|
Welcome to the Digital Cinema Society’s RED Rollout page. Via DCS President, James Mathers, who was involved in early RED testing, and purchased one of the first cameras out of the gate, (#30), together with the volunteer efforts of DCS members all over the US, we have conducted a series of test shoots finished to 4K, 2K, and output to film. Following, you will find a streaming version of our first test, samples from recent features shot on RED by James Mathers, streaming coverage of DCS educational events presenting the camera at the New York Production Technology Expo in November of last year, and another covering the lastest in Accessories from August of ‘08, as well as behind the scenes video and stills of the camera in action. Also reprinted from our DCS eNewsletter, and various magazines that James Mathers writes for, are his objective in-depth analysis of the technology. Please bear in mind that the camera is constantly evolving, and some of the comments from past essays on the camera’s functionally have subsequently been addressed, and may now be dated. Camera #30 was delivered on September 7th, 2007, and as of this writing we are on Build 17. Notable improvements include expanded dynamic range, simultaneous multiple viewing outputs, Sound-On-Camera, and better integration with various editorial software such as Final Cut, Avid, and Adobe. Check back for the latest developments on the ever evolving RED One Digital Cinema Camera. 
DCS RED Sample Reel - Lower Res Quicktime for Easy Streaming:
Thanks to all those who participated in production and post, especially Foto Kem, DigitalFilm Tree, DC3: The Digital Cinema Camera Cooperative, and Upstage Studios. Our wonderful on-camera talent includes Tracey Leigh, Paul Distefano, and the Toothless Meghan Mathers.
Samples from recent RED feature shot by DCS President, James Mathers
Clip
Quicktime Movie
DCS President James Mathers introduces the session, gives some background on the RED, and narrates the DCS RED sample reel. DCS Presents the RED - Part 1:
Clip
Quicktime Movie
James Mathers continues the presentation and discusses the Beta nature of the first hundred cameras. DCS Presents the RED - Part 2:
Clip
Quicktime Movie
OffHollywood Studio’s Mark Pederson gives an overview of RED Postproduction WorkflowDCS Presents the RED - Part 3:
Clip
Quicktime Movie
RED Q&A with James Mathers, Mark Pederson, and John “Pliney” Eremic from OffHollywood Digital. DCS Presents the RED - Part 4:
Clip
Quicktime Movie
Special Thanks to Tamberelli Digital, Ed Claire, Producer of the New York Production Technology Expo, Mark Forman of the Forman Screening Rooms, NYC, Mark Pederson, and John “Pliney” Eremic from OffHollywood Studios, NYC, and Christopher Knell of Fireline Studios, Burbank, CA.
Digital Cinema Camera Accessories - August 9, 2008
 In this meeting DCS explores what it takes, and what is available, to build a highend Digital Cinema Camera Package. We look at everything from filters, matte boxes, follow focus, handheld rigs, and Break-out Boxes. Manufacturers include ARRI, Schneider Optics, Zacuto, RedRock Micro, Toys4RED, and Element Technica. Participating Vendors include Abel Cine Tech, SIM Video, and Birns and Sawyer.
Clip
Quicktime Movie
Eric Johnston presents ARRI accessories including Matte Boxes, Follow Focus, and Bridge Plate Support Systems Clip
Quicktime Movie
Chris Burket from Element Technica details all their new products from Breakout Box, Bridgeplates, EVF Mounts, Arri Dove Tails, and the new Shock Absorbing Cradle for the RED Drive. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Brian Valente from RedRock Micro illustrates their new economically priced Matte Box, Follow Focus, and Whips. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Ryan Avery from Schneider Optics discusses camera filtration, in particular, why it is necessary to control IR contamination when shooting brightly lit sunlight scenes with modern Digital Cinema CMOS Sensor cameras. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Anthony Lenzo, Partner in Toys4RED demos and answers questions about their new Breakout Box. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Mitch Gross from Abel Cine Tech discuss not only Zacuto Products, but the wide variety of camera support products they offer to find the right solutions for all around Digital Cinema Camera Support. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Bill Meurer, with assistance from Barry Seybert tells a little about Birns and Sawyer, the products they manufacture, as well as presenting some unique support gear such as the new IDX HD Wireless Transmitter/Receiver system and new products from support products from Master Cine. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Cliff Hsui of Sim Video L.A. explains their many services such as rental and manufacture of specialty accessories for the RED One Camera. Clip
Quicktime Movie
Special thanks to:
Scott MacDonald and Fernando “Ferny” Morales, Camera Operators
Noah Mathers, Sound Mixer
Art Freed, Editorial and Streaming
and
Plaster City Digital Post, our Host for this event.
