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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 :)

how were you able to finally afford your red epic?

Put my hands in front of my eyes and hit the BUY button for the Red One. Had to work everything out from there and was the single best thing I ever did. Put me in a whole new league and gave me amazing opportunities and confidence.

Unfortunately it's not the same opportunity today as cinema quality cameras are now commonplace, so the biggest thing you need to know is that you already have the talent and client base to be successful.

It is definitely not a "if you build it they will come" situation anymore so if you're relying on the camera to make your services more attractive, it could backfire.

But if you have the passion, ambition and talent, don't let anything stand in your way!
 
Though not an Epic, to afford my Scarlet I just worked freelance on the side of my day job. During the day I work producing video content for a university, but then out of nowhere a well paid freelance job fell into my lap. That paid for my Scarlet, no debt, but didn't eat into my regular budget, planning the same to upgrade to Epic or Dragon.
 
Sold one of my Protools rigs and bought a Red One used. Used that for a year while renting it out. Sold the Red One, bought a Scarlet the second they were available on red.com. Not much demand for Scarlet around here, so I sold that after using it for a few months (for a profit even!) and bought an airplane. Sold the airplane after a few months (another BIG profit there!) and bought 2 Red ones for a very good price. Sold those after a few months use and a failed home-made 3d rig (another big profit) and bought another Scarlet and had cash in the bank. I almost went with Epic then, but needed the funds to be floating for a bit. Then, as soon as Red opened up the Scarlet to Epic trade in... I jumped on it. I ended up being the first one that got the Epic upgrade.
Then it wouldn't turn on after a few weeks of use. Red overnighted it back to them and fixed it within a few days then overnighted it back just in time for a big shoot.
Red has been good to me!!

Now, the question is, how to finance the Dragon upgrade?
 
Low interest rate line of credit and a visa. Got to expect it to take time to payback (as some of the profits goes to living expense). Tough regime though.
 
I love this story - "how to turn $50 into an Epic in two years" I particularly love how there was an airplane somewhere in the middle.

Chris Luker said:
Sold one of my Protools rigs and bought a Red One used. Used that for a year while renting it out. Sold the Red One, bought a Scarlet the second they were available on red.com. Not much demand for Scarlet around here, so I sold that after using it for a few months (for a profit even!) and bought an airplane. Sold the airplane after a few months (another BIG profit there!) and bought 2 Red ones for a very good price. Sold those after a few months use and a failed home-made 3d rig (another big profit) and bought another Scarlet and had cash in the bank. I almost went with Epic then, but needed the funds to be floating for a bit. Then, as soon as Red opened up the Scarlet to Epic trade in... I jumped on it. I ended up being the first one that got the Epic upgrade.
Then it wouldn't turn on after a few weeks of use. Red overnighted it back to them and fixed it within a few days then overnighted it back just in time for a big shoot.
Red has been good to me!!

Now, the question is, how to finance the Dragon upgrade?
Click to expand...
 
Started to sell apples from a neighbor's yard, then bought ten chicken and started to sell eggs, the business went well, and where I live the butter straight from a cow is very popular, so I bought a cow which gave me milk, butter and cheese. In 2 years I had 20 chickens and my neighbor had a bull and we married them. Eventually, the business grew big and I had 30 chickens, 3 cows, and a pig. Then my grandma died and I inherited a million and bought an Epic.
 
I sold my soul to the internet, and now I get a dollar every time I refresh the reduser on my laptop. Camera gear paid for indefinitely.

*may not be true
 
Brian Merlen said:
took reducation, got working a lot, took some other cine camera courses, worked even more, got a scarlet...now am trading up...baby steps
Click to expand...



I might of made it sound too easy...I did a 113 day shoot rolling, cutting, and logging clips. Ten hour days. On the the weekends I worked 8 hour shifts at a skatepark. I worked 7 days a week most of the year and got a Red Scarlet. This year I am doing the same thing to upgrade it. I also do post when were not shooting. It was a big hard thing to accomplish, and I am putting an Epic into a mainstream rental house now as a result. Hopefully the bookings will make back some of my Red addiction
 
sold my old P2 camera and anything else that I could. bought just the brain, mount & ssd side module and worked my way up from there..
 
There I was, the EPIC camera working fine, no issues whatever, detailed image so crisp one could even see the grains of wheat in the open silo.


God knows what I was doing out at Cunderdin. The airshow out there in 2003 must have had something to do with it. (My camera kit then was a PD150 and a JVC KY-F50 with a long lens.)

Actors were doing this most excellent dance lined out along the top of the heap against the blue/orange twilight glow to the playback of the most imaginative music track that ever was contrived. The lead performer was springing around doing his vocals, the girl shot up out of the grain in front of the lead in super slow-mo.


I was smug. This job was going to pay the whole thing off. Warm feelings of security, satisfaction. If anything the heat was a bit up. ---- Then the clock went off. ---


With all the haste of the Jumanji animals going down the vortex, Cunderdin CBH, the talent, the feelgood, the Epic were gone as the clock wound down to a stop. The place was dull, grey, listless, rain dripping outside. ---- Time to go off to do or die for the daily bread. ----

Still it was a good thought. --- They say it is the thought that counts. In the meantime, I still have the SI2K and it still delivers nicely, switches on, switches off, fills the drives without stamping its foot.



Here's one for the cliche archive in the meantime. - "Those who can, do. Those who can't, write."
 
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