New project...

[Eric Lange]

I understand your compassion for the environment (and Jim's and others as well) and salute you all for it.

But I do not think that is what this new project is about. Forgive us techie oriented posters but we take our cue from mister RED Leader Tech Commander himself as he has suggested we will be putting down a deposit on some sort of tech or another when the time comes.

No he didn't... He said "Watch racing extinction" and it's "Going to change the way we do things"

Jim has always been adamant about folks NOT buying equipment for the sake of it as an notional investment. I.e. the camera(s) so you can make money with it 'cause you bought a camera (kind of thing)... Cameras don't make you money (even if you are a rental house lol).

BUT long term archival media IS or would be the cornerstone to all of this.

Just sayin. AND I THINK I AM RIGHT...

 

[Elsie N]

No he didn't... He said "Watch racing extinction" and it's "Going to change the way we do things"

Jim has always been adamant about folks NOT buying equipment for the sake of it as an notional investment. I.e. the camera(s) so you can make money with it 'cause you bought a camera (kind of thing)... Cameras don't make you money (even if you are a rental house lol).

BUT long term archival media IS or would be the cornerstone to all of this.

Just sayin. AND I THINK I AM RIGHT...

He said in post 196:

It has to do with space. And travel. And time. And electronics.

Get ready to place your deposit. It will be guaranteed by me.

Jim

And in post 82 he said:

I am all about the planet. Rent Racing Extinction.

The new program is a whole different thing. You need to hold me to a much higher standard. Jim

 

[Eric Lange]

He said in post 196:

It has to do with space. And travel. And time. And electronics.

Get ready to place your deposit. It will be guaranteed by me.

Jim

And in post 82 he said:

I am all about the planet. Rent Racing Extinction.

The new program is a whole different thing. You need to hold me to a much higher standard. Jim

Good find BTW...

When he says "It is guaranteed by me"... That is a pledge that ( obviously) what will be announced will be underwritten by Jim as a (personally guarantee) to deliver whatever it is... I.e. not fail in the delivery of what WILL be announced. In other words he is saying he/they will announce what it IS before he/they are able to ship. Hence take down payments (in advance), take a number and wait in line... (and all the amazing highs and lows that people have with that / part of RED Culture now (lol)). That all assumes whatever it is, IS relevant to your technical and artistic work and lives? Jim is not substituting for your personal and technical needs and decisions, and magically has the ability to make a call on that? [That's kinda "Cray cray"?].

He is NOT saying "Hey you fan boys just send random money to me and I'll send you magic technology in a box that is guaranteed to make you money (no matter what) and you are going to love it (but I can't tell you what it is and it's waaaay different from anything we have done before)." He's not saying that. [ Even in the earliest RED days the early adopters KNEW it was a digital camera that had a large frame, high resolution and high frame rate worthy of Cinematic use... That was the stated goal, and they delivered! ]. This is not a case of everyone (no matter what) will buy what is under the dust sheet? That's kinda nuts (and I'm huge fan of RED)?

@EN I sincerely hope that's not the "Paradigm" you had in mind?

Warmly, respectfully and sensitively with care...

Eric

P.S's

For example Jim may have a massive / humongous data server in mind that could sustain a direct hit from a nuclear bomb... / Archival data center in a cave under a Swiss Mountain or even a mountain in Colorado (for example )... or in tandem is related to archival digital removable media or some other means of transmission and storage.

But just imagine what you could do with such a data base ... (and if you just happened to have a passing interest in, or give a sh*t about the planet + rapidly disappearing species and rapidly disappearing archives thereof then maybe one would be in a position to actually do something?). So I paraphrase... Jim said something like "I hope I live long enough to see it through... Or see it have a positive effect" Maybe @EN you can find the exact quote?

I'm just saying none of this works without long term archival digital storage as one very important leg of the stool. And is obviously super relevant to managing and archiving existing digital media including movies, documentaries and stuff shot on 4k to 8k... It's ALL volatile. The industry should not slide back to using film just because we can't bridge the digital archival gap.

Just out of interest @EN Did you watch "Racing Extinction"?

 

[Elsie N]

Good find BTW...

