A.Fetchko
Well-known member
I don't feel robbed.
I'm not gonna yell or scream or vent. And I'm not going to hurl vitriol at you. I count you as a friend that finally put 35mm widescreen equivalent filmmaking in my hands and in so doing you gave the industry a kick in the ass so swift its still trying to catch its balance.
Over this beer I just want to paint you a picture from a self-centered user's point of view. And yeah I'm a self-centered user. You created me man... you made me that way. Before you, cameras were the purview of Rental Houses and high-interest business loans... you ushered in an era of owners. Like many here I've spent more money on my camera then I've ever spent on a car - and I like cars - so of course I'm self centered about it. You made me an owner... someone who was now able to afford owning a tool to make cinema, but someone who also now had to bear the financial responsibility of managing that ownership.
I bought into RED because it was the first tool that allowed me to tell the stories I wanted to tell cinematically. I'd slogged through all supposed solutions along the way... Cinelook, XL1, DVX, FilmLook, HVX, HPX, SR3 and all of them were always a compromise. The RED ONE wasn't.... it was a camera I could shoot cinema on. Hell you can even go through Answer-Printing in your underwear now with RAW.
When I bought into stage 3 I was a little more seasoned... I bought into the idea that I was supporting the effort and that I would be one of the first to have an Epic a clear business and creative advantage. Now maybe this was something I inferred or made up. Maybe it was never promised. But I'm not alone. Many of us made this same inference and it was even encouraged here on REDUSER. At any rate this inference on my part was smashed with the release of the Epic M, a prototype that was supposed to only go to a few.... but actually went to many... eroding my Rentals on my RED-ONE but still I wasn't worried because I was in stage 3 I was to get mine soon.
But it wasn't soon... it was a Rental eroding eternity. From the time we all congratulated Ketch on his Epic M, It was over a year before I finally got my hands on an epic of my own. By that time my Red-One Rentals had all but withered and even in the DC Market I was renting Epics from others for jobs while my REDONE sat dormant because its what the client wanted. This is NOT your fault.... its just the way it is. Clients will always want the next best think. Clients will always believe the song and dance before the image.
But now we come to these price reductions... I haven't even had my Epic for 6 months yet. And when I got my epic I had to wait even longer for the accessories to make it functional and yet I was still happy... but this hits hard. Over a beer I'm telling you this hurt. You created me... and I love ya for it, but this hurt. A Pro-Level camera I have not had for more than 5 months just had its value reduced by over 30%. I know you say this is characteristic of electronics, and if we were talking about ipods and laptops I would agree with you... but this is not characteristic of the Pro Camera market. Its unprecedented and it hurts a bit. I waited patiently for a year while everyone else in the world (seemingly - remember you made me ;-) ) got their Epics. Hell I watched scores get their Scarlets before I got my Epic. But now I have had the camera barely 3 and half months (EPIC and ACCESSORIES) and its worth a third less this morning than it was yesterday. Not everybody has had a year and a half with the camera... not everybody was able to readily rent the REDONE to clients no matter how viable and awesome we knew it was.
Jarred said it himself. We the owners allow you to push forward by buying in. I'm still on board, still along for the ride but don't forget the unprecedented responsibility we've taken on to be RED EPIC owners in the rush forward. Their is a cost to moving forward but Owners like us shouldn't be paying for all of it. Yes I've put my Epic to good use in the last few months and the filmmaker in me loves that your pushing forward with zeal but the business owner in me is reeling from a 30% hit on a camera I've only had use of for three and half months and what the influx in cameras this price shift will surely cause will do to the rental market and the prices I can charge.
I still love the camera. I'm still thankful for the kick in the ass you gave the industry. And I don't think I've ever been treated poorly by RED ever. But over a beer I just wanted you to hear why it hurt from an Owner that isn't a studio or a rental house but rather an individual; an Owner you created that has all the responsibilities that comes with that ownership. You created this level of ownership and responsibility. I know you know about the ownership... but I think you forget about the responsibility in your excitement to push forward.
I'm not getting off the ride, and the fact that I'm staying on is why I wanted this to be said.
