Panavision 1667697 223957836 2008-07-06T18:16:51Z AlbertSM 1105106 {{featured article}} {{Infobox_Company | company_name = Panavision Incorporated| company_logo = [[Image:Panalogosm.png|200px]] | company_type = [[Private company|Private]] | company_slogan = Inspired by the past. Focused on the future. | foundation = 1953 | location = [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California|Woodland Hills, California]], [[United States|U.S.]] | key_people = [[Robert Gottschalk]], founder<br />[[Robert Beitcher]], CEO<br />[[Ronald Perelman]], chief shareholder | num_employees = 1,211 (as of [[December 31]], [[2005]]) | industry = [[Movie camera]] rental<br />[[Motion picture]] equipment | products = Panaflex cameras<br />[[Genesis HD camera]]<br />[[Lee Lighting]]<br />[[grip (job)|Grip]] equipment<br />[[Lee Filters]] | revenue = {{profit}}$233.3 million [[United States dollar|USD]] (2005) | homepage = [http://www.panavision.com/ www.panavision.com] }} '''Panavision''' is a [[motion picture]] equipment [[company (law)|company]] specializing in [[camera]]s and [[photographic lens|lenses]], based in [[Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California|Woodland Hills, California]]. Formed by [[Robert Gottschalk]] as a small partnership to create [[anamorphic]] projection lenses during the [[widescreen]] boom in the 1950s, Panavision expanded its product lines to meet the demands of modern filmmakers. The company introduced its first products in 1954; originally a provider of [[CinemaScope]] accessories, the company's line of anamorphic widescreen lenses soon became the industry leader. In 1972, Panavision helped revolutionize filmmaking with the lightweight Panaflex [[35 mm film|35&nbsp;mm]] [[movie camera]]. The company has introduced other groundbreaking cameras such as the Millennium XL (1999) and the digital video Genesis (2004). Panavision operates exclusively as a rental facility—the company owns its entire inventory, unlike most of its competitors. This allows investment in research and development, and the integration of high-quality manufacturing, without worrying about the end retail value. Maintaining its entire inventory also allows Panavision to regularly update all of its equipment, rather than just the newest models. ==Early history== [[Robert Gottschalk]] founded Panavision in late 1953, in partnership with Richard Moore, [[Meredith Merle Nicholson|Meredith Nicholson]], Harry Eller, Walter Wallin, and [[William Mann]];<ref name="users">Samuelson, David W. ''Panaflex Users' Manual''. Focal Press, 1990. ISBN 0-2408-0267-5.</ref> the company was formally incorporated in 1954. Panavision was established principally for the manufacture of [[anamorphic]] [[projector|projection]] lenses to meet the growing demands of theaters showing [[CinemaScope]] films.<ref name="ROUD">Roudebush, James. [http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_2_1/manufac.html "Filmed in Panavision: The Ultimate Wide Screen Experience."] ''Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity'' vol. 2, no. 1 (HomeTheaterHiFi.com). January 1995. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> At the time of Panavision's formation, Gottschalk owned a camera shop in Westwood Village, California, where many of his customers were [[cinematographer]]s.<ref name="golden">Samuelson, David W. "Golden Years." ''American Cinematographer'', September 2003, pp. 70–77.</ref> A few years earlier, he and Moore—who worked with him in the camera shop—were experimenting with [[underwater photography]]; Gottschalk became interested in the technology of anamorphic lenses, which allowed him to get a wider field of view from his underwater camera housing.<ref name="acpstory">Henderson, Scott. "The Panavision Story." ''American Cinematographer'', April 1977.</ref> The technology was created during World War I to increase the field of view on tank [[periscopes]]; the periscope image was horizontally "squeezed" by the anamorphic lens. After it was unsqueezed by a complementary anamorphic [[Optics|optical]] element, the tank operator could see double the horizontal field of view without significant distortion.<ref name="golden"/> Gottschalk and Moore bought some of these lenses from C.P. Goerz, a [[New York]] optics company, for use in their underwater photography. As [[widescreen]] filmmaking became popular, Gottschalk saw an opportunity to provide anamorphic lenses to the film industry—first for [[projector]]s, and then for cameras. Nicholson, a friend of Moore, started working as a [[cameraman]] on early tests of anamorphic photography.<ref name="BIJL">Bijl, Adriaan. [http://www.in70mm.com/newsletter/2002/67/panavision/pages/invention.htm "The Importance of Panavision."] ''The 70mm Newsletter'' no. 67 (in70mm.com). March 2002. