Alexa digital camera favored by Hollywood

LOS ANGELES  - Cinematographers Roger Deakins and Caleb Deschanel, with 12 Oscar nominations between them, are working on their first features lensed with a digital cinematography camera.

In both cases, the camera they are putting through the paces is the Alexa from ARRI.

The Alexa, made at ARRI's facilities in Munich, entered the market about five months ago and has become the most talked-about camera in the industry.

ARRI is already approaching a remarkable 1,000 orders worldwide, company CEO Glenn Kennel told The Hollywood Reporter.

So far, roughly 400 have been delivered, including 200 in North America. One challenge seems to be keeping up with the demand.

"We are working very hard at increasing our manufacturing capacity," Kennel said.

Among the first feature projects to use the Alexa are the Deschanel-lensed "Killer Joe," directed by William Friedkin, and Andrew Niccol's "Now," lensed by Deakins, who recently completed the "True Grit" remake directed by the Coen brothers.

The Alexa also is the camera in use on two stereoscopic 3D productions: Martin Scorsese's "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" and Paul W.S. Anderson's "The Three Musketeers." Both productions are using 3D camera rigs from Pace; those were utilized on Avatar and developed by Vince Pace and James Cameron.

Additional features using Alexa are "Spy Kids 4," directed by Robert Rodriguez; "Bernie," helmed by Richard Linklater; "Drive," from Nicolas Winding Refn; and "Two Days in New York," directed by Julie Delpy.

The first feature to use the camera was Roland Emmerich's "Anonymous."

Why so much attention? In part, the Alexa promises a file-based (tapeless) workflow that has impressed many in the community - at a time when varying film and digital formats and workflows are being explored.