Chronicle of a Camera: The Arriflex 35 in North America, 1945-1972

A Note on Terms

xiii A Note on Terms Throughout this book, I use the designation “Arriflex 35,” in conformity with the manufacturer’s initial practice, as a general name for the entire series of 35mm cameras based closely on the original prewar Arriflex design—the only 35mm Arriflexes made prior to the release of the 35mm Arriflex BL in the early 1970s. These models include the original Arriflex, the Model I (1938–1945), the Model II (1946–1953), the Model IIA (1953–1957), the Model IIB (1957–1964), and the Model IIC (1964–1979). I also use the term inclusively when referring in a general manner to the variants within these models, namely the IIBV, IIB-S, and IIB-T, along with the various versions of the IIC: the IICV, IIC-S, IIC-T, and IICGS , and then the IIC/B, with its variants. In addition, I include under this general designation the Arriflex IIB and IIC cameras purchased and modified by Panavision for rental as part of Panavision camera packages. (The introduction and special characteristics of these models and their variants will be discussed most fully in Chapter 4.) Indeed, by the time the Arriflex IIC ceased production in 1979, nearly 17,000 Arriflex cameras based on the original Arriflex 35 design had been manufactured. For the sake of consistency, I have also chosen to refer throughout the book to all of the Arriflex II models and its variants by using the roman numeral “II.” In the mid-1960s, after the launch of the IIC, Arriflex itself switched over and began referring to the cameras with an arabic numeral, as the “2C,” and so forth. Although I have retained the older usage employing the roman numeral in my own references, I have kept the arabic form in all quotations that refer to the camera in that manner. This page intentionally left blank Chronicle of a Camera This page intentionally left blank ...