AS GOOD AS IMAX

[TonySegreto]

2c$

Sometimes things dont have to be perfect to be great. I own an Epic now. It astonishes me. I would however kill to shoot on 35mm again. Only did it twice in my career, and to this day i love the way it looks. Ketch, you are correct in one sense, it is dying. But why kill it? why not have another brush to paint the picture with? Yes its slow, complicated and expensive... but so is sailing a regata, but some people seem to love that for those reasons... the sensation, and emotions of an analog chemical medium is powerful when done right. Would Se7en have been better on Epic? Maybe... maybe not, the bleach bypass and chances Khonji took with the processing make it spectacular. Would the NIN Closer video have been better on Epic rather than on a Bell and Howell hand cranked camera, and high temperature flashed film that Savides spent weeks to perfect have been the same? Dunno...

But they got that look that way. Now today, we can get that look that way, AND in 5k with an Epic and a great colorist. Some like to sail the ship, some like to steer the motor boat, both get us to the same place.

Nice Timur! I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I have and will always be a die hard fan of the digital revolution(haha). I love my video cameras, and I've only worked with film maybe a dozen times. But honestly the more I work in production, the more I see that its the smallest variables that make something special. And if all the pieces aren't correct, the whole thing can miss the mark. (its a game of inches!) That is why filmmaking/production is such a collaborative effort. As far as best image possible? I'm not sure what that really means. I think that quality/resolution/color wise we are approaching the point at which technology becomes more accurate than our eyes. Then what? There wont be any doubt about what has the best image quality in terms of those criteria. Yet I think that seeing something that is beautiful and shot on 35mm,8mm or an HVX200 can still be just as emotionally gripping. I really like Timur's metaphor with people who go sailing.

I still think the medium is just the means of telling the story. It matters a lot and the medium can definitely lend to the story or detract from it, but its not the most important factor.

[Trevor Emmerson]

Don't forget, for me is not ever only about just the Image quality, which of course is the MOST IMPORTANT, but not the only reason to love EPIC, is about the workflow, the speed of getting my results, the fact that I'm ECO FRIENDLY, and much more, all in favor of Digital, and against Celluloid.

Ketch do you have any thoughts about the ECO FRIENDLINESS of choosing 3D over 2D as a distribution format?

I mean sure, you could argue that shooting with celluloid is creating a waste product of sorts. But if you are using celluloid only on the acquisition side of production and then the film is later projected digitally in 2D, then i would think that there is probably more waste created every minute of a 3D films theatrical run than in an entire 2D production shot using film. Doesn't make much difference shooting digitally to save the environment when a 3D film goes on to be seen by millions of people who each take home a pair of plastic glasses to throw in the bin. To my mind 3D filmmaking is ecologically disastrous.

In time, i have no doubt future RED products will be better than IMAX. I don't think that day has come yet. It also never ceases to amaze me how much people rave about the resolution and cleanness of the RED image like it is something that really matter's, and then in the same breath champion 3D. Completely ignoring the fact that viewing 4k images wearing cheap throw away glasses, at light levels so low your eyes lose the ability to detect contrast and color saturation, is degrading your ability to perceive any of that visual goodness to such and extend you're probably not even seeing SD.

I mean seriously, I see no greater irony than in the fact a camera system that pushes the boundaries of image quality further than no other and has created a brand out of 1080 not being good enough, has become the key piece of technology used to fuel to a 3D filmaking revival in which image quality- as seen by the average moviegoer- is the worse i've experienced in a lifetime of going to the cinema.

[PatrickFaith]

Wow ... just read the full article, It went into detail on a lot of points.

I didn't realize most of the lighting was done by LED's and it was dimmable via a ipad ... realtime ... even while shooting a scene. [ I haven't heard of motion picture at the prometheus quality level that used so much led]
The lighting discussion in itself is worth the price of the subscription. [this kind of also put's to bed how well RED does with LED's ... they even used florescents]

Another take way is his use of zoom lenses ... the Optimo. The discussion of anamorphic vs spherical was interesting(more food for thought).

The comment on compression was great (i'm on a scarlet, so i'm just going to get the lowest i can ... which is 6:1 at 24 fps/4k).

Article was perty big ... like 10 pages ... so was a lot in it.

[Jon Jones]

Well IMAX is film, and a Lambo is known for being small and stealthy, whearas an IMAX camera with reel and operational items is not so much small and stealthy... Although I know of a camera that is..... If the IMAX camera is like a Lambo, then it must be a giant Lambo... One that takes 5 people to operate.

Calling IMAX "film" is like calling a Lamborghini "transportation."

[Jon Jones]

I read the article in it's entirety as well, and it was a great read. It spured me on to go and watch the flick in an IMAX theater in 3d. The images were superb on an IMAX screen even though they finished in 2k. If they would have finished in 4k and we all watched it in 4k, we would not be having this convo. It has been stated in this thread that no Digital image has come close to film, which I, and most shooting RED think is ludicrous. I wonder if the person that said that spends hours upon hours editing 4k footage, only to be "ripped off" by online compression after posting it online. Nothing comes close to the ease of use and simplicity of the RED camera system as far as I'm concerned, yeah IMAX may be better in your opinion, if that's the case how come your not shooting it.... Oh wait cause it costs a bazillion dollars to own and operate one, so the cost factor weighs in heavily on the issue as well.

[Nick Morrison]

this kind of also put's to bed how well RED does with LED's ... they even used florescents.

Great point Patrick, hadn't really thought of that. It is a strong argument for LED's. In light of the whole RED/Tungsten discussion, this is even more interesting.

[Peter Moretti]

Well IMAX is film, and a Lambo is known for being small and stealthy, whearas an IMAX camera with reel and operational items is not so much small and stealthy... Although I know of a camera that is..... If the IMAX camera is like a Lambo, then it must be a giant Lambo... One that takes 5 people to operate.

Nolan and Phister only shoot on film and prefer 65mm. So sorry, but IMAX if is going to be a car, its got be a Lambo.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/b...feo-2012-06-06

[Jon Jones]

I think it would be a Hummer H2, that doesn't necessarily fit in my garage but still looks cool, so I keep driving it because it makes me look cool too. Only this hummer costs me 1 million dollars, so it wasn't really worth it per say, but I still got it because of the a fore mentioned reasons, lol. I'm so glad for Nolan and Phister which rhymes with who gives a crap, because I don't... That actually did make me laugh out loud!

Nolan and Phister only shoot on film and prefer 65mm. So sorry, but IMAX if is going to be a car, its got be a Lambo.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/b...feo-2012-06-06

[Jon Jones]

I mean the hummer was totally worth it if you just pretend like all the other cars in the world are around the same price, and they all get the same miles per gallon....

[Donald Strubler]

Thanks for showing up on these boards and dissing everyone. Classy.

Confused. I like resolution and latitude, dont you? Wasn't intended for offense, and apologies if offense was taken.