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The film industry has lost one of its most influential figures with the passing of Otto Nemenz, founder and CEO of Otto Nemenz International. Nemenz died peacefully at his home in Kaanapali, Maui, leaving behind a legacy that transformed camera rental services in Hollywood and earned him the respect of cinematographers worldwide. Waving a sad goodbye – here is our Otto Nemenz obituary.
Otto Constantin Nemenz was born on November 12, 1941, in Judenburg, Austria. His journey from a technical school student in Vienna to becoming one of Hollywood’s most respected figures in cinematography equipment is a testament to determination, technical expertise, and an unwavering commitment to customer service.
CineD is headquartered in Austria, and as a fellow Austrian, everyone working in the film industry here knew of Otto as a legend who really “made it” in Hollywood with his rental business. I was personally lucky enough to meet him once about ten years ago when I went on a tour of his facility together with a class of students from the Vienna Film Academy who I knew. Otto Nemenz was the most welcoming and forthcoming guy you could imagine, and he was truly happy to see so many young filmmakers from his home country. The man had zero attitude and was all smiles, and I am not surprised that so many people speak highly of him – which is why I felt compelled to dive into his history in this Otto Nemenz obituary.
News of Nemenz’s passing has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the cinematography community. Gregory Irwin wrote, “Yesterday, I lost a dear friend. My industry also lost an icon. My friend, Otto Nemenz, peacefully passed away at his home in Kaanapali, Maui. He not only made the business of cinematography better, he personally made me better.”
Michael Hofstein reflected on Nemenz’s character: “For those who knew Otto, he was an extraordinary person with great integrity, film knowledge, and personal insight. He loved the film industry and helped its growth through the years. His film legacy will live on through his friends, his technological camera developments, and the honors bestowed upon him through the years.”
Ryan Avery shared a personal memory that captures Nemenz’s approach to customer relationships: “He was one of the first people in Hollywood that I met when I started in the industry. He invited me into his office and talked to me, a 26-year-old kid, as if I was his most important client. I think he made most of people feel that way. He taught me a lot about motion picture technology. Otto always gave more than he received.”
Nemenz’s path to Hollywood began with humble origins. Growing up between Vienna and Istanbul as the son of an Austrian father and Greek mother, he spoke fluent Turkish, German, and English. As a teenager in Istanbul, he demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit by offering his services as a tour guide to American naval soldiers from the 6th Fleet and trading nylon goods during import restrictions.
After attending technical school at HTL Mödling, where he studied precision mechanics and optics, Nemenz briefly worked at the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF). However, when pressured to join a political party for career advancement, he refused and made a life-changing decision: in 1964, at age 23, he emigrated to Los Angeles with his first wife.
Arriving in Hollywood with dreams of becoming a cinematographer but without union membership, Nemenz faced significant barriers to entry at the major studios. He found his first opportunity at Panavision, working as a camera technician. This position would prove foundational to his future success.
In 1966, Nemenz got his breakthrough when he was assigned to work on John Frankenheimer’s Formula 1 film Grand Prix. Working alongside pioneering camera mount specialist John M. Stephens, Nemenz specialized in constructing specialized lenses and camera rigs for high-speed filming with race cars, aircraft, ski races, and speedboats.
During a rainy race sequence in Spa, Belgium, when cameras got wet and threatened to shut down production, Frankenheimer’s frantic calls of “Where is Otto?” echoed across the racetrack. Nemenz saved the day by drying the cameras with a hair dryer, cementing his reputation for problem-solving under pressure. From that moment, he became Frankenheimer’s trusted technician.
In 1969, Nemenz participated in the first film shoot inside a Boeing 747 with an open cabin door during flight. Throughout the following years, he worked as a camera assistant on films including Hell’s Angels ’70 and The Night God Screamed, and eventually as a director of photography on episodes of television series.
