EPIC-X UPDATE

[Ketch Rossi]

This is starting to really pay off for some of you "little" guys that are shooting in 4K.

A customer just told me last week that he had sold a self-financed, self-shot feature, (great story with no-named talent) directly to a small theater chain that just had 4K projectors installed.. He was so happy he could hardly stand it..

Theater owners that have 4K projectors ( I think the number is up to 8000 screens in the US ) are looking for content.. and now that theaters are starting to self-distribute options for the little guy with big resolution are getting some breaks. Once Christie and Barco start selling their finished 4K projectors... the number of screens are going to go up dramatically.

( Read this article to get a sense where things are heading with some theaters in terms of distribution: http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/amcregal-film-distribution-venture-open-road-sets-executive-team/ )

And lets not forget.. 4K displays for home are just around the corner... we all know that... we have all seen them, I don't have enough fingers to count all the manufactures that have 4K displays/ projectors getting ready for market now.

Even for the guys that shot 4K and finished in 1080 for whatever reason.. it's gonna be great to see them able to go back and re-confrom their movies back to 4K and re-sell their projects all over again.

Remember when Bluray and HD-DVD's just came out?... and a lot of us would just buy any title that came out on the format just to experience the increased resolution? Thats gonna be a nice little payback for a lot of you non-million dollar movie makers that saw the writing on the wall...

In deed it is, even in small countries like Italy, slow coming but the move towards 4k has begin and it is great!!

 

[Steve Johnson]

no need to send us stuff... the pay off for us, as lame as it sounds, is when you guys go out and shoot stuff that makes us proud. Seriously.

Deal!

 

[David Rasberry]

You guys are killing me... once production begins, watch out.

Jim

Not griping, just kidding.

Very much looking forward to joining the club.

You guys are making a unique and exceptional product line.

The Difficult is that which can be done immediately;
the Impossible [is] that which takes a little longer.
~George Santayana

 

[SeanBrown]

Keep rocking it RED!

 

[Mark Holmes]

You guys are killing me... once production begins, watch out.

Jim

I have been obsessing over the idea of a Scarlet lately, having to make do with two Panasonic GH2s until RED can release them.... Just try and do any color correction on footage from these cams, I dare you. There are the most frightening things hiding in the shadows....

 

[Harcharan Singh]

EPIC Story

EPIC Story

The RED and EPIC sucess story can be summarised as :

"Don't keep forever on the public road, going only where others have gone. Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods. You will be certain to find something you have never seen before. It will be a little thing, but do not ignore it. Follow it up, explore all around it; one discovery will lead to another, and before you know it, you will have something worth thinking about."................... Alexander Graham Bell

Best of luck.

Harcharan

 

[Nathan VanderByl]

A customer just told me last week that he had sold a self-financed, self-shot feature, (great story with no-named talent) directly to a small theater chain that just had 4K projectors installed.. He was so happy he could hardly stand it..

This, for me, is the most exciting and promising thing that RED exists for! Good for them!

 

[Tom Funk]

In regards to the HDMI output of the Epic-X ... is it likely that it will actually work with more HDMI monitors than the Red One?

 

[Simon Falkentorp]

The two "major" cinema chains in Denmark (a country that would fit into an average US fishing pond) are about to install Sony 4K projectors in all theaters ;-).

The young filmtalents in general understands and are embracing the beauty of Digital Cinema. But the bottleneck on the danish filmtalent development scene is, I believe, too many "Dogma"-bleating, decision making old farts.

I just love the "We have no idea what we are doing" (= bold visionary) approach from you RED-guys. Some times the very filmmakers could learn from that.

 

[Brian Shephard]

I have been purchasing various accessories over the past few months with plans on purchasing an Epic-X Stage 4. I know it's just "Brain only" but wasn't sure if basic things would come with it such as the power supply or even the Epic mounting plate (I'm getting ready to buy the quick release system). Can anyone clarify this?
I'd like to buy as much as I can before the camera release to help spread out the cost and also in case necessary items become backordered.

Thanks!

 

[Elsie N]

This is starting to really pay off for some of you "little" guys that are shooting in 4K.

A customer just told me last week that he had sold a self-financed, self-shot feature, (great story with no-named talent) directly to a small theater chain that just had 4K projectors installed.. He was so happy he could hardly stand it..

Theater owners that have 4K projectors ( I think the number is up to 8000 screens in the US ) are looking for content.. and now that theaters are starting to self-distribute options for the little guy with big resolution are getting some breaks. Once Christie and Barco start selling their finished 4K projectors... the number of screens are going to go up dramatically.

...

I'm still holding out hope for a simple, inexpensive, REDRAY styled projection solution for small to mid-sized audiences. If/when that happens and mom and pop theaters start popping up in every community big and small, then no movie-maker worth his or her salt will ever have reason to complain about the distribution process.

This is one area where I fear RED may have lost their way. I get the sense that they are concentrating on the corporate world or "Big Hollywood". Those will be lucrative avenues to travel, but the chance for Jim to be Citizen Kane may be lost.

 

[Eugene Lehnert]

Theater Chain

Theater Chain

What was the theater chain?

 

[Ash Worth]

A good story puts people in theaters not 4k technology. The one thing the DSLR 'revolution' has given us is a boatload of crappy content. Let's hope we don't get the same thing but at 4k. Would be a huge mistake to think shooting your project in 4k automatically makes it better especially when just very, very few people could even tell there was difference or care.

 

[Elsie N]

A good story puts people in theaters not 4k technology. The one thing the DSLR 'revolution' has given us is a boatload of crappy content. Let's hope we don't get the same thing but at 4k. Would be a huge mistake to think shooting your project in 4k automatically makes it better especially when just very, very few people could even tell there was difference or care.

