Arriflex 535B - Overview/Tutorial

Hi everyone! This is a video that took a LONG time to come to fruition. We filmed this overview back in the summer of 2022 and it has taken forever to get finished. That being said, please enjoy. It's a little rough around the edges but the information should all be correct so hopefully it can help anyone who has an upcoming shoot on a 535A/B or is just curious. It is a long video though so I wont be offend if you put it on 1.5 or even 2.0 speed.
*A couple quick notes. Sorry that it's hard to see anything about the shutter. We learned a lot about how to shoot these kinds of videos after the fact... Second at the very end of the video I think I'm a little too harsh on the 535B. It really is an excellent camera so long as you have the support to handle the weight. It was extremely hot in the studio that day and I think some of anguish rubbed off in the conclusion, lol. Lastly I mention early in the overview that there are no videos talking about the 535. This was true at the time of recording but is no long true. I'm not trying to shade anyone. There are several other great videos.
I also wanted to give a huge thank you to Sidharth Sadhujan, Kyle Mikolajczyk, Lisa Vidal, Richard Hake, and Hawke Commercial Filmmaking. This video would not have happened without their help. Also be sure to check out Kyle's KZbin channel. There's a lot of excellent videos there:
/ @kylemiko
Also if you're looking for the Arriflex 535B manual, you can find it here:
archive.org/details/manualzz-id-1312679/mode/2up
I had to split up the link because of KZbin verification.
0:00 - Intro
5:28 - Operator's Side of the Camera
11:06 - Assistant's Side of the Camera
12:12 - The PL Lens Mount
14:24 - The Viewfinder and Top of the Camera
23:26 - Power, I/O, and Accessory Ports
27:04 - Loading the 400ft Coaxial Magazine
33:38 - Loading the 1000ft Magazine
36:57 - Loading the 400ft Steadicam/Displacement Magazines
40:30 - The Movement and Threading the Magazines to the Camera
44:59 - Changing the Pitch
45:51 - The Film gate
47:53 - Film Jams
48:24 - The Arri RCU-1
50:49 - Outro
Thank you all for watching and please let me know if you have any questions!

[@KyleMiko]

Fantastic video, Jake! Thanks for inviting me, I totally had a blast. Now I just need to get my hands on a 535B...

[@JakeScumaci]

Thanks for all your help, Kyle! It was fun. Sorry it took 1.5 years, lol.

[@philpritchard5173]

Great video thanks. Would love to see any more you have on these great cameras.

[@MylesSmith-q4y]

Keep film alive.

[@MosesBuckwalterZookCabins]

I'm not sure when the last time I watched an hour long KZbin video. This was a really great in depth overview, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would love to know more about the video tap!

[@JakeScumaci]

Glad you enjoyed the video! We've had a few people ask about the tap so we might just have to make a video about it.

[@dramalama4911]

great video, thanks for the effort and showing all the things in a not shiny but true way.

[@TheGamer6653]

Great Video. If possible, please show us more!

[@ChrisTailor]

Such a useful video, I’ve never come across a video so comprehensive about an Arriflex in good quality and I’ve always wanted to learn some more about them so I can reasonably consider renting them for films in the future. Thanks, Jake! :)

[@JakeScumaci]

I'm glad the video was helpful! Arri makes/made great cameras, but finding any information other than the manual can be tricky sometimes. I was fortunate enough to have a retired AC go through the camera with me years ago, but we realized not everyone gets that chance so we decided to make the video. Thanks for watching!

[@lbarnard86]

Amazing! Loved it. More please!

[@JakeScumaci]

Glad you liked it! I have access to a few more cameras so hopefully we can eventually get some more videos out.

[@metaljose]

Thanks so much for this video!... awesomeness all the way!!

[@Lambda_official]

Fantastic work

[@tremorist]

Apart from being a behemoth, it is an excellent camera.

[@JakeScumaci]

I agree. It's a great camera system and I love the coaxial magazines and viewfinder. You just need a beefy tripod.

[@EVERYTHING-ez6kz]

Thanks for this vidėo

[@jonasongaro1584]

Really thanks

[@richardhawke]

Great tutorial!

[@MylesSmith-q4y]

Someone should do a video about film recorders.

[@diesel7903]

So glad we have digital now

[@JakeScumaci]

Yeah, digital certainly does make things a lot easier. This video would not have been financially possible if we had to shoot it on, say, 16mm film instead of digitally. That being said, I do rather enjoy the workflow and look of film and prefer to use it on narrative projects where feasible. I'm just thankful both formats are still an option.

[@evildead3586]

You will never get so much character like a film camera. It's worth to do more work. So you have more appreciation to what you're filming. Digital cameras have killed the spirit of filming.

[@ErnestoMaldonado-mq8mx]

​@@evildead3586You'll get over it.

[@MylesSmith-q4y]

Don't get to obsessed with digital because there's evil behind it.

[@roberttorres6693]

Thanks for the video Jake, great work. I’m wondering if you know if there is an anamorphic viewfinder attachment for the eyepiece.

[@JakeScumaci]

Glad you enjoyed the video! As far as I know, the only way to de-squeeze an anamorphic image on the 535B is to use Arri's official anamorphic viewfinder. It looks almost identical to the viewfinder in the video, but it has a large black dial at the top that allows you to switch between de-squeeze and standard image modes. These are relatively rare though, so if you need one for a project make sure you get it with whatever camera package you are using. I've tried for years to track one down and have had no success.

[@roberttorres6693]

@@JakeScumaci Thanks for the info! One more question - for the video assist- is it as easy as plugging the SDI out to a SmallHD? Thus enabling anamorphic desqueeze on an onboard monitor perhaps...

[@JakeScumaci]

@@roberttorres6693 Unfortunately its bit more more complicated than that. If you want to use a newer monitor with the 535B tap (the one in the video) you will most likely need an analog to digital converter acting as a "middle man". This would then allow you to use your monitor to de-squeeze the image. There are a lot of different taps out there though, so depending on your model you may not need said converter.

[@ahmeddha4682]

Hi Jake, thank you for this video, That's very useful, but I want to ask about (glow mask) 22:55 .. Exactly for what please? And what is normal or perfect shutter speed for 24fps with 500t film stock? Finally, what do you recommend battery.. And SLI-D600 Is It Enough with 535b? Many thanks..

[@JakeScumaci]

Hi! Thanks for watching. The glow masks are so you can change the aspect ratio on the Arriglow function. Arriglow itself is a neat feature that puts up lit red bars in the viewfinder so you can see your frame lines in dark or dim environments (which is very useful for when you cant see the ground glass well). By changing the glow mask you change the aspect ratio of the red bars in the viewfinder. As for the right shutter speed, typically at 24fps you would leave the shutter at 180 degrees. And those block batteries should work fine. The 535b runs with 24-30Vdc @10A (minimum 7A). As long as you fall within those specifications you should be more than good! I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have anymore questions.

[@ahmeddha4682]

Great. I get it.. it's mean glow mask is only a preview aspect ratio in viewfinder.. example 1.85 or 1.77 and 2.35 aspects ratio... that's mean no change film area or like that..?

[@JakeScumaci]

That's right. It doesn't change the film area. It's just meant to help show your frame lines so you can keep your desired aspect ratio.