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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

EPIC-X UPDATE

Roberto Lequeux said:
Hey Shawn. Just a day or two ago Jarred again said the difference between M and X will be "negligible". He clarified the only difference is a little stronger body on the M's, from the way the bodies are made.
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That discussion was regarding a difference in weight Roberto...... there are 2 physical differences between M and X, and they both deal with the top of the camera.
 
Tim Duran said:
unless some of you have been given preference and have your money alreay in Red's bank.
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You don't have to wait for Red to send out a formal notice before you can wire the money to your account at Red. I like to have the funds already in my account BEFORE I get the email. That way I get it shipped a few days earlier than if I waited for the invoice before sending the money.
 
Jarred Land said:
That discussion was regarding a difference in weight Roberto...... there are 2 physical differences between M and X, and they both deal with the top of the camera.
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Exactly. Any idea when we'll know what that is? In prep for getting my camera next week I'm trying to figure out what I need for initial setup. Getting so excited!
 
Curran Giddens said:
You don't have to wait for Red to send out a formal notice before you can wire the money to your account at Red. I like to have the funds already in my account BEFORE I get the email. That way I get it shipped a few days earlier than if I waited for the invoice before sending the money.
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Ditto! I already sent in more than enough for my Stage 2. I'm ready the nanosecond Red is :-D hehehe
 
Shawn Nelson said:
Ditto! I already sent in more than enough for my Stage 2. I'm ready the nanosecond Red is :-D hehehe
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My money has been on account so long, I've forgotten I had it.
 
Jarred Land said:
There are 2 physical differences between M and X, and they both deal with the top of the camera.
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I hope you guys didn't axe the shark fin vent on the top! With the rest of the camera being pretty boxy, I always thought that gave it some really cool character. I'm sure there are those who would prefer a flat surface for function's sake, but for those people it can always be covered up with Brook's thingy. :P
 
Häakon said:
I hope you guys didn't axe the shark fin vent on the top! With the rest of the camera being pretty boxy, I always thought that gave it some really cool character.
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Maybe RED can hook you up with one from an updated Epic-M. ;)
 
Casey Green said:
I'm curious if one of the changes is a place for Focus Hooks? Might be a nice addition... but I'm sure whatever it is, I'll be thrilled. :-)
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i am quite positive you will find a place to put your tape measure... or maybe you could keep it around and put it to good use measuring out and building something cool.

in the meantime, AC's, it wouldn't hurt to start brushing up on your alternative skills.
 
I'm not quite sure what you mean Paul. Maybe a reference to EPIC and Scarlet's ability to touch focus. But focus pulling is not going anywhere. (I'm not an AC, but work on set quite a bit). Having professional ACs who know their craft will always be an important piece in the filmmaking process. That being said, newer technologies will have their place.
 
When machines can deliver more consistent and accurate results and still maintain desirable qualities, the machine has earned it's place on the front line. The majority of focus pulling is a technical, objective process. Exactly where machines excel. Was it a bad move to leave behind hand-cranked cameras? Think about it, when your leading lady gives her most emotional performance who wants to be the one to say "just do the exact same thing, and this time we'll try to get it right..." Not to discount the incredibly talented AC's out there, but I've never seen anyone that can deliver 100% on tough moves. I don't think AC's are going away, but the tape measure, to me, is just like flashing around a light meter to either look busy or showy. But that's just me, and I don't use either. Consistency, that's all I meant, but I won't argue about things that have not yet come to pass. All I'll say is that it never hurts to have trade-able skills.
 
paulherrin said:
Think about it, when your leading lady gives her most emotional performance who wants to be the one to say "just do the exact same thing, and this time we'll try to get it right..."
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You don't say that. You say: "Just do the same thing, we need one more to be safe..."
 
Curran Giddens said:
You don't have to wait for Red to send out a formal notice before you can wire the money to your account at Red. I like to have the funds already in my account BEFORE I get the email. That way I get it shipped a few days earlier than if I waited for the invoice before sending the money.
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yes that is what I have done...funds are already with RED, when I get my mail, they already have my cash...less waiting...
 
paulherrin said:
When machines can deliver more consistent and accurate results and still maintain desirable qualities, the machine has earned it's place on the front line. The majority of focus pulling is a technical, objective process. Exactly where machines excel. Was it a bad move to leave behind hand-cranked cameras? Think about it, when your leading lady gives her most emotional performance who wants to be the one to say "just do the exact same thing, and this time we'll try to get it right..." Not to discount the incredibly talented AC's out there, but I've never seen anyone that can deliver 100% on tough moves. I don't think AC's are going away, but the tape measure, to me, is just like flashing around a light meter to either look busy or showy. But that's just me, and I don't use either. Consistency, that's all I meant, but I won't argue about things that have not yet come to pass. All I'll say is that it never hurts to have trade-able skills.
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Personally I have yet to see an auto-focus system that can track a moving object toward or away from camera with the accuracy and speed of a skilled manual operator. They are getting better though and maybe Red's will be the exception. There are some moves, like shifting focus between two moving objects at different distances, where a manual operator will produce a more refined aesthetic result than a machine ever could. The dance between an skilled operator moving between predetermined focus points and a skilled actor hitting their marks and timing with precision is what takes a shot out of the realm of mere technical proficiency into fine art.
 
David Rasberry said:
Personally I have yet to see an auto-focus system that can track a moving object toward or away from camera with the accuracy and speed of a skilled manual operator..
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Agree with you.. we are fortunate enough to work with the best 1sts on the planet, and it's incredible what these guys can do. That said.. I suck at pulling focus and need all the help I can get :)

Technology always finds a way to help out.. look at the Cinetape/ Panatape.... it is pretty hard to find a top dog AC not using one of them nowadays :)
 
Re: fully automated follow focus mechanisms - Consider, also, the fact that your actors are human and therefore err. So simply telling a machine to pull focus from mark A to mark B in T seconds - which it may do in endless perfection - requires the talent to be absolutely perfect, otherwise the shot goes wrong.

As I have seen some ACs already discuss regarding touch-focus: This is something new. It's additive, not a zero sum game. It won't be "us or them". We, as humans, will use focus aids as tools to help us do our jobs better. We won't use a spanner in place of a hammer, even though both could do the job.
 
i would say that dance of everyone hitting variable marks at exactly the right moment is on the very technical side of filmmaking, and one of the things i would like to worry about less. staging and choreography is one thing, but sometimes it can get out of control. i'd rather my actors and those performing the camera be more creative and worry less about tiny technical details making/breaking the shot. that's where technology comes in to handle objective things, then we can trust artists to handle the subjective side, and with a clearer mind. machines help us do better work and take our creativity to the next level.

these autofocus features may not be there all the way just yet to handle every situation, but we have all the technology needed to accurately track a moving figure and hold focus (and many other scenarios), it just needs to be implemented well. and as always, with manual override ;) for those of us who sometimes shoot solo... every little bit helps. and that's obviously where this will get used and tested the most for now.
 
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