Jim's extended leave...

[George A.]

---
I am taking some extended time off from this forum.

While I certainly appreciate all the support from our customers and respectful critics, I feel the need to step back and attend to more personal matters.

In my absence, Jarred, Stuart, Deanan, Rob, Brent, Kelly, Greame, Big Jon and Ted will attempt to answer your questions and keep you abreast of RED news.

I hope the Moderators can help this forum remain a place for respectful postings. I also think the Moderators might need some help from the serious posters to minimize the new wave of noise that has hit this forum.

RED customers can always contact me directly.

My best to all.

Jim
---

 

[George A.]

A bit surprised...

EDIT: I think we should all show our support for Jim and ask him to reconsider. I'm not good at oratory but I'm asking everyone else to say something. Before it is too late.

 

[Daniel Reichenbach]

Jim was very passioned these days, and why should he listen longer to silly questions and destructiv critics from a kindergarden. He has cameras to build.

 

[Buck Forester]

You know, I would too if I were him. Take some time to stay focused on reality and the positive. I wasn't at NAB but I'm betting in person there was lots of postive buzz, then he comes to the forums and he reads so much unwarranted, negative criticism and questioning. Some of it is constructive, but a lot of it is trash talk. I think it's gotta be disappointing to put so much time, energy, and resources into something that is so ground-breaking, living and breathing this stuff 24/7, and be so excited about some amazing new offerings and then get so much negative responses about Scarlet and Epic. Although there is lots of excitement and support, there's also a lot of negative energy and I think it's wise to stay away from the negative for a while and take a breather and focus on the positive and getting 'er done. As for me, I'm pumped about the prospects of taking Scarlet in the wild backcountry!

 

[Bing Bailey]

we need a bring jim back campaign. we can be rowdy but we didn't mean to run him off. none of this stuff would exist if it wasn't for him. jim I think we're all sorry if any of this has given you a headache

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

Well, my editor and his advisor (Kevin Harlan and Major Lytton, respectively) were at the RED tent at NAB and asked if Jim would mind signing the RED "R" for me (I could not attend). They said he was incredibly gracious and friendly, not exactly the sort of treatment one would expect from your average billionaire.

I, for one, will absolutely be purchasing Scarlet.

I, for one, will seriously consider Epic, unless the RED One upgrade makes that a less desirable option.

I, for one, am extremely glad to be a part of this amazing RED Revolution.

It's an utterly amazing time. . .

. . . why, just last year, I was thinking of shooting my feature on an HVX with a Brevis adapter. And then along came RED.

Stephen

 

[Justin Kirchhoff]

this forum has grown extensively with a bunch of newbies who didn't know any better.....it'll take time for them to understand how things work here, just like it takes time to build a camera.

 

[Raul Gonzo]

I think many of us knew this would happen eventually.
Let,s just hope it,s not permanent.

 

[Mark Toia]

I'm not sure what he's got his nickers in a twist over.
Yes he's the new KING and long he may he live.
But as a king you cant go walking backwards into the darkness when you have a few wankers in your face.
Hype cant last forever, Last year you were a anomaly, this year your a threat, Next year you will be part of the furniture.

You have made a camera that rif raf can afford, with it that comes the rif raf.
I met jim today and to be honest, I thought he was tougher than this.
Jim, GET UP!, Toughen up!, stop reading the shit on this forum and be fuckin proud of yourself. You have made history and thats a FACT.

oooh and the images in the 4k projection room in the back of your tent..."AWESOME"!
"inspiring", magnificent we were all speechless. Including the big mouth prick from SONY and Cinetech that I convinced to go see it.

Don't slow down.
I'm relying on you.

 

[Kyle Mallory]

I am currently at NAB. I've been trying to follow the forums when I'm back at the hotel, but I don't end up reading everything.

I'm guessing the opposite, of this. The negativity is more at NAB than on these forums. As someone in possession of my RED ONE (physically at NAB), I am asked often by people "Are you worried about the new RED cameras?" And "What is with this 5k?" A lot of 5k jokes running around the halls.