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> In the 1950s, the motion picture industry was threatened by the advent of [[television]]—TV kept moviegoers at home, bringing down box office revenues. Film studios began searching for ways to lure audiences back to the theaters with attractions that television could not yet provide. These included a revival of [[Color photography|color film]]s, [[3-D film|three-dimensional films]], [[stereophonic sound]], and widescreen movies. [[Cinerama]] was one of the first widescreen movie processes of the era.<ref>Hart, Martin. [http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/intro.htm "A Little Pre-history."] WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> In its initial conception, the cumbersome system required three cameras for shooting and three synchronized projectors to display a picture on one wide, curved screen. Along with the logistical and financial challenges of tripling equipment usage and cost, the process led to distracting vertical lines between the three projected images.<ref>Pryor, Thomas M. [http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F60D10FF3B5E127A93C1A9178CD85F418585F9 "Cine-Miracle Joins Big Screen's Big Parade."] ''New York Times'' [[1955-07-13]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> Looking for a high-impact method of widescreen filmmaking that was cheaper, simpler, and less visually distracting, [[20th Century Fox]] acquired the rights to a process it branded [[CinemaScope]]: in this system, the film was shot with anamorphic lenses.<ref name="GRAY">Gray, Peter. [http://www.petergray.org/scopehist.html "CinemaScope, A Concise History."]. Retrieved on [[2008-07-06]] </ref> The film was then exhibited with a complementary anamorphic lens on the projector that expanded the image, creating a projected [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] (the ratio of the image's width to its height) twice that of the image area on the physical frame of film. By the time the first CinemaScope movie—''[[The Robe (film)|The Robe]]'' (1953)—was announced for production, Gottschalk, Moore and Nicholson had a demo reel of work with their anamorphic underwater system.<ref name="BIJL"/> Gottschalk learned from one of his vendors that [[Bausch & Lomb]], whom Fox had contracted to manufacture CinemaScope lenses, were having difficulty filling the lens orders for theatrical anamorphic projection.<ref name="BIJL"/> He teamed up with William Mann, who provided optical manufacturing capability, and Walter Wallin, an acquaintance of Mann's who had formally studied optics. With Wallin's input, the anamorphic lens design they settled on was [[Prism (optics)|prismatic]] rather than the [[Cylinder (geometry)|cylindrical]] design of the Bausch & Lomb CinemaScope lens.<ref name="BIJL"/> This design meant the anamorphic lens extension factor—how much the image is horizontally unsqueezed—could be manually shifted, useful for projectionists switching between nonanamorphic ("flat" or "spherical") [[Trailer (film)|trailers]] and an anamorphic [[feature film|feature]].<ref name="BIJL"/> ==Entering the market== Panavision's first product—the Super Panatar<ref>The Panatar name was in response to the Bausch & Lomb lens called the Baltar. Gray, Peter. [http://www.petergray.org/scopehist.html History of CinemaScope], 2003. Retrieved [[2007-06-14]].</ref> projection lens—debuted in March 1954. Priced at $1,100, it captured the market.<ref name="PANHIST">[http://www.panavision.com/history.php "History" (official company history and timeline).] Panavision.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> The Super Panatar was a rectangular box that attached to the existing projection lens with a special bracket.<ref>[http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/superpanatar-d.htm ''Super Panatar Instruction Manual''.] Panavision, 1954. HTML transcription by WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> Its variable prismatic system allowed a range of film formats to be shown from the same projector with a simple adjustment of the lens. Panavision improved on the Super Panatar with the Ultra Panatar, a lighter cylindrical design that could be screwed directly to the front of the projection lens.<ref>[http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/Widescreen/ultrapanatar2.htm ''Ultra Panatar Instruction Manual''.] Panavision, 1955. HTML transcription by WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> Panavision lenses gradually replaced CinemaScope as the leading anamorphic system for theatrical projection.<ref name="history">Cook, David A. ''A History of Narrative Film''. Norton & Company, 1990. ISBN 0-393-95553-2.