 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion picture equipment |
| Founded | 12 September 1917; 107 years ago (12 September 1917) |
| Founders | August Arnold Robert Richter |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products | Motion picture cameras Cine lenses Lighting equipment Archive technologies Digital surgical microscope |
| Revenue | €480 million[1] (2021) |
Number of employees | 1,600[2] (2023) |
| Website | www |
Arri Group (/ˈæri/) (stylized as "ARRI") is a German manufacturer ofmotion picture film equipment. Based inMunich, the company was founded in 1917.[3] It produces professional motion picture cameras, lenses, lighting and post-production equipment. It is cited byHermann Simon as an example of a "hidden champion".[4] TheArri Alexa camera system was used to shoot several films that won theAcademy Award for Best Cinematography, includingHugo (2011),[5]Life of Pi (2012),[6]Gravity (2013),[7]Birdman (2014),[8]The Revenant (2015)[9] and1917 (2019).
Arri was founded in Munich, Germany on 12 September 1917 by August Arnold and Robert Richter asArnold & Richter Cine Technik. The acronymArri was derived from the initial two letters of the founders' surnames,Arnold andRichter.[10][11]
In 1924, Arnold and Richter developed their first film camera, the small and portable Kinarri 35.[12] In 1937, Arri introduced the world's first reflex mirror shutter in theArriflex 35 camera, an invention of longtime engineerErich Kästner. This technology employs a rotating mirror that allows a continuous motor to operate the camera while providingparallax-free reflex viewing to the operator,[13] and the ability to focus the image by eye through the viewfinder, much like anSLR camera for photography. The reflex design was subsequently used in almost every professional motion picture film camera and is still used in the Arri Alexa Studio digital camera. The first Hollywood film to employ an Arriflex was the 1947 Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall filmDark Passage in 1947. Over the years, more than 17,000 Arriflex 35s were built.[14] The design was recognized with two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards in 1966 and 1982.
.jpg)
In 1952, Arri introduced theArriflex 16ST, the first professional 16mm camera with a reflex viewing system.[15][11][16][17] In 1965, aself-blimped 16mm camera was released: the Arriflex 16BL.[18] TheArriflex 35BL followed in 1972 as a lightweight, quiet alternative to the rather heavy and cumbersome blimped cameras of the time.[19] Also in 1972, Arri pioneered the development of daylight luminaires with the Arrisonne 2000 W.[citation needed] TheArriflex 16SR, launched in 1975, featured a redesigned viewfinder with a through-the-lens light meter.[20] TheArriflex 765, a 65mm camera, was released in 1989, partly in response to the growing industry demand for 70mm release prints.[21]
TheArriflex 535 camera was released in 1990, followed by the Arriflex 535B and the Arriflex 16SR 3 in 1992. TheArriflex 435 was released in 1994.[22][23]
Arri partnered withCarl Zeiss AG in order to develop and manufacture advanced lenses for the motion picture industry. In 1998, Arri released the Ultra Prime lenses.[24]
Development of theArrilaser, a postproduction film recorder, began in 1997 and it was released for beta testing in 1998.[25][26]
In 2000, Arri purchased the companyMoviecam and developedArricam, a 35mm camera platform. In 2003, Arri developed its first digital camera, the Arriflex D-20,[27] which later evolved into theD-21. The camera used a 35mmCMOS sensor (instead ofCCD) and allowed cinematographers to utilize standard 35mm lenses. This technology was further developed and improved for theArri Alexa camera.[citation needed]
Arri revealed its Arriscan prototype during IBC 2003. The 16mm/35mm film scanner worked alongside the Arrilaser to support the increasingly popular digital intermediate route through postproduction.[28] Later, the Arriscan became a widely used tool for film restoration work and was recognized with a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award in 2009.[29]
Arri released the Master Prime lenses in 2005, designed for a super-fast aperture of T1.3 without breathing and distortion.[30][31] In 2007, the Master Prime 14mm and 150mm lenses were released.[32]
The Arrilaser 2 was released in 2009, with new client-server architecture and speeds twice as fast as the original model.[33] In 2011, the Arrilaser was recognized with an Academy Award of Merit.[25]
In 2010, theArri Alexa camera was released. The camera had the ability to compress 1080p footage to ProResQuickTime formats and allowed direct-to-edit workflows.[34] Later models added to the range included the Alexa Plus, Alexa Studio and Alexa M, which was designed to get the camera closer to the action.[35] The Alexa Plus 4:3, like the Alexa Studio, allowed the full area of the sensor to be used withanamorphic lenses.[36]
The 16mm Arriflex 416 camera and Ultra Prime 16 lenses were used in the filming of the 2010 filmBlack Swan.[37]
Arri announced a strategic partnership with Zeiss and Fujinon in 2010 to create new lenses that incorporated enhanced electronic lens data transfer in order to simplify visual effects workflows in postproduction.[38][39] The Arri/Fujinon Alura Zooms were released that same year, while the Arri/Zeiss MasterAnamorphic lens series was released in 2012.[40][41]
In 2013, Arri createdArri Medical, a business unit that utilizes its camera technology for medical purposes.[42] Apart from a medical imaging documentation service,[43] it has developed a fully digital 3D surgical microscope called theArriscope.[43]
The Arri Alexa 65, released in 2014, was used in the filming ofThe Revenant as well asMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation andStar Wars: Rogue One.[44] The Arri Amira camera was also released in 2014.[22] In 2015, four of the five nominees for the cinematography category of the Academy Awards were filmed using the Arri Alexa.[45]
Arri's subsidiary postproduction and creative services company, Arri Film & TV, was renamed Arri Media in 2015 as part of a company restructuring.[46] At NAB 2015, the SkyPanel LED fixtures were introduced by Arri. The SC60 and the SC30 have a full color tunable LED option.[47]
In April 2016, Arri acquired the artemis camera stabilizer systems developed byCurt O. Schaller fromSachtler / Vitec Videocom.[48][49] As a result, Arri became the exclusive seller of Artemis Trinity stabilizers.[50] At NAB 2016, Arri unveiled its version of the Trinity system.[51]
The second generation of Arri camera stabilization systems followed in 2022 with ARTEMIS 2 and TRINITY 2.