When he says "It is guaranteed by me"... That is a pledge that ( obviously) what will be announced will be underwritten by Jim as a (personally guarantee) to deliver whatever it is... I.e. not fail in the delivery of what WILL be announced. In other words he is saying he/they will announce what it IS before he/they are able to ship. Hence take down payments (in advance), take a number and wait in line... (and all the amazing highs and lows that people have with that / part of RED Culture now (lol)). That all assumes whatever it is, IS relevant to your technical and artistic work and lives? Jim is not substituting for your personal and technical needs and decisions, and magically has the ability to make a call on that? [That's kinda "Cray cray"?].

He is NOT saying "Hey you fan boys just send random money to me and I'll send you magic technology in a box that is guaranteed to make you money (no matter what) and you are going to love it (but I can't tell you what it is and it's waaaay different from anything we have done before)." He's not saying that. [ Even in the earliest RED days the early adopters KNEW it was a digital camera that had a large frame, high resolution and high frame rate worthy of Cinematic use... That was the stated goal, and they delivered! ]. This is not a case of everyone (no matter what) will buy what is under the dust sheet? That's kinda nuts (and I'm huge fan of RED)?

@EN I sincerely hope that's not the "Paradigm" you had in mind?

Warmly, respectfully and sensitively with care...

Eric

I actually took the "guaranteed by me" to mean the deposits are totally refundable and he will guarantee them if the company goes belly up before delivery.

P.S's

For example Jim may have a massive / humongous data server in mind that could sustain a direct hit from a nuclear bomb... / Archival data center in a cave under a Swiss Mountain or even a mountain in Colorado (for example )... or in tandem is related to archival digital removable media or some other means of transmission and storage.

But just imagine what you could do with such a data base ... (and if you just happened to have a passing interest in, or give a sh*t about the planet + rapidly disappearing species and rapidly disappearing archives thereof then maybe one would be in a position to actually do something?). So I paraphrase... Jim said something like "I hope I live long enough to see it through... Or see it have a positive effect" Maybe @EN you can find the exact quote?

I'm just saying none of this works without long term archival digital storage as one very important leg of the stool. And is obviously super relevant to managing and archiving existing digital media including movies, documentaries and stuff shot on 4k to 8k... It's ALL volatile. The industry should not slide back to using film just because we can't bridge the digital archival gap.

Just out of interest @EN Did you watch "Racing Extinction"?

I can't speak for Jim, but if he thinks anything like me then he is just not into massive archives. In my own experience, I have hundreds of full mini DV tapes and countless HDDs of RED footage dating back to the R-1 and all upgrade models in between.

I never revisit them. I live in the moment and have so many irons in the fire that there is just no time to get nostalgic.

And no I haven't watched "Racing Extinction"... I judge those type of things as something made to fire me up and getting me fired up is something that raises my cortisol (stress) levels.

In case you are unaware, that can be a bad thing. I am at a stage of life where I'm no longer trying to change the world as a whole, but rather to change my personal world.

I am trying to live out my goal of becoming the oldest living human on earth, and if there is still a Guinness Book of Records at the time, I expect to be in it. '-)

 

[Eric Lange]

I actually took the "guaranteed by me" to mean the deposits are totally refundable and he will guarantee them if the company goes belly up before profitability.



I can't speak for Jim, but if he thinks anything like me then he is just not into massive archives. In my own experience, I have hundreds of full mini DV tapes and countless HDDs of RED footage dating back to the R-1 and all upgrade models in between.

I never revisit them. I live in the moment and have so many irons in the fire that there is just no time to get nostalgic.

And no I haven't watched "Racing Extinction"... I judge those type of things as something made to fire me up and getting me fired up is something that raises my cortisol (stress) levels.

In case you are unaware, that can be a bad thing. I am at a stage of life where I'm no longer trying to change the world as a whole, but rather to change my personal world. I am trying to live out my goal of becoming the oldest living human on earth, and if there is still a Guinness Book of Records at the time, I expect to be in it. '-)

I think what you wrote ^^^^ speaks for itself (I have nothing to add ),

Be Well my Friend,

Eric

 

[Elsie N]

I think what you wrote ^^^^ speaks for itself (I have nothing to add ),

Be Well my Friend,

Eric

Same to you Eric... and don't stop imagining. I do a lot of that and it has served me well.