</ref> In December 1954, the company created a specialized lens for film laboratories—the Micro Panatar. When fitted to an [[optical printer]], the Micro Panatar could create "flat" (nonanamorphic) prints from anamorphic negatives. This allowed films to be distributed to theaters that did not have an anamorphic system installed. To accomplish this dual platform release strategy before the Micro Panatar, studios would sometimes shoot films with one anamorphic and one spherical camera, so that nonwidescreen theaters could still exhibit the film. The cost savings of eliminating the second camera and making flat prints in [[post-production]] with the Micro Panatar were enormous.<ref name="ROUD"/> Another innovation of the era secured Panavision's leading position: the Auto Panatar camera lens for 35&nbsp;mm anamorphic productions.<ref name="ROUD"/> Early CinemaScope camera lenses were notoriously problematic in [[close-up]]s with an optical aberration that was commonly known as "the mumps": a widening of the face due to a loss of anamorphic power as a subject approaches the lens.<ref name="ROUD"/> Because of the novelty of the new anamorphic process, early CinemaScope productions compensated for this aberration by avoiding tightly framed shots. As the anamorphic process became more popular, however, it became more of a problem. Panavision came up with a solution: adding a rotating lens element that moved in mechanical sync with the [[Focus (optics)|focus]] ring. This eliminated the distortion and allowed for natural close-up anamorphic photography. The Auto Panatar, released in 1958, was rapidly adopted industry-wide, eventually making CinemaScope lenses obsolete. This innovation earned Panavision the first of its 15 [[Academy Awards]] for technical achievement.<ref name="ROUD"/> [[Image:Panavision3.jpg|thumb|right|400 px|Screenshot of ''[[The Big Fisherman]]'' (1959), the first film released using the [[Super Panavision 70]] process. The image shows the 2.20:1 aspect ratio in which the film was presented.]] Since 1954, Panavision had been working on a new widescreen process commissioned by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]].<ref name="HART">Hart, Martin. [http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/Widescreen/c65story.htm "Solving The Mysteries of MGM Camera 65 and Ultra Panavision 70."] WidescreenMuseum.com. September 2002. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> The resulting system used a [[65 mm film|65&nbsp;mm film]] camera in conjunction with the APO Panatar lens, which was an integrated anamorphic lens (as opposed to a standard [[prime lens]] with an anamorphoser mounted on it). This created a 1.25x anamorphic squeeze factor.<ref>Hart, Martin. [http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/special/camera65.htm ''MGM Camera 65 Circa 1959 Anamorphic 70mm Print.''] WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]]</ref> Movies using the process had an astounding potential aspect ratio of 2.76:1 when exhibited with [[70 mm|70&nbsp;mm]] anamorphic projection prints. Introduced as [[MGM Camera 65]], the system was used on just a few films, the first of which was ''[[Raintree County]]'' (1956).<ref name="HART"/> However, the film was released only in 35&nbsp;mm anamorphic prints because the circuit of 70&nbsp;mm theaters was booked with ''[[Around the World in Eighty Days (1956 film)|Around the World in Eighty Days]]'' (1956), shot with the competing, nonanamorphic [[Todd-AO]] system. The first film to be presented in 70&nbsp;mm anamorphic—''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]''—was released by MGM in 1959.<ref name="HART"/> Panavision also developed a nonanamorphic widescreen process called [[Super Panavision 70]], which was essentially identical to Todd-AO. Super Panavision made its screen debut in 1959 with ''[[The Big Fisherman]]'', released by [[Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s [[Buena Vista Distribution|Buena Vista]] division. ==A move into cameras== By 1962, four of Panavision's founders had left the company to pursue private careers.<ref name="BIJL"/> That year, MGM's Camera 65 production of ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' went so far over budget that the studio was forced to liquidate assets to cover its costs. As a result of this liquidation, Panavision acquired MGM's camera equipment division, as well as the rights to the Camera 65 system it had developed for MGM; the technology was renamed [[Ultra Panavision 70|Ultra Panavision]].