The Sony PMW-F3 is a camera that begs to be accessorized. It can shoot with 35PL lenses, which means a follow focus and mattebox. If a large zoom is used, support is called for as well. Since the F3 can output very high quality HD-SDI, a camera-mounted recorder is desirable. An on-board monitor or accessory viewfinder needs accessory power, so an extra battery mount would be nice. Additional provision for handheld operation is also helpful.

AbelCine worked directly with Element Technica to develop the F3 Riser & Shoulder Pad Kit. This complete solution, which accepts lightweight 15mm support rods, includes ARRI rosettes for mounting handgrips and an adjustable shoulder pad. It also acts as a spacer for use with Element Technica Hybrid Bridgeplate or ARRI standard 15mm or 19mm studio bridgeplates, such as the ARRI BP-8 or BP-9. An optional Universal 15mm Lightweight Rod Bracket allows rods to extend behind the camera for mounting additional accessories. The unique design of the riser means that proper balance can be achieved both for tripod as well as shoulder-mounted use.

Other accessories shown in the video that are not part of the kit include Zacuto 15mm Rods, Vocas Handgrip Kit, AJA KiPro Mini, Zacuto Zwiss Plate, Anton Bauer QRC-Dual PT Battery Mount, and the Berkey F3 Top Mount Cheese Plate and F3 Extension Plate.

This year at NAB, AbelCine is exhibiting the latest technology in Phantom high-speed cinematography, digital cinema, broadcast, compact cine and high-end optics in our booth. In addition to this, we have launched two new departments, Digital Media Services and Training to better serve our clients. Watch our booth preview to see a sneak peek of some of the equipment we are showcasing.  Stay tuned for more reports from the floor of NAB 2011.

Last year on this blog we discussed a number of feature films that were currently in production using the Aaton Penelope 2-perf / 3-perf switchable 35mm camera. Now, with several of these high-profile projects about to be released, here’s a recap of a few of Penelope’s credits.

The Fighter, directed by David O’Russell, is a film inspired by the life of boxer “Irish” Micky Ward. The production considered shooting on digital, 16mm and 3-perf with various cameras but ultimately decided to use Penelope because of the 2-perf cost savings and the easy handheld capability. Renting two cameras through Abel Cine Tech, the production worked fast, averaging 36 set-ups per day. Camera Assistant Gregory Irwin pointed out that the “Penelope camera is smaller and lighter than any other studio package,” allowing the production to get almost every shot hand-held or with a Steadicam – no need for tripods or dollies. For his part, DP Hoyte van Hoytema praised the camera’s “thoughtful design” and “human touch.” The Fighter will be in theaters this December and stars Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams and Christian Bale. Watch the official trailer.

At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the winner of the Grand Prix, the second highest prize awarded, was a French film called Des hommes et des dieux (Of Gods and Men). Directed by Xavier Beauvois, with Caroline Champetier as DP, it tells the story of a group of monks trapped in the mountains of Algeria. About shooting with the Penelope, Champetier had only positive words: “It allowed me to have real stability…The camera allowed me a subtle and sensitive accompaniment of movement.” The film will be shown at the 2010 New York Film Festival. Click here for screening times, or watch the official trailer.

Also screened at Cannes was the horror film Mother’s Day, directed by Darren-Lynn Bousman. Wanting a dark, dramatic look, Bousman and DP Joseph White decided that 2-perf 35mm was the way to go. On this project, Penelope was used alongside a Panavision camera, also shooting in 2-perf. White heaped praise on the Penelope: “It really is an impressive camera. Gorgeous video tap, very quiet, a dream on Steadicam…A camera with a real design sensibility – it has so many uses.” Mother’s Day stars Deborah Ann Woll and Alexa Vega; the film’s official site is here.

Another high-profile feature to utilize the Penelope is Paul Haggis’s The Next Three Days. A dramatic thriller that stars Russell Crowe as a man determined to break his wife out of prison, it was shot on 3-perf with Penelope serving as B camera alongside two ARRICAM Lite systems rented out of ARRI CSC NY. The film is due for release in November, and the official trailer is available now.

On The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford, Director of Photography Newton Thomas Sigel, a longtime Aaton user, requested the Penelope for handheld work. It performed so well that the production kept the camera on for more days than originally planned. The Conspirator recently had its premier at the Toronto International Film Festival and is slated for theatrical release in April 2011.

Another film recently shot with the Penelope is The Innkeepers, directed by Ti West and produced by Larry Fessenden.

With its unique 2-perf/3-perf switchability and ergonomic design, the Penelope will continue to be popular with those who want a reliable, lightweight and versatile solution for their 35mm needs.

The gear was rented out of Abel NY, and I built the package for the production to checkout. Putting the Penelope into the T-Bag worked beautifully. Here are some observations from that setup.

For the RED One camera, there’s a special enclosure that allows the use of the RED 5.6” LCD panel as a viewfinder. When the Penelope is in the T-Bag, the production will switch to the ASL Underwater 4” HD/SD SDI montior. We used a small AJA converter box to transform the Penelope’s composite video signal into a 4×3 SD-SDI feed. Everything is powered off of the camera’s batteries.

While the movie is mostly shooting on prime lenses, I took the opportunity to try out an Angenieux Optimo 15-40 on the Penelope inside the T-Bag (see picture below). There’s so much space inside the splash housing that the little zoom almost disappears! In fact, with a little wiggling we can even get the Angenieux Optimo 17-80 to fit.

Mother’s Day, a dramatic thriller shot in 2perf, has recently finished production using the Aaton Penelope.  Filmed in Winnepeg, from the Director of Saw II, III and IV, Mother’s Day is a heartwarming, bloodcurdling story of a sadistic family who return to their childhood home to terrorize the new home owners and their guests.