IMO '-)

 

[Eric Lange]

He said in post 196:

It has to do with space. And travel. And time. And electronics.

Get ready to place your deposit. It will be guaranteed by me.

Jim

And in post 82 he said:

I am all about the planet. Rent Racing Extinction.

The new program is a whole different thing. You need to hold me to a much higher standard. Jim

Speaking of imagination... I just had a "Brain-fart"...



Maybe in this case the "Deposit" is NOT a MONETARY deposit... ?

Maybe what one is depositing is indeed one's digital files/ footage ?

That's why he says "Get ready to place your deposit... It is guaranteed by me."...

In other words your DATA is safe with JIM...

Anyone who has amassed any digital files / data in the past 25 years that is worth anything (to posterity or otherwise/commercial purposes), IS going to want to make a "Deposit"...

(cough cough/clearing throat noises )...


[One really critical leg of said "Project", and frankly any digital endeavor that is "Data rich" regardless of format or method of acquisition].




As an aside it is kinda funny (in terms I guess of Jim having a sense of humor perhaps as it fits rather well.).

"You need to hold me to a much higher standard"... Yup digital long term archiving does and will require a "Much higher standard"...

As he said "Go big or go home"...

Things like paraphrasing ["This is the most complex thing I have ever worked on..."].

I do feel like there is something here for RED-shooters than can be motivated to go to difficult and far off locations... Armed with whatever acquisition systems... Everything being organized by spatial location and time... For a hideously large database those are the two main organizing principals (time and space) to stop it from being a complete mess of disparate information/footage etc.


Watch "Racing Extinction" and (I say) at least watch http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?157058-RED-COLLECTIVE-Paul-Nicklen

 

[Wayne Morellini]

No he didn't... He said "Watch racing extinction" and it's "Going to change the way we do things"

Jim has always been adamant about folks NOT buying equipment for the sake of it as an notional investment. I.e. the camera(s) so you can make money with it 'cause you bought a camera (kind of thing)... Cameras don't make you money (even if you are a rental house lol).

BUT long term archival media IS or would be the cornerstone to all of this.

Just sayin. AND I THINK I AM RIGHT...

Eric, I was thinking about that too. Archival is a big issue. I have thought about ways to archive for millions of years with complete recovery device support ability, even beyond the life of the universe. It is not too hard, you sit down in your mind and day this is the problem, or what do you want to achieve, and think how you are going to achieve it and keep following it, and see where you go. So 2x generations of LTO support is just not good enough.

Some people talk about a certain type of time travel, in a virtual reality environment, like the holodeck on startrek. But you need to record things and keep them and render them. But the technology to do those things in amazing detail, is lacking. You need to record everything, even in 3D and DNA structures. The stuff I work on cam be used in these areas. But whatever Jim might be doing can start the process.

Got to go.

.

 

[Eric Lange]

Eric, I was thinking about that too. Archival is a big issue. I have thought about ways to archive for millions of years with complete recovery device support ability, even beyond the life of the universe. It is not too hard, you sit down in your mind and day this is the problem, or what do you want to achieve, and think how you are going to achieve it and keep following it, and see where you go. So 2x generations of LTO support is just not good enough.

Some people talk about a certain type of time travel, in a virtual reality environment, like the holodeck on startrek. But you need to record things and keep them and render them. But the technology to do those things in amazing detail, is lacking. You need to record everything, even in 3D and DNA structures. The stuff I work on cam be used in these areas. But whatever Jim might be doing can start the process.

Got to go.

.

Ever since I have been involved in digital applications for about 25 years, and been on various committees and consortia that are related to archiving and digital acquisition for preservation of the heritage of mankind (movies actually being an important subset of that) this has always been a huge issue. When I was in LA even in the 1990s film preservation and digital archiving was a pressing issue even back then. In the past I have been involved in many archives that have massive film vaults as well a digital archives... So 20 years on the problem hasn't gone away and now we all shoot or create in substantial degree digitally. Whereas before all the archives were photographic, and before that, prints and drawing and physical specimens going back hundreds of years (if not thousands of years in some cases). DATA really does not have better than a 20 year shelf life and if its something that's really important "Now's the time" assuming it's still there...

