Aaton
| AATON SA
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Société Anonyme |
| founding | 1968 |
| Seat | Grenoble , France |
| Branch | Film cameras, sound recorders, post production systems |
| Website | www.aaton.com |
Aaton is a French manufacturer of cameras , sound recording systems and post production equipment .
history
In 1967 Jean-Pierre Beauviala developed a camera that recorded time code for sound and image simultaneously. This camera was manufactured by the Éclair company , which seemed so beneficial to the use of this synchronous camera system that they produced series models together with Jean-Pierre Beauviala. Harry Saltzman acquired Éclair and Beuaviala started again with camera development and production in Grenoble. In 1971 the new development, a 16 mm camera with sound and time code recording, was presented under the type designation Aaton 7A. The delivery started successfully in 1973 and the device found many customers, including the BBC , the Swedish and French public broadcasters. Based on this initial success, Aaton cameras became successful worldwide. In 1985, ARRI sued the company for patent infringement and Aaton went bankrupt. The rescue company managed to save the company. Today, Aaton sells and lends its cameras, sound recorders and post-production systems on all continents of the world and is represented in 35 countries. Together with the manufacturers ARRI, Panavision , Red Digital Cinema Camera Company and Sony, Aaton is one of the five most successful camera outfitters for feature film productions.
equipment
Aaton manufactures two 16mm cameras, the Xtera and A-Minima, and two 35mm cameras, the Penelope and the 35-III. The Cantar-X recorder is manufactured as a sound recording system, remotely controllable via the Arcan system. These devices are very successful, in 2008 Kirk Francis won an Oscar for his sound work on Aaton devices. Keylink and Indawpass are post-production systems for synchronized sound processing .
Departure into the digital age
While the sound processing systems are already fully digital, Aaton's cameras are still largely mechanical. The 35mm Penelope camera is Aaton's first digital cinema camera . Although based on a classic mechanical camera, the rear wall and the transport mechanism on this device are exchanged for a digital rear wall with a sensor. On April 26, 2013, company founder Beauviala published a notice that after quality problems with the Dalsa sensor, Aaton had to file for bankruptcy in order to find a new investor.
Collaboration with Godard
Aaton's main developer, Jean-Pierre Beauviala, was heavily influenced by the filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard when developing the cameras . The company's image of being geared towards independent filmmakers dates back to this time.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Distribution and distribution . Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
- ^ Communiqué de Jean-Pierre Beauviala.
- ↑ Genesis of a Camera: Jean-Pierre Beauviala and Jean-Luc Godard. . Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2015.