Hit me up at NAB... I think I owe you a beer.
I'm not gonna yell or scream or vent. And I'm not going to hurl vitriol at you. I count you as a friend that finally put 35mm widescreen equivalent filmmaking in my hands and in so doing you gave the industry a kick in the ass so swift its still trying to catch its balance.
Over this beer I just want to paint you a picture from a self-centered user's point of view. And yeah I'm a self-centered user. You created me man... you made me that way. Before you, cameras were the purview of Rental Houses and high-interest business loans... you ushered in an era of owners. Like many here I've spent more money on my camera then I've ever spent on a car - and I like cars - so of course I'm self centered about it. You made me an owner... someone who was now able to afford owning a tool to make cinema, but someone who also now had to bear the financial responsibility of managing that ownership.
I bought into RED because it was the first tool that allowed me to tell the stories I wanted to tell cinematically. I'd slogged through all supposed solutions along the way... Cinelook, XL1, DVX, FilmLook, HVX, HPX, SR3 and all of them were always a compromise. The RED ONE wasn't.... it was a camera I could shoot cinema on. Hell you can even go through Answer-Printing in your underwear now with RAW.
When I bought into stage 3 I was a little more seasoned... I bought into the idea that I was supporting the effort and that I would be one of the first to have an Epic a clear business and creative advantage. Now maybe this was something I inferred or made up. Maybe it was never promised. But I'm not alone. Many of us made this same inference and it was even encouraged here on REDUSER. At any rate this inference on my part was smashed with the release of the Epic M, a prototype that was supposed to only go to a few.... but actually went to many... eroding my Rentals on my RED-ONE but still I wasn't worried because I was in stage 3 I was to get mine soon.
But it wasn't soon... it was a Rental eroding eternity. From the time we all congratulated Ketch on his Epic M, It was over a year before I finally got my hands on an epic of my own. By that time my Red-One Rentals had all but withered and even in the DC Market I was renting Epics from others for jobs while my REDONE sat dormant because its what the client wanted. This is NOT your fault.... its just the way it is. Clients will always want the next best think. Clients will always believe the song and dance before the image.
But now we come to these price reductions... I haven't even had my Epic for 6 months yet. And when I got my epic I had to wait even longer for the accessories to make it functional and yet I was still happy... but this hits hard. Over a beer I'm telling you this hurt. You created me... and I love ya for it, but this hurt. A Pro-Level camera I have not had for more than 5 months just had its value reduced by over 30%. I know you say this is characteristic of electronics, and if we were talking about ipods and laptops I would agree with you... but this is not characteristic of the Pro Camera market. Its unprecedented and it hurts a bit. I waited patiently for a year while everyone else in the world (seemingly - remember you made me ;-) ) got their Epics. Hell I watched scores get their Scarlets before I got my Epic. But now I have had the camera barely 3 and half months (EPIC and ACCESSORIES) and its worth a third less this morning than it was yesterday. Not everybody has had a year and a half with the camera... not everybody was able to readily rent the REDONE to clients no matter how viable and awesome we knew it was.
Jarred said it himself. We the owners allow you to push forward by buying in. I'm still on board, still along for the ride but don't forget the unprecedented responsibility we've taken on to be RED EPIC owners in the rush forward. Their is a cost to moving forward but Owners like us shouldn't be paying for all of it. Yes I've put my Epic to good use in the last few months and the filmmaker in me loves that your pushing forward with zeal but the business owner in me is reeling from a 30% hit on a camera I've only had use of for three and half months and what the influx in cameras this price shift will surely cause will do to the rental market and the prices I can charge.
I still love the camera. I'm still thankful for the kick in the ass you gave the industry. And I don't think I've ever been treated poorly by RED ever. But over a beer I just wanted you to hear why it hurt from an Owner that isn't a studio or a rental house but rather an individual; an Owner you created that has all the responsibilities that comes with that ownership. You created this level of ownership and responsibility. I know you know about the ownership... but I think you forget about the responsibility in your excitement to push forward.
I'm not getting off the ride, and the fact that I'm staying on is why I wanted this to be said.
Hit me up at NAB... I think I owe you a beer.