This is not pie in the sky stuff or science fiction... But actually requires the will of someone (no pun intended) to create both a commercial and also non- commercial legacy (non-profit). So a multibillionaire that has about $100M+ burning a hole in his or her pocket and has desire to preserve the legacy of digital media itself and make a very valuable contribution to the documentation of species loss and prevention of digitized cultural information and media would be VERY well positioned to set up such a two fold trust or "endowment" not unlike the Getty Trust... But a lot more fun (shhhhh) ;-) .

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Eric, I'm betting against your guess. There's nothing wrong with it, but I think it's too mundane.

 

[Michael McLaughlin]

Photonic Memory Core

Photonic Memory Core

I don't know...

...a "Photonic Memory Core" sounds downright exciting to me; but I am a bit of a history buff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQbkhYg2DzM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61xq5Kja1Uo


As long as it does not go all HAL 9000, I'm all in.

 

[Eric Lange]

Eric, I'm betting against your guess. There's nothing wrong with it, but I think it's too mundane.

That is reflection of your imagination (perhaps but not mine) ... as I see a totally AMAZABALLS 3d and spatial/temporal navigation tool that can integrate many such media that makes Google earth and a DI suite seem like a brown paper bag by comparison... (no offense to excellent and practical interfaces that make absolute sense).

Just as an aside the light field Jannard (drinks tray looking) camera would be an awesome field acquisition tool for someone that can drag their butts into the jungle or wherever with very limited photographic skill and capture the key or fleeting moment when a rare and soon to be extinct species of some sort comes into frame...

I think there are a lot of very exciting things that could be done to engage people at all levels including industry professionals...

Just as a side note (I don't know how many hundred or thousands of hours you have spent on set or in DI suite but that can get pretty tedious and frustrating and very boring too ... YKWIM ? ).

@Ghantous it only has to be as boring as one wants to make it? And even if it seems boring to some, never the less its pretty critical for the survival of things being shot that are amazing and interesting... unless we go back to film?

Most grown ups that care about or are passionate about certain causes won't find that "Boring"... To me gadgets are boring... Its more about what you do with them and what happens to the media you create that's interesting... And if one does create really interesting and important things then why must we be forced to eventually loose it (to entropy)?

@Karim G, what would you imagine as being interesting to you, or interesting related to this very vague context? Just interested to know what you find interesting

 

[Eric Lange]

I don't know...

...a "Photonic Memory Core" sounds downright exciting to me; but I am a bit of a history buff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQbkhYg2DzM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61xq5Kja1Uo


As long as it does not go all HAL 9000, I'm all in.

@Michael McL


Ohhhh good pick... There's a great quote in the second clip that hopefully millennials won't take offense to.

"They have no knowledge of the past and no ambition of the future... " (Sounds almost like something Umberto Eco would have said...).

If you are someone that lies in that zone then it is possible that "New project" will or might indeed seem boring?

I have to admit the cynical/disposable nature of the way that folks consume media and (even video games) can seem quite depressing even for those that have to serve up and generate such media for such demand as an industry and business. This is why I (believe) that a lot of people in the media and the film business LOVE the process but in some instances try not to get too invested in the intended final result (just for sanity) other than doing their level best. Never the less there are of course some spellbinding cultural jewels that are made as movies and documentaries (and even music videos etc. ) every year that do INDEED deserve to last (culturally) forever as far as fate and good will and responsible people will allow.

@Michael McLaughlin, ... (as you mention media not going all HAL 9000...)... (I have always (secretly) wondered what would happen if we put only Wayne's posts into IBM's Watson does it plead for mercy or demand special rights for having to endure cruel and unusual punishment... complaining about the entropic and stochastic limits and concepts it is expected to analyze and "Understand" totally fried its circuitry and tied its algorithms into pretzels) ;-) (love you Wayne ;-) ).

 

[Karim D. Ghantous]

Good questions, Eric. For me, light field capture is the next step. I love film, but you can't have light field film cameras. Why do I love this concept so much? Because it makes fast AF redundant. You do need some accuracy with light field cameras, but you don't need too much, and you don't need too much speed either. Sony's A9 is amazing, but less so when you consider the flexibility of light field.