RED News Updated October 2008
Scarlet and Epic Back to the Drawing Board
According to Jim Jannard on the REDuser.com forum:
“We have changed everything about Scarlet because the market has changed and we have discovered a lot of things in the process. We have a new vision. Wipe your minds of the past announced Scarlet. Forget the design and forget the price. It is all different now. We think you will be surprised. Glad we didn’t take any deposits…”
Gleaned from his other announcements we know that: 1) Scarlet is being redesigned. 2) The name will remain the same (Scarlet). 3) An announcement which will include prototypes and new specs will come “fairly soon.” 4) RED is aiming to have working models of Scarlet at NAB. 5) RED is aiming to ship Scarlet sometime after NAB. 6) RED is aiming to fulfill initial orders before FALL of 2009. 7) As of now, the specs announcement is aimed for early November.
Speculation is that these changes are occurring in response to recent releases by still camera DSLRs from Nikon and Canon that can now also record short bursts of High Definition motion images. This is clearly an area where RED thinks it can excel, having already solved many of the issues that come up by taking still technology and applying it to Digital Cinema acquisition with the RED One.
The 5K Epic is also in for a major re-think, and it’s concept design image which adorned the RED.com homepage, like the Scarlet, is now grayed out, with “In The Process of Change” stamped over it. Like Jim Jannard is fond of saying: "Everything in life changes... including our camera specs and delivery dates..."
RED Digital Cinema Expands with Headquarters moving to Las Vegas Nevada and a New European Service Center Opening at Pinewood Studios in London.
RED has chosen Las Vegas to build the new “RED Ranch Headquarters,” located about ten minutes from McCarran International Airport and the Las Vegas Strip. The facility will support design, engineering, manufacturing, sales, service and operations... plus a soundstage, restaurant, town center and limited housing on an 80 acre site. The scheduled opening is planned for 2010.
Another recently announced expansion is “RED EUROPE,” located on the grounds of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England. This is designed as a regional service and emergency repair center. Customers who are geographically closer to RED EUROPE will be directed to send their cameras here for most service and repair needs, rather than the current RED Headquarters in Orange County, California.
Production Stills:
RED One camera in “Full Dress” Studio Mode atop O’Connor 2575 with Arri Matte Box, Follow Focus, and Angenieux 17-80mm Zoom
  
James Mathers and DP/Operator/DIT/Creator of R3D Manager Software, Conrad Hunziker, grade test images using a MacBook Pro running RED Alert Beta software.
Dale Launer’s ”Unboxing Party”, September 2007, Right to Left, Dale who is owner of RED #24 & 25, RED’s Ted Schilowitz, Michael Bravin from BandPro, and James Mathers, President of DCS
Cinematographer John Simmons, ASC tries out the 29 pound RED One in hand held mode.
 
  
Production Stills from James Mathers’ 2nd Feature with the RED, “Montanta Amazon”.
 Steadicam Operator, Chad Wilson and Camera Asst. Cameron Cannon flying the RED One on the feature “Balancing the Books”.
   Stills of our RED test shooting on 9-15-07 courtesy of participant, Adam Wilt.
    
Pulling out the RED for some cityscapes in San Franciso September 22, 2007.
