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Angenieux Optimo DP Lenses Provide Hands-On Professional Experience for UNLV Students

August 61, 2010

Source: Angenieux

When shooting a 105-page script on a tight schedule with only one camera, every minute counts according to Francisco Menendez, Professor and Chair of UNLV’s (University of Nevada, Las Vegas) Department of Film.

Professor Menendez’s students recently completed a co-curricular project under these exact conditions and successfully pulled it off with help from Thales Angenieux

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“Angenieux loaned us the Optimo DP 16-42 and the Optimo DP 30-80 lenses for a period of three weeks and they were an absolute godsend for this project,” said Professor Menendez. “The lenses allowed us to shoot in low light conditions, dial in prime numbers and saved us immeasurable amounts of time because we only had one lens change per vantage point instead of five.”

The feature production, entitled “Break the House”, stars Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts as well as Antonio Fargas from the television series Starsky and Hutch. The movie was shot with the large format RED One™ camera and the production was produced, directed and staged by students and faculty from UNLV’s Department of Film.

As part of the four-year non-vocational degree program, UNLV film students are offered the opportunity to gain professional experience in narrative film and digital video production techniques. According to Professor Menendez, the use of the Optimo DP lenses for this most recent production provided students the hands-on experience of working with state-of-the-art digital optics.

“Although we had a set of primes available for the majority of the shoot they stayed in the case because the Optimo lenses performed as well as or better than the primes,” said Professor Menendez. “We only used the primes once during the production and that was in a very low light scenario. I’m sure the Optimo lenses would have done the job just as well, but it proved to be a good teaching/learning opportunity. These lenses are definitely going into our budget plans for next year.”

The PL mount Optimo DP Series is designed specifically for large format digital cameras, and features a fast aperture of T:2.8, calibrated focus marks, no ramping or breathing, and weigh only 1.9kg each. Incorporating the next generation of optics for high-definition imaging devices, including a unique mechanical design for precise zoom and focus, the Optimo DP 16-42 and DP 30-80 lenses deliver the industry-leading quality of Angenieux’s Optimo lenses at an affordable price.

“The two lenses make a complete and versatile package with total combined focal range of 16–80 mm” said Eva Paryzka, Sales Manager Cinema Products, Thales Angenieux. “We are very pleased with the feedback from the University and to know that the project was completed so successfully.”