And I have a dream to start a lens manufacturing company. There's an untapped market that nobody has targeted - in fact I told Lomography about it last year, and I got no reply. It would be perfect for them. One idea which I also passed to them, and which I am happy to share here, was to make some good Leica M mount anamorphic primes to go with an M mount 4-perf 35mm camera. Apertures of f/4 or even f/5.6 would be fine if it meant decent quality results.

And speaking of anamorphics, I don't know of any phone with an anamorphic lens, either. There's plenty of room for a new player, if they do it right. Just avoid Android as the OS.

And further, nobody makes a digital compact with an anamorphic lens. I'm thinking of the Sony RX100 but with an anamorphic zoom. Who will make digital cameras exciting again?

Storing data is important but mundane. I don't think that Jim is headed in that direction.

Edit: The Light L16 is also interesting: https://light.co/camera

 

[Eric Lange]

Good questions, Eric. For me, light field capture is the next step. I love film, but you can't have light field film cameras. Why do I love this concept so much? Because it makes fast AF redundant. You do need some accuracy with light field cameras, but you don't need too much, and you don't need too much speed either. Sony's A9 is amazing, but less so when you consider the flexibility of light field.

And I have a dream to start a lens manufacturing company. There's an untapped market that nobody has targeted - in fact I told Lomography about it last year, and I got no reply. It would be perfect for them. One idea which I also passed to them, and which I am happy to share here, was to make some good Leica M mount anamorphic primes to go with an M mount 4-perf 35mm camera. Apertures of f/4 or even f/5.6 would be fine if it meant decent quality results.

And speaking of anamorphics, I don't know of any phone with an anamorphic lens, either. There's plenty of room for a new player, if they do it right. Just avoid Android as the OS.

And further, nobody makes a digital compact with an anamorphic lens. I'm thinking of the Sony RX100 but with an anamorphic zoom. Who will make digital cameras exciting again?

Storing data is important but mundane. I don't think that Jim is headed in that direction.

Edit: The Light L16 is also interesting: https://light.co/camera

Hey, @ Karim D G I think that's really interesting... Your "Dream" highlighted in gold (above) .

So what's stopping you... ? (If you don't mind me asking)? What is the main obstacle in your assessment of what you want to do ? I guess what I am (expressing badly) is why do you need anyone's permission (apart from IP issues that must be observed) to start your lens company? Your dream, why is it up to them?


You may be right about "Too mundane for Jim"... but it's only one leg of a three legged stool as practically anything else ultimately fails if that first leg is not taken care of? YKWIM?

Also did you watch "Racing Extinction" (lol)?

Cheers,

Eric


I don't know... One of those giant servers + super computer (as far as the eye can see) in a cave under a mountain somewhere, looking brutal and cool in its power and processing ability, glowing in all the right places yet dark and mysterious ... Would give me a "Boner" every morning that I stepped into it's space and "presence"... )... Just sayin ;-) (I'm not the only geeked up megalomaniac that would have the same feeling... ). [And knowing it was pulling its weight to store and preserve a significant chunk of humanities' cultural heritage including stuff shot on RED, that would be pretty cool; as well as providing access to frankly really amazing things remotely]. At some point we are going to have to "Man up" about the longevity of the media and imagery we create. It's not all disposable... Especially and crucially in the commercial sector. This is a case where the commercial sector related to media industries can do a "Solid" for the planet and cultural heritage/culture of mankind in the non-profit domain for once... Sort of a win-win (with a legacy/perpetuity to it?)... That ultimately everybody on the planet can benefit from/ future generations.

[Obviously I am aware of WHO is saying these types of things has more impact (in a lot of cases) rather than WHAT is being said... ].

 

[Wayne Morellini]

Ever since I have been involved in digital applications for about 25 years, and been on various committees and consortia that are related to archiving and digital acquisition for preservation of the heritage of mankind (movies actually being an important subset of that) this has always been a huge issue. When I was in LA even in the 1990s film preservation and digital archiving was a pressing issue even back then. In the past I have been involved in many archives that have massive film vaults as well a digital archives... So 20 years on the problem hasn't gone away and now we all shoot or create in substantial degree digitally. Whereas before all the archives were photographic, and before that, prints and drawing and physical specimens going back hundreds of years (if not thousands of years in some cases). DATA really does not have better than a 20 year shelf life and if its something that's really important "Now's the time" assuming it's still there...

