to download and read through the exhaustive write-up, complete with interviews with ARRI reps, including Managing Director Franz Kraus. You can also take a look at ARRI Rental for overviews of the camera, the sensor, the lenses, and much more.
Poor Things was one of those movies that sent me down a rabbit hole. It made me want tot watch every movie that auteur Yorgos Lanthimos had ever made, and it inspired me to unlock the weirdest parts of myself.
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker renowned for his strikingly unique films that are at turns bizarre, darkly humorous, and deeply unsettling.
His cinematic style, characterized by a blend of absurdism, stilted dialogue, and an unflinching gaze at human cruelty, has captivated and perplexed audiences worldwide.
Let's dive in.
10 Directing Lessons Inspired by Yorgos Lanthimos
When it comes to directing, I find the best lessons come from auteurs who have unlocked parts of themselves that they're willing to share with the audience.
In my quest to become the best filmmaker I can, I look to Lantjoms as a north star of unconventional ideation and other extreme challenges.
Here's a look at ten directing lessons we can glean from Lanthimos's captivating filmography.
1. The Power of the Premise
Lanthimos's films rest on audacious premises. In The Lobster, single people are forcibly taken to a hotel and given 45 days to find a partner or be transformed into animals. Dogtooth tells of a family who keep their adult children captive, inventing a reality where cats are vicious killers and words have twisted meanings. These outlandish scenarios provide a rich allegorical landscape to dissect social norms and behaviors.
2. Embrace Discomfort
There's an inherent sense of discomfort coursing through Lanthimos's work - especailly Poor Things. This isn't about gore or jump scares, but about a psychological disquietude. Scenes linger a moment too long, dialogue is unnervingly stilted, and violence – emotional or physical – is often stark and sudden. This discomfort makes us lean in, forcing us to pay attention to what's beneath the surface.
3. The Unsettling Power of the Mundane
Lanthimos frequently places his bizarre situations within familiar, even mundane settings. The hotel in The Lobster could be a corporate retreat. The house in Dogtooth is suburban and ordinary. This juxtaposition of the peculiar and the everyday amplifies the unsettling, making us question even the seemingly normal.
4. Dialogue as Weapon
Lanthimos's characters don't speak the way we do in real life. Their lines are formal, stilted, and emotionally distant. This creates a sense of alienation, but it also turns communication into a power struggle. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, a doctor delivers cryptic threats with a chilling politeness that's far more menacing than yelling.
5. Visual Composition as Storytelling
Wide shots, a clinical color palette, and a predilection for symmetry are hallmarks of Lanthimos's direction. These choices aren't just visually striking, they convey meaning. Characters frequently appear small or trapped within the frame, highlighting their powerlessness or social constraint. The stylized visuals become an extension of the films' themes.
6. Deadpan Humor
A dark, absurd humor threads through Lanthimos's work. In The Favourite, Queen Anne's childish demands and power struggles are grimly hilarious. The incongruous reactions of characters to horrific events become a twisted form of comedy. This unexpected humor makes the films more palatable, even as it undercuts the serious themes at play.
7. Sound as Atmosphere
From discordant strings to the insistent tick of a clock, Lanthimos uses sound design to build tension and amplify unease. His soundtracks aren't background noise; they're integral parts of the unsettling atmosphere his films cultivate.
8. Collaboration with Actors
Lanthimos is known for getting extraordinary performances from his casts. He encourages risk-taking in delivery, often stripping away familiar emotional cues. The result is characters both vulnerable and alienating, like Colin Farrell's subdued awkwardness in The Lobster .
9. The Shock of Violence
Violence in Lanthimos's films frequently comes swiftly and without fanfare. It's not prolonged or exploitative, but rather clinically depicted. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the horrifying consequences of a curse unfold matter-of-factly. This casual violence amplifies the characters' helplessness and the cruelty beneath seemingly civilized society.
10. Ambiguity as Invitation
Lanthimos never provides easy answers. His films end with ambiguity, leaving us with lingering questions rather than tidy conclusions. This open-endedness forces the audience to actively grapple with the themes and ideas presented, making the films richer and long-lasting.
What's Next For Yorgos?
Kinds of Kindness
We all love a Yorgos movie—and, lucky for us, another one is happening very, very soon.
Via Indiewire (Via The Guardian), here's the latest on Kinds of Kindness set to release June 21 and starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Hong Chau, Joe Alwyn, Mamoudou Athie, and Euphoria's Hunter Shafer.
Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness” (originally titled “AND”) was filmed in New Orleans while “Poor Things” was in VFX post-production in October 2022, and in case it wasn’t enough having two films back-to-back, the “Favourite” filmmaker revealed to The Guardian that “Kind of Kindness” is a trio of storylines.
“It’s a contemporary film, set in the U.S. — three different stories, with four or five actors who play one part in each story, so they all play three different parts. It was almost like making three films, really,” Lanthimos said. “It’s all shot and we have started editing.”
Excited? We sure are.
Yorgos Lanthimos is a provocateur, and his films won't be to everyone's taste. But his unique style offers invaluable lessons for aspiring filmmakers – lessons in embracing the bold, using every tool in the cinematic toolbox, and trusting the audience to do the work of filling in the blanks.