How will Scarlet Change your Life??

[Lliam Worthington]

White teeth? Super models? You really think...
Oh hang on, I see what you did there. Oh Eric you you!!

Great thread OP. Makes for a good read and does pass the time.

I have busted my ass and my heart for years pursuing my love of film making and Scarlet is the leg up I need. It will help me make the most out of the huge amounts of hard work going into my first feature. I danced around my living room when I read the news.

I once worked for six months building costumes and creatures that looked fantastic to the eye, only to shoot them and see the images lose all their detail and almost any significant impact. Slow motion was useless. I worked with a colourist to colour grade, but he was apologetic at how little he could achieve with the image. It was heart breaking. I simply could not afford to rent a camera good enough to take advantage of the work I and others had done. I hated it. I hated my end product.

That was ten years ago.

Things have gotten better, a lot better. Post tools are just amazing now, and I was excited by the FS100 and was making my plans...
But when I got news of the Scarlet was finally coming out... I knew things would never be the same for me.

Scarlet will give me the ability to shoot my first feature with a codec robust enough to allow me to do VFX work and grading that I can push creatively to create the kind of cinematic imagery that excites and inspires my heart, at an achievable price point for me.

I'm going to make a film with this camera. It won't be 35mm film fantastic. It won't be EPIC fantastic, and it might not have much bloody shallow depth of field. But I promise you it will look fantastic enough.

I know this is not a big deal for some. Some will sneer. Some have more money or better friends, equipment access and industry contacts. But if that's you, of course you won't get it...

People like me may be enamoured, but it does not mean we do not understand that every camera is just a tool. But this will not just be a "tool"
RED knows it, and anyone as excited as me knows it. Scarlet is a key. A key to being more readily and constantly creative with a level of quality that many of us have never had had access to before, or certainly not for any significant periods of time.

I shot one of my projects on 35mm film once, just for four days, and it was fantastic, but the process cost an arm and a leg and then I had to give everything back. The Scarlet I will keep. And I will keep on creating and creating and creating.... getting better and better and better.
And that just excites the absolute crap out of me. I just can't stop thinking about it I'm so excited.

So good luck everyone. I enjoy reading of your hopes and aspirations.
RED is giving us a tool that will let us work to a level unheard of at it's price point.
Canon may join the party, after being dragged kicking and screaming by RED,
but it is RED's philosophy that has won my heart, my trust, my gratitude, and soon enough my dollars.

Best
Lliam


PS, I also just have to say, that all the posts around the place about getting an all but epic for a Scarlet price are surely just ridiculous?
3k, with higher frame rates, high dynamic range, and high quality glass, is AWESOME and in my eyes will bring RED's
dream of democratisation thundering home like never before. I'd bet my life, people are going to be going, really that was shot on a Scarlet?!! Left right and centre.

Who wouldn't want an Epic, but there's no point losing touch with reality. However I cannot imagine having a point of view I would be more happy to be proven completely wrong about :emote_popcorn:

 

[Steven James Eaton]

I'll start this with: I want a Scarlet, I really do. However, because I have a genuine like for the company, I keep having a bad feeling for Red's (and the industry as large) ecosystem. I feel like if Red does what most people seem to want, (which I perceive to be a cheap (below/around 10K) camera with every single bell and whistle known to man and more) that they may end up with cameras devaluing each other. I know I keep hearing people say they want it under 10K, but I almost think they could call it the Red "Two", with a price point maybe a bit under the Red One, and they would be better off. I know, weird, a future customer who wants them to charge more, but I think it's very easy simply to see things from our side, and ignore the fact that we NEED this company to keep it doing what it does, which is innovating, democratizing the market, and really keeping the ball rolling.

 

[Bastien Tribalat]

For me Scarlet will change everything. I just finished my cinema school and as an editor/color grade artist I need to get jobs to make my reels and so on.

I don't care if Scarlet stays 2/3" or get S35 sensor. Offcourse S35 interchangeable is great and will suits me a bit better but as far as I'm concerned th emost important things are -
- great resolution (measured)
- redcode
- affordable
- highest speed possible at maximum resolution

So, so far, Scarlet would suit me well.

Side note : if in the upcoming announcement they tell us it has a bigger sensor than expected, well great. But I hope there will still be a fixed lense model. I know a lot of people don't understand why Red is making the camera with a fixed lense but to me it is just a great run and gun shooting option.

 

[Zac C]

I'm not sure anymore. The more I think about it, the more I shoot, the more I lean towards the Interchangeable. If it will only come in a fixed, I'll get the fixed.

if you get the fixed, we'll be able to try some 3d rigs.