<ref name="BIJL"/> Only six more features were made with the system: ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963), ''[[The Fall of the Roman Empire (movie)|The Fall of the Roman Empire]]'' (1964), ''[[Battle of the Bulge]]'' (1965), ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965), ''[[The Hallelujah Trail]]'' (1965), and ''[[Khartoum (film)|Khartoum]]'' (1966).<ref>Hart, Martin. [http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcr6.htm "Cinerama Single Film Presentations."] WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> As 1.25x anamorphosers for 70&nbsp;mm projectors have become rare, most of the 70&nbsp;mm prints of these films still in circulation are designed for projection with nonanamorphic, spherical lenses. The result is a 2.20:1 aspect ratio, rather than the broader ratio originally intended. Although Fox insisted on maintaining CinemaScope for a time, some actors disliked the system. For Fox's 1965 production ''[[Von Ryan's Express]]'', [[Frank Sinatra]] reputedly demanded that Auto Panatar lenses be used. Such pressures led Fox to completely abandon CinemaScope for Auto Panatars that year; ''Von Ryan's Express'' was the studio's first picture with Panavision lenses.<ref>[http://www.panavision.com/in_frame_detail.php?spotid=13&langid=1&typeid=1 "Honoring Our Own."] Panavision.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> To meet the extraordinary demand for Panavision projection lenses, Gottschalk had Bausch & Lomb CinemaScope lenses retrofitted into Panavision housings with a new astigmatic attachment, improving them greatly. This was revealed many years after Gottschalk's death; a lead designer from Bausch & Lomb, who had been involved with the original CinemaScope project, came to work as a designer for Panavision and—after opening some of the older lenses—figured out the secret.<ref name="golden"/> [[Image:Panalogosm.png|thumb|left|The Panavision logo incorporates three [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]]s into its design—1.33 (TV, standard [[Academy ratio|"Academy" ratio]]) on the inside, 1.85 (standard U.S. [[widescreen]]) in the middle, and 2.35/2.40 ([[anamorphic format#2.35, 2.39, or 2.40?|modern 35mm anamorphic]]) on the outside.]] In the mid-1960s, Gottschalk altered Panavision's business model. The company now maintained its full inventory, making its lenses and the cameras it had acquired from MGM available only by rental.<ref name="BIJL2">Bijl, Adriaan. [http://www.in70mm.com/newsletter/2002/67/panavision/pages/diffusion.htm "The Importance of Panavision: Diffusion Phase."] in70mm.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> This meant that equipment could be maintained, modified, and regularly updated directly by the company. When Panavision eventually brought its own camera designs to market, it was relatively unconstrained by retrofitting and manufacturing costs, as it was not directly competing on sales price. This allowed Panavision to build cameras to new standards of durability.<ref>Panavision Inc. [http://www.secinfo.com/dsvrn.12e8.d.htm Panavision 8-K SEC Filing.] SECInfo.com. [[2004-08-08]]; [http://www.answers.com/topic/panavision-inc "Panavision."] Encyclopedia of Company Histories/Answers.com. Both retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> The new business model required additional upfront capital; to this end, the company was sold to Banner Productions in 1965, with Gottschalk remaining as president.<ref name="BIJL2"/> Panavision would soon begin branching out into markets beyond [[Hollywood]], eventually including New York, Europe, Australia, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia.<ref name="acpstory"/> [[Kinney National Service]] bought out Banner in 1968 and took over [[Warner Brothers]] the following year, eventually renaming itself [[Warner Communications]].<ref name="BIJL2"/> Kinney/Warner's financial resources made possible a massive expansion in Panavision's inventory, as well as substantial leaps in research and development. During this period, the company's R&D department focused on retrofitting the industry standard 35&nbsp;mm camera, the Mitchell BNC. The effort to develop a lighter, quieter camera with a [[Reflex finder|reflex viewfinder]] led to the introduction of the Panavision Silent Reflex (PSR) in 1967.<ref name="PANHIST"/> The camera could provide a [[rotary disc shutter|shutter angle]] of up to 200 degrees. Many refinements were made to the PSR during the first few years after its introduction, and it soon became one of the most popular studio cameras in the world.<ref name="acpstory"/> Panavision also began manufacturing spherical lenses for 1.85:1 photography, garnering a significant share of the market. In 1968, Panavision released a handheld 65&nbsp;mm camera.