6/9/15. This is the date that this entire mess started. Since then I have been without a fully functioning camera or display. Both of which I've obviously payed an arm and a leg for. Or have accrued a heap of debt rather. Coincidentally, because of that large heap of debt I've worked my ass off this summer to start working it down. It's been a great, busy summer - dreams coming true of working as a director/cinematographer in the beginning stages of my career. Except for the main tool in my kit, my RED Epic. My display, SSD module or brain has been malfunctioning this entire summer although I've gotten to know Grant, Colin and Tanner on the RED team quite well and we've been going back and forth on what's going on for 4 months. This post isn't so much of a complaint, it's more of a documentation of the nightmare I've experienced working with RED.
On a human level, everyone at the company has been great. Tons of apologies, as quick of service as one can expect and a good effort by the team to solve my problems. Unfortunately it hasn't been enough.
Let's go back to 6/9/15, this story call also be told through the three biggest gigs I've ever had. So, gig number 1: I was interviewing on my Epic a father of a girl who had a liver transplant. He's crying telling their story, I have tears in my eyes pulling this story out of him that is obviously a sensitive subject. Then (cue the dramatic music because this is truly the beginning) as I'm watching this grown man cry and spill his guts to the camera, my 7" display glitches and goes dead. I didn't say or touch anything and thankfully the rest of the interview was recorded albeit without being monitored. The next day I went to a local rental shop and determined it was my side SSD. Bought a new SSD, finished the gig, sent in both SSD's to be looked over by RED, was sent back two working SSD's. Bravo. All good.
Ok. Gig #2. Middle of nowhere in the woods shooting for a dream client. Long story short, the display goes down. Have to cut an entire day of production to drive out and back into the woods with a rental. Learned my lesson by now, ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP MONITORING SOLUTION. Sent in camera + display to RED for evaluation. They both come back guaranteed to work and they do out of the box.
Onto gig #3. I think you're getting my drift. The display goes down again. This time I'm overseas in the middle of the woods. Had to fly in a rental display from the main city, there goes another day of production. It wasn't cheap either. Sent in the display after I got back and haven't had a working one since.
Gig #4 - this is a continuation of Gig #1 and I've given up and I'm shooting on my HDMI Zacuto. The first thing my director asks me is where is my display, he wants to monitor image. I ask RED for a loaner. They send me a 9" loaner. Which is absolutely ridiculous for working in the woods. I send loaner back. I still don't have my working display. We also determine I all of a sudden have hardware issues in my camera that weren't seen when the camera was sent in for gig #2.
Gig #5 and this is an important one. I've worked all summer and this is my personal project. Something I've always wanted to shoot. And here I am with a camera that needs to be sent in for maintenance and a display that doesn't work. I've been asking the RED boys for 3 weeks prior for a loaner to no avail. Wouldn't even schedule me for one. And now, that I'm boarding my overseas flight to shoot my personal project, conveniently a loaner becomes available.
So here I am. I'm going to keep this thread updated as this progresses as I feel very alone in this issue as I'm not Peter Jackson and obviously don't deserve a working camera although I paid just as much as he did.
Any advice or encouragement will be soaked up with love. Thanks for listening.
On a human level, everyone at the company has been great. Tons of apologies, as quick of service as one can expect and a good effort by the team to solve my problems. Unfortunately it hasn't been enough.
Let's go back to 6/9/15, this story call also be told through the three biggest gigs I've ever had. So, gig number 1: I was interviewing on my Epic a father of a girl who had a liver transplant. He's crying telling their story, I have tears in my eyes pulling this story out of him that is obviously a sensitive subject. Then (cue the dramatic music because this is truly the beginning) as I'm watching this grown man cry and spill his guts to the camera, my 7" display glitches and goes dead. I didn't say or touch anything and thankfully the rest of the interview was recorded albeit without being monitored. The next day I went to a local rental shop and determined it was my side SSD. Bought a new SSD, finished the gig, sent in both SSD's to be looked over by RED, was sent back two working SSD's. Bravo. All good.
Ok. Gig #2. Middle of nowhere in the woods shooting for a dream client. Long story short, the display goes down. Have to cut an entire day of production to drive out and back into the woods with a rental. Learned my lesson by now, ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP MONITORING SOLUTION. Sent in camera + display to RED for evaluation. They both come back guaranteed to work and they do out of the box.
Onto gig #3. I think you're getting my drift. The display goes down again. This time I'm overseas in the middle of the woods. Had to fly in a rental display from the main city, there goes another day of production. It wasn't cheap either. Sent in the display after I got back and haven't had a working one since.
Gig #4 - this is a continuation of Gig #1 and I've given up and I'm shooting on my HDMI Zacuto. The first thing my director asks me is where is my display, he wants to monitor image. I ask RED for a loaner. They send me a 9" loaner. Which is absolutely ridiculous for working in the woods. I send loaner back. I still don't have my working display. We also determine I all of a sudden have hardware issues in my camera that weren't seen when the camera was sent in for gig #2.
Gig #5 and this is an important one. I've worked all summer and this is my personal project. Something I've always wanted to shoot. And here I am with a camera that needs to be sent in for maintenance and a display that doesn't work. I've been asking the RED boys for 3 weeks prior for a loaner to no avail. Wouldn't even schedule me for one. And now, that I'm boarding my overseas flight to shoot my personal project, conveniently a loaner becomes available.
So here I am. I'm going to keep this thread updated as this progresses as I feel very alone in this issue as I'm not Peter Jackson and obviously don't deserve a working camera although I paid just as much as he did.
Any advice or encouragement will be soaked up with love. Thanks for listening.
