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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 :)

Fincher + Probst = Xenomorph - Mindhunter Camera Dept.

This is designed for Fincher by Fincher exactly how he wanted it. you can't buy it . but it's a DSMC2 brain and module based off of the base expander so in reality you all could make your own versions of this if you wanted to...

This is very true. Even with my original DSMC Epic Dragon I managed to find all the right pieces to make something that incorporates all of the things I needed for the projects I was working on. It's interesting to see what was selected for this camera since many of the parts are similar to what I and many others have been using (Paralinx, rt motion, AB mount power distribution, etc...). On my dragon, in some instances I used washers and longer bolts to space components from the side plates, which allowed me to run small cables in between the components and the camera - effectively protecting them and allowing me to keep most of the system completely assembled. It's actually kind of fun figuring out how to put together the parts that will work best.
 
Chris is an amazing DP. This is a design inspired by David and spiritually assembled by Jarred and the gang.... Very specific to the workflow on set of Fincher. Leica primes, no wires, it all makes sense in that world.....

Sorta shows how personal RED can be for us folk.....
 
13 is 31 backwards...the first RED Fincher ever used was red one #0031...

or not...
 
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* picture via http://paul-stine.tumblr.com

Set photo with David himself

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Courtesy of Bill Feduska - Facebook
 
Noticing all the look around area, I think it's an 8k sensor that is set to 6k.

this is not a look around, it is a record around :-)
camera is recording 6K including the darkened area with a framing guide and room to stabilise and reframe.
 
Noticing all the look around area, I think it's an 8k sensor that is set to 6k.

I think 6K 2:1 with a Frame Guide masking out 5K in 2.40:1 very similarly to what David and Cronenweth did on Gone Girl.

Dr. Probst might have some more fun tidbits to share. I'm just so curious to see all the wireless goodness running. Especially audio.

One other thing I noticed in the post from paul-stine's tumblr is the compact carts that have been on Fincher's sets for a while. Those are brilliant. What this team and previous teams have been up to with efforts of optimizing on set productions is very admirable. Especially in the face of times where adaptation is rewarded while some find change not exactly ideal.
 
As for the design, I've been consulting on this camera for over a year now in some form or another. I've added my $.02 and those ideas were considered and some incorporated, but Fincher has the final say on the overall criteria needing to be met. Things like, no fucking wires external to the body BUT have wireless focus, video, audio and time code, a permanent 7" side touch-screen (We lobbied for a smaller screen to shave the overall body size down a touch, but he was adamant for the 7" screens... Jarred spearheaded all of the 3rd party components we built into the camera... like the Zaxcoms, Paralinx and RT Motions... Matt Tremblay did an amazing job of designing a form factor around all of these criteria and the Red engineers and techs had to make it all function.

As for the end result, I mentioned online that this camera balances beautifully on the shoulder for hand held. And yes, there WILL be some handheld in Fincher's future. The elongated design of this camera fundamentally changes the way the camera sits on the shoulder. This affects the eyepiece placement and height, as well as how high the camera sits above your head. By having the camera sit over-all lower on your body (eyepiece higher up to the top of the camera due to the scalloped shoulder pad placement) you can clear lower thresholds without having to walk in pseudo-squats... I like it for that.

This camera is just one link in an entire workflow concept that is pretty intricate in its design to simplify and reduce the possibility for error. It takes a lot of effort to pull off this feat of effortlessness but in the end it will be worth it. Stay tuned to this channel for further developments where this came from!

This rig looks really fine tuned and amazing, I'm more excited about what will happen in front of the lens though ;). I love the idea of the lens sitting slightly lower than the shoulder and not having to do power squats to get on the same eye level of talent. Being a 6'3 Camera Operator has it's down sides.
 
Dumb question, but bear with me. Why is there no top handle on the camera? Doesn't that affect how you grab the camera to move it around? From say, shoulder to tripod to hi-hat?

I guess there must be a reason for the camera not to have a top handle, or am I missing something here?
 
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...One other thing I noticed in the post from paul-stine's tumblr is the compact carts that have been on Fincher's sets for a while. Those are brilliant. What this team and previous teams have been up to with efforts of optimizing on set productions is very admirable. Especially in the face of times where adaptation is rewarded while some find change not exactly ideal.

Carts caught my eye, too.....would love to know what's inside.
 
Vertical mattebox is likely due to the two cameras being very close to each other, creating extra space for panning.

Most people use rota-polas these days (circular filter lives in a rectangular filter tray, has a finger gear up top to rotate the pola.
 
Vertical mattebox is likely due to the two cameras being very close to each other, creating extra space for panning.

This ^

Most likely just to keep it slim. I've seen Chris do this a few times inside a vehicle just for added clearance of a nearby object.
 
This ^

Most likely just to keep it slim. I've seen Chris do this a few times inside a vehicle just for added clearance of a nearby object.

True. Over the shoulder shooting POV hands can be a bitch sometimes with long lenses that bump the talents head with wide matte boxes.
 
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