 

[Ruben and Sheri O.]

We are so happy that you all participated in this fun thread =) We love to read your story's, you are all awesome! We hope to see all your guy's footage when Scarlet comes out =)

 

[Sergio Perez]

I shouldn't be writing this. Its late over here, and I might sound very naive in my thinking. I'm just going to express what goes in my mind. Being "foolish", like someone said.

I'm aiming for the Epic, but a Scarlet, if it turns out to be on par with the Red One but with the dsmc form factor, which is what I predict it will become, at least in a certain configuration, would probably be enough for me. But I raise my own bar and go for the Epic.

Over here, I'm somehow considered a talented guy. This is obviously arguable, and sometimes I consider myself a hack, overhyped by the local community. What I do I do with very big limitations, with dslr's and prosumer cameras. I can make those look good for local standards, even international broadcast standards in certain works. However, I want to do more. In a place that desperately needs a push in the cinema industry, I want to make a difference. I sincerely think a Red Epic camera over here can help not even me as a filmmaker, but a whole group of local independent filmmakers. Its true, the main thing is always the talent, a good script, good actors, good lighting and set design...But the image is absolutely essential, at least if you're aiming to fight at an international level. The Epic, and probably the Scarlet, are tools that can help places like were I am, and others were cinema is starting, to be able to develop. A 4K image was unthinkable for the independent filmmaker prior to RED. We, the independents, the ones in countries were filmmaking is in its infancy or is not looked at positively, need to invest our own money to get our films done. And most of the time its an inglorious battle, with no distribution, no support, etc. The Red will allow these places and these filmmakers to truly be able to showcase their talent and to be able to present a product that can be accepted in an international level, beyond the typical art house circuit or the "Dogma" verite film language. The Red revolution, specially on this new generation of cameras, is not only on the 4K image, but on form factor, low light capability, RAW workflow, all elements that are essential for the independent filmmaker. With a Red DSMC package, an independent filmmaker can finally put one fear behind him: If a film fails, it will never be because the camera quality was poor.

I've worked my way in this business pushing prosumer equipment to its limits, creating images that would look impressive in a broadcast scenario, or in a film projection scenario. And I've always forgiven myself on certain limitations due to my equipment. It was always an excuse. An acceptable one. But with the Epic, I want to remove that excuse from me. If with an Epic i cannot create a stunning looking, yet compelling film, I can only blame my lack of talent. This is what I expect with the Epic. To push me beyond my limits, and help develop the local film industry, with my films or with the films I'll be helping out with it.

 

[Terry VerHaar]

The one thing people seem to keep forgetting about the Fixed, as it has been presented in the past, is the incredible value of the "included" lens. It has been said - and seems credible - that the lens itself, if you could buy it separately, is probably worth more than the whole camera. If I could buy an Interchangeable with a couple of RPPs for the price of a Fixed Scarlet, I would certainly prefer that. But, from all that we know so far, the Fixed is the only way to get a very high quality - and versatile - cine-quality lens in an "affordable" Scarlet package. That's one of the reasons I have always leaned toward the Fixed as my first Scarlet purchase. Just my 22 cents. :laugh:

 

[Duane Wik]

For me, I'm an older film student going back to film school to pursue my dream. I thought I would be getting a canon 5d or something along those lines. Somehow, I stumbled upon the RED and the scarlet. It looks like the perfect camera for me. A fixed lens on a 2/3 sensor would be all I need, of course a guy could always dream and want more, such as an interchangeable lens version. I remember everyone wanted Oakleys when I was in highschool from '89-93. They were just awesome. Jannard is a force in design and manufacturing. For me, the design and the company philosophy appeals to me from an aesthetic as well as a functional viewpoint. The scalability and modular design is nothing short of brilliant. I always pictured myself as being a film snob (celluloid.) I don't disagree with what the Kodak rep said about the film in that recent camera shootout, however I think we are living the time when both have their usefulness and functionality. I own an old minolta super 8 film camera. It has this visceral feel, and this whirring noise. You feel like Kubrick weilding that sucker. When I look at the Scarlet prototypes, it looks like that. It doesn't look like a DSLR body with a lens on it. Well I'm sure I sound like the ultimate fan boy. I've really enjoyed reading through the threads on this forum. It's a wealth of information, and it usually leads to some totally bad-ass footage on Vimeo. Nov 3rd cant come soon enough.

