PRESS RELEASE
Melbourne-based Ben’s Camera Hire had been keeping a close eye on the developments surrounding ARRI’s AMIRA camera before deciding to purchase a unit from ARRI Australia to upgrade their fleet.
Owner Ben Bateman explained, “We followed the development of the AMIRA since the time it was first announced to the public at IBC 2013. Following the success of the ALEXA, it was clear that the AMIRA was a camera to keep a close eye on as it progressed to its final production form – particularly given that it promised the same image quality as the ALEXA in a form factor that would suit many different kinds of production.”
Over the years Bateman has learned from his customers that the most important characteristics of a camera are image quality, tone reproduction – particularly skin tones and dynamic range, reliability, thoughtful design so that it’s compatible with standard practices and a sensible post-production workflow.
Bateman continued, “Outright resolution, beyond being able to master at modern HD standards, is typically not a major consideration – particularly with it being so common right now to use vintage lenses or diffusion filters to produce more subjectively pleasing images. So, for us, the AMIRA checked all the boxes that are of upmost importance to our customers. We do, however, work with some producers who insist on a camera that is capable of 4K acquisition, so the recent upgrade from ARRI that adds this functionality to the AMIRA now helps the AMIRA gain even wider acceptance throughout the industry.”
Ben’s Camera Hire has a diverse range of customers who in turn are responsible for a wide range of productions with greatly varying budgets, something Bateman acknowledges is another plus for the AMIRA adding, “For our clients the AMIRA is a first-rate camera they can choose for a greater range of projects without compromising image quality. While there is not a single camera that is the best choice for every job, we feel the AMIRA strikes a good balance between several, often competing factors, to make it one of the most versatile cameras available to production crews today.”
Before purchasing their AMIRA Bateman studied its reliability, functionality and flexibility to make sure they would live up to his company’s high expectations. “The things that swayed us were the overall quality of ARRI engineering and the numerous benefits that stem from it. These gave us confidence in a new product like the AMIRA. ARRI’s considerable experience in creating beautiful images, combined with unmatched build quality, thoughtful design and a commitment to long product cycles mean the AMIRA was a camera we could buy with confidence as a rental house.”
Bateman has often stated that as a rental house Ben’s needs to offer their customers serious production tools that can stand up to the rigours of years of production in a variety of conditions. ARRI’s messaging stated that the AMIRA was a camera designed for this purpose. This backed up by his own research and experience with ARRI to date proved the messaging to be true.
Bateman added, “Some specific attributes of the AMIRA that led to us making the decision to purchase it include the ALEV III sensor, the same as in the ALEXA and ALEXA Mini. This is widely regarded as the industry’s best sensor, when combined with ARRI’s significant imaging experience. We also like the ability to shoot at up to 200FPS at 2K resolution using the entire sensor and, importantly, to access this functionality quickly via a user switch on the camera. Also ProRes, Log C and 3D LUTs give us a great deal of flexibility on different kinds of productions. The integrated, very neutral and effective IRND filters that can quickly be deployed in the field are another big plus. The AMIRA also supports a huge range of lenses via different mount options and has dual CFast 2.0 media slots that allow for extended shooting times.”
As a rental house Ben’s Camera Hire can choose products and offer them to their customers based on merit alone. It also allows the company to be honest and direct about the cameras to the industry which in turn builds trust with their clients.
Bateman commented, “Some cameras we offer primarily to meet a particular price point, acknowledging that they are flawed in several ways to be able to meet that lower price point. The AMIRA, however, is a camera we stock to offer our customers the best camera in its class. No other camera has the same image, the same build quality or the same versatility. The AMIRA means we can offer our customers a reliable, take-it-anywhere camera that has renowned image quality and one that can be used in so many different scenarios. By offering the AMIRA we show our customers that we are serious about quality – quality of their images, quality of the engineering that goes into creating a reliable camera for trouble-free use in critical productions and one that has been designed based on many years of production experience. With the AMIRA, we are doing our bit to help ensure the success of the projects undertaken by our customers.”
For Bateman’s clients workflows vary considerably. Some of Ben’s customers have to keep post-production to a minimum, while for others post-production forms a considerable part of their projects. Bateman explained that the AMIRA suits both scenarios, “ProRes recording proved to be a big deal on the ALEXA and the same is true with the AMIRA. Less efficient codecs that consume many gigabytes of storage and require transcoding for widespread software and hardware support in post-production are an expensive distraction for many productions – they just get in the way of getting the job done. The ability to create looks via 3D LUTs as part of pre-production that can then be baked into recorded footage, or batch applied in post-production is also a great feature that saves time without reducing flexibility. Being able to also record Log C allows those who can spend more time in post-production to get the most out of the AMIRA.”
Bateman has already seen his AMIRA used on a wide range of productions including a documentary series for national TV, TVCs, music videos, short films, corporate content, online promos and web content.
He added, “It’s no secret that many production budgets are under increased pressure, and the AMIRA is a camera that can be used by smaller crews when required. Even though there are cheaper cameras available that might be pitched at the same kinds of productions as the AMIRA, the highly regarded ALEXA image quality at a typically more accessible price point than ALEXA, for productions with lower budgets is a compelling reason to choose the AMIRA. We’re finding that once crews have worked with the AMIRA, they are using what influence they have for AMIRA to be selected over similar cameras on their future projects. ARRI promotes the AMIRA with the tag line “Pick up. Shoot.” and our customers are discovering this to mean that the camera can typically be as versatile as they need it be.”
As Ben’s Camera Hire business develops (the company is soon to rebrand as Offshoot Rentals) Ben Bateman is placing more emphasis on building relationships with suppliers they can trust.
Bateman concluded, “We believe that, in turn, this is an important factor in our customers being able to trust us. For this reason, Stefan and his team at ARRI Australia are becoming a much bigger part of our business. It matters to us that ARRI is not in the business of making consumer products. ARRI is 100% focused on professional tools. When you are buying camera systems worth $100,000 or more, predictability is comforting. We generally know the lifecycle of ARRI products and can make informed business decisions around them. I cannot say the same of other camera manufacturers we have dealt with and it is a significant reason why we will continue to increase our investment in ARRI products, preferring them over those from other manufacturers. Of course, ARRI also has the network in place to offer professional service to back their products. We’ve always found it reassuring to know that we can call Stefan or Mel whenever we need to and that they’ll do whatever they can to help us with something. We recently needed a new Fujinon lens at very short notice. Stefan and team didn’t flinch and made sure it was here in time for us to not let our customer down. This is typically our experience when dealing with ARRI Australia – they understand the industry and its needs, and therefore what we must be able to do in order to help our customers. That is very important to us.”
For more on Ben’s Camera Hire go to: http://www.benshire.com.au