digitalredvolution

Peter Jackson gave an Interview on micropsia. It’s an interestign read. And One Question and Answer is circling around RED and what it brings to movies:

KYLE ST-AMOUR-BRENNAN asks: What are your thoughts on the current economic climate in relation to film production? Does the continual integration of digital technology in Hollywood (you being a heavy supporter of the RED digital cinema camera), make it actually cheaper to make a film, or has it just allowed more money to be allocated more so on postproduction elements (special effects, etc..) ?

PETER JACKSON: Interesting. The main problem with the current climate is not so much to do with the advent of new technologies as it has to do with the changing face of distribution, and the changing nature of the audience demographics as well. The studios are finding it harder to make sense of the film industry, partly that has to do with the fact that studios are now part of these large corporations for which film is just a part of the conglomerate’s larger business. So there’s this particularly weird way in which Wall St. is controlling the production of movies, leading to quite a depressed time, where there doesn’t seem to be a market for medium or small budget films. Some of it’s the change in distribution, some of it’s a little bit to do with piracy; it’s all more complex than I could ever go into and I’m not an expert.

However, I think it’s a cycle. And eventually I think we’re going to arrive at a place where the internet and that type of technology settles down, and the film industry figures out a way to live with it. I’m looking forward to that particular conflict coming to an end within two or three years.

I don’t think any of it has much to do with digital cameras. I think there’s a whole economic thing going on that’s quite serious. We’re also talking about the audience, too, the fact that young people today have a multitude of different things to do, ways to occupy themselves during the weekend, and that going to the movies has a lot more to compete with.

But I do feel optimism. And where I do feel optimism, that’s where digital technology comes in. When I think my depressive thoughts of how hard it is to make interesting movies, I remind myself, “Hang on, there’s a generation of young people with access to movie equipment that’s cheaper and of higher quality than ever before.” Cameras like the RED camera. It makes me feel like saying, “If you’re out there reading this, go and get to making movies!” I really feel like it could lead to as exciting a creative explosion in filmmaking as what happened in the 70s.

The thing that excites me most about the RED, incidentally, is the image quality. I like the fact that is was designed by a camera buff. Jim Jannard’s passion is to create a digital camera available to everybody. Each generation of the RED is just going get better and better.

Read the full one here

Just got this in my Inbox: The #2 of the Scarletuser Podcast. It features Ted Schilowitz talking about the Scarlet. Do I need to say more? Get it!

So it’s out. The hopefully final Announcement of the Scarlet. I fought my way through 2 small Pages of Announced stuff and till now 80 pages of discussing the announced stuff. They dropped the Bomb, so here is my recap full of Images.

And what a bomb they dropped. One full of Specs for my wish-Cam the fixed Scarlet. But there was also some other Stuff. That’s why I’ll split this stuff in more Posts. And this one will be the one covering the Scarlet Fixed.

First of all here are the Specs, mirrored from Red.Com

Click the image to get to full size.

Releasedate:

Scarlet 2/3″ (both models)- May-June 2010

Well, no real surprise here. Mid 2010, can get to be End of 2010 till the real delivery date. Fine for me. As me, a director-frind of mine and my music composer are all writing big screenplays to be filmed End of 2010 it looks like a natural fit. The few things I do besides that over the year my GH1 will cover.

So, we’ve read the Announcement, let’s go through the Steps, at least the ones that are fucking awesome (they all are, but some stick out a bit more)

5. Touch-Focus tracking

I love the Idea of tracking focus by touch. Now I need to know if we can attach custom curves with ease. If not it at least is a cool tool to really get the focus right before shooting. UPDATE: Use Face recognition to let someone stay in focus while moving through the frame

Which brings us to the RedMote Pro, pictured here on the back of a fixed Scarlet

The REDmote Pro features a Follow Focus Dial at least more than the normal RedMote. Need more Info about what the other differences are, but as the price is more than 200% of the normalRedmote I tend to think it’s not the only thing. None the less the REDmote and the REDmote Pro offer a live Histogram, an overview over Battery-live and the status of your memory, plus your settings. Maybe there is even more to show, as these settings are also displayed on the LCD… I hope I din’t forget to tell that these are wireless, so the focuspuller will not be in your way while shooting, or if you do it all alone just mount the REDmote Pro to your Rig whereever you may hold it.Just for the kick here is the same thing from another Angle

6. Two independent microphone level channels.

Yehaa. 3.5er Jacks. I can use my old mics at least to get decent Sound to sync. Maybe even enough for real sound if I run around guerilla style. I even think about getting four wireless Mono mics and captureing them throught the two Stereos. Should be no problem. With good Lavalier-mics this may be perfect for nearly every situation. When are there more than four People in the Scene talking while on screen?

8. 3K in 120fps (150fps burst mode)

That is more than enough resolution to slightly zoom in and get a really good 1080p Image. And most of the Stuff I produce is 720p anyhow, so a 1080p Master sounds really good to me. and 120 fps with a 150 fpsburst? That’s a decent slomo. And filling one frame between two is no problem with f.i. After Effects, which gives you 300fps for the mother of all Slo-Mos. Makes me think about doing a fighting-Style movie next… imagine a fight, in stereoscopic 300fps slomo. That’s the burner

11. WIRELESS Redmote Control.

As I said. Mount it to the Handle of your Shouldermount to do focus yourself or hand it to the focus puller who can pull focus from a little bit farer away, which means no problems with focuspullers that are in the way when you pan around…

19. Independant programmable Frame Guides.

Now we’re talking. Wanna shoot 2.4:1? Get everything in frame with the right frame guide. Want a rules of thirds overlay? As I understood you can do that to. Good for things and rules that are not as generic as the rule of Thirds. You can even produce your Pan&Scan Project in 720p that moves around the 3k Image automatically and build a custom frame Guide that shows you where the viewport may be.

21. Something special goes here…

Yeah, that’s what it says, and knowing Red for a few years now this will be big. And maybe deserves the place on this List. Right now we can only speculate that it will be about the Lens or the ISO. Or something we didn’t even think about really.

22. 3-axis internal motion sensor and GPS

Sort your Footage based on GPS-Data. Everything filmed in the Mountains to this folder, everything… You get the Idea. And for VFY Work get the pan and tilt from the Cam as data. Use it in post to match the movement with your VFX. Want (rendered) Rain? Put it in there, get the Cammovement and your Handheld Shot has realistic “moving with the Cam”-Rain.

31. HDR-Stills

WOW. This is huge. Use them as backdrops. A Timelapse Made for this one would be kick ass. 5fps or so. We need more info on this, as the whole Stills thing is not explained that much.

Now to the Pricing.

The Full Kit including Brain with build in F2.4 Zoom Lens, Side-mountable CF Module, REDmote, a 2.8″ Touchscreen LCD, A REDVOLT battery and the travel charger will cost us 4750$ which is roundabout 3000€. That’s not that much. The Cheapest 2/3″ Cam on the Market right now is at 11.000$ I think. And as Thomas said the Price didn’t increase compared to gold.

There are also some Modules that will also fit any other scarlet or Epic

• 5″ LCD Touchscreen for $1600
• 7″ LCD (without touchscreen?) $2500
• BOMB EVF $3200
• Pro REDmote $1750 (instead of $550 for the non-Pro REDmote)

Conclusion

I for myself call this a dealmaker. 3000€ for a fiull kit? 2/3″ with a fast Zoom Lens that holds the f2.4 all the way throught? Check. Build so small that two of tham can be build side by side for a cool looking Stereo Rig. Check. Able to work together controlled by a wireless remote. Check. Touchscreen controlled with a good UI?

Check. Deal. Bought.

Watch it here. My Thoughts about it follow tomorrow or so. But till now it looks as good as I thought. Price is up, but the features kick it out for me big time.

Today’s the Day. November the 30th. Well, at least here in Europe. And as I have to be working this Evening I don’t know if I am able to put the Announcement stuff online here in time.

But don’t fear fellow Scarleteers, Scarletuser has the Cure. Peter Majtan has a thread up that will collect the Info from the Announcement. He’ll filter everything that’s essential.

Rely on that till I can recap the Announcement,

yours George P. Schnyder

In the Setback due to Asic Thread Jim dropped a Pic of the new Scarlet fixed. Instant new Desktop-Image

Scarlet Fixed

Word to Jim:

Since we are transparent… we have an ASIC issue. We have to do a “metal spin”, as apposed to a full re-spin, and it will set our program back about 30 days. I hate delays more than anyone, but we need to be open about the good news and the bad news.

What we are doing is something that no once else is doing… and it is difficult. We have had more than our share of luck… but reality has hit us.

This is not a major setback… but it is newsworthy.

Complain if you will. We are working as hard as we can and reporting what is real. I’d love to wave a magic wand over this but it is what it is.

Jim

Src

Not the best news to announce, but Jim said already that the Scarlet announcement is not shifted back because of this. Which gives us a whooping Week till the next big Announcement.

Well, you’re not alone. Everywhere I go I reed Horrorstories of what the People think will change. And I mean horror-Stories. My only fear is that there will be no easy way to put two fixed Scarlets together and use them as a 3D-Rig. Btw, we need a low-Res Bomb-VF for that…

Anyway. I found this Video over at reduser I think, but can sadly not remember that should help to let some people sleep better till the 30. of November.

Okay, let’s see. First of all the Announcement yeserday was nearly Epic only. Us Scarleteers only got another Date. 30th of November. It’s okay with me, but it would have been better to tell he people upfront that this Date is Epic Only. At least there wouldn’t have been so much crying about how bad Red is…

So lets roundup. First Jim Posted the new now full featured specs of the Epic-X. Impressive 100fps at 5k. Not bad at all. After that Jim presented the four stages Plan how RED will release the Epic-X. The first three Steps. A Betatest one, an get Epic-X and not give away your R1 and the Trade your R1 for an Epic-X are for R1 Users only. After that there will be Epic S35 for all Non-Red Owners.

On this grafic linked up there Red also posted the order of releases Model-vise are:

Epic-X S35, Epic S35, Scarlet Fixed and Scarlet 2/3″, Scarlet S35, Epic FF35, Scarlet FF35, Epic645, Epic617. Doesn’t look too bad for us fixed Scarlet Fans…

There are also some Prices on it. Not to bad, not to cheap eather…

After that Jim focused a bit on the Scarlet System:

Scarlet 2/3″ Program. Given the recent new VDSLR releases, we have decided to up the capability of the Scarlet 2/3″ Fixed 8x and interchangeable models. Several new features are being added that will NOT impact the release schedule (anymore than it would have been otherwise) but it will mildly impact the pricing.

Okay, mildly impact the pricing. Sounds like the thing everyone said. They will cost you a lot more. But look at the changes announced:

1. Increased REDCODE data rates
2. New FLUT Color, Gamma and Sensitivity Science. Now same as EPIC.
3. More extensive modular system integration.
4. Interchangeable Lens mounts including focus and iris control of electronic RED, Canon and Nikon lenses, along with Zoom data (Scarlet 2/3″ Interchangeable)
5. “Touch Focus Tracking” with electronic lens mounts and RED touchscreen LCD’s (Scarlet 2/3″ Interchangeable and 8x Fixed)
5. Two independent microphone level channels, balanced input circuits, 48V Phantom Power, digitized at 24-bit 48KHz.
6. GigaBit Ethernet port
7. Scaled 1080P at 60fps

Yehaa. Love it. Now make the impact as mildly as it can get and I’m so on to this Idea. I mean, only the 60fps on 1080p rock. And the other stuff doesn’t sound that bad eather…

After that Bomb Jim went back to Epic Business. With an Example of the Epic-X MonsterGunner. Okay. Like it.

On Page two we got some Images, both real and rendered. I especially love this one as it shows that the Scarlet 2/3″ Sensot is that close to 16mm that it should be a cool looking Footage we get out of her:

On Page three we got even more Images.. That was it. End. Nothing more, nothing Less.

So what are my thoughts of the Announcement? Well, not so much about the Scarlet Fixed, and she’s the Reason why I started this blog. So I am a little bit disapointed. But in a good way. I love the Fact that RED starts to just throw out Info if they are more clear that they will stay fact. Something that often was used against them. As the new way is now used against them. Me personally likes the new Way of Red. They are as near to the Users as before the Change, but now handle it in a more business like way. The new Date? 30th of November? Okay. I’ll wait a Month more, no Problem. I kinda like the Announcement Dates. They are like Christmas. You get something awesome, most of the time are a bit disapointed that it’s not the one thing you wanted, but in the end you see how cool this stuff really is. So come on Red, bring it on.

I’ll do a roundup tomorrow when things settle down, but now I’m about to enjoy the show myself

Read it here