RED on The Set of Indie Feature - Notes from DP James Mathers, (Early January 2008)
I'm coming to the end of the first week on a modest Indie feature shooting with my RED camera, #30X. It has not been without some small bumps and idiosyncrasies to work around, but the pictures have been beautiful, and overall I would say things are going well. The project is low budget, but was designed to be; not exactly "My Dinner With Andre", but quite dialogue intensive, with only a few locations. It's stars Tess Harper, Lea Thomson, Ernie Hudson, Ed Begley, Jr., Dina Meyer, and Vincent Spano, (who is a Digital Cinema Society member and very interested in the new technology).
With long dialogue scenes, it was a challenge to "roll out" every 4 minutes, and have to reload. We also found that out of our first 150 cycles between 8 cards, that 3 takes had data errors which caused a loss of at least part of the material. We were aware of these problems in time to cover ourselves after transferring the cards to RAIDS, verifying, and playing them back in within minutes via RED Alert and Quicktime.
Midweek, however, we finally received our RED drives, which has been a great boon to the production; we can now roll many times longer between reloads. We are still only using about a fifth of the drive's capacity, (perhaps 30 minutes out of 150), at this point until we gain more confidence, so we can playback and verify the data before moving too far along. The RED drives, however, have been 100% so far, and ergonomically work so nicely into the system; easy on and off of the camera, and quick downloads into the RAIDs. From now on, we will only be using the CF cards when we need a very small camera, and when there is a lot of gyration or vibration which could cause problems for a drive; however there isn't much of that on this picture.
The camera stays mostly on a jib arm which I use a lot as part of my style, set up in studio mode with an Angenieux Optimo 17-80. It's a very fast system, without the need for constant lens changes, and the Optimo, at T2.2 is about as fast as the standard speed Zeiss primes which I keep in a smaller, hand holdable mode on the B-camera, (which is mostly there for back-up and hasn't seen too much action so far).
For data backup, we are going to a 5 Terabyte eSata RAID, (we have two of these, probably enough to hold all the data for the movie), and also to two secondary smaller drives, one simultaneous via eSata, and another via Firewire 800. One of these goes to the editing room and the other travels to the lab, FotoKem, which also makes LTO-2 data tape backups before being recycled.
Now if only I could get my EVF's, the final backordered item from RED, I would be styling. We have been working around it with an onboard HD monitor for the Operator split off from the Directors feed, but it's cumbersome with extra wires, power considerations, and weight.
So far, so good, and I'll keep reporting as time permits.
James Mathers
Cinematographer
President of the Digital Cinema Society
More Notes From The Set of James Mathers RED Feature, (February 2008)
To Answer Some Questions I've Been Receiving about my experiences with the RED camera as DP on the Indie feature, "Balancing the Books":
RED Drives:
The RED Drives continue to be a life saver on this dialogue intensive shoot. It was a real pain having to cut every four minutes during the first week, since we started the shoot on the 8GB CF cards, just before the Drives shipped. I've now had a chance to also use the drives on Steadicam and very aggressive handheld, where I was a little worried about vibration, but the drives have come through with flying colors.
Speaking of Handheld:
I've had back problems since I was accidently tackled many years go by a couple of 300 lbs Football Player Extras while shooting a scrimmage scene, but I spent most of a day this week operating in handheld mode, and felt it was very comfortable. It compares favorably to a 35mm film camera, and as long as there is an Assistant to help hoist it on and off your shoulder between takes, I think it is very manageable. The weight is probably about 35 lbs with Prime lens, matte box, rails, compact follow focus, compact HD onboard monitor, RED battery, RED drive, and necessary cables. (FYI, as of today, February 2nd, I still haven't received an Electronic Viewfinder, so we are working around it with the slightly heavier on-board monitor).
Sound:
All has gone well recording Sound-on-Camera, but we noticed when we re-make the Quicktime reference files from the R3D files, that we seem to erase the on-camera audio; (at least on the Quicktimes). Audio is probably still be on the R3D files, but we are still checking, and haven't confirmed this yet. We have't panicked knowing we have master audio with matching timecode available from the Sound Mixer.