This is not pie in the sky stuff or science fiction... But actually requires the will of someone (no pun intended) to create both a commercial and also non- commercial legacy (non-profit). So a multibillionaire that has about $100M+ burning a hole in his or her pocket and has desire to preserve the legacy of digital media itself and make a very valuable contribution to the documentation of species loss and prevention of digitized cultural information and media would be VERY well positioned to set up such a two fold trust or "endowment" not unlike the Getty Trust... But a lot more fun (shhhhh) ;-) .

Well, I'm here to work on It , if somebody gets real and pays enough for it, as with most of my stuff.

Look up digital paper for inspiration.

 

[Elsie N]

Hey, @ Karim D G I think that's really interesting... Your "Dream" highlighted in gold (above) .

So what's stopping you... ? (If you don't mind me asking)? What is the main obstacle in your assessment of what you want to do ? I guess what I am (expressing badly) is why do you need anyone's permission (apart from IP issues that must be observed) to start your lens company? Your dream, why is it up to them?

Eric, you ask incisive questions. And though you directed the above to Karim, I put myself in both his shoes and then in mine.

In his shoes I know that starting something like a lens company involves hiring people who know lens tech. Those folk are likely already employed at a very high salary. Then you need cutting edge equipment to make cutting edge lenses.

More than likely, you may need a partner who can fill in where you are deficient... (Wozniak's Steve Jobs, the Google duo, Jim and Jarred) as it is hard for one person to do it all. And while Karim said he had a dream of starting a lens company, that doesn't mean he doesn't understand the requirements which may have (fortuitously) kept him from mortgaging his future to follow his dream.

In a word, his hold up is probably money.

************************************************************************************************

And now walking in my shoes, I have a script (not fleshed out with all the dialog yet) for an epic Villain-cum-Hero on a time-critical journey. I once thought like you that all you need is the desire, the right equipment, some free cast and crew, some time and VOILA!... hit movie.

And to be completely honest, I still think I might could pull off getting the movie made on a low budget, but it would be unlikely to be a hit. And I'm not saying with proper financing I could make the movie that would be a hit, but the chances would be better.

It is still a "dream" of mine to make the movie, but I'll not rush into making it underfunded. And while I'm not a passive person, I have grown out of my active stage of life where I think I can shape things to my way of thinking through sheer will.

I believe it is favorable for me to exercise being patient and somehow, sometime an opening will present itself and I will transition to an active role in making that movie.

I don't know... One of those giant servers + super computer (as far as the eye can see) in a cave under a mountain somewhere, looking brutal and cool in its power and processing ability, glowing in all the right places yet dark and mysterious ... Would give me a "Boner" every morning that I stepped into it's space and "presence"... )... Just sayin ;-) (I'm not the only geeked up megalomaniac that would have the same feeling... ). [And knowing it was pulling its weight to store and preserve a significant chunk of humanities' cultural heritage including stuff shot on RED, that would be pretty cool; as well as providing access to frankly really amazing things remotely]. At some point we are going to have to "Man up" about the longevity of the media and imagery we create. It's not all disposable... Especially and crucially in the commercial sector. This is a case where the commercial sector related to media industries can do a "Solid" for the planet and cultural heritage/culture of mankind in the non-profit domain for once... Sort of a win-win (with a legacy/perpetuity to it?)... That ultimately everybody on the planet can benefit from/ future generations.

[Obviously I am aware of WHO is saying these types of things has more impact (in a lot of cases) rather than WHAT is being said... ].

Only govts. or companies with small govt. budgets have the resources to make these things happen. But who knows, there may be one of these being built as we speak.

 

[Eric Lange]

Eric, you ask incisive questions. And though you directed the above to Karim, I put myself in both his shoes and then in mine.

In his shoes I know that starting something like a lens company involves hiring people who know lens tech. Those folk are likely already employed at a very high salary. Then you need cutting edge equipment to make cutting edge lenses.