<ref name="BIJL"/> By that time, however, the much cheaper process of blowing up 35&nbsp;mm anamorphic films to 70&nbsp;mm—introduced with ''[[The Cardinal]]'' (1964)—had made 65&nbsp;mm production virtually obsolete.<ref>Loring, Charles. "Breakthrough in 35mm-to-70mm Print-Up Process." ''American Cinematographer,'' April 1964.</ref> In 1970, the last two feature films shot entirely with Super Panavision were released: ''[[Song of Norway]]'' and ''[[Ryan's Daughter]]''. In the decades since, only a handful of films have been shot in 65&nbsp;mm.<ref name="SUPER">Hart, Martin. [http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/splist.htm "Super Panavision Filmography."] WidescreenMuseum.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]]; Hauerslev, Thomas. [http://www.in70mm.com/library/formats/super_panavision_70.htm "Super Panavision 70."] in70mm.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-06]].</ref> == Panaflex is born == Albert Mayer led the next major project: the creation of a lightweight reflex camera adaptable to either handheld or studio conditions. After four years of development, the Panaflex debuted in 1972. A revolutionary camera that operated quietly, the Panaflex eliminated the need for a cumbersome [[blimp|sound blimp]], and could synchronize handheld work. The Panaflex also included a digital electronic [[tachometer]] and [[camera magazine|magazine]] motors for the take-up reel.<ref name="probstmill">Probst, Christopher. "A Camera for the 21st century." ''American Cinematographer,'' March 1999, pp. 201–211.</ref> [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[The Sugarland Express]]'' (1974) was the first motion picture filmed with the Panaflex.<ref>Brode, Douglas. ''The Films of Steven Spielberg''. Citadel Press, 1995: p. 39. ISBN 0-8065-1540-6.</ref> During the 1970s, the Panaflex line was updated and marketed in new incarnations: the Panaflex X, Panaflex Lightweight (for [[steadicam]]), the high-speed Panastar, Panaflex Gold, and Panaflex G2. Panavision came out with a direct competitor to [[Tiffen]]'s Steadicam stabilizer, the Panaglide harness.<ref name="BIJL2"/> The Panacam, a [[video camera]], was also brought out, though the company largely left the video field to others. Robert Gottschalk died in 1982 at the age of 64. After Gottschalk's death, Kinney National sold the company to a consortium headed by [[Ted Field]], John Farrand, and Alan Hirschfield,<ref name="BIJL2"/> and backed by Chicago newspaper and department store heir [[Frederick Field (retailer)|Frederick Field]].<ref name="afi">Slide, Anthony. "Panavision," in ''The American Film Industry: A Historical Dictionary''. Limelight Editions, 1990: pp. 253–254. ISBN 0-8791-0139-3.</ref> With new ownership came sweeping changes to the company, which had stagnated. Optics testing was computerized and, in 1986, the new Platinum model camera was introduced. The next year—responding to a perceived demand for the resurrection of the 65&nbsp;mm camera—development began on a new model. The company was sold to Lee International PLC for $100 million in 1987, but financing was overextended and ownership reverted to the investment firm [[Warburg Pincus]] two years later.<ref name="BIJL2"/> In 1989, the company brought out Primo, a new line of lenses. Designed with a consistent color match between all the different [[focal length|focal-length]] instruments in the line, these were also the sharpest lenses yet manufactured by Panavision. Six years later, Oscars were awarded to the company and to three of its employees for their work on the Primo 3:1 [[zoom lens]]: Iain Neil for the optical design, Rick Gelbard for the mechanical design, and Eric Dubberke for the lens's engineering. According to the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|AMPAS]] citation, "The high contrast and absence of flare, along with its ability to provide close focusing and to maintain constant image size while changing focus, make the Primo 3:1 Zoom Lens truly unique."<ref>[http://wwwdb.oscars.org/ampas/plsql/ampas_award.detail?primekey_in=1999070716:12:46881424423 1995 (68th Academy Awards)—Scientific and Engineering Award—Lenses and Filters.] Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on [[2007-10-09]].</ref> In 1991, the company released its new 65&nbsp;mm technology, System 65,<ref name="PANHIST"/> though [[Arri]] had beaten it to market by two years with the Arriflex 765. The gauge was not widely readopted, and only two major Hollywood films were shot with the new 65&nbsp;mm Panavision process: ''[[Far and Away]]'' (1992) and [[Kenneth Branagh]]'s ''[[Hamlet (1996 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1996), the last known feature film to be shot entirely on 65&nbsp;mm.