Introduction

From the time of its invention by Thomas Alva Edison and William Dickson in 1894, 35mm film stock has been hailed as the gold standard in professional filmmaking. In spite of its high price and the bulkiness of its projection equipment, 35mm film has been widely used since the dawn of cinema due to its superior quality and high stability.

Among the few manufacturers of 35mm cameras such as ARRI, Bell & Howell and Mitchell, ARRI has been leading the pack since the 1920s. American company Panavision joined the competition in the early 1950s and made a splash in 1972 when they put out the revolutionary camera Panaflex. Compared to 16mm, Standard 8mm or Super 8mm, operating 35mm camera is far more complicated and requires extensive training and practice. A camera assistant is often needed and every operator of the 35mm camera must be a true professional.