Time Code:
We are recording double system audio, of course, and jam syncing to the Sound Mixers timecode; (we use a Lock-it box which has been previously jammed to the Mixers master recorder, and then re-jam the camera every time we change batteries).
Lighting Differences?:
I light much as I would with film, although I am normally working with 500 ASA Kodak Vision stock these days with film, and I've been rating the RED, as the company recommends, at the slower 320 ASA. Note, this is the same as AGFA negative stock, which I used for many years before they stopped making it, so I'm am comfortable working at that speed, altough it requires a little more exposure than current higher speed film stocks.
Using Non-RED Batteries:
We mostly have been using my four RED batts with my camera, #30X, which is our A-Camera. However we have occasionally had to resort to using some Sony Batteries that came with the subrented B-Camera when we got in a jam. Since this is essentially a one camera shoot, and we don't use the B-Camera much, it took a while to realize this problem. It seems that the Sony, (and probably any other non-RED battery), is not capable of talking to the camera to give a status update; (the camera seems to think it is on AC Power Supply), so you don't know when it gets low, and when it runs out of power, it simply shuts down. Shutting down in this way, without first unmounting the drive, can cause data loss of one or several clips that have recently been shot on a drive. The system also seems to renumber all the files, which doesn't lose shots, but causes lots of confusion. I just thought I would let everyone know; and for now I'll be sticking with all RED batts.
Screening Dailies:
I've now had a chance to screen selected dailies projected in 2K courtesy of FotoKem. They took some of our material, created 4K DPX sequences, color timed them on a Quantel Pablo, as they would for a DI finish, then scaled them to 2K for projection. It was great to see everything through our post workflow path and see it on a big screen to make sure we were up to snuff in all areas. I can't recommend highly enough that you see your work, at least occasionally, projected on a big screen.
Lenses:
I continue to be in love with the Angenieux 17-80, T2.2, but the Zeiss Super Speeds are also serving me well when I need the stop, or for a small camera configuration. I've now seen them cut together with no issues.
Like most Indie features, the hours are long, so I've not had too much time to share my findings, but I'll report more when I have a chance to come up for air, including a detailed analysis for our next Digital Cinema Society eNewsletter.
James Mathers
Cinematographer
Digital Cinema Society
Building A RED Camera Package - or - How I Spent $100 Grand on a $17,500 Camera
Text of article from the Spring 2008 issue of “Camera Operator”, the journal of the SOC, by James Mathers, Cinematographer and President of the Digital Cinema Society:
As a DP, I shoot a wide variety of projects and with all the choices of format available today I end up shooting with many different camera systems. It can make good business sense to invest in some of this gear, but it can also be very tricky, especially with electronic gear that can sometimes become quickly obsolete. Unlike some film cameras I’ve owned that were reliably in service for several decades, automatically updated each time I loaded a new emulsion; I’ve had some digital gear that didn’t last a year before it was good for nothing but a boat anchor. The Owner/Operator needs to be very careful in selecting cameras and accessories for purchase that will allow them to amortize their investment. The versatility to work on many different types of productions and the ability to make updates to the system are key to this goal, and this is the promise of the RED.
A $17,500 camera with a 4K Super 35 image sensor, 60P, variable frame rate at 4:4:4 with a new compression scheme that could somehow make all that data manageable; it sounded pretty good. In fact, these were important factors in my decision to purchase one of the first cameras out of the gate, (#30). There are also several thousand deposit holders lined up behind me, but a box with a sensor does not make a complete camera system, and the packages other RED Owners put together may be very different from mine. The RED camera is modular by design and can be built up in various configurations, with vastly different price tags, in order to serve different applications. I’m going to detail for you how I’ve built my package, and the rationale behind my decisions.
