ARRI partners with HONOR to bring a professional filmmaking workflow to smartphones
ARRI is partnering with HONOR to bring LogC3 and the ARRI Look ecosystem to the Magic9 Pro Max, opening the door to professional filmmaking on a smartphone.
- ARRI worked deep in the image processing pipeline of the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, which made it possible to add LogC3 and the ARRI Look ecosystem, including Look Library and Film Lab.
- The partnership covers only ARRI CINEMA mode. The rest of the camera system is still developed by HONOR.
- ARRI has not confirmed plans for dedicated lenses or hardware, but it does not rule out expanding the partnership.
- ARRI supplied the Magic9 Pro Max to a few European film crews to shoot scenes in which characters use a phone.
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From cinema cameras to the phone in your pocket
Professional filmmaking has never been easy to get into. Camera bodies, lenses, accessories, lighting gear, and the experience to operate it all are expensive. Just getting started can feel like an costly hobby.
That has changed. Smartphones shoot better video every year, and YouTube and Instagram have let many people make a living as content creators. According to Sean Dooley, Head of Marketing at ARRI Group, the company's approach is to bring some of its imaging expertise to devices people already own, rather than waiting for them to buy a cinema camera.
Sean said smartphones are also useful on some large productions because of their compact size, for example as crash cameras placed next to an ARRI ALEXA. He expects creators to color grade their footage, either on the phone itself or in dedicated software. They could even use an industry-standard workflow to recreate the look of a favorite film, with the same ARRI "color science."
Why a filter isn't enough
The obvious question is why ARRI doesn't just release an app that applies these effects to video from any phone. According to Sean, an app can't go as deep as a direct partnership. With other brands, ARRI usually gets only limited access to existing camera settings or Log profiles. With HONOR, ARRI can suggest changes to how the phone processes images.
That is how ARRI LogC3 and the ARRI Look ecosystem, including Look Library and Film Lab, came about. ARRI gets involved earlier in the image processing chain, laying the groundwork for the color grading workflow that follows. A filter only changes the look of a shot. It doesn't give users control over the original image data.
The Digital Trends author tried shooting LogC3 on the Magic9 Pro Max and applied several ARRI Looks on the device, notably to footage shot in Yosemite. ARRI-5120 (Vibrant) and ARRI-3110 (Aesthetic) were the two favorite Looks. The experience won't turn anyone into a colorist overnight. Still, it makes a professional workflow far less intimidating.
It's worth remembering that the partnership covers only ARRI CINEMA mode. ARRI did not develop the phone's entire camera system and isn't involved in every photo or video. That part belongs to HONOR.
Room to grow, and a choice between two phones
Smartphone camera partnerships tend to evolve gradually, from software and color profiles to optics and hardware, as seen with Hasselblad and Leica. Sean does not rule out ARRI following a similar path with HONOR. He said he wants to see a full ARRI ecosystem around these devices, so the company's professional customers can use phones in high-end production. However, he did not confirm any specific plans for lenses or hardware.
As for the two phones, Sean sees a strength in each. The Magic9 Pro Max, with its familiar phone shape, suits scenes where a character holds a phone to show their point of view. ARRI supplied a pre-production unit to a few European film crews for this purpose. Personally, he prefers the Robot Phone for its built-in gimbal, LogC3 capture, and tendency toward horizontal shooting.
Sean recalled that whenever the ARRI team visited HONOR, the screens were usually in portrait orientation. At ARRI's screening room, everything is widescreen. Now that Instagram has started supporting horizontal video too, he says everything has come full circle.
The bigger picture
The partnership is still taking shape, so calling it a revolution in smartphone filmmaking is a bit premature. Even so, ARRI's involvement in image processing, LogC3, and a professional color grading workflow gives it a technical foundation that goes well beyond a cinematic filter. For HONOR, that's a valuable differentiator. For ARRI, it's a way to bring a piece of professional cinema to people who have never set foot on a film set.
The real test lies outside the studio, where lighting is uncontrolled and nothing is staged. A good tool only matters if it works reliably when users need it. Not everyone who shoots on a smartphone wants to become a major director. Many just want video that looks less "shot on a phone."
What stands out is that ARRI is clear the partnership is limited to ARRI CINEMA mode, rather than putting its name on the entire camera. For everyday users, the practical value lies in easier Log shooting and Look application. For content creators, LogC3 deserves careful testing before expectations are set. We'll need a full review, plus pricing and Vietnam market information, to judge further.
Source: Digital Trends
Reviewed by: Hero Association