In an interesting twist on the industry’s trend toward digital, Cinematographer Joseph White explained how he and Director Darren Lynn Bousman chose to shoot film.

“We shot Repo! The Genetic Opera on Genesis with great results, but we felt that this film lent itself to a more traditional approach. We wanted a more dramatic, dark, stark look, and 35mm just made the most sense. Darren had done three of the Saw films on 35mm, and although we loved using the Genesis system (for a really stylized movie), we were both really happy to get back to 35mm.”

According to Joe, once they settled on 35mm film the decision to shoot 2perf was driven by two complimentary factors.

“The obvious budgetary reasons for sure,” he said “but being able to shoot around 22 minutes on a 1,000′ mag and 9 minutes on a 400′ mag is pretty amazing. With the finer grained film stocks today, it’s really hard to tell the difference between 2perf and 3perf, so in my mind it was a win-win for me and the producers.”

As for camera choice, Joe used both Panavision in 2perf, as well as Aaton Penelope, and found the Penelope perfect for portability.

“We used Panaflex cameras for our studio cameras, but the Penelope was just incredible when shooting handheld, steadicam, or even just putting it on a sandbag with a long lens to get another angle fast – it was an incredibly versatile camera and gave us so many shooting options. It is really the only compact camera that can shoot 2perf.”

“It really is an impressive camera” Joe enthused. “Gorgeous video tap, very quiet, a dream on steadicam and shooting in cars – many car shots would not have been possible without the Penelope. It’s just such a sexy little camera with every bell and whistle you could want, while still getting the fundamentals right. A camera with a real design sensibility – it has so many uses.”

We asked Joe how he’d feel about using Penelope again on his next film project.

“Absolutely, in a heartbeat” he said. “Penelope is my new favorite camera.”

Mother’s Day is Joseph White’s twelfth feature film. Other credits include Shelter, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Equality U, Open House and Café, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. Joe graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and received an MFA in Film Production from USC.

Mother’s Day stars Rebecca DeMornay and Jaime King. Joe’s crew on this project included operators Paul Suderman and Ari Robbins, along with AC’s Marcus James and Danny Quesnel.

Geoff Haley (left), First Camera Assistant Gregory Irwin

Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema has just completed principal photography on The Fighter, after a seven week production schedule, using Aaton Penelope cameras configured for 2-perf.

Perhaps the highest profile 2-perf movie since Sergio Leone pointed a Techniscope camera at Clint Eastwood, The Fighter is directed by David O. Russell and stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams. It is a drama about boxer “Irish” Micky Ward’s unlikely road to the world light-welterweight title and was shot on location in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Gregory Irwin, renowned 1^st camera assistant, reports that the crew never put the Penelope cameras on a tripod or dolly. Nearly every shot was hand-held or steadicam. The small size, light weight and ergonomic design of Penelope made it possible to shoot this way consistently and comfortably.

Production on The Fighter moved quickly, averaging a remarkable 36 set-ups per day. The two Penelopes pulled down 8,000 feet of film each day – a considerable savings on film stock and processing compared with 4-perf or even 3-perf 35mm film.

The 2-perf format was framed for a 2.40:1 widescreen release. To read more about the camera crew’s experience with Penelope 2-perf on The Fighter, please visit Jon Fauer’s Film and Digital Times.

PHOTO CREDITS: Penelope rides a Steadicam on the set of The Fighter, © 2009 JOJO Whilden; Penelope cameras resting after strenuous workout on The Fighter, iPhoto courtesy of Hoyte van Hoytema; Director of Photography Hoyte van Hoytema, photo courtesy of Hoyte van Hoytema

Recently Pierre Michoud, Aaton’s Director of Service and an old friend, came all the way from Grenoble, France to train us on their new 2-Perf / 3-Perf 35mm Penelope camera. The three-day training included a camera overview, converting the camera between formats, service techniques and future upgrades. Jeff Marzigliano, Jordan Napolitano and myself participated in the 3-day training session. It was an honor to be one of the first to witness some of the advances Aaton has made since their last 35mm camera.

The first thing everyone comments on is the camera’s quiet movement. You almost can’t believe it’s pulling film. The video tap image and viewfinder are significantly better than previous models… and, that’s just the beginning.

Each day’s agenda was carefully planned. We started with general topics, such as loading the new magazines (look for a demo of this soon on our website), navigating the improved electronic menus, and video tap features, but as the day progressed, we got down to the nuts and bolts of the camera. We discussed the claw movement and the difficulties of designing a movement that would accommodate both 2-perf and 3-perf formats. We discovered that the Penelope has a third motor, solely dedicated to driving the shutter. We completely disassembled the camera and saw how Aaton’s engineers were able to achieve such a quiet camera by “floating” an inner chassis to absorb and isolate camera vibrations.

It was great hanging out with Pierre. Pierre is like your favorite teacher in school and your college roommate all wrapped up in one. He is jam packed with knowledge about everything camera related: mechanical, electrical and optical. And at the same time we can share stories of our adventures in Southern California and Southern France. I visited the factory twice: once to be trained on the Prod (way back when) and more recently to learn how to upgrade the Prod to an Xterà. Pierre use to be a resident of Los Angeles when he ran the U.S. Aaton facility and worked sided by side with Jordan Napolitano. There is plenty of history between Pierre and Abel’s technicians. There is never enough time in the day to spend with Pierre; his time at the LA office went fast. Before leaving, we were already planning our next reunion in France around the launch of the Digital Magazine. I think a training session is in order.