Patrick Tresch
Well-known member
Hello,
I start this thread to speak about my experience shooting with Epic-M 419 during 10 days for a lowbudget short film called "O anjo anchorado" directed by Basil da Cunha from the 9th to 19th of june 2011.
First I want to thank Octamas from Zurich (Switzerland) to have rent me the equipment and given their support. Their Epic-M is a very demanded piece of equipment right now in a lot of commercials and renting it to a lowbudget film was a great human move more than a commercial one.
And RED to have build this incredible camera. (I'm a bit pissed because I can't imagine how I'll be able to shoot with another camera now!)
At first I thought the Epic camera and the resulting 5k enormous dataflow wouldn't be compatible with a lowbudget indie short.
We certainly shot "a lot" for a low budget film (5TB in 10 days) but at the end of the day Terabyte are getting cheaper and faster. Shooting with the Epic implies about the same amount of hurdles as shooting with the RED ONE back in 2008. I come off this shoot with an very happy director, producer and great pictures!
I decided to shoot in 2:1 5k 25p cropped in post to 1:1.85
We used compression ratio of
1:8
1:6 for high ISO shots (without HDRX need)
1:10 for HDRX shots
The decision about the compression ratio was based on budget and not on quality of the compression.
We should elaborate a whole series of tests about the different compression ratio and their implications.
A series of factors should be tested like the resluting effects on detail in image, noise, patterns, colors... I didn't have the time to test thoses but I noticed no problems with compression 10, perhaps RED or Graeme could chime in?
I still don't know if using lower compression ration like 1:5 is more an psychological factor than an technical one...
We shot in very difficult situations like in moving cars without additionnal light on the characters and very strong sun outside. In high contrasty slum streets where sun hits white walls and the characters are in the shadows.
No light nights pushed to 3200 iso... Mixed light conditions with fluorecent and thungsten bulbs.
The picture quality is incredible, the skin tones are "accurate" and the noise is (if I can say) pleasing. Shooting at 1000+ asa even introduce some pleasing vibrance to the picture that breaks the razor sharp digital image. This noise is a structure wich is not comparable to seen digital or analog noise.
We used one lens for the whole short.
A Zeiss Superspeed 1.3 35mm MKIII. We chosed this lens for 2 reason: budget and weight/seize.
This lens does not resolve the 5K, but the softer look and the flair are interesting. Our aim is to finish in 2k for a DTP (Direct to print from Cinevator).
The whole film was shot handheld me doing the focus. So the ergonomic was very important for me.
I was first shooting on build 1.4.6 wich had the matrix focus assist, even not allways 100% accurate, it was another tool I could judge on to spot the focus.
A lot of times the Epic is placed above the shoudler pad and so pushing up the center of gravity of the camera. I dicided to put it under the shoulder pad so that the camera hangs down and conterbalance the whole with RED brics at the rear of my shoulder. I made a piece of metal that attaches under the camera which leans against my chest so that I can even put my two hand in the air and the camera stays steady on my shoulder.
The whole setting with the Camera, the RED brics, the lens, LMB-5 and soulder pad weights about 8kg.
We have the big advantage to work with a modular system, we should take advantage of it! ;-)
See below pictures.
Next post will be about troubles, limitations...
Patrick
I start this thread to speak about my experience shooting with Epic-M 419 during 10 days for a lowbudget short film called "O anjo anchorado" directed by Basil da Cunha from the 9th to 19th of june 2011.
First I want to thank Octamas from Zurich (Switzerland) to have rent me the equipment and given their support. Their Epic-M is a very demanded piece of equipment right now in a lot of commercials and renting it to a lowbudget film was a great human move more than a commercial one.
And RED to have build this incredible camera. (I'm a bit pissed because I can't imagine how I'll be able to shoot with another camera now!)
At first I thought the Epic camera and the resulting 5k enormous dataflow wouldn't be compatible with a lowbudget indie short.
We certainly shot "a lot" for a low budget film (5TB in 10 days) but at the end of the day Terabyte are getting cheaper and faster. Shooting with the Epic implies about the same amount of hurdles as shooting with the RED ONE back in 2008. I come off this shoot with an very happy director, producer and great pictures!
I decided to shoot in 2:1 5k 25p cropped in post to 1:1.85
We used compression ratio of
1:8
1:6 for high ISO shots (without HDRX need)
1:10 for HDRX shots
The decision about the compression ratio was based on budget and not on quality of the compression.
We should elaborate a whole series of tests about the different compression ratio and their implications.
A series of factors should be tested like the resluting effects on detail in image, noise, patterns, colors... I didn't have the time to test thoses but I noticed no problems with compression 10, perhaps RED or Graeme could chime in?
I still don't know if using lower compression ration like 1:5 is more an psychological factor than an technical one...
We shot in very difficult situations like in moving cars without additionnal light on the characters and very strong sun outside. In high contrasty slum streets where sun hits white walls and the characters are in the shadows.
No light nights pushed to 3200 iso... Mixed light conditions with fluorecent and thungsten bulbs.
The picture quality is incredible, the skin tones are "accurate" and the noise is (if I can say) pleasing. Shooting at 1000+ asa even introduce some pleasing vibrance to the picture that breaks the razor sharp digital image. This noise is a structure wich is not comparable to seen digital or analog noise.
We used one lens for the whole short.
A Zeiss Superspeed 1.3 35mm MKIII. We chosed this lens for 2 reason: budget and weight/seize.
This lens does not resolve the 5K, but the softer look and the flair are interesting. Our aim is to finish in 2k for a DTP (Direct to print from Cinevator).
The whole film was shot handheld me doing the focus. So the ergonomic was very important for me.
I was first shooting on build 1.4.6 wich had the matrix focus assist, even not allways 100% accurate, it was another tool I could judge on to spot the focus.
A lot of times the Epic is placed above the shoudler pad and so pushing up the center of gravity of the camera. I dicided to put it under the shoulder pad so that the camera hangs down and conterbalance the whole with RED brics at the rear of my shoulder. I made a piece of metal that attaches under the camera which leans against my chest so that I can even put my two hand in the air and the camera stays steady on my shoulder.
The whole setting with the Camera, the RED brics, the lens, LMB-5 and soulder pad weights about 8kg.
We have the big advantage to work with a modular system, we should take advantage of it! ;-)
See below pictures.
Next post will be about troubles, limitations...
Patrick
