jessef
Member
Hi,
I've been browsing these forums for a bit, and thought I would take advantage of the RED experience here and ask a few questions to help me prep for my first RED feature (shooting next month).
Here's a bit about the project, which might help frame your advise.. It is ultra low budget, but we have managed a get a deal on a basic RED package. We will probably be working with one zoom (something like the Ang 17-102mm T2.9) and 2-3 Zeiss standard speed primes. I would assume we will get a RED with build 15, but I'm not sure. We will be working with an extremely basic G/E package. We are hoping to get the chance to do some tests before we shoot, but I would love to get some advise before hand, which would help me make the most of the tests. (I think it is wonderful that there are online forums like this where professionals can share their experience and advise with others)
We will be doing several night exteriors, where we will not be able to do a lot of lighting (both for speed and budget reasons). Some in NYC, Ohio, Utah, and Vegas. I've read a lot about people loving how the RED "sees into the shadows," but have yet to see any night footage (shot with mostly available light) that really shows that. Does anyone have anything they might be able post?
We have a scene where two characters get stranded in the Great Basin Desert in Utah, which requires shooting about an hour before sunset, and then at night in the middle of nowhere. My first thought was 'no way we can do that without heaps of big lights!' But hey, sometimes it's our job to find different solutions! The two characters are pretty static, they don't walk at all during the night portion. I have thought about trying to do it Day for Night, but am a bit worried about that because we would be shooting very similar setups Day for Day, which might totally kill the trickery of DFN (also a little worried about avoiding sky in the middle of nowhere desert). Does anyone have any samples of DFN shot on the RED?
I also thought about shooting it Night for Night and just using a handful of small lights to light the small area they are in, but I am worried about the background falling into a black void like it would with any other camera. Does anyone have any experience shooting the RED in a scenario like this?
The film also includes a road trip across the US, and a lot of the script takes place in a cab. Unfortunately, we don't have the budget for a process trailer, so we will probably be mounting the camera (and some lite panels for the night work) on the car. We have looked at the Film Tools mount that uses 3 or 4 suction cups, as it seems to be able to support the weight of a RED (not sure if we will be able to use the primes for this, or have to use the zoom), and is versatile enough to give us lots of angles on the hood and side. Obviously, with the actor's actually driving the car, safety is a concern as well. Any advise here?
Also, has anyone had problems with the RED and vibrations while shooting? I would assume that shooting with the red drive while on a car mount is a bad idea b/c the hard drive spins when turned on, so using CF cards would be smarter.
Sorry this turned into a fairly long post, but thanks in advance for any advise you can offer. I'm also open to hear anything you think a shooter who is used to film and video, but has never used the RED before might want to hear.
Thanks!
jesse
I've been browsing these forums for a bit, and thought I would take advantage of the RED experience here and ask a few questions to help me prep for my first RED feature (shooting next month).
Here's a bit about the project, which might help frame your advise.. It is ultra low budget, but we have managed a get a deal on a basic RED package. We will probably be working with one zoom (something like the Ang 17-102mm T2.9) and 2-3 Zeiss standard speed primes. I would assume we will get a RED with build 15, but I'm not sure. We will be working with an extremely basic G/E package. We are hoping to get the chance to do some tests before we shoot, but I would love to get some advise before hand, which would help me make the most of the tests. (I think it is wonderful that there are online forums like this where professionals can share their experience and advise with others)
We will be doing several night exteriors, where we will not be able to do a lot of lighting (both for speed and budget reasons). Some in NYC, Ohio, Utah, and Vegas. I've read a lot about people loving how the RED "sees into the shadows," but have yet to see any night footage (shot with mostly available light) that really shows that. Does anyone have anything they might be able post?
We have a scene where two characters get stranded in the Great Basin Desert in Utah, which requires shooting about an hour before sunset, and then at night in the middle of nowhere. My first thought was 'no way we can do that without heaps of big lights!' But hey, sometimes it's our job to find different solutions! The two characters are pretty static, they don't walk at all during the night portion. I have thought about trying to do it Day for Night, but am a bit worried about that because we would be shooting very similar setups Day for Day, which might totally kill the trickery of DFN (also a little worried about avoiding sky in the middle of nowhere desert). Does anyone have any samples of DFN shot on the RED?
I also thought about shooting it Night for Night and just using a handful of small lights to light the small area they are in, but I am worried about the background falling into a black void like it would with any other camera. Does anyone have any experience shooting the RED in a scenario like this?
The film also includes a road trip across the US, and a lot of the script takes place in a cab. Unfortunately, we don't have the budget for a process trailer, so we will probably be mounting the camera (and some lite panels for the night work) on the car. We have looked at the Film Tools mount that uses 3 or 4 suction cups, as it seems to be able to support the weight of a RED (not sure if we will be able to use the primes for this, or have to use the zoom), and is versatile enough to give us lots of angles on the hood and side. Obviously, with the actor's actually driving the car, safety is a concern as well. Any advise here?
Also, has anyone had problems with the RED and vibrations while shooting? I would assume that shooting with the red drive while on a car mount is a bad idea b/c the hard drive spins when turned on, so using CF cards would be smarter.
Sorry this turned into a fairly long post, but thanks in advance for any advise you can offer. I'm also open to hear anything you think a shooter who is used to film and video, but has never used the RED before might want to hear.
Thanks!
jesse