CineArray launches with new 8-camera RED-based array

CVP, one of Europe’s leading resellers and providers of professional video and broadcast solutions, and specialist asset finance house CVF, were instrumental in ensuring CineArray’s latest state-of-the-art 8-camera cinematic array based around 8x RED V-Raptors mounting Zeiss CP.3 lenses got off the ground.

It is a landmark rig for CineArray, and one whose release coincides with the launch of the company as a standalone business from under the CineGroup umbrella (which also houses CineAero), further leveraging its expertise in the hire and skilled operation of the new breed of 3, 6, 8 or 12 camera arrays.All kit was supplied by CVP, which worked closely with RED and Zeiss to source the equipment in a complex supply chain and deliver it on schedule. With each of the eight individual camera and lens combinations costing close to £25,000, the new array represents a significant investment for CineArray, and the company also worked closely with CVF, Creative Vision Finance, to underwrite the funding. 

“This is not your standard piece of film equipment; it’s a high-spec rig for a specialised market and, without working with companies such as CVP and CVF that understand the business and the way it operates, building the RED Raptor rig would have been much harder,” comments Dani Rose, Director and Chief Pilot, CineArray.

Multi-camera arrays are used primarily to generate immersive environments for 360-degree viewing, backgrounds for LED volumes, and specialist VFX shots, and, as a result, need to operate in very high resolutions. The new rig uses 8x RED V-Raptor cameras mounted precisely in a carefully and robustly engineered housing, each providing an 8K image that is then stitched together in post-production to provide extremely high resolution full 360° coverage of any given scene.

The 8x RED V-Raptors are coupled with 8x equally high-end Zeiss CP.3 XD 21mm T/2.9 compact prime lenses, chosen for their combination of optimum image quality as well as lightweight and compact design. Given that the array is designed for a Libra head to be mounted on a helicopter or tracking vehicle, the weight savings — times eight! — over conventional primes are critical, while the CP.3’s excellent reputation for providing a clean image with no baked in ‘look’ makes them ideal for the detailed post work that often takes place on array-originated shots.

The new array has already been used on several tentpole titles due to release this summer, and has a busy summer booked ahead shooting on other marquee releases. 

“We were delighted to work with CineArray on what is a world-leading piece of production equipment that is being used on some of the biggest titles you care to name,” comments CVP’s CEO, Jon Fry. “Funding and sourcing all the equipment necessary to build the new rig at the same time was a complex process involving us, CVF, RED, and Zeiss all working together, but it was well worth the effort. The company has invested heavily in developing its skills and expertise over recent years and now complements that with an 8-camera array that represents the absolute current state-of-the-art.”