When I showed up at the RED booth at 9:10am on Monday, I was a bit confused, and trying to figure out what these new cameras meant for me and my RED ONE. A few days later, I think that I have more to fear from Scarlet than Epic, and even that really isn't an issue, especially considering the "Early 2009" release (realistically mid-2009).

I'll be honest, I am more excited about RED RAY than either of the new cameras... But I'm still in newly-wed-bliss with my Baby. Give me another 6 months to a year, and maybe I'll start looking at other cameras again.

I'm a bit disappointed regarding the lack of Build 16 news. I understand the decision to "make NAB about new products", but for current camera customers, Build 16 IS A NEW PRODUCT.

I also was really, secretly hoping that RED would have announced a RED-CARD-- PCIe hardware accelerated REDCODE decoder/debayer with HD-SDI output... THAT I would have been excited about!

But the matte-box, the RED RAY, the lenses (18-85 is GEORGEOUS!), the new 7" LCD, and yes, even Scarlet and Epic, are exciting and welcome announcements from RED.

Keep fighting the long, hard fight, and you'll emerge victorious, or die with honor. Either way is a good way to go.

Peace out Jim, and thanks for a fucking awesome camera. I hope you're enjoying some quality time with your family. You definitely deserve it.


Kyle

 

[Lexicon]

The guy has a life with his family and other interests (outside of RED). It's not healthy for him to spend too much time here listening to the bitching and moaning of those who just don't get it. He has put up with a lot of naysayers and detractors over the last three years and he always keeps his cool. But Jim Jannard is still just a human being and human beings have limits. He's been a pretty generous person with his camera designs and nobody here can deny that he's been a man of integrity when it comes to his business. So let's just wish him well and keep some beer/fruit juice/whatever he drinks in the fridge for when he returns.

 

[Dylan Reeve]

It's not common for a company, especially in this industry, to have have such direct and unfiltered lines of communication - and for some people this is a little hard to contend with. They assume that since this is all here and semi-official that they have some sort of ownership or stake in RED - they see this as a forum to make demands and/or post their diatribes on exactly where/why/how RED is selling out.

This is a shame, but sort of an unavoidable side-effect of the community approach that RED has adopted. Things will settle down again and cooler heads will prevail - but even the regulars at times probably need to take a moment and think before they post.

We're invited into RED here in a way that few other companies would ever consider, we need to respect that and remember what our relationship actually is.

 

[JCallahan]

It looks like a lot of the camera-related criticisms that started on Monday illogically turned into personal attacks on Jim, his company, his vision and his ethics. I think that temporarily bowing out isn't really a bad move on his part. Hopefully the negativity dies down quickly, and in a few months he can return to a board that will be as respectful of him as he has been of us.

 

[Poi Boy]

oooh and the images in the 4k projection room in the back of your tent..."AWESOME"!
"inspiring", magnificent we were all speechless. Including the big mouth prick from SONY and Cinetech that I convinced to go see it.

Big mouth prick from Sony..too funny LOL.

NAB, Great stuff Jim and Company, You guys are rockin the story telling world, keep it up !
Aloha
-A

Leave of absence my ass !

 

[CJ Roy]

Well, my editor and his advisor (Kevin Harlan and Major Lytton, respectively) were at the RED tent at NAB and asked if Jim would mind signing the RED "R" for me (I could not attend). They said he was incredibly gracious and friendly, not exactly the sort of treatment one would expect from your average billionaire.

On Red-Day, I was just floored by Jim's friendly and gracious demeanor. Not that I expected anything, I just didn't expect that. It was something that stuck with me, and you can see and hear that when you talk to the employees.

I think a lot of that gets lost here on the forums, and the some of the others.

I hope he'll come back soon.

 

[caseyhayward]

You have made a camera that rif raf can afford, with it that comes the rif raf.

