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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 :)

Kind of a shame...

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Cameron K

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...that this once vibrant site has been turned into Craigslist for a few users. Wish these endless ads could be exclusive to the "for sale" category so they don't bury the new posts.
 
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This oddly occurred before. And there was a way to omit some categories from "new posts", but I have yet to find a way with the new forum software. There are more for sale posts in 2024 than say 2013, but the industry is larger and a bit more "gear for sale" heavy these days.

If I find a way to do it, expect a sticky.

I will say I did answer a couple of questions this weekend that weren't sale related. Expanded discourse is larger in the social media space, numerous RED and cinematography groups across various sites. Luckily the global community is large enough to support that now, but it is slight madness bouncing between platforms and groups.
 
Appreciated Phil. Thanks.
 
I tried asking in another thread for what alternative sites to go to as REDUser has become a little bit of a ghost town as of late but nobody gave any leads other than "social media" and "Facebook". Cinematography.com, DVXUser.com, and even EOSHD.com are all a lot slower than before and Blackmagic Design's forum is a little odd as there's not so much shop talk as there are bugs and other problems and even finding 12K production talk with the URSA 12K is just about non-existent. Maybe it's a bit of the "Dead Internet" theory but it is a bummer that a lot of people have just seemingly disappeared. If there are particular Facebook groups people are joining as replacement then somebody post some or DM me if it's all a secret.

My previous thread on the subject:

If Reduser isn't very active, where is everybody?

Hey, everyone, I've noticed that it's slowed down a whole lot at Reduser. I've heard people talk about Facebook groups and going to other forums but, strangely, they never mention where they're going to for discussion. Heck, DVXUser isn't even all that active so trying to find someplace to talk...
reduser.net
 
The activity is a double edge sword.
I remember when the site was dubiously called "RED crack" which I imagine referred to the addictive nature of how some people would post or check the site.
It was indeed a bustling place and some great info discussed and exchanged but there was also a good amount "garbage" posts to wade through.

While there is definitely less activity in the last few years there is at least a higher percentage of thoughtful posts compared to the noise.
I'm not on FB so don't know how those forums are. RU is still one of the better public forums I've known of to discuss filmmaking and most things RED related. I particularly like that you still have a relatively wide profile of members that are not strictly DP/camera ops.

A part of me still comes here for the info and exchange but I oddly find myself on RU to sometimes just decompress and observe.

Brian Timmons
BRITIM/MEDIA
 
The sad reality undermining this site is that most people have shifted away from forums for their info and interaction. It's all on socials... Which kinda sucks, IMO. The discussions are less involved and everything just gets lost in the noise. Some of us just kinda HATE fb and xitter anyway and don't go there unless we have to.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
The sad reality undermining this site is that most people have shifted away from forums for their info and interaction. It's all on socials... Which kinda sucks, IMO. The discussions are less involved and everything just gets lost in the noise. Some of us just kinda HATE fb and xitter anyway and don't go there unless we have to.
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I'm with you on this, much prefer the forum experience. (And I'm not on facebook anyway.)

For my part, I check into RU most days just to see if there are interesting discussions. The other place I drop in in recent years is reddit (on the cinematography or related subreddits). There are a lot of "rate my reel" or "what camera should I buy?" threads, but it's also a place I see more discussion of craft, with lots of threads breaking down how something from a movie was done. Maybe some of this latter subject has migrated away from RU/dvxuser/etc.

Are there certain subjects you guys reserve primarily to post here? Are there subjects that attract more discussion that could be happening on reduser? I suppose we could dissect every new camera announcement, but it feels like that's better covered by more news-oriented sites...
 
M Harvey said:
Are there certain subjects you guys reserve primarily to post here? Are there subjects that attract more discussion that could be happening on reduser? I suppose we could dissect every new camera announcement, but it feels like that's better covered by more news-oriented sites...
Click to expand...
I think these forums would still be my go-to if I wanted a more intimate discussion on a specific RED related topic. There are enough of us around here still that would engage for something like that. Beyond that, I agree with you about Reddit. That platform has a lot more value than it gets credit for. Facebook is really where all the core RED discussion and current events has migrated to. I force myself to take a quick survey of the RED groups there every once in awhile.

As for myself, I only check in here sporadically these days. Being a camera geek is strictly a hobby for me at this point as I've shifted most of my focus to other areas.
 
To me, and yes I'm probably going to sound like the old guy now, but Facebook, IG, etc are all great for immediacy but trying to find information from a few days ago, let alone something you may want to reference from a month ago, feels daunting. Reduser is great as a meeting house that can store the minutes of said meeting and be referenced fairly easily. I agree that there are a lot of for sale threads. If there is a way to filter those (I would assume most would just go to those on their own anyway if they were looking to buy or sell something) that would be very cool.

I think because the exciting, early days of RED have passed, so too has the noise and some of the aggressive posts we would occasionally see back in the day. So it probably is a great time to be here and share thoughts on RED and other technology as well as creative discussions about filmmaking and how we are using the tools. I for one, would love to see more posts where we share camera tests, BTS, and when possible even footage from our productions. A community like this has potential to help each other get better. To me, cinematography and filmmaking as a whole is constant learning.

So, as quiet as it may seem at times, I wonder if its still has some life in it. Maybe it just needs a recharge, something to get it going again. Something that makes people want to check in regularly. It might be a little difficult to do now given the sale to Nikon, but remember when Jarred did that film festival/win a camera thing a few years back? Something like that could get some energy going. Make it exclusive to REDUSER members, while still promoting it on social. I'm sure that type of thing is far down on the list of priorities but just thinking out loud.
 
Well, I will say that I'm grateful for this community. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere and still very involved elsewhere as well as here. And more brewing behind the scenes I won't discuss just yet as I don't have a clear picture of certain things.

The whole journey, friendships, collogues, and more has been a joy with only moderate frustration. The fact that a few people on REDuser ended up working together on various projects is really amazing. And more astounding, I have made some very long term friends along the way. I'll also say RED beyond any company I've communicated with closely has taken a lot of notes on board and implemented change. Truly amazing to have that level of interactivity and feedback. Sometimes I ask for too much, but I am a realist and well versed in the now and tomorrow at this point.

I must admit my time commitments to my own productions, career, and life have taken a much larger priority in recent years. But I do hope my efforts across the DSCM3 lineup have been of use and helpful. I think when you look with a slightly wider lens you'll find the current bodies are extremely advanced in comparison to the market as a whole as well as previous hardware, though I'm still fond of DSCM2 in many ways. And I have to say, RED's focus to support multiple formats at multiple prices points has been what the digital cinema industry needed for production cameras. Putting their stake in the ground on "reinventing" VistaVision has been perhaps one of my favorite moments thus far. I think you all know that, and I'm certain Jarred does.

We are a bit further down the line now. Lots has transpired. We've lost some long time members along the way. Some very talented filmmakers in there too. A few close friends even, which does sit with me on quiet days. And the industry itself has ballooned massively. We aren't exactly talking about dozens or hundreds of cameras these days. We're not even talking low thousands either. And that's before we get to other types of cameras and expansion of other brands.

This community has tremendous value though. A great deal of wonderful information shared by a dedicated few plus some great discussions outside of the heated nonsense. Jim's late night rock and roll posts were always fun. When the unknown was teased by Jim or Jarred, it was always something to stay up late for.

I've got lots of ideas about the now and the future. And I can't stress enough, I've really enjoyed meeting the new Nikon folks. Extremely receptive and with a bit of fire in their eyes. Again, refreshing.
 
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