<ref name="SUPER"/> In 1992, Panavision launched a project to develop a camera that involved rethinking every aspect of the company's existing 35 mm system. Nolan Murdock and Albert Mayer Sr. headed up the design team.<ref name="probstmill"/> The new Millennium camera, replacing the Platinum as the company's flagship, was introduced in 1997. The Millennium XL came to the market in 1999 and was led by Al Mayer, Jr. It soon established itself as Panavision’s new 35mm workhorse. The XL was the first product in Panavision history to win both an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award with in the first year of official release. The update to the XL, the XL2 was initially released in 2004.[26] .<ref name="KACZ">Kaczek, Frédéric-Gérard. [http://www.imago.org/main/public_html/_htm_equipment/panavision.htm "Panavision."] European Federation of Cinematographers (Imago.org). Retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> The first feature films to use these latter two systems were, respectively, ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]'' (2000) and ''[[Just Like Heaven (film)|Just Like Heaven]]'' (2005). The XL series not only had a much smaller camera body—making it suitable for studio, handheld, and steadicam work—but also marked the first significant change to the film transport mechanism in the camera since the Panaflex: two smaller sprocket drums for feed and take-up (a design similar to the [[Moviecam]] and subsequent [[Arricam]]) instead of one large drum to do both.<ref>Probst, Christopher. "Dawn of a New Millennium." ''American Cinematographer'', February 2005, pp. 80–82.</ref> As of 2006, Panavision has no further plans to develop additional film camera models.<ref>Kirsner, Scott. "[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/24/technology/24digital.html Studios Shift to Digital Movies, but Not Without Resistance]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[2006-07-24]]. Retrieved [[2007-10-13]].</ref> ==Recent restructuring and acquisitions== [[Ronald Perelman]]'s solely owned MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings (Mafco) acquired a majority interest in Panavision in 1998, via a Mafco subsidiary. After aborted attempts to create a film-style video camera in the 1970s and 1980s, Panavision joined the digital revolution in July 2000, establishing DHD Ventures in partnership with [[Sony]]. The new company's objective was to raise the quality of [[High-definition video|high definition]] digital video to the standards of top-level Hollywood motion-picture production.<ref name="SEC2002">Panavision Inc. [http://sec.edgar-online.com/2002/03/29/0000950172-02-000624/Section2.asp Panavision 10-K SEC Filing for 2002.] Edgar-Online.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-31]].</ref> This cooperative venture was established largely at the instigation of [[George Lucas]] to serve his designs for the [[Star Wars]] prequels.<ref>Hearn, Marcus. ''The Cinema of George Lucas''. Abrams, 2005: p. 222. ISBN 0-8109-4968-7.</ref> The collaboration resulted in the Sony HDW-F900 [[CineAlta]] [[HDCAM]] high definition video camera. Sony produced the electronics and a stand-alone version of the camera; Panavision supplied custom-designed high definition lenses, trademarked Primo Digital, and retrofitted the camera body to incorporate standard film camera accessories, facilitating the equipment's integration into existing crew equipment as a "digital cinema camera."<ref>[http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/archives/Panavision.html "Panavision Makes Major Purchase of Sony 24p CineAlta High Definition Camcorders."] HDTVMagazine.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> The new system was used in the making of [[Lucasfilm]]'s ''[[Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones]]'' (2002), described as "the first digital major feature film."<ref name="SEC2002"/> The next step in the evolution of the digital cinema camera also involved collaboration between Sony and Panavision; this time, Panavision participated in all stages of development. The aim was to create a system that could use the entire range of the company's 35&nbsp;mm spherical lenses. This led to the 2004 introduction of the Genesis HD—a [[chroma subsampling|full bandwidth (4:4:4)]] [[Serial Digital Interface|HD SDI]] camera with improved [[colorimetry]]- and [[sensitometry]]-related specs. Its [[Super 35 mm film]]–sized recording area made it focally compatible with regular 35&nbsp;mm lenses, giving it a true 35&nbsp;mm [[depth of field]].<ref name="hodigital">Holben, Jay. "Let There Be Digital: Panavision Unveils Digital Cinematography Camera." ''American Cinematographer,'' September 2004, pp. 94–98.