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FTC STUDENTS DISCOVER ARRI RENTAL’S WORLD OF CAMERAS

FTC students visit ARRI Rental (Photo: J. Kramer)

By Jeff Kramer

Five Towns College students and Film division faculty had an eye-opening experience on November 18th at ARRI Rental, a high-tech camera equipment company in Long Island City, New York. ARRI Rental offers a diverse camera inventory across a broader range of professional formats, which have been used in numerous Hollywood movies and TV shows, most notably HBO’s “Succession.”

FTC alum John Sakellariou, who runs the facility, invited the group. The newest prep tech at the facility is Matthew Charran, an FTC 2020 graduate who discussed how he applied his FTC education to his job at ARRI. “At Five Towns, my time was mainly spent working in the equipment room, so I was already familiar with that environment and everything, so going into ARRI was almost like a bigger step. At Five Towns, even though it was on a smaller scale, they prepared me to deal with gear, having to pull orders, having to be in that mindset.”

ARRI Rental in Long Island City, NY (Photo: J. Kramer)

Students and faculty toured the entire facility, including the equipment storage rooms, office workspaces and suites, and a mini-movie theater. The gorgeous view of the New York City skyline provided an exciting backdrop. Junior Film student Anthony Cohen discussed some of his insights about the trip. “My favorite part was when we went into the camera room and just played with the camera. And I just enjoyed asking questions and talking to and listening to other people’s questions. They showed us how the camera works and what you can do with it, and it was just really cool.”

Professor Michael Prywes, Chair of the FTC Film division, discussed what he hoped students would get out of this experience. “It really goes along the lines of inspiring our students to think beyond shooting with an iPhone or shooting with a DSLR camera; that this is still the way so many productions are made, and the possibilities are just extraordinary, and they’re not some faraway thing that you can’t be a part of. Yes, FTC students can be a part of this traditional production world.”