I first became aware of the project before it was even called RED, back in 2005. I was hired by Oakley, the sunglass and sports apparel manufacturer that was then owned by Jim Jannard, Founder and Lead Designer of RED. I organized a shoot to test their various sensor choices in the search for what would become the “Mysterium.” Back then, it looked nothing like the sleek marvel of form and function you see today; it was basically a circuit board with a C-mount lens precariously attached. They wanted to see how the sensors handled such challenges as camera movement, so I mounted this ridiculous looking “camera” on a jib arm, along with the necessary armada of computer towers on the jib’s western dolly base. All these drives could only record just moments of 4K material at a time; (data that now fits onto a CF card smaller than a book of matches.)
It would be another year before the camera was announced for sale at NAB 2006, where I rushed across the crowed hall to get my order in, and more than another year after that before I actually received my camera. (As of this writing only 100 cameras have been delivered, but that number is expected to grow exponentially over the next few months until all of the over 4,000 orders are filled.)
September 7th, 2007, the day I picked up my camera, (one of the second batch of 25 delivered), was almost ceremonial. The morning at the RED factory in Orange County, CA, began with introductory remarks by Jim Jannard himself. He was obviously, and justifiably proud of his baby, and like any new father was smoking a celebratory cigar as he addressed us. He began his presentation with the acknowledgment that the camera is a work in progress, and that it will remain a work in progress. He warned, “it's not done, and may never be done.” This would be especially true for the first 100, who can rightly be considered Beta Testers, and whose cameras will not be fully functional with such missing utilities as sound and the ability to record on anything but compact flash cards. In fact, he offered to return the deposit, cover travel expenses and throw in another $2,000 in cash to anyone who opted not to receive their cameras that day. Not surprisingly, there were no takers. Early adopters were also offered a $2,500 credit toward the purchase of accessories. It often feels like I'm a Beta Tester when buying new gear, but it's refreshing that RED acknowledges this and willingly compensated us for our troubles; (which in retrospect have been very few.)
As far as I’m concerned, the fact that the camera continues to evolve is really a bonus in the battle of obsolesce. Instead of constantly coming out with completely new models, the plan is to update cameras that are already in service, even to the extent of possibly replacing the sensor, (if and when one is developed that is significantly improved.) However, most upgrades are designed to be via software, and they have been coming at a fast and furious pace via e-mail. We simply copy the Firmware Updates onto a Compact Flash or SD card, both of which have receptacles built into the camera, then select upgrade. Having already performed several of these, I can tell you that it is really a very easy and seamless operation.
They have also announced a major hardware upgrade which will be available free of charge to the first hundred camera owners in January. It involves a new PL mounting system that will be adjustable for flange focal distance, as well as new circuitry which is said to improve the already impressive dynamic range. Just as they would if there were to be a mechanical failure under warranty, RED will cover roundtrip overnight shipping costs and will try to have the cameras turned around within a day.
Being modular, each camera package will be unique, with different capabilities to fit various applications. Most owners will probably opt to keep their packages very basic and borrow accessories from the gear they already own. For lenses, many will order their REDs with Nikon or Canon mounts to use still camera lenses that they already own. Others will use the optional B-mount adaptor to use video lenses or 16mm format lenses. They will likely only buy the bare minimum and will plan to rent additional gear as needed. If they can pull a lens package from their still cameras, perhaps a display out of their edit system, and scrounge a tripod from somewhere, they could keep their initial investment as low as $35,000. This may work for some who plan to be the primary operator, and can work around certain operational idiosyncrasies. However, my package is running considerably more, closer to $100,000, and here’s why. While some RED Users might be able to live with a little bit of “Funk Factor” resulting from pulling pieces together from equipment that was designed for other uses, the package I have assembled is a fully capable feature camera package that can meet the varied needs of narrative cinematic story telling. If I hope to rent it out when I’m not shooting with it myself, the architecture and utility need to be up to industrywide professional standards. I also want to be fully 4K capable with all the accessories necessary to shoot feature films as I would with 35mm.