</ref><ref>Lazotte, Suzanne. [http://www.panavision.com.au/News/Genesis.htm "Panavision Genesis Super 35 Digital Cinematography Camera System."] Panavision.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-20]].</ref> The camera's electronics—including its CCD ([[charge-coupled device]]) [[image sensor]]—and [[HDCAM-SR|HDCAM SR]] [[video tape recorder|record deck]] were manufactured by Sony. The [[chassis]] and mechanics were designed by a Panavision team led by Albert Mayer Jr., son of the Panaflex designer.<ref name="hodigital"/> The Genesis was first used on ''[[Flyboys]]'' (2006);<ref>Birchard, Robert S. [http://www.ascmag.com/magazine_dynamic/October2006/ProductionSlate/page1.php "World War I Flying Aces."] ''American Cinematographer'' (ASCMag.com). October 2006. Retrieved on [[2007-01-31]].</ref> ''[[Scary Movie 4]]'' (2006), shot afterward, went into general release first because of the extensive visual effects work needed to complete ''Flyboys''.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362120/releaseinfo ''Scary Movie 4'' (release dates)]; [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454824/releaseinfo ''Flyboys'' (release dates).] IMDb.com. Retrieved on [[2007-02-07]].</ref> Subsequent to the completion of major design work on the Genesis, Panavision bought out Sony's 49 percent share of DHD Ventures and fully consolidated it in September 2004.<ref>Panavision Inc. [http://www.secinfo.com/dsvrn.v2Hx.htm Panavision 10-K SEC Filing for 2005.] SECInfo.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-31]].</ref> During the same period, Panavision began acquiring related motion picture companies, including [[eFilm]] (acquired 2001; sold to Deluxe in full by 2004),<ref>[http://www.panavision.com/publish/2004/08/09/PanavisionsellsEFILMtodeluxerelease.pdf "Panavision Sells Interest in EFILM to Deluxe Labs" (press release).] Panavision.com. [[2004-08-09]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> Technovision France (2004),<ref>[http://www.panavision.com/publish/2004/08/17/PanavisionbuysTechnovisionFrancefinal.pdf "Panavision Purchases Technovision France" (press release).] Panavision.com. [[2004-08-16]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-19]].</ref> the motion picture camera rental arm of Canadian rental house William F. White International (2005),<ref>[http://www.panavision.com/publish/2005/01/04/2005_WFWHITE.pdf "Panavision Canada Acquires Camera Assets of William F. White International Inc." (press release).] Panavision.com. [[2005-01-04]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-17]].</ref> digital camera rental company Plus8Digital (2006),<ref>[http://www.panavision.com/publish/2006/10/03/Panavision%20Acquires%20Plus%208%20Final%20Release%2010%202%2006.pdf "Panavision Acquires Plus 8 Digital" (press release).] Panavision.com. [[2006-10-02]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-17]].</ref> international lighting and equipment company AFM (2006),<ref>[http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=183514 "Panavision Enters Into Agreement to Acquire AFM Group."] PRNewswire.co.uk. [[2006-11-07]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-17]].</ref> and UK camera companies One8Six (2006) and JDC (2007).<ref>Giardina, Carolyn. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3id44a9b9dc70d8043b8dca2ed90b17546 "Panavision reels in Joe Dunton."] The Hollywood Reporter. [[2007-08-15]]. Retrieved on [[2007-08-31]].</ref> On [[July 28]], [[2006]], Mafco announced it was acquiring the remaining Panavision stock and returning the company to private status. A $345 million credit line from [[Bear Stearns]] and [[Credit Suisse]] was secured to finance the company's debt as well as to facilitate "global acquisitions."<ref>Zeitchik, Steven. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117941658.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1 "Panavision Hones Its Focus."] Variety.com. [[2006-04-18]]. Retrieved on [[2007-01-17]].</ref> That same year, Mafco acquired Deluxe Entertainment Services Group.<ref>[http://www.macandrewsandforbes.com/family_of_companies/deluxe.htm "Deluxe" (corporate holdings description).] MacAndrewsandForbes.com. Retrieved on [[2007-01-17]].</ref> == See also == * [[Panavision cameras]] * [[List of film formats|List of motion picture film formats]] * [[PV mount]] == Notes == {{reflist|2}} == External links == * [http://www.panavision.com/ Official Panavision site] [[Category:Cinematography]] [[Category:Companies established in 1953]] [[Category:Manufacturing companies of the United States]] [[Category:Movie cameras]] [[de:Panavision]] [[fr:Panavision]] [[it:Panavision]] [[es:Panavision]] [[nl:Panavision]] [[ja:パナビジョン (会社)]] [[fi:Panavision]] [[sv:Panavision]]