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Panavision history
Panavision company history timeline
Since its inception in 1954, Panavision has been building long-term relationships with cinematographers, directors, and producers who are at the forefront of the television and motion picture industries.
Panavision started in Los Angeles in 1954 in a camera store owned and operated by Robert Gottschalk.
Founded in 1954, Panavision is the world's leading designer and manufacturer of high-precision lenses for the motion picture and television industries, and one of the world's leading providers of camera systems, including both film and digital cameras.
The cost savings of making flat prints in post-production instead were enormous.) In 1955, Panavision entered the camera lens business by working with MGM to create the Camera 65 system.
Panavision, Inc. was started in 1955 by Robert Gottschalk, a camera pioneer, to meet the needs of motion picture producers who wanted to make movies in a wide-screen format.
He officially introduced the first Panavision lens in 1957.
In 1959, the Ultra Panavision process was premiered with the release of "Ben-Hur." The film won a record 11 Academy Awards, including best color cinematography and a special technical Oscar, awarded to MGM and Panavision, for the development of the Camera 65 process.
In 1965, Panavision was purchased by Banner Productions, headed by Sy Weintraub, which allowed Panavision to expand geographically.
Kinney National Service bought out Banner in 1968 and then took over Warner Brothers the following year, eventually renaming itself Warner Communications.
In 1971, Kinney was renamed Warner Communications, Inc.
The project resulted in the Panaflex, which weighed under 100 pounds, enabling better location filming. "The Sugarland Express" (1973), an early Steven Speilberg film, was the first production filmed entirely with Panaflex cameras.
In 1976, the company developed the Panaflex Gold, an improvement over the Panaflex because of its electronic features.
After Gottschalk died in 1982, a variety of owners bought and sold Panavision--notably Ted Field, the grandson of Marshall Field, founder of the large United States retail chain.
In 1985, Panavision was sold to a group of investors headed by John Farrand, the company's current CEO, and Ted Field, for more than $70 million.
Field sold the company in September 1987 to Britain's Lee International for $142 million.
In 1988, Panavision developed a relay optical system that combined its lenses into the one-inch image format of the Sony high definition HDC-300 camera.
Since 1990, the Academy recognized Panavision with two Oscars and 17 awards for scientific and technical achievement.
In fact, two of every three Oscar nominees for best cinematography since 1990 filmed their works with Panavision systems.
In 1990, Panavision incorporated to become Panavision, Inc.
Panavision spent the next five years securing its place in the industry, returning to profitability in 1993.
In 1994, Panavision led the investment group that established Panavision New York, a dealership with the right to inventory and rental of the company's cameras and lenses in the northeastern United States.
Each of the top ten motion pictures of 1995--including Batman Forever, Apollo 13, Die Hard with a Vengeance, and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls--were filmed using Panavision systems.
In the spirit of Gottschalk, Panavision introduced a new camera system in 1995.
In November 1996, Panavision offered 2.8 million shares of stock at $17 per share.
In 1996, nine of the ten leading box-office successes utilized Panavision cameras and equipment, notably Independence Day, Mission: Impossible, Twister, Ransom, The Rock, and A Time to Kill.
In 1996 Panavision utilized the Tecnara MST modular RAA head to manufacture lens barrels to the exact specifications of professional camera operators.
In total, Panavision manufactured 35 camera systems in 1996.
Europe produced 500 feature films in 1996 alone.
In June 1997, Panavision acquired the Film Services Group of Visual Action Holdings PLC, a London-based company, for $61 million in cash.
In 1997, Panavision introduced the Panavision Take 1--Digital Video Assist, which combined digital and optical technologies for quick editing, optical effects, and bridging special effects and post-production operations.
Panavision released a second innovation in 1997 as well.
In 1997, Panavision faced the future prepared to manufacture additional camera systems and accessories in response to the growing feature film and television commercial markets in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe.
Revenue decreased $0.8 million, or 0.6 percent, compared to 1999.
In 1999, it began collaborations with Sony to develop high definition, digital camera systems.
Camera rental revenue for 2000 was $130.0 million.
In 2000, the two organizations formed a new company to supply Sony and Panavsion technology.
Officers: Ronald O. Perlman, Chmn. of the Board; John S. Farrand, CEO, Pres., and Dir., 58, 2000 salary $900,000; Scott L. Seybold, EVP and CFO, 56, 2000 salary $243,058; Barry F. Schwartz, EVP and Gen.
The company's 2000 employee count only represented a less-than-one-percent growth rate (0.8) over the previous year.
Camera rental revenue for 2001 was $124.6 million.
In 2001, Panavision entered a partnership with EFILM, a firm that operates an advanced digital laboratory and serves the motion picture and television industries.
business.com. "panavision information," 11 april 2002. available at http://www.business.com.
msn money.com. "pvi company report: investing," 11 april 2002. available at http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/research/profile.asp?symbol=pvi.
Up until 2002, Chairman Ronald Perelman, who is also chairman of Revlon, owned 86 percent of the company.
featured article $207.5 million USD (2004) | homepage = www.panavision.com }} Panavision is a motion picture equipment company specializing in camera, lens, and grip equipment, along with related accessories.
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Panavision competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Pictures | 1987 | $7.1B | 9,500 | 152 |
| Lucasfilm | 1971 | $450.0M | 2,000 | - |
| RED Digital Cinema | 2005 | $159.2M | 498 | 59 |
| United Artists | 1919 | $7.9M | 92 | - |
| Cannon Group | 1996 | $12.6M | 20 | - |
| Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | 1915 | $500.0M | 3,500 | 12 |
| Dolby Laboratories | 1965 | $1.3B | 2,289 | 23 |
| Artisans, Inc | - | $410.0M | 100 | 48 |
| AbelCine | 1989 | $7.3M | 124 | 9 |
| BandProFilmDigital | 1984 | $1.9M | 30 | - |
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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Panavision, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Panavision. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Panavision. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Panavision. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Panavision and its employees or that of Zippia.
Panavision may also be known as or be related to PANAVISION INC, Panavision, Panavision Inc, Panavision Inc. and Panavision, Inc.