PRESS RELEASE
Effective: May 22, 2014
CW Sonderoptic GmbH
Leica Cine Lenses – A Dream Come True
For 100 years Leica has been the icon of photographic imagery. Before the invention of the Ur-Leica, the Ernst Leitz company was involved in the motion picture business by making film projectors – and Oskar Barnack even developed a motion picture camera.
Over the years many cinematographers were and are Leica shooters. And they have all dreamed the same dream: they wanted to bring what they loved about their photography into the world of moving pictures. The dream came true when Leica Cine Lenses were born.
CW Sonderoptic GmbH, designer and manufacturer of the Leica Cine Lenses, began the project seven years ago with three main goals:
1) Give them an essential look for motion pictures that radiates beauty and loves talent.
2) Innovate with a new level of performance and other first-in-class features never before seen.
3) Create the best lenses possible, even though it requires assembling and fine-tuning certain pieces by hand. Every lens a unique masterpiece.
Less than three years after the Leica Summilux-C lenses were first released, award-winning cinematographers and directors have adopted them for some of the biggest feature film projects with some of the most talented actors and actresses in the world. (Sample list on the next page)
Desire for the look of the Leica Summilux-C lenses resulted in a staggering number of orders, but another segment of the market sighed and said, “If only…” CW Sonderoptic listened and developed a new line of cine lenses for the large part of the market that wanted the Leica look and feel and prestige, but for whom the Summilux-C lenses were out of their budget. In December 2013 the Leica Summicron-C cine lenses were introduced and over 100 sets have been delivered worldwide. And this is only the beginning.
For further questions during the event, please connect with any of the following people:
Erik Feichtinger, Gerhard Baier, Christian Skrein and Seth Emmons
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ABOUT CW SONDEROPTIC
Located at Leitz Park, CW Sonderoptic GmbH is wholly owned by ACM, the majority shareholder of Leica Camera, and is a sister company with a design and production partnership. CW Sonderoptic designs and manufactures premium products for the cinema production market.
PRESS CONTACT
Seth Emmons – Marketing Director, Cine Products
M: +1 818 653 4381
www.cw-sonderoptic.com
Who is using Leica Cine Lenses?
Some of the biggest directors in Hollywood and around the world have chosen Leica Cine Lenses to create the look of their feature films. They include:
· Michael Bay – Transformers: The Age of Extinction (2014)
o Known for Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor
· David Fincher – Gone Girl (2015)
o Known for The Social Network, Se7en, Zodiac
· Wachoswski Brothers – Jupiter Ascending (2014)
o Known for The Matrix Trilogy, Cloud Atlas
· Wim Wenders – Everything Will Be Fine (2014)
o Known for Pina, Buena Vista Social Club
· Bryan Singer – X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
o Known for The Usual Suspects, X-Men: First Class
Cinematographers interpret the director’s vision and collaborate with him or her to determine what tools will best tell their story. Many top cinematographers are already turning to Leica Cine Lenses to complete this vision, including:
· John Toll, ASC – Iron Man 3 (2013), Jupiter Ascending (2014)
o 2 Oscars for Braveheart, Legends of the Fall
· Jeff Cronenweth, ASC – Gone Girl (2015)
o Known for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network, Fight Club
· Michael Ballhaus, ASC – 3096 Days (2013)
o Known for The Departed, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York
· Michael Seresin, BSC – Dawn of Planet of the Apes (2014)
o Known for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
· Amir Mokri - Transformers: The Age of Extinction (2014)
o Known for Man of Steel, Fast & Furious
And some of the most talented actors and actresses have stood in front of them, including:
· Meryl Streep – Hope Springs (2012)
o 3 Oscars for Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie’s Choice, The Iron Lady
· Ben Affleck – Gone Girl (2015)
o 2 Oscars for Argo, Good Will Hunting
· Tommy Lee Jones – Hope Springs (2012)
o 1 Oscar for The Fugitive
· Gwyneth Paltrow – Iron Man 3 (2013)
o 1 Oscar for Shakespeare in Love
· Geoffrey Rush – The Book Thief (2013)
o 1 Oscar for Shine
· Jennifer Lawrence – X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
o 1 Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook