CAMP RED - AUGUST

[Jarred Land]

Enough with the politics guys.. You guys all know that Ted isn't a " business/money " type of guy.. His motivation isn't to make a buck off of your children. He has no hidden agenda here and is not trying to corrupt your kids.. So get over it.

Next person that insinuates that we are just trying to grab a quick buck here needs to meet me behind the bike racks.

To go to camp at a Movie Studio for a week and make movies is something I would of killed for as a kid...

[AnthonyFlores]

Enough with the politics guys.. You guys all know that Ted isn't a " business/money " type of guy.. His motivation isn't to make a buck off of your children. He has no hidden agenda here and is not trying to corrupt your kids.. So get over it.

Next person that insinuates that we are just trying to grab a quick buck here needs to meet me behind the bike racks.

To go to camp at a Movie Studio for a week and make movies is something I would of killed for as a kid...

+1. There are much better way to make a buck than to teach kids about Red, what an idiotic thought. Sorry but it's just silly.

I too would have killed for this when I was young. If I were in town, would be tempted to fudge my birth certificate and get some cosmetic procedures
so that I could attend :-P well, okay I'm exaggerating but almost serious. This is going to rock and I envy any kid who gets to attend.

I bet some great future filmmakers are going to be in this group.

[Imran Farouk]

wish this was around when I was a kid...

on a side note, clearly not well thought thru the argument about this being for a quick buck...clearly can't be... anyhoo

I'm taking it this is only going to be for the states for now right?

Any chance reducation can get expanded out and eventually this camp idea?

[M Most]

I wasn't insinuating that there was any nefarious plot. I was just saying that there can sometimes be undesirable results from otherwise positive efforts. That's not a reason to not do it. But sometimes what kids learn is not what you intend for them to learn. What kids have learned from things like iPhones is sometimes that they have to have what their wealthier friends have, regardless of whether their parents can actually afford it and regardless of whether they actually need it. Or that anything less than "the best" is not worth having, even if it still does the job. In these economically challenging times, those are not always the best things for kids to learn.

At any rate, I'm sure those who attend will enjoy the experience, and hopefully get the best out of it. I'll shut up now.

[Steve Sherrick]

I have learned to not underestimate kids these days, in particular when it comes to technology. I gave my nephew (who I'm hoping can attend the RED Camp) a DV Camera and Sony Vegas and that night he shot a film, learned Vegas, and sent the video to me via Youtube the next day. He was 14 at the time and oh yeah, his movie involved some effects too, which he also learned to do that night. Of course, there is more to filmmaking than knowing the tools, but knowing how the tools work certainly gets them going in the right direction. Life experience will help them with the rest.

The scary thing is, a lot of kids growing up these days can run circles around us older folks at times. It's being built into their DNA from the beginning. My 3 year old daughter knows how to run the PS3 and get to Netflix and load up her favorite shows. That's why it's important for all of us to keep learning, keep expanding our knowledge of gear and various tools used to enhance our skill sets. We almost have to expect that others will leave us in the dust if we choose not to keep up.

One other thing, I've always believed in the Master/Apprentice system. I think it's one of the best ways to learn a craft. If you put high end technology in the hands of these kids and also surround them with master craftsmen and artists, you will have some amazing results would be my guess.

[Jarred Land]

I wasn't insinuating that there was any nefarious plot.

Bullshit..

Your own words:

Red is a business, just like Apple and every other smart company is a business. If they can get kids telling their parents that they have to go out and get Red's gear, just like they now tell them that they "need" iPhones and iPads, that's a win for the company.

[Clint Lealos]

When I was a boy I wanted to be a professional baseball player, and I was pretty good too. My father was a natural coach, and would work with me in the front yard playing catch or taking ground balls whenever I wanted to. We didn't have much money, but he didn't need much money to teach me how to play baseball. He just needed time and love, and he gave me that.

One summer when I was 12 my father saved up his money and sent me to a baseball camp where a real major league ball player was going to teach us some of the finer points of baseball, and we would get to play in Dodger stadium on the last day! Naturally this was the coolest thing in the world. It was only a week long, but it was nothing but baseball for the whole week.

Fast forward to today. I'm not a professional baseball player. I never even played after high school. I don't remember what I learned that week, or even which player was the teacher. However, I will always remember something the teacher told us, "Being a professional baseball player will not be easy, but it is impossible if you don't practice hard". From that point on, I always made a point to practice my ass off no matter what I was trying to learn. Sure, my father told me the very same thing everyday, but coming from a pro player made it sink in for some reason. Since, my father wasn't a pro baseball player his advice didn't hold as much weight. If there is one thing I am proud of today as an adult it is my work ethic. I think that nameless player in that overpriced, unneeded, child spoiling baseball camp did more for me than all the museums I ever attended put together (Please don't take that statement to mean I don't think you should take your kids to museums). If I am lucky enough to be a camp counselor at RedCamp I plan on teaching those kids more than just how to adjust the ISO and change a lens.

Who knows, maybe some day one of the kids will post something they learned at RedCamp on a holographic interspace 4D camera forum from an ancient cinematographer whose name they can't remember :)

[David Dennis]

Well said Deanan!

And also, I remember making movies as a kid, and we had to struggle to afford to get whatever video gear we could get our hands on. When we finally managed to get some more pro camera gear it elevated our game in more ways that just picture quality.

Graeme

When I was a kid, I had a Super 8 camera and struggled because film and processing was so expensive!

Boy have we advanced since then :).

I sure would have loved this kind of experience then :).

D

[Meryem Ersoz]

However, I will always remember something the teacher told us, "Being a professional baseball player will not be easy, but it is impossible if you don't practice hard". From that point on, I always made a point to practice my ass off no matter what I was trying to learn. Sure, my father told me the very same thing everyday, but coming from a pro player made it sink in for some reason. Since, my father wasn't a pro baseball player his advice didn't hold as much weight. If there is one thing I am proud of today as an adult it is my work ethic. I think that nameless player in that overpriced, unneeded, child spoiling baseball camp did more for me than all the museums I ever attended put together (Please don't take that statement to mean I don't think you should take your kids to museums). If I am lucky enough to be a camp counselor at RedCamp I plan on teaching those kids more than just how to adjust the ISO and change a lens.

Who knows, maybe some day one of the kids will post something they learned at RedCamp on a holographic interspace 4D camera forum from an ancient cinematographer whose name they can't remember :)

Great story, Clint...and that is pretty much how teaching works. It isn't about the gear. It is about the experience. And you never know, as a teacher of children, what sticks.

I could actually give a damn about what gear RED serves up to these kids. As I said earlier, my own daughter makes little films on my Flip. Or she sometimes uses the built-in web cam on the Mac.

But the chance for a kid to be around all of the inspiration that circulates around RED and its team and their passion for what they do is priceless.

[Rick Darge]

Jarred, are you guys going to be teaching film theory & history as well? Is it general filmmaking or will you have specialty classes where kids can focus on editing, writing, makeup, special FX, cinematography, craft services, etc. - Is it more about the Red camera or more about how to visually tell a story? Are the kids going to be doing all the work or will you guys assist when need be? Is this a program where out of state kids can join? Will they be housed and fed? Sounds interesting. What gave you guys the idea to do this in the first place?