Even though I might be able to shoot with 16mm or B-mount lenses, I’ll be sticking with only very high caliber Super35 format glass. By going with 35mm lenses, I will be enjoying the limited depth of field which is an invaluable cinematic tool and taking advantage of the full size of the sensor. I may choose to sometimes shoot at only 2K, where I have the option of doubling the capacity of my recording duration, and also have the ability to shoot at much higher frame rates, so I may not always be recording full 4K. However, when the 2K I pull off the full array of the sensor is down-sampled, it will still be far superior to using the smaller format lenses, which “window down,” and only take advantage of a much smaller portion of the sensor.
Still camera lenses do cover the full sensor, and as much as I would like to save the many tens of thousands of dollars in purchase price, I know the glass I use will be integral to the quality I can achieve, so I don’t want to skimp on lenses. And, although the optics can be excellent in still lenses for the application they were designed for, problems arise in trying to use them for motion picture photography. When a still photographer zooms and focuses, then frames his shot, he is not bothered by image shift or breathing, but these can be pretty funky effects in a movie, not to mention that focus marks are not repeatable and the short throw, designed to help a photographer easily grab focus, is a detriment when you are trying to line up precise distances with engraved markings on the lens. In addition, still camera lenses are calibrated only in f-stops, a theoretical estimation of how much light passes through the iris, rather than T-stops, which are based on the actual measured transmission, and are in reality, usually about a third of a stop slower than the F-stop. Many of these aberrations can be fixed by modifying the lens, but it is not inexpensive. I have decided to stick with the tools that were designed for cinematography rather than stills. I’ve tested everything from RED’s 18-50mm to Zeiss Master Primes, as well as the latest Cooke and Angenieux zooms. Although the RED zoom is probably a very good value at only $6,500, and most of the other lenses go for several times the cost the camera, I believe higher quality glass is justified. I want to obtain the best image quality I can from the RED, and it all starts with the taking lens. An image is only as good as it's weakest link, so it doesn't seem to make sense to me to scrimp on the first link in this chain.
I decided to go with Zeiss Super Speed Primes, T1.3, and a Cooke MkII 25-250 zoom that I was lucky to find for sale used, but in very good condition. The crown jewel of the package, however, is the Angenieux 17-80mm. It’s not cheap, at well over $50,000 and going up all the time as the value of dollar sinks against the Euro. However, it is simply a beautiful piece of glass, quite fast for a zoom at T2.2, and has a good focal range for the kind of narrative work I do. (With some of the others, such as the wide Cooke and RED zooms, which have focal range of less than 3 to 1, I would have to be changing lenses so often for close-up coverage, that I might as well just use primes.) So, it’s a big investment, but I think it is also a good investment, especially in terms of versatility and depreciation. I can also use or rent these lenses to work with film cameras, and instead of dropping in value, as some of the electronic components will, these lenses are actually going up in value every day.
No one can precisely predict the future, but as I look out at the Digital Cinema acquistion horizon, I see that the 35mm format is on the rise. Sony has just announced their 35mm size sensor camera, the F35, and I’m guessing Panasonic is also seriously considering it. Of course, you also have fine cameras from Dalsa and Phantom that use 35mm PL mount lenses, as well as the RedRock Micro and P+S Technik that adapt these lenses for use on small format cameras. Plus, as RED delivers more and more of the cameras they have deposits for, the supply of good lenses is only going to get more scarce, which according the laws of economics, should keep prices climbing.
For lens support and accessories such as Matte Box & Follow Focus, I’m mostly sticking with tried and true Arri and Chrosziel; but I’ve also supplemented with a few items from Zacuto and RedRock Micro who have been offering quality gear for small format cameras, that are easily adapted to larger format “filmstyle” production; (and cost a lot less than the European imports.) For Zoom controls, I’ve gone for the industry standard Preston Microforce with Heden motors.
Sticks and heads are, of course, a matter of personal taste, but even though the camera itself is only about 10lbs. sans battery and lens, by the time I set up a studio configuration with zoom and accessories, I could be looking at 70 to 80lbs., so I decided on a fairly substantial O’Connor with heavy duty Ronford sticks.