 

[Lawrence Bansbach]

The one thing people seem to keep forgetting about the Fixed, as it has been presented in the past, is the incredible value of the "included" lens. It has been said - and seems credible - that the lens itself, if you could buy it separately, is probably worth more than the whole camera. If I could buy an Interchangeable with a couple of RPPs for the price of a Fixed Scarlet, I would certainly prefer that. But, from all that we know so far, the Fixed is the only way to get a very high quality - and versatile - cine-quality lens in an "affordable" Scarlet package. That's one of the reasons I have always leaned toward the Fixed as my first Scarlet purchase. Just my 22 cents. :laugh:

I agree with the value of the fixed's lens. If Red could figure out a way to offer the Cinema bundled with a removable version of that lens at not much more than the fixed's price, well, that would be the best deal of all. Then people could start safely with a Scarlet-optimized lens, then slowly build a set of additional lenses. As it is, using third-party glass with the Cinema will be a crapshoot for a while, as there are no 16-mm or S16 zooms definitively known to work optimally with Scarlet's 3K resolution. Sure, the miniRED primes will be great, but they will lack a zoom's flexibility.

 

[Steve Das]

...I don't care if Scarlet stays 2/3" or get S35 sensor...

Maybe you will have your choice of either one...
Can't see them abandoning the 2/3 format since they already developed a set of
primes and a zoom lens for it.

 

[Josef Gatti]

For me, it all depends on how much I'm willing to risk. I'm currently 21 and working in production for a major tv network in Australia.

If I buy Scarlet - it will be on the condition that I quit my position here and start creating my own content week in week out. This corp works us to the bone here, and I haven't had enough time this year on my own projects to justify spending 10 - 12k on Scarlet. I couldn't get a return on it for a very long time.

So if I can arc up, and buy the camera I've been saving 2 years for, then, well, my life will change significantly. I'll become self (un)employed, and start from scratch again. Who knows, maybe I need to throw myself in the deep end to create some genius.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Not sure that Scarlet will change my life, but i can say I am excited for all of you guys who have been waiting to get your hands on a Red for a long time. I can't help but root for a guy like John Bannister who is facing great challenges ahead with his health but who has set a goal of making a film, hopefully with the RED and that is inspiring. Young guys like Zac, Jeffrey, Joseph Hutson and others who have the ambition and drive necessary to take advantage of these cameras when they get their hands on them. And all the others who have followed this incredible ride from day one and might now be on the brink of finally being able to purchase it. Watching all of you guys will be far more rewarding, even if I do get a Scarlet some day. I'm looking forward to checking out the work you do, and it will inspire me to go out and be a better filmmaker. There's a lot of talent lurking out there. I've seen what some of you have done with supposedly inferior cameras, and it is great stuff. Putting an even more powerful tool in your hands will lead to blossoming careers.

That is what I'm looking forward to.

 

[John Bannister]

I can't help but root for a guy like John Bannister who is facing great challenges ahead with his health but who has set a goal of making a film, hopefully with the RED and that is inspiring. Young guys like Zac, Jeffrey, Joseph Hutson and others who have the ambition and drive necessary to take advantage of these cameras when they get their hands on them. That is what I'm looking forward to.

Steve, a very selfless and honest reply, very much appreciated

 

[Matthew Scott]

The Scarlet will change my life because of the new enthusiasm it brings. Shooting DSLR for the past 3 years was fun, but this is gonna be a whole new game, technically, and visually. I can't wait!!!

 

[J Taylor]

If it's what I hope, then the Scarlet will allow me to push cinematography for guerilla style Documentary Film making. I've been hoping for better dynamic range and better resolution in documentary film, and unfortunately DSLRs just don't cut it. The 7-8 stops on a 7D just can't compare to the 12-13 that the Epic and hopefully the Scarlet is capable of. It will completely change the look of my films and has the potential to put Documentary Cinematography on a new level in a lightweight, compact package.

 

[Mike Garrick]

@ Jospef

Take it from someone who works in the same country in broadcast . You don't need to sacrifice that full time job learning the ropes ....yet. Get a few more years , experience & craft under your belt before making that decision. However in the mean time save hard for that camera, bide your time then when you have the funds, get the camera, work weekends , nights, anything to make it pay its way. All the time gaining experience, craft , business skills & developing relationships. At some point along this timeline you'll find the camera has paid for itself & your ready for the next step, following the same path as a lot of Australian production professionals.