That is down right offensive to those of us who work hard to make good films and have participated in these boards for some time but perhaps cannot afford a twenty thousand dollar camera. If I worked for Red I would be offended by that comment as well.

I look forward to the new low-budget offering from Red even if you want to label me "riffraff" or a "soccer mom."

 

[Ethan Cooper]

The regrettable truth is that you make a camera for professionals and professionalism rules the forum, you make a camera for the masses and you get what just transpired.

I'll now quote myself:

Hell, I'm not even a self-made billionaire business tycoon and I find it very annoying when bottom dwelling video production wannabe's (of which I am one) sit around and moan about a camera that without your company had no chance of existing at all for at least another 5 years much less at this price point.
If I were you, I'd tell us all to go f@#$ ourselves shut down the whole damn operation and go do something much less stressful like shoot wildlife for a living, on a Panasonic 3700... that only does 1080... at 30p... a whole 2 years after you told them where the industry was heading... don't think they got the memo.

________
Toyota publica sports specifications

 

[David Dennis]

There have been two major innovative companies I've been following: RED and Tesla Motors, makers of the Tesla Roadster electric vehicle.

The Tesla and RED stories are eerily similar. In both cases, people plunked down large deposits (much larger in the case of the Tesla) on the promise of a great product in the future.

In the case of RED, although Jim at one point said he should have fired himself for some of the early mistakes, he persevered and created the camera we now know and love today. Now I would say there are few who doubt that Jim can do pretty much anything he promises, and I don't think there's anyone, even those who have been momentarily upset, who wants to see Jim gone.

Tesla actually did fire the founder, Martin Eberhard. Throughout the development of the firm, Martin had been the passionate founder, the advocate of the thrilling technologies Tesla was pioneering. In short, Martin played Jim's role - he made us trust and care in the company, through a very similar set of blogs and writings that outlined his vision.

Ever since then, the news had not been good for Tesla. Months behind, they have yet to ship their first car to a paying customer. And, in an embarassing appearance, principal investor Elon Musk tried to imply that his lone production model was just one of many, and that charging batteries would require less equipment and take a shorter period than they really would.

It's possible that many of the delays were Martin's fault, as he encountered problems he did not properly anticipate. But I think this should be a cautionary tale in taking a visionary founder for granted.

Visionary founders like Jim and Martin are a pain in the neck sometimes, with their push towards perfection. But once they are gone from a company like RED or Tesla, the corporate spirit leaves with them.

I have tried to defend Jim against the petty nitpickers here and I hope I've had some success. I'm very happy to see Scarlet, because it means I will finally be able to afford a RED product next year. I want Jim to know that his contributions are warmly and intelligently appreciated, by me and others, and that he should understand that he's made a lot of friends, including me, on this quest for his dream camera.

So Jim, I hope you haven't been disillusioned. I'll bet that for every angry post there are at least ten people who are really happy about what you have done and what you are doing. Your fairness and openness are warmly appreciated here, and I hope that after your needed break, you will return soon.

After all, we're starved for Scarlet details, you tease you .

D

 

[wshultz]

I'm guessing he'll feel better after a few days rest from NAB-hell. He must be exhausted.

 

[Mark Warren]

I'll quote myself from the 15th of March.

I read a lot around here, but I don't post and I'd like to add more positive feedback to try and further balance the weight of ludicrous posters who somehow assume they're the C.E.O. of RED (or at least on the Board) (or a majority investor)... who demand constant "briefings", (24hrs a day mind you)... demand features, feel personally slighted and aggrieved when they're not pandered to, take very little personal responsibility whatsoever for their choices, who beg and manipulate to try and get tentative dates then bleat relentlessly when a date isn't met... who adopt a victim mentality like they breathe (i.e.- without even thinking)... I honestly find it ASTONISHING that all of you at RED can put up with it.

Jim's made the right decision, absolutely. I find it distressing reading these boards a lot of the time, let alone him. Thanks to the professional attitudes who post... they are few and far between but worth it.