How ARRI Film Cameras Are Built (Video)

Believe it or not, ARRI makes more than the Alexa and cool internet web-apps. The company built its reputation on precision film cameras and even though most their press comes in the way of digital offerings, celluloid is still ingrained in ARRI. Now you can watch a cool video about how one of their cameras, the Arri 435 Xtreme, is built courtesy of "How It's Made" and YouTube.

The video is a fascinating mix of man and machine working in tandem to construct the camera. When people are curious why cinema-level cameras are so expensive, I’m not sure they realize the amount of time and manpower that goes into designing, milling, and piecing together the various parts.

What is important to take away from this clip is a greater appreciation for the tools of our craft. There’s a good reason why you must always be taking care of the camera, because it is a delicate machine full of carefully put together components.

Here’s hoping you never have to recreate any of this video on set, but if there’s ever a problem checking the “gauge,” you’ll at least have some kind of reference.