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 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?

 

[M Most]

Bullshit..

Your own words:

Well, if you took it that way I apologize. What I was trying to say was that sometimes unintentional things result from good intentions. At any rate, I wasn't trying to insult anyone nor was I trying to say that there were any evil motives. Let's leave it at that.

 

[Imran Farouk]

More than likely though the majority of kids will be parents who have RED cameras and a parent would probably say that they need to start off with something less to learn the value of it...

So handing them a DSLR probably?

I'm sure even though its RED cameras that the stuff taught can be carried across right?

 

[Bjørn Vermo]

...

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.

True. Teaching with substandard equipment can easily put a clamp on creativity. If a child has an idea, it should not be ruined by a lack of resolution or dynamic range. It may be useful to learn that some equipment will impose limitations, but it is not useful to have your ideas stifled by old technology. Most people, regardless of age, are better off knowing what is technically possible even if it is not available to them at present.

 

[baoqnguyen]

A few thoughts from a teacher/aspiring filmmaker

A few thoughts from a teacher/aspiring filmmaker

I don’t know how Red intends to run this program, but I can’t see anything negative that can come out of it. These children will be learning a specialized craft that can only enhance their lives. The kids these days are a different breed. They are extremely technology savvy and incredibly aware of how the world around them is advancing. Movies are a big part of their lives and they know so much more than we think. Yes, they want iPads and iPhones, but only because their friends and their mothers have one. I don't think those same friends will be running around with Red cameras anytime soon.

I was using the process of making a movie as an example in my classroom this year when a few of my students simply blew my mind with what they already knew. They knew about storyboarding, casting, lighting, sound design, editing, etc. and most of them had never held a video camera. They said that they had learned it from a book in one of their favorite book series – The Diary of a Wimpy Kid (more specifically - The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary). I was simply amazed at the depth a book designed for 10 year olds went into about movie making. After speaking with my students, I learned that it did not inspire any of them to be filmmakers (not yet anyway), but it did inspire them to want to write great stories…and that maybe one day they too would write a story good enough to be made into a movie.

I want to commend Ted on the development of this program. I think CampRed has a unique opportunity to inspire kids to develop their dreams.

* * *

I have been following Red since the beginning, but have never felt as if I had anything to contribute, until now. I have two passions in life. The first - teaching, which I knew I wanted to do from an early age and the other – cinema, which I discovered after college. I have been teaching now for about 10 years, working with students from kindergarten to high school. At the same time I’ve tried to teach myself the process of filmmaking. I want to thank Jared for DVXuser and now Reduser (and all that contribute) for helping to educate me in this beautiful art.

 

[Mark L. Pederson]

I want to commend Ted on the development of this program. I think CampRed has a unique opportunity to inspire kids to develop their dreams.

* * *

I have been following Red since the beginning, but have never felt as if I had anything to contribute, until now. I have two passions in life. The first - teaching, which I knew I wanted to do from an early age and the other – cinema, which I discovered after college. I have been teaching now for about 10 years, working with students from kindergarten to high school. At the same time I’ve tried to teach myself the process of filmmaking. I want to thank Jared for DVXuser and now Reduser (and all that contribute) for helping to educate me in this beautiful art.

Great Post.

 

[David Dennis]

More than likely though the majority of kids will be parents who have RED cameras and a parent would probably say that they need to start off with something less to learn the value of it...

So handing them a DSLR probably?

I'm sure even though its RED cameras that the stuff taught can be carried across right?

It could, but this is Camp RED, not Camp Canon . Camp RED means they train on RED equipment.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Scarlet Fixeds, though, thanks to the weight issue.

D

 

[James McLellan]

I think people are focusing on the cameras a lot. Learning technical tools and equipment is great but learning how to collaborate is even better. Those are skills all our kids can use. I think that is what Red is offering here. They just happen to have Red cameras. In the end investing in kids is better than not investing in kids every time.

 

[Erwin Vanderhoydonks]

take a look
http://www.red.com/learn/campred
...and seeing many of your kids in camp this August with us.
+ Ted

I think we are all welcome... We are all still little boys, boys with toys... ;-)
The only difference between a little boy and a man is the price of his toys...

 

[Jon Thomasberg]

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

I agree completely, Jarred.

My wife and I have been already involving our kids in learning how many aspects of the entire production process and attempt to relate it to how it affects them directly.

My son (13) is a gun aficionado and a techie and can repair more hardware on a computer than many of the the Geeks at BestBuy; suggested that I CNC a NATO rails system with quick release mounts for all the accessories for my camera rig rather than the slow 1/4-20 screws, or hotshoe mounts for our DSLRs, and went so far as to create them in AutoCAD.

My 13 year-old daughter (the namesake of our company) has been interested in performing and acting for many years, is interested in make-up and fashion. She has always shown keen interested in being an actress. So how does that relate to real world benefit -- simple: When she was becoming disinterested in reading and felt as if she didn't need it for anything that she was interested in, we demonstrated how all the people in a production needed to be able to read and follow the script. She then came to her own realization that it was not only necessary, but that it great command of language was instrumental in her success in writing her own scripts, acting, etc. She also wanted to make videos of her and her friends emulating what she had seen on episodic TV, so she asked me how to run the camera. Through numerous micro-lessons I have taught her about composition, lighting (kelvin temps/difference between tungsten vs daylight), white-balance, aperture, shutter, ISO, proper exposure using the luma histogram; and then on to post: basic effects, transitions, split-system audio sync (manually, not plug-ins), audio levels. All of these aspects, one small bite-sized chunk at a time.

My 14 year-old has wanted to be a singer, she loves making cover music videos for songs that she likes. In order to do that she has to learn certain parts of audio gear, while she is much more of the 'flip' camera demographic as she is not interested in the manual controls of a camera, she has still had to learn about things like basic lighting, shot composition, how to avoid jump-cuts, etc.

That said, I think that for a parent to force their kids into going to Red Camp if they are not already demonstrating even a cursory interest might not benefit as much. However, for those kids that are so inclined, I think that it is an absolutely wonderful idea. Moreover, I have always subscribed to the theory that if you want to be the best, you should learn from the best. What an awesome way for our aspiring youth to learn the art of filmmaking than by the very people who have already mastered it and are currently at the forefront of redefining the industry.

When I was a kid, my father was a DJ for a local AM station with a Saturday slot. I benefited greatly from accompanying my father to the radio studio and learning from him all about mics, mixing boards, turntables. Heck, how many 8 year olds in 1980 were producing their own mixtapes using pro studio gear.

In conclusion, to reitterate Jarred's sentiment -- I sure wish I was afforded this opportunity when I was a kid.

 

[Joseph Hutson]

The only difference between a little boy and a man is the price of his toys...

And even those lines are getting ever so blurred, these days...