DISCLOSURE: This is a sponsored post by ARRI
LA-based filmmaker Noam Kroll has worked in the film and television industry in many different capacities over the years, but primarily as a director, cinematographer, and colorist. His latest picture, Psychosynthesis, tells the story of a young mother, Alice, who receives a heart transplant after being sick for many years. Her life has been saved; however, after the surgery, she begins to take on her donor's personality traits and memories, leading her down a haunting path of self-discovery.
For this ambitious project, Kroll knew right away that he wanted to work with an ARRI ALEXA camera. He explains, "I have always loved the ARRI ALEXA camera - from the original ALEXA to the ALEXA Mini. In my mind, it's the gold standard for digital cinematography. In creating this film, it was important to me that we capture our footage in the best possible acquisition format on the best possible camera. I've always been amazed by the ARRI ALEXA's ability to capture perfectly accurate skin tones under virtually any type of lighting. No other camera I have shot on can even come close to the ALEXA in this respect, which speaks volumes about ARRI's superior imaging technology."
Behind the scenes of 'Psychosynthesis'
Given the budget constraints on the project, Kroll had to find an economical solution without compromising the film's image quality. Christian Richter, Manager Certified Pre-Owned Camera Systems at ARRI, was able to match Kroll up with an ALEXA out of ARRI Approved Certified Pre-Owned Program. ARRI's CPO Program is a global initiative offering select, pre-owned, and refurbished cameras, stabilization systems, lenses and accessories at an affordable price. ARRI Certified pre-owned cameras and accessories come with a one-year warranty and in the original ARRI packaging. This cost-effective access to ARRI technology allows a greater number of filmmakers and institutions to work with the award-winning ALEXA camera system.
Kroll was delighted with the results of his CPO camera. He comments, "ARRI's CPO program is opening the door for low-budget filmmakers to achieve big-budget results—Never before has it been possible for a micro-budget feature to look so polished."
Kroll credits the ARRI ALEXA camera, in part, to giving Psychosynthesis a big-budget, professional look even though the crew managed to shoot the entire feature in under ten days with a budget of less than $25,000 – including talent, location, crew, and even post-production. He recalls, "Even though our shooting schedule was very tight, our production quality never suffered thanks to our CPO ALEXA. Its incredible dynamic range, highlight roll-off, and color science made it possible to achieve stunning results even in the most challenging circumstances."
Behind the scenes of 'Psychosynthesis'
He goes more into detail: "Thanks to the unparalleled color science and image quality my CPO ALEXA delivered, we were able to move extremely quickly on set while still maximizing image quality. Everything from lighting to color correction was simplified, leaving our team with more time to be creative both on set and in the edit."
Response to the film thus far has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Aside from interest in the subject matter, the biggest feedback we're getting is all about the visuals. Since we knew our ARRI ALEXA could be trusted to perform flawlessly on set, we could focus far more energy on storytelling. As a result, we shot this in a really unique way by framing the film in 4:3 and using some unconventional visual techniques throughout the process. These unique creative choices have landed really well with people, so we're thankful the camera afforded us the ability to truly experiment."
Kroll was happy to have the chance to test drive ARRI's CPO Program. He left us with: "Our ARRI ALEXA Plus 4:3 was an absolute treat to work with on Psychosynthesis, and I can't wait to see what other filmmakers do with their CPO cameras too." Pyschosynthesis is now playing at select film festivals.
'Psychosynthesis'
Projects come in all shapes and sizes. ARRI is dedicated to bringing top-notch quality not only to the feature blockbusters but also to smaller projects and budgets. With the CPO Program, filmmakers can be sure that they are not sacrificing performance for price.
For more information on ARRI Approved Certified Pre-Owned program and a list of the camera systems and accessories currently available, please visit www.arri.com/cpo