In 2025, Curt O. Schaller was awarded theAcademy Scientific and Engineering Award for the concept, design and development of theTrinity 2 system.[52][53][54][48]
Historically, Arri used three types oflens mounts. The mounts became popular and adapters for them had been made by other camera manufacturers.[55]
Arri standard was alens mount developed byArri for use with both16 mm and35 mmmovie cameras. Lenses are distinguished by a tab inside an outer ring. Because of the weak seating strength and ability of the aluminum mount to gradually become poorly seated, the stainless steelArri bayonet mount superseded the Arri standard mount in 1965, debuting on the 16BL. However, cameras with the bayonet mount are also able to accommodate Arri standard lenses due to both mounts having the sameflange focal distance and diameter. Cameras with Arri standard mounts are unable to fit lenses with Arri bayonet mounts, due to the bayonet mount's locking mechanism.
Arri bayonet was alens mount developed byArri for use with both16 mm and35 mmmovie camera lenses. Lenses of this type are distinguished by "outer wings" which both controlaperture and bayonet alignment, and are placed in the mount while two pressure tabs are simultaneously depressed at the side of the lens mount on the camera. These tabs provide a relatively strong locking mechanism which allows for higher quality lens seating than offered by theArri standard mount. Debuting in 1965 with the 16BL, the Arri bayonet mount superseded the Arri standard mount, but cameras with the bayonet mount were also able to accommodate Arri standard lenses due to both mounts having the sameflange focal distance and diameter. However, cameras with Arri standard mounts were unable to fit lenses with Arri bayonet mounts, due to the locking mechanism. The bayonet mount began to be superseded around 1980 by theArri PL mount, which has since become an overwhelmingly predominant mount for most modern cameras, along withPanavision and theirPV mount.
Arri PL is alens mount developed byArri for use with both16 mm and35 mmmovie cameras. The PL stands for "positive lock". It is the successor mount to theArri bayonet; unlike the bayonet mount, however, it is incompatible with older Arri-mount lenses, due to the larger diameter.
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter KG | ARRIFLEX 35mm | 1966 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Joachim Gerb and Erich Kästner of the Arnold & Richter Company | ARRIFLEX 35BL | 1973 |
| Academy Award of Merit | August Arnold and Erich Kästner of Arnold & Richter, GmbH | The concept and engineering of the first operational 35mm handheld, spinning-mirror reflex motion picture camera | 1982 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Carl Zeiss Company and Arnold & Richter | Zeiss high-speed 35mm motion picture camera lenses | 1987 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter engineer Otto Blaschek and Arriflex Corporation | ARRIFLEX 35 III | 1988 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Engineering Department of Arnold & Richter | ARRIFLEX 35BL 4S | 1990 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter, Otto Blaschek and the Engineering Department of ARRI Austria | ARRIFLEX 765 | 1992 |
| Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award | Erich Kästner, Chief Design Engineer at Arnold & Richter from 1932 to 1982 | Technical contributions to the industry | 1992 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter Cine Technik | The development of the ARRIFLEX 535 series of cameras | 1995 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter Cine Technik and ARRI USA, Inc. | ARRIFLEX 435 | 1998 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Arnold & Richter Cine Technik and Carl Zeiss Company | ARRI/ZEISS Variable Prime lenses | 1998 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Franz Kraus, Johannes Steurer and Wolfgang Riedel | ARRILASER film recorder | 2001 |
| Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Emmy Award | Arri | Over 50 years of outstanding achievement in engineering development | 2002 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) Academy Award of Merit | Arnold & Richter Cine Technik and Panavision | Continuing development and innovation in the design and manufacturing of advanced camera systems | 2002 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Klemens Kehrer, Josef Handler, Thomas Smidek and Marc Shipman-Mueller | ARRIFLEX 235 | 2006 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Walter Trauninger and Ernest Tschida | ARRI WRC wireless remote lens control system | 2006 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Erwin Melzner, Volker Schumacher and Timo Mueller | ARRIMAX 18/12 lighting fixture | 2008 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award | Michael Cieslinski, Dr. Reimar Lenz and Bernd Brauner | ARRISCAN film scanner | 2009 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Juergen Noffke and Uwe Weber | ARRI/ZEISS Master Prime lenses | 2011 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Franz Kraus, Johannes Steurer, Wolfgang Riedel | ARRILASER film recorder | 2011 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Arri | ALEXA camera system[56] | 2017 |
| Deutscher Filmpreis (Lola) | Arri | Special honor for extraordinary technical achievement[57] | 2017 |
| Television Academy of Arts and Sciences Emmy Award | Arri | ALEXA camera system[58] | 2017 |
| Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Technical Award | Curt O. Schaller | ARRI TRINITY 2 | 2025 |
In 2011, it was alleged that Michael Bravin, an executive of the US-based subsidiary Arri Inc., had unlawfully accessed a rival company email account. A suit was brought before a US court and in September 2011, Bravin entered a guilty plea.[60][61] Arri Inc. denied knowledge or gains from Bravin's actions,[62] and a separate lawsuit against the company was dropped as a result of an out-of-court settlement.[63]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