More than likely, you may need a partner who can fill in where you are deficient... (Wozniak's Steve Jobs, the Google duo, Jim and Jarred) as it is hard for one person to do it all. And while Karim said he had a dream of starting a lens company, that doesn't mean he doesn't understand the requirements which may have (fortuitously) kept him from mortgaging his future to follow his dream.

In a word, his hold up is probably money.

************************************************************************************************

And now walking in my shoes, I have a script (not fleshed out with all the dialog yet) for an epic Villain-cum-Hero on a time-critical journey. I once thought like you that all you need is the desire, the right equipment, some free cast and crew, some time and VOILA!... hit movie.

And to be completely honest, I still think I might could pull off getting the movie made on a low budget, but it would be unlikely to be a hit. And I'm not saying with proper financing I could make the movie that would be a hit, but the chances would be better.

It is still a "dream" of mine to make the movie, but I'll not rush into making it underfunded. And while I'm not a passive person, I have grown out of my active stage of life where I think I can shape things to my way of thinking through sheer will.

I believe it is favorable for me to exercise being patient and somehow, sometime an opening will present itself and I will transition to an active role in making that movie.




Only govts. or companies with small govt. budgets have the resources to make these things happen. But who knows, there may be one of these being built as we speak.

@EN... So you decided to wake this morning and stuff a bunch of words into other people's mouths based on some set of assumptions?

You don't speak for Karim and specifically why or what is preventing him from starting a lens company ?

Maybe he does have the money/access and the technical expertise and access to relevant equipment? (cough cough)... Maybe there are folks not too far away that would be interested in helping him with such an endeavor that are already tooled up for such things (cough cough).


[Just as a side note, I'm selling a very nice Ranch in New Mexico so I can make key equipment purchases, mainly extending our machining/automation capabilities... That works for me + decent financing... Everything that is worthwhile requires risk and dedication but at the same time a well thought out exit strategy is required too and various plan B's that enable you to keep going and keep going well no matter what... That's the point always devise better ways to keep playing the game and raise your game and increase your capabilities (in house) or otherwise].


EN writes "I once thought like you that all you need is the desire, the right equipment, some free cast and crew, some time and VOILA!... hit movie. "




"I once thought like you... "... That is not my ambition at all, I have 13 granted "International" (foreign territory and national territory) patents (that I prosecuted myself, including Japan, that I'm particularly proud of as they did not cite any prior art). We are working hammer and tongues to roll out the tech I/we have been developing over the past ten years + (that was a spin out of a Ph.D I did at Cambridge University in the U.K. which was based on years of research and field work before that. I am not a failed/frustrated film maker... I literally grew up in the film business on some of the biggest and most famous productions that have ever been... BUT I am a huge fan of the documentary format... On the craft side we engage in really serious photography... (no doubt about it).

Trust me money is not the obstacle... And Jim, Jarred, Graham and many many others that constitute RED have made a lot of those traditional obstacles disappear....

 

[Eric Lange]

Eric, you ask incisive questions.

<snip>

Only govts. or companies with small govt. budgets have the resources to make these things happen. But who knows, there may be one of these being built as we speak.

The one thing I have noticed about Jim Jannard is that he coordinates with the biggest wheels on the planet, and is able to effect new and useful standards. It's an assumption that such a project only comes from one man... I'd bet there are some key partners that make this all happen.

Such a venture has a commercial component (i.e. makes money) and a smaller fraction has a scope and limitation for non-profit work, causes and core activities/directives.

I'm 47 years old now, but 25 years ago I had research fellowships and then a bunch consulting contracts with the Getty Conservation Institute in LA... As well as other really interesting projects going on that were more tech/industry related.

At the time Harold Williams was the head trustee of the Getty Trust, that had many entities, but the basic trust was managed by a board of trustees (in terms of investments and so on) and then a residue would be used to finance the the various different entities. So at the GCI/Getty conservation institute we had field projects all over the world, China, Belize, Africa/Benin, Quito, Cyprus, New Mexico/Chaco canyon, Los Angeles, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria... and most notably the Cairo museum (in Egypt) and Tomb of Nefertari and the tomb of Tutkamen/Tut's tomb And many many many projects besides and training workshops and publications and so on... ALL accomplished without an "Infinite budget". These "Good works" were scaled to what budget was actually available.... And most of those were terrific projects and really MADE a difference.

