Inspired by the burgeoning film industry, two young German filmmakers set out to form their own company nearly a century ago. Since then, ARRI has grown to set industry standards for film and television equipment worldwide. A winner of multiple Academy and Emmy awards, ARRI is committed to bringing more of its award-winning cameras, lighting and accessories to Asia. "We are well-known for the robustness and dependability of our products," says executive board member Franz Kraus. "We are confident that you can go anyplace and our products are going to work." ARRI's cameras have filmed atop Mount Everest and in outer space. Its industrial digital camera series, ALEXA, debuted in 2009 and filmed such technically demanding movies as Skyfall and Hugo, and television programs such as CSI. ARRI also raised the bar for filming lights after lighting the Taiwan-based sets of Life of Pi and the aerial shot of the museum in The International. ARRI introduced in 2011 its L7 light-emitting diode (LED) lighting series, which produces light at the same specifications as regular lighting while using one-sixth to one-tenth of normal lighting power consumption. A Macau-based studio became the first to use L7 lights, which are also used at the Astana Media Center in Kazakhstan. As ARRI continues to support its industry partners throughout Asia, it maintains close ties with production companies in China, such as the China Film Group and the Beijing Film Studio. ARRI opened its Beijing office in 2011 for technology training and after-sales service that ensure ARRI's international standards and product quality. ARRI has a parallel office in Hong Kong and long-standing relationships with rental and distribution companies in the region. It welcomes similar partnerships with established and customer-oriented distributors on the mainland for its LED lighting, news cameras and accessories for cameras made by other manufacturers. "We do not build instruments; we build tools for creative filmmakers," Kraus says. ARRI
