Jason Sinclair
Well-known member
There's a lot of misinformation about camera technology in the market place. Some is born from ignorance and some is born from misappropriation.
A young person or new comer who finds it hard to understand the basic concepts will allow themselves to be confused unless they educate themselves and also test before coming to conclusions. On one hand you have old governing companies in the film industry who have firmly established networks including sales relationships and advertising in prominent magazines and websites. On the other you have new industries which are vying to sell a quick and easy dream to the unsuspecting.
Here is a quick and dirty guide to why Epic (and anything with a mx based sensor) is no ordinary camera, and why it compete with the industry heavyweights and why for price/performance it is without a doubt the number one camera for cinema available at this time with nothing coming even barely close.
This guide is for film makers first and foremost and those who desire to become involved with cinema. If you are interested in infomercials and weddings then there are probably better options available to you unless you want to become the best in your field.
RESOLUTION AND WHY IT MATTERS
If you are shooting show reels to put on the internet then a DSLR will emulate closely a film look because of the depth of field available in the lenses. They are great practice for newcomers and a lot of fun to play with. However, do not be fooled into thinking that something which looks good on the internet is going to translate to something looking good on the big screen. Why? Because resolution matters.
There is a reason three major films which won oscars were shot on Red and why most blockbusters are shooting 2011 on Epic (I'll get to that after) and there is a reason why there are virtually no prominent releases made on DSLR's. This fact has nothing to do luck or because people who are in the know choose the Red name, it is rather, because of resolution.
The simple concept of resolution starts with a term you should memorize; Acquisition.
Acquisition is your primary canvas. It is what you start out with.It is your base. It is important for a number of reasons.
Now, anyone who knows anything about digital photography and the subsequent manipulation of images knows also that having Raw with high resolution allows you to work with the images much more. The same is true for Digital cinema.
Resolution is basically more information. This is important obviously for blowing your film up for large screens as more information will be available on the screen. In the case of 5k you are talking well over four times the amount of information compared to HD. When condensed to a web video it does not appear to be so prominent because there is so much less resolution and compression taking place. On a big screen then you are going to see 4 x the quality. So in essence, shooting two with two different cameras the you are getting four times the quality and detail with +4k.
However, getting back to acquisition, which is the holy grail of any look into digital cinematography, the higher the resolution of your initial images and also the quality of those images (RAW) is going to have a determining affect on your post work flow and also to another degree, the life span of your footage.
Firstly, going back to resolution with more information: consider that your image is a digital map with information which translates to the final image. Without getting too confusing, the amount of data you have to work with in the digital arena means the more you can push that data around without making it artifact. To simplify it further, the more information you have to work with, the more you can do.
So consider then you are making a documentary for HD delivery. It is a standard doco and you have to rent a camera... an all rounder. You can choose to do HD because the end product is HD right? Well. maybe just think about a few things first.
Consider you may be pushing the images in post, consider that a promo with extreme color correction may be used or you need to fix some footage or want to highlight a certain area. Maybe you are doing green screen work or have to cut in to the image. All of the above situations are benefits of having higher resolution simply because you have more data to push around.
This gives you more freedom to create and in turn a better product by definition (ultra definition).
Secondly, having high resolution in the acquisition stage allows more options for delivery and also future safe footage.
Lets say you make a doco which is inspiring to audiences. Lets say you get a theatrical deal. Then you have quality to blow it up for cinema and even some to spare with all the data pushing. What you are going to see on the big screen is going to be similar to what you see on the small screen. However working with a lower resolution it is going to degrade. If its a good story audiences will be lenient to a certain point, however, don't you want your film to be screened in its true glory as you envisioned it through the camera?
Future proofing your footage is also a point worth considering. Don't you want to know that your footage will be future proofed for years to come as technology evolves? Maybe not a primary focus but one extra benefit of having high resolution.
Having RAW with high resolution like in the digital still camera world is having the best of both worlds. It's all about balance. The same is exactly true for digital cinema. Raw gives you close to uncompressed footage while maintaining sustainable data rates. It gives you the ability to move the data around your work flows and computer systems while achieving the highest possible quality. Red has made this a focus of it's digital pipeline and the results are a highly professional system which has been eagerly taken up by the industry and is the sole reason why Red cameras are the fastest uptake of camera use across virtually every arena of film/video including feature film production (80% of all Vietnamese films for theatrical released in the past year were shot on Red for example) Television commercials (virtually ever major player coming on board), television production (ER, etc etc...), Oscar winners, Cannes entrants the list goes on.... The Epic is being used by the worlds greatest film makers such as Scorsese, Soderbergh, Jackson, and who knows who else (maybe someone can do a list for me, I can't keep up).
This is no fluke. These are no one offs.. This is an entire industry.utilizing RAW capabilities and the resolution of the MX sensor.
I am going to be up front and honest and therefore hopefully be taken as polite in saying DSLR's in their current incarnations are useless tools other than making internet showreels which try to copy a film look through the use of Depth of field,
The reasons are resolution, resolution and resolution. Oh... also acquisition.
HDSLR's can't shoot RAW. They can only shoot highly compressed footage to move around its limited bandwidth infrastructure. It is not acceptable material for shooting digital cinema unless you are doing a one off and really show casing the positive aspects of its use in which case you are either transforming your script for the technology or really the camera says what you want to say. (one of my favorite films was shot on a Canon xl 1 and they used the camera well> Finished People)
For the first time in history, an accessible all round camera with the ability to match film is here. If you are a serious film maker, director, producer or interested party consider the logical and sound reasoning of the "bigger picture"
Your initial footage should be close to uncompressed as possible (while being able to move around a digital work flow) , as highly resolute as possible and as RAW as possible. It is from this canvas which gives you the advantageous position from the top down rather than the other way round.