For viewing, I’ve been getting by so far with the RED LCD, 4” 720 on-board display. It has quite a nice image and is even bright enough to use in exterior daylight, which is good because I have yet to receive my Electronic Viewfinder, or “EVF.” This really hasn’t been too much of a problem, since until very recently, one of the aforementioned “Beta Bugs” has been that the camera had only one viewing output; meaning that if the Operator were using the EVF, there was no output to the Director or DP. However, now that I have the option of multiple monitors, I might also use Panasonic 8.4” HD LCD near the camera, and a 24” JVC LCD for the Director. They are not 4K, but neither are the outputs from the camera, and it’s not so much a “what you see is what you get,” as some might be used to in viewing an on-set processed HD image.
With a background in shooting film, I am more comfortable in thinking of the displays as being analogous with the video taps I’m used to. Like a tap on a film camera, they are useful for framing reference, but the image available on the negative is not done justice. It provides some good information, but you wouldn’t make lighting or exposure choices solely based on viewing the tap. There is so much more flexibility and overall dynamic range after processing the RAW file. In fact, the RED camera has ASA and white balance settings on the camera that really control nothing more than the display outputs, and are totally nondestructive to the RAW image. Basically, the iris and shutter speed, or any filters you shoot through, are the only things impacting how the image is exposed, and you will not truly see what you’ve got, and what information is available to you, until you download the material and run it through the RED software on your Mac with Intel chips. (Yes, it has to be a Mac with Intel processors to run the RED software, so that was another item addition necessary to the package).
This brings us to storage; when you’re recording in a tapeless environment, and so far 8GB Compact Flash cards are the only available recording option, lots of back-up is essential. An 8GB card records less than 5 minutes of 4K RED code Raw, so for most types of production you will probably be recycling and recording over the cards, which cost $200 each, before the end of the day. Even when the 16 GB cards are available, which should be very soon, you will still only be pushing 10 minutes of recording duration.
We have been using two 2.5 Terrabyte RAIDs, and have a Data Management Tech downloading the CF cards, to the separate RAIDS, (which run about two times speed,) as we continue to shoot. They make sure things are properly labeled with correct Metadata attached, so they can later be located in post, and also assist the DP with his Look Management by helping to create the Quicktime reference files on the set, which are sent along with the RAW footage to post. Depending on the scope of the production, and the proximity to the lab, we may further make viewing copies and LTO2 tape back-ups on the set.
Another approach I have been developing with Foto Kem, a lab I’ve been working with for many years, is to deliver one of the full RAIDs to the lab at the end of a shooting day, (the other stays on set until it is verified as backed up with redundancy.) The lab would then exchange this drive for a freshly formatted (empty) RAID to be used on the set for the next day’s shooting. The backups and viewing copies would then be made at the lab overnight, much like the film dailies workflow we have been accustomed to. The lab would also be responsible for archiving, or “vaulting”, the master electronic data until the 4K conform, in a similar fashion to the way they vault film negative over the course of production and post.
Another aspect to this new workflow I’m trying to develop with Foto Kem, would be the chance to at least occasionally see dailies projected in high resolution on a large screen. I’m a strong believer that you should view your work in the format in which it will eventually be seen; and if it is destined for a theatrical release, you should see your dailies projected on a large screen. Shooting 4K, and only viewing your work on a small screen throughout production and post is asking for trouble. Focus issues will be especially noticeable at that resolution, but may be hidden on the relatively small HD monitors we typically use on the set and in post.
The RED camera, although quite versatile, will not be right for every job, but it has brought high end Digital Cinema acquisition into a realm of affordability for many more Filmmakers. Although I own this package, I'm still “format agnostic,” and am more interested in picking the right tool set for each job, including the right camera/acquisition format, and the right lenses and support gear to get the job accomplished. I hope to shoot many more film projects in my career, and when I’m off shooting celluloid, I would hope to rent out my RED. I’ve spent about $100 Grand on my package so far, and only time will tell if is a good investment. I know that I’m very happy with the images I’m getting out of the camera, and I look forward to using it on several features I’ve booked for 2008.
|