In 1979, at age 38, Nemenz founded Otto Nemenz International, Inc., specializing in rental and maintenance of motion picture and digital cinema cameras, lenses, and accessories. Starting with just two employees, including Alex Wengert (who would become general manager and remain with the company for over 40 years) and his second wife Monika, a former helicopter pilot from Vorarlberg, Austria, Nemenz built his company on a simple European principle: “the customer is king.”
The company’s breakthrough came with Terminator 2 in 1991, which propelled Otto Nemenz International into the ranks of Hollywood’s major players. The film utilized a special zoom lens developed by Nemenz’s team, an optomechanical construction for which he received recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1992, employees Dick Cavdek and Steve Hamerski received an Oscar for Technical Achievement for the optical-mechanical construction and development of the Canon/Nemenz camera zoom lens, originally developed at the request of legendary cinematographer Haskell Wexler.
Throughout his career, Nemenz remained at the forefront of technological advancement. The Otto Nemenz Swing & Tilt lenses were first used in the 1994 film Killing Zoe, where they created perspective distortion for heroin scenes rather than their intended purpose of perspective correction.
When digital cinema emerged, Nemenz demonstrated remarkable agility. The company transitioned from film to digital equipment in approximately three months. As of 2023, about 85% of their work was digital, though Nemenz maintained a comprehensive inventory of film cameras for directors who preferred the traditional format, including Martin Scorsese.
The company became exclusive distributor of the Ottoblad lenses (our report from 2023 here), a reconception of Hasselblad lenses by P+S Technik that allows selective depth-of-field adjustment in individual parts of the frame. These innovative lenses were first used on Joker 2.
What distinguished Otto Nemenz International from competitors was its personalized approach. Having worked as an assistant cameraman, operator, and director of photography, Nemenz understood filmmakers’ needs intimately. “What’s special with my company is that I went through all the stages in the business,” he explained. “If a director of photography wants to do something to create a specific kind of look, I can pretty much determine what he wants.”
Cinematographer Robert McLachlan, who worked on Ray Donovan and Lovecraft Country, praised the company’s service: “I have used Otto Nemenz exclusively for my camera rental needs since 2013. The service was so impressive we continued to use them when the show moved to New York in 2018. Even though they don’t have an office there, the service was impeccable.”
Michelle Lawler, director of photography on Insecure, described the degree of customer safety measures as “next level,” particularly during the pandemic adaptation period.
Nemenz’s employee retention was legendary in an industry known for turnover. Many key employees remained with the company for decades. His philosophy was simple: “It’s very important to keep the people who work for you happy. If someone doesn’t like their work, even more money won’t do it.” During industry strikes or slow periods, Nemenz never laid off staff or cut salaries, fostering extraordinary loyalty.
In 1982, Nemenz designed and built the company’s facility in Hollywood. By 2020, after 38 years at that location, the business had grown so substantially that it required a new 38,000-square-foot facility in Culver City with 21 prep bays. The company also established a second location in Atlanta, serving the burgeoning production market in Georgia.
At its peak before the pandemic, Otto Nemenz International supplied equipment to approximately 20 productions simultaneously, including television series like Lucifer, The Good Place, Grey’s Anatomy, and Bones, as well as major films like the Jumanji and Fast & Furious franchises. Their largest project to date was Fast & Furious 7, which required a full year of equipment support.
The company’s inventory grew to include hundreds of cameras from manufacturers like ARRI, Sony, and RED, along with approximately 3,000 lenses spanning 16mm, 35mm, and large format options. The new facility included workshop space for equipment preparation and a 3D printer for prototype customization.
Nemenz’s contributions to the film industry earned him numerous accolades:
When Tom Hanks presented Nemenz with his Academy Award, Nemenz quipped with characteristic humility: “I have an Austrian award too. I was surprised. My name isn’t Schwarzenegger after all.”
Nemenz was an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and a member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 600.
