RED EPIC

[MarcVanOsdale]

Everyone said the same thing when Dylan decided to perform Rolling Stone with an electric guitar.

There are several other factors that have led to what the music industry is today. I don't think that digital technology will destroy the film industry... right now I'm more worried about the film industry turning into the music industry by nominating films like The Tourist and ignoring films like True Grit!

[octopoli]

i don't see the dylan thing at all. I am just talking about everyone will soon be able to buy pro equipment and call themselves a DP. I think it will be much more saturated with lesser skilled DPs and harder to make a living in the industry like music is now. Obviously talent comes through and always will and it will give oportunities to people who in the past didn't have them (eg people who didn't spend 4 years at film school or assist for years on end). I think still photographers are coming through much more into the moving image world (especially docs) and maybe in some way that could be a good thing. I think the fact that making a feature is special and took years to get together is a good thing. I just hope that we fast equipment it doesn't devalue feature films and the cinematographer.

I am one of the people who likes the way it was, so forgive me if I sound negative. At least we all have the freedom to do what we like with what we want and if the equipment is good then it should be ok.

[Roger]

I don't know that such fears hold water. It's the old pencil and Shakespeare analogy. Everyone has a pencil but there is only one Will Shakespeare. The problem, as I see it, is that nobody is interested in Shakespeare anymore! You can't blame that on the technology, although the instant gratification demanded by audiences is in some way conditioned by the technology and the speed of the 'modern' world. Mind you, the world was modern 30 years ago too!

[ram shani]

as i always say there will be more bad films made with great technology

[octopoli]

i will say this.. it has improved the quality of a lot of student films. I remember at NYU in the late 90s watching all those poorly exposed and horrible grading jobs with the 16mm films. I suppose however if you could pull it off with a bolex or Cinema Products camera on reversal stock with no video assist, you were laughing, but not many did, but it may have been a sign.

[Cenydd Ros]

I've seen a lot of stuff shot with the Red One that I did not like, cinematography wise. However, I recently watched (and am re-watching) Valhalla Rising (2009), and am really impressed with what was achieved with the camera. This lends to suggest (to me) that the individual operating the equipment has a great deal to do with the quality of picture.

[ken willinger]

This lends to suggest (to me) that the individual operating the equipment has a great deal to do with the quality of picture.

It's not the tool that makes the artist.

[Cenydd Ros]

Right & I think the Red, for the right project and with people who know how to get the most out of it, can give some nice results. On the flip side, I have seen many bad examples of its use.

[Andrew Rieger]

Right & I think the Red, for the right project and with people who know how to get the most out of it, can give some nice results. On the flip side, I have seen many bad examples of its use.

In the right hands, any camera can look good. I have seen bad looking footage from Red, Alexa, 35mm, 16mm ect. I have seen stellar stuff from Red and Alexa so it's the artist, not the camera. Hell, Danny Boyle made DV look good with 28 Days Later so this new technology really has no limitations. Imagination can make a less than perfect camera shine if you know how to get the most out of it.

[Andrew Rieger]

I've seen a lot of stuff shot with the Red One that I did not like, cinematography wise. However, I recently watched (and am re-watching) Valhalla Rising (2009), and am really impressed with what was achieved with the camera. This lends to suggest (to me) that the individual operating the equipment has a great deal to do with the quality of picture.

Lets be honest, the lower operating cost of Red has allowed individuals with, to put it nicely, less than Deakins-grade skills to shoot and thus the footage has at times been ok at best. Also, I think that many have over embraced the whole RAW capture thing and have not shot with certain looks in mind, using post to create the look. Some of the best Red footage I have seen has come from DP's who were willing to try effects in camera like diffusion filters and use old cinema lenses to cut back on the hyper-detail that the system can produce. That is one of the things I like about Red. You can get that modern, clean/sharp look or you can tone it down if you wish but too few experiment and instead shoot clean with no real intention to create a certain look on set. In my opinion, Red looks the most film like when you tone down the sharpness. In fact, I have found some Red footage shot in 3K mode to look better than 4K stuff. I have never found ultra sharp images to be my preference and I think that many would agree that the hyper-detailed footage that Red produces can be a little annoying at times. You just need to experiment, try some old lenses, put a filter in front, shoot wide open ect. When you experiment, you will find that these cameras are capable of producing some very beautiful footage.

[filmbob]

Dear All,

Pirates of the Caribbean 4 3D is currently filming with RED ONE M-X cameras by Dariusz Wolski, ASC. BUDGET: $300 million

"We tested ALL the digital camera's available and against film and we chose the RED M-X for Pirates of the Caribbean 4. We have had no camera problems with the RED ONEs and we have had the kind of support that is above and beyond the call. We didn't know what to expect when we started with 13 RED ONE M-X cameras (supplied from Panavision), but the cameras are performing flawlessly under extreme conditions and we could not be happier. Thank you to the people and the incredible support from both Panavision and RED. If we had to make the decision again we wouldn't change a thing." - Dariusz Wolski, ASC

.

I never thought I would see the day when a franchise like Pirate's would sacrifice so much on the image side after spending millions on sets and actors to save a few pieces of eight. The only awards Red deserve are for marketing, they could sell ice cubes to some Eskimos too, I assume.

I wonder if 3D is here to stay this time? Maybe they will bring back smellavision too!

[Andrew Rieger]

I never thought I would see the day when a franchise like Pirate's would sacrifice so much on the image side after spending millions on sets and actors to save a few pieces of eight. The only awards Red deserve are for marketing, they could sell ice cubes to some Eskimos too, I assume.

I wonder if 3D is here to stay this time? Maybe they will bring back smellavision too!

Red deserves an Academy award for tech innovation. I am sorry but cramming a 5K sensor with frame rates as high as 120 fps at max resolution and special tech that extends dynamic range to 16+ stops, in a case the size of a Hasselblad, is remarkable. It would be a crime if the Academy did not recognize their efforts. Digital cinematography would not be where it is today without them, they forced every other company to go into overdrive. I am willing to bet there would have been no Alexa without Red. Need I remind you that The Social Network (shot on Red) has an ASC nom for best cinematography so they seem very happy with the systems capabilities. The whole, "Red is trash" attitude is so passe now, especially with so many top notch productions adopting the cameras. Every system has it's problems. Sure IMAX looks better than Red but which one would you rather have on your shoulder? I will take flexibility over technical perfection any day.

[filmbob]

"I am willing to bet there would have been no Alexa without Red. "

That may be true, but I am just not happy with the RED on many levels. I wouldn't take a RED with me to the Swiss Alps for our next feature.

I am sure RED will continue to be a competitor and improve, but if I am going digital, I am going with Arri.

[citizen yo]

preferring arri over red is one thing, but the way some diss on the red like it's s*** will always amaze me.

[Marco]

Remember that Arri released a great digital camera, the D20, one year before RED introduced the Red One. The D21 came after and the Alexa was developed side by side for another market. It was planned as a 16mm-replacement and a perfect choice for television-work. But... Alexa is great and used for some big movies.

I would say, that there would be an Alexa without Red, but maybe not so cheap.

And I still say, that Red is about numbers (5k blabla 120fps blablabla) and Arri is about working on a feature film set and everything you need there. Red will need a couple of more years to develop a better working system, not ony a nice body. Everytime I can go to Arri Rental and start a project without thinking much about the body and which accessoires I want to use, it is a completely self-explaning system, developed on feature film sets and improved over some decades. Maybe in 20 years, the Red-system is at the same point.

And in 2011, we will see a new digital camera by Panavision. The Genesis is still a great tool.