 

[Josef Gatti]

@ Jospef

Take it from someone who works in the same country in broadcast . You don't need to sacrifice that full time job learning the ropes ....yet. Get a few more years , experience & craft under your belt before making that decision. However in the mean time save hard for that camera, bide your time then when you have the funds, get the camera, work weekends , nights, anything to make it pay its way. All the time gaining experience, craft , business skills & developing relationships. At some point along this timeline you'll find the camera has paid for itself & your ready for the next step, following the same path as a lot of Australian production professionals.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the feedback greatly. Other professionals I have sought advice from have said similar things!

I could afford the Scarlet right now, as well as a decent machine for post - and still be well above the water. Would you suggest getting it now if I could get paid weekend gigs? Keeping in mind that the real reason for my purchase of Scarlet is to produce my own content which may not see any profit for a while to come - you know the game.

I'm finding the industry challenging, but a great deal of fun at times. It's just broadcast is not my end goal. Ah the decisions.

 

[Sergio Perez]

Thanks Mike, I appreciate the feedback greatly. Other professionals I have sought advice from have said similar things!

I could afford the Scarlet right now, as well as a decent machine for post - and still be well above the water. Would you suggest getting it now if I could get paid weekend gigs? Keeping in mind that the real reason for my purchase of Scarlet is to produce my own content which may not see any profit for a while to come - you know the game.

I'm finding the industry challenging, but a great deal of fun at times. It's just broadcast is not my end goal. Ah the decisions.

Josef, get the Scarlet, or any S35 mm sized sensor camera if you're planning on doing fiction right now. Buy still lenses, you won't need cinema style lenses if you're shooting guerrilla independent films, and if you plan accordingly, it will look great. Having a Scarlet will warrant that your footage is at least up to broadcast standards- so they are much more sellable, even if you end up shooting stock footage just to pay the bills. With an S35 sensor camera and still lenses you'll learn much more about cinematography and about the difference between lenses, focal lengths, aperture, DOF, etc, similar to what you would learn if on a S35mm film set, but without the cost of it.

Definitely purchase one as it becomes available if you have the chance. That's my take. Holding of and playing with other "toys" will be a waste of time. You can get the same experience of using an S35 mm camera with a DSLR, but the footage you get will never be on par to a Scarlet or an Epic- that is, if there is such a thing as a Scarlet S35. People will probably suggest you to get the 2/3rds fixed, but in my view, if you're someone learning, its all about cinematography and the capability of using cheaper glass and learning about different lenses and how they help you express yourself and tell your story visually. Its all about versatility. With Red providing a Canon mount to their products, and with a Nikon mount in the works, you cannot get a better price/value ratio than the Scarlet and the Epic.

 

[Kacey Baker]

For me, it all depends on how much I'm willing to risk. I'm currently 21 and working in production for a major tv network in Australia.

If I buy Scarlet - it will be on the condition that I quit my position here and start creating my own content week in week out. This corp works us to the bone here, and I haven't had enough time this year on my own projects to justify spending 10 - 12k on Scarlet. I couldn't get a return on it for a very long time.

So if I can arc up, and buy the camera I've been saving 2 years for, then, well, my life will change significantly. I'll become self (un)employed, and start from scratch again. Who knows, maybe I need to throw myself in the deep end to create some genius.

Do your future a favor and buy the camera you've been saving for.

Working at the network is good for 3 things 1) Networking 2) Learning the Biz 3) Income. You will know when its time to break the chain.

I just came out of a ten (+) year relationship with Australia's biggest radio network where I was working so hard I would fall asleep mid conversation on weekends and often couldn't finish sentences due to brain strain. December last year I bought a 7d and parted ways with the radio station, I had no idea how to use a dslr, I didn't even know what iso or shutter speed meant. I spent months on vimeo, yt and google teaching myself how to use the gear ..... in 6 months as a green amateur I had made more money than I had ever hoped, and this new financial year already I have doubled my luxurious radio salary. I thank god for pushing me to where I am.

I still don't have an industry contact in the Australian Film Industry, I would kill to know the people you do working where you do. So basically mate, if a 33 year old with no leads in the AFI can do it with a 7D, a TV network 21 year old with a Scarlet is simply destined for success.

Owning a Scarlet will change my life by giving me footage that will look closer to Hollywood. It's getting to a stage where there is even playing grounds between Hollywood and the DVD watcher like me, it's simply the creative mind that separates us these days as gear becomes more affordable....... well that, networking, experience and financial backing!

Live your dream man!

 

[Jeffrey Loewe]

if you get the fixed, we'll be able to try some 3d rigs.

Very true! In moab of course