So by example if Jim/Jim's project has an interest in setting something up that is useful to the documentation of species and documentation of species loss over time (which is the only way you can do that : over time ) then a digital archival medium and format and management strategy is CORE to the idea. No getting around that. Such a scheme or institute can be set up with scaled objectives. So @EN you are right you can't save the whole world, but you can lead by example and (within budget) make a VERY significant dent and provide a very useful and long lasting legacy, framework and platform, (which I believe is one of Jim Jannard's goals).

The "Vibe" or feeling I get about "New Project" is that anyone with a pulse and some kind of camera or acquisition device that can be patient and drag their butt to somewhere different (or maybe in their back yard) and do some serious habitat recording... As well as maybe species recording... No talent required necessarily other than the ability to "TRAVEL" and throw one's self at something.

I think Paul Nicklen is an absolute master of his craft and yet VERY humble... He speaks of failing 98% of the time or more in what he has to do, (see the video on the other thread), but that near 1.5% is what you live for... That's the persistence and dedication to one's craft to even spend a year to maybe even get 45 seconds of amazing footage.

Unless you ACTUALLY watch Racing Extinction you are going to think I am smoking "Crack" on all of this lol...

It's all doable.





@ EN so what is about Racing Extinction that will make your blood boil (do you think) lol... There's some really cool tech in there too ... ;-)

 

[Elsie N]

@EN... So you decided to wake this morning and stuff a bunch of words into other people's mouths based on some set of assumptions?

You don't speak for Karim and specifically why or what is preventing him from starting a lens company ?

Maybe he does have the money/access and the technical expertise and access to relevant equipment? (cough cough)... Maybe there are folks not too far away that would be interested in helping him with such an endeavor that are already tooled up for such things (cough cough).

Just was addressing your implied meaning that all he had to do was want to start a lens company and that you seemingly discounted all that starting a company from the ground up means. Was just trying to suggest to you that there are lots of things involved other than the desire to do something. Karim is on the bottom side of the world so is probably sleeping now. I'm sure he'll chime in when he gets back on the boards.

[Just as a side note, I'm selling a very nice Ranch in New Mexico so I can make key equipment purchases, mainly extending our machining/automation capabilities... That works for me + decent financing... Everything that is worthwhile requires risk and dedication but at the same time a well thought out exit strategy is required too and various plan B's that enable you to keep going and keep going well no matter what... That's the point always devise better ways to keep playing the game and raise your game and increase your capabilities (in house) or otherwise].

I recently sold some oil royalties to feed my tech-cookie monster. Was going to use the proceeds to shoot a little dialog driven movie I've written. Then an investment opportunity arose that could someday provide the funds to do that epic movie I mentioned in another post.

My motto is "Be prepared to pivot!"

EN writes "I once thought like you that all you need is the desire, the right equipment, some free cast and crew, some time and VOILA!... hit movie. "




"I once thought like you... "... That is not my ambition at all, I have 13 granted "International" (foreign territory and national territory) patents (that I prosecuted myself, including Japan, that I'm particularly proud of as they did not cite any prior art). We are working hammer and tongues to roll out the tech I/we have been developing over the past ten years + (that was a spin out of a Ph.D I did at Cambridge University in the U.K. which was based on years of research and field work before that. I am not a failed/frustrated film maker... I literally grew up in the film business on some of the biggest and most famous productions that have ever been... BUT I am a huge fan of the documentary format... On the craft side we engage in really serious photography... (no doubt about it).

Trust me money is not the obstacle... And Jim, Jarred, Graham and many many others that constitute RED have made a lot of those traditional obstacles disappear....

Yeah, wasn't suggesting you were a movie-maker, but as mentioned in first paragraph you give the impression that anyone can do things like start a lens company with sheer willpower. '-)

And as for your continuing to hold out for the Dr. No archival cave as Jim's (et al) project ... '-)

OBTW, please be careful of your tongues around hammers... that could be worse than a paper cut on the tongue. '-)