1080 pea shooter vs 5k Rail gun. I want the Rail Gun.

 

[David Rasberry]

I'm still holding out hope for a simple, inexpensive, REDRAY styled projection solution for small to mid-sized audiences. If/when that happens and mom and pop theaters start popping up in every community big and small, then no movie-maker worth his or her salt will ever have reason to complain about the distribution process.

This is one area where I fear RED may have lost their way. I get the sense that they are concentrating on the corporate world or "Big Hollywood". Those will be lucrative avenues to travel, but the chance for Jim to be Citizen Kane may be lost.

I would love to see a resurgence of the coffee house, art house, college, museum circuits that existed in the 60's and 70's showing mostly indie films in 16mm. Relatively low cost digital projection setups and a reasonably secure means of distributing and protecting content could make this a viable alternative again.

 

[Elsie N]

I would love to see a resurgence of the coffee house, art house, college, museum circuits that existed in the 60's and 70's showing mostly indie films in 16mm. Relatively low cost digital projection setups and a reasonably secure means of distributing and protecting content could make this a viable alternative again.

David, I think what you are suggesting could re-energize "the movies." Add to what you mentioned, drive-in movies. I recently *bought a 60' x 40' used billboard signage. I'm not sure what the mil number is but it's plenty strong. It also has a white surface on the backside of the signage. Hang one of those on your barn and with an inexpensive projection system, you are in the drive-in movie business.

* I think this qualifies as irony... I bought the plastic to cover my roof in the event I should get wind or hail damage during this severe weather season. Since I bought it, there hasn't been a drop of rain or even any clouds in the sky. Going on 8 months now with NO rain and at least a year since any truly significant rain.

 

[M Most]

I would love to see a resurgence of the coffee house, art house, college, museum circuits that existed in the 60's and 70's showing mostly indie films in 16mm. Relatively low cost digital projection setups and a reasonably secure means of distributing and protecting content could make this a viable alternative again.

We already have very low cost digital projection and small files for distribution. For the type of venue you're talking about, a good HD projector (under $5000, maybe under $1500) and something to feed it (even the $100 Western Digital media player would work, but you could easily use a computer setup that would cost less than $3000 and include 5.1 sound) would be all you would need. Anything more wouldn't really matter to your paying audience - if you could find one. Projection is hardly the issue.

The 60's and 70's were the 60's and 70's. If one wanted larger pictures than their 19" or 21" "large screen" TV could deliver they had to go to the movies, or, as you say, to one of the specialty venues. Today, you have much larger screens in the house, and they're HD. You also have Netflix, cable, computer screens, downloads, iPads, iPhones - none of which existed then. Hell, even home video didn't exist until the mid to late 1970's. In short, you have more delivery methods than you ever had back then, all cheaper than a night out, and with essentially infinite variety in terms of choice of material to view. I just don't see the model you're suggesting working today, regardless of what "K" it's presented in. I don't necessarily consider that a good thing, as I value the notion of communal viewing and the shared experience. But it is reality in 2011 and beyond.

 

[Elsie N]

. In short, you have more delivery methods than you ever had back then, all cheaper than a night out, and with essentially infinite variety in terms of choice of material to view. I just don't see the model you're suggesting working today, regardless of what "K" it's presented in. I don't necessarily consider that a good thing, as I value the notion of communal viewing and the shared experience. But it is reality in 2011 and beyond.

You are right on pretty much all accounts. But some of the communal viewing and shared experience you value and that David alluded to is showing up in small ways. There was a story on a show that airs in my region, Texas Country Reporter, about a small town family that re-opened the local drive-in theater that had been closed for years. They fill up every time they open the gates, (no matter what's showing.) And I've noticed advertisements from my local town and surrounding ones as well, about film societies holding a communal outdoor showing of some old classic film or another... bring your own blanket or chair. Granted this will never become mainstream and they are using current inexpensive means of projection just as you suggested.

But if you show these types of audiences David mentioned, a high quality film on a high quality delivery system AND gave them a place to view it with like minded people, my personal thoughts are that could become their first option for entertainment. We're talking niche of course.

edit: One could consider these Indie movie circuits as sort of an audition for the big leagues while still drawing a minor league salary for the movie-maker's efforts.

 

[Mark B.]

David, I think what you are suggesting could re-energize "the movies." Add to what you mentioned, drive-in movies. I recently *bought a 60' x 40' used billboard signage. I'm not sure what the mil number is but it's plenty strong. It also has a white surface on the backside of the signage. Hang one of those on your barn and with an inexpensive projection system, you are in the drive-in movie business.[/I]

Most U.S. cities have zoning laws prohibiting residential property from running commercial movie theaters. You can usually play movies for free, but if the viewing audience is too large that too can get a home-owner into hot water. Plus, there are problems if the screen is visible to neighbors or public roads, especially if you are playing movies with mature content. From that perspective, indoor theaters are the way to go.

If someone had the money, they might be able to battle their way up the court system to argue that playing large-screen movies, even for profit, is an important component of free speech, thereby exempting that activity from zoning law restrictions.

 

[Jarek Zabczynski]

I would love to see a resurgence of the coffee house, art house, college, museum circuits that existed in the 60's and 70's showing mostly indie films in 16mm. Relatively low cost digital projection setups and a reasonably secure means of distributing and protecting content could make this a viable alternative again.

I was just at a prescreening for a music video festival today. One of my videos is the featured video. It's at a privately owned theater in Rosendale NY. They just put in a really nice, albeit, 2k projection system. It's not that big so the 2k is fine. The 1080p and up videos looked great on it. Was nice to see local video content in an event like this. Actual screening is this Saturday.