Even in his eighties, Nemenz remained actively involved in his business. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the company implemented comprehensive safety measures in its spacious new facility, including temperature checks, mandatory masks, and social distancing protocols that were easier to maintain with wider hallways. The workshop could turn around pandemic-friendly customizations within hours, including personalized camera viewfinders compatible with face shields required on many sets.
Fritz Heinzle, head of marketing who worked with the company for over 20 years, noted that business recovered to about 80% of pre-pandemic levels relatively quickly, testament to the company’s resilience and the loyalty of its client base.
Despite his success, Nemenz maintained a lifestyle that reflected his love of both work and relaxation, splitting his time between his home in Pacific Palisades with its stunning ocean view and his residence in Hawaii, where he ultimately passed away peacefully. He was known to encounter clients like Whoopi Goldberg at the local supermarket in his intimate Pacific Palisades neighborhood, where German actor Armin Mueller-Stahl lived nearby.
At age 80, when most people would be long retired, Nemenz told ZEISS in a 2023 interview: “A lot of people normally retire at this age, but I enjoy what I do so much. My work became my hobby.”
He maintained relationships with numerous cinematographers who became both clients and friends, including legendary DP Roger Deakins (who worked with Otto since Barton Fink in 1991) and Adam Greenberg (Terminator 2). Cinematographer Stephen F. Windon, who shot the Fast & Furious franchise and Star Trek Beyond, was described by Nemenz as someone who “has us very gerne” (likes us very much).
Nemenz was fond of drawing parallels between technological advancement in filmmaking and automotive performance: “A few years ago, you used to be able to do 120 miles per hour in a fast car. Today, you do 150. That’s about the same thing with the lenses. They’re higher performance, and they’re lighter, smaller, higher quality.”
Even in his final years, Nemenz remained forward-thinking about cinema technology. While skeptical about 3D cinema (having witnessed it come and go at least three times during his career), he was excited about other possibilities: “I can see having different irises in lenses and creating a certain look, especially an autofocus look that you’ll be able to control by changing irises.”
He predicted that “the biggest challenge is going to be the way we’ll look at pictures. I think 360-degree cinema is coming and I would like to go that route.”
Otto Nemenz’s story embodies the American dream: an immigrant who arrived with technical skills, determination, and a vision, ultimately transforming an entire sector of the film industry. His company equipped some of the most iconic films and television series of the past four decades, from Star Trek to Terminator, from A Beautiful Mind to No Country for Old Men, from Sister Act to the music video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
More than just a businessman, Nemenz was an innovator who understood both the technical and creative aspects of cinematography. His hands-on experience as a cameraman gave him insights that purely business-oriented competitors could never match. His commitment to customization, quality, and personal service set a standard that elevated the entire camera rental industry.
The company Otto Nemenz International continues to operate under the leadership of long-time general manager Alex Wengert and operations manager Marc Gordon (with the company for over 30 years), along with Fritz Heinzle heading marketing and a team of over 40 full-time professional employees. His grandson has also joined the family business, ensuring a connection to the founder’s vision continues.
As Gregory Irwin eloquently concluded his tribute: “Aloha, Otto. E moe mālie, e hoa aloha. A hui hou, e ʻike hou ana kākou. Rest peacefully, dear friend. Until we meet again.”
Otto Nemenz leaves behind not just a thriving business, but a legacy of technical innovation, exceptional customer service, and proof that passion and expertise can build an empire. The film industry owes him a debt of gratitude for more than 40 years of supporting the artists who bring stories to life on screen. How do you think Otto Nemenz’s approach to customer service and technical innovation will continue to influence the camera rental industry?
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Nino Leitner, AAC is Co-CEO of CineD and MZed. He co-owns CineD (alongside Johnnie Behiri), through his company Nino Film GmbH. Nino is a cinematographer and producer, well-traveled around the world for his productions and filmmaking workshops. He specializes in shooting documentaries and commercials, and at times a narrative piece. Nino is a studied Master of Arts. He lives with his wife and two sons in Vienna, Austria.