A young person or new comer who finds it hard to understand the basic concepts will allow themselves to be confused unless they educate themselves and also test before coming to conclusions. On one hand you have old governing companies in the film industry who have firmly established networks including sales relationships and advertising in prominent magazines and websites. On the other you have new industries which are vying to sell a quick and easy dream to the unsuspecting.
Here is a quick and dirty guide to why Epic (and anything with a mx based sensor) is no ordinary camera, and why it compete with the industry heavyweights and why for price/performance it is without a doubt the number one camera for cinema available at this time with nothing coming even barely close.
This guide is for film makers first and foremost and those who desire to become involved with cinema. If you are interested in infomercials and weddings then there are probably better options available to you unless you want to become the best in your field.
RESOLUTION AND WHY IT MATTERS
If you are shooting show reels to put on the internet then a DSLR will emulate closely a film look because of the depth of field available in the lenses. They are great practice for newcomers and a lot of fun to play with. However, do not be fooled into thinking that something which looks good on the internet is going to translate to something looking good on the big screen. Why? Because resolution matters.
There is a reason three major films which won oscars were shot on Red and why most blockbusters are shooting 2011 on Epic (I'll get to that after) and there is a reason why there are virtually no prominent releases made on DSLR's. This fact has nothing to do luck or because people who are in the know choose the Red name, it is rather, because of resolution.
The simple concept of resolution starts with a term you should memorize; Acquisition.
Acquisition is your primary canvas. It is what you start out with.It is your base. It is important for a number of reasons.
Now, anyone who knows anything about digital photography and the subsequent manipulation of images knows also that having Raw with high resolution allows you to work with the images much more. The same is true for Digital cinema.
Resolution is basically more information. This is important obviously for blowing your film up for large screens as more information will be available on the screen. In the case of 5k you are talking well over four times the amount of information compared to HD. When condensed to a web video it does not appear to be so prominent because there is so much less resolution and compression taking place. On a big screen then you are going to see 4 x the quality. So in essence, shooting two with two different cameras the you are getting four times the quality and detail with +4k.
However, getting back to acquisition, which is the holy grail of any look into digital cinematography, the higher the resolution of your initial images and also the quality of those images (RAW) is going to have a determining affect on your post work flow and also to another degree, the life span of your footage.
Firstly, going back to resolution with more information: consider that your image is a digital map with information which translates to the final image. Without getting too confusing, the amount of data you have to work with in the digital arena means the more you can push that data around without making it artifact. To simplify it further, the more information you have to work with, the more you can do.
So consider then you are making a documentary for HD delivery. It is a standard doco and you have to rent a camera... an all rounder. You can choose to do HD because the end product is HD right? Well. maybe just think about a few things first.
Consider you may be pushing the images in post, consider that a promo with extreme color correction may be used or you need to fix some footage or want to highlight a certain area. Maybe you are doing green screen work or have to cut in to the image. All of the above situations are benefits of having higher resolution simply because you have more data to push around.
This gives you more freedom to create and in turn a better product by definition (ultra definition).
Secondly, having high resolution in the acquisition stage allows more options for delivery and also future safe footage.
Lets say you make a doco which is inspiring to audiences. Lets say you get a theatrical deal. Then you have quality to blow it up for cinema and even some to spare with all the data pushing. What you are going to see on the big screen is going to be similar to what you see on the small screen. However working with a lower resolution it is going to degrade. If its a good story audiences will be lenient to a certain point, however, don't you want your film to be screened in its true glory as you envisioned it through the camera?
Future proofing your footage is also a point worth considering. Don't you want to know that your footage will be future proofed for years to come as technology evolves? Maybe not a primary focus but one extra benefit of having high resolution.
Having RAW with high resolution like in the digital still camera world is having the best of both worlds. It's all about balance. The same is exactly true for digital cinema. Raw gives you close to uncompressed footage while maintaining sustainable data rates. It gives you the ability to move the data around your work flows and computer systems while achieving the highest possible quality. Red has made this a focus of it's digital pipeline and the results are a highly professional system which has been eagerly taken up by the industry and is the sole reason why Red cameras are the fastest uptake of camera use across virtually every arena of film/video including feature film production (80% of all Vietnamese films for theatrical released in the past year were shot on Red for example) Television commercials (virtually ever major player coming on board), television production (ER, etc etc...), Oscar winners, Cannes entrants the list goes on.... The Epic is being used by the worlds greatest film makers such as Scorsese, Soderbergh, Jackson, and who knows who else (maybe someone can do a list for me, I can't keep up).
This is no fluke. These are no one offs.. This is an entire industry.utilizing RAW capabilities and the resolution of the MX sensor.
I am going to be up front and honest and therefore hopefully be taken as polite in saying DSLR's in their current incarnations are useless tools other than making internet showreels which try to copy a film look through the use of Depth of field,
The reasons are resolution, resolution and resolution. Oh... also acquisition.
HDSLR's can't shoot RAW. They can only shoot highly compressed footage to move around its limited bandwidth infrastructure. It is not acceptable material for shooting digital cinema unless you are doing a one off and really show casing the positive aspects of its use in which case you are either transforming your script for the technology or really the camera says what you want to say. (one of my favorite films was shot on a Canon xl 1 and they used the camera well> Finished People)
For the first time in history, an accessible all round camera with the ability to match film is here. If you are a serious film maker, director, producer or interested party consider the logical and sound reasoning of the "bigger picture"
Your initial footage should be close to uncompressed as possible (while being able to move around a digital work flow) , as highly resolute as possible and as RAW as possible. It is from this canvas which gives you the advantageous position from the top down rather than the other way round.