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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 :)

POsitive Vibe...

David Battistella

David Battistella

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I've been reading a lot of stuff around here lately that seems like there has been a negative vibe at times.

So I started this thread to get a positive vibe going.

In general I am hopeful people will add some positive RED stories of their own. This is not FANBOYism, just sharing positive experiences.

If you are getting negative as you read this, then please go surfing for somewhere else to post on the forum.

My latest positive vibe with RED.

I am just working on a film I shot a couple of weeks ago on build 30.3.1, I wanted to shoot on the NCS and the team allowed me to try a test pilot build. My interactions with RED were positive (as they have always been) and the camera and build worked out beautifully.

The post production has been seamless as I have been round-tripping between FCP offline and ONLINE to COLOR on a daily basis with no issues (using the FCP>clipfinder>COLOR workflow)

It does not bother me that I have not received a call for the X upgrade because NED has been a real trouper and pumps out some very sweet 4K.

That's all.

Just sharing. Trying to spread the positive vibe.

Go ahead....Join in...


David
 
My birthday celebration at RED!

My birthday celebration at RED!

David - I'll jump in here even though I am a relative newcomer to the world of RED. I have never shot with a RED (barely have ever touched one, for that matter) but, as one who fully expects to own a Scarlet soon, I decided, pretty much on a last minute whim, to travel to LA in February for RED day. It was my birthday so I guess it was sort of a birthday present to myself and it turned out to be the best birthday in quite some time.

While I enjoyed the presentation immensely and learned a ton, what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to meet Jim and Jarred in person. I approached Jim to thank him for the the event and he shook my hand warmly and we chatted for about 5 minutes. He seems to have a way of making each person he speaks with feel important. He made a point of asking my name and was gracious in thanking me for coming. Then I got the chance to approach Jarred for some small talk and he is such a gregarious and helpful guy, encouraging me to stay in touch and let them know at RED if I had questions or needs. Even as a future customer, I felt valued.

All in all, an incredible day and one I will enjoy remembering. So much so, in fact, that I fully intend to show up in Las Vegas at NAB.
 
Now that's what I am talking about!

Thanks Terry.

David
 
Yeah, there does seem to be a lot of negative stuff around lately. I'm not sure why that is, other than a little frustration from the waiting. I'm pretty sure that that's getting closer to an end for all. I'm looking forward to some pretty exciting announcements at NAB, and a pretty fun time at the event.

I still have the "OMG this footage looks good" moment every time I review footage that I've shot.

We are currently finishing up preproduction on Project Arbiter, and about to start principal photography in early May. (http://www.projectarbiter.com) We've been piggy backing another shoot at the same location, that also takes place during WWII, and using it as a test shoot to determine the best workflow, and the best look for our film. It's been great loading some looks into build 30. I love "Celeste", my camera, and will miss her terribly when I am lucky enough to trade her in for an Epic. The trade in is due to the generosity of this company, something that I've never seen from any other during the years of my career.

I am not a fan boy, and never have been. Normally, my cameras are tools that I use to get my work done. Like many here, I've shot with many cameras; DV, DVCam, BetaSP, DigiBeta, DVCPro50, Varicam, F900, etc. I've worked just about every position on set, from PA to Director. Some of my best experiences on set have happened in my first year with my Red. I watched the Red during the time that I couldn't afford it. I hit a lucky streak of freelance, and was able to afford one of my own. I have a minimal set up, and no PL mount lenses. I do the best that I can with what I have, just as I've always done. I am very appreciative of my current position as a Red Owner.

I do wish that I could have afforded to get in earlier, when simply owning the camera (backed with some skills) was enough to really boost many careers. I visited the NAB booth in 2006, but didn't get my camera until early 08. It took some saving, and a lot of work to get it, and I have no regrets, even though It has yielded little ROI, so far. Not all ROI can be measured in dollars, though. I made far more last year with my HVX shooting corporate work than I did with Celeste, but every moment was spent wishing that I was shooting with her.

With Epic in my future, and the work that I continually do, I am hopeful that the future opportunities will continue to grow. I'd love to do more narrative work, and maybe some consumer/lifestyle spots in the future. Even if that doesn't happen for me, trading the HVX on a 2/3 Scarlet and using the Red workflow should help make the tedious B2B corporate communications more enjoyable.

I sometimes tire of the film vs. Red vs. Alexa threads, and mostly skip over them. A 1/2 stop makes a difference, but there are plenty of tools to bring the light into range. It doesn't make that much of a difference. There's always times as a DoP, that I am forced to make a decision to blow out the highlights or lose the shadows. Time or budget doesn't always allow for the control that I'd like. I know that in 10 years, that choice will no longer need be made. Looking back at the footage we are all shooting now will be like looking at the quality of VHS. A part of me can't wait, and a part of me will miss the challenge of lighting a tricky scene.

Even in the short term, the future looks bright, both for the story-tellers, and the story-watchers.

I do my best to enjoy the journey, as the destination is the same for all of us. Right now, it's a pretty fun ride.

Sorry for the ramble. I hope it was positive enough!

P.S. Welcome to the boards Terry. I remember you from the marchFIRST days. I was in Jim Vandegrift's interactive group on Bandley. I still work with him at Design Reactor. I hope you get your Scarlet soon!
 
We just finished our first film on RED today. Finally edited, mixed, graded, DONE. I have to say that I'll never shoot on another camera again. So proud to have our film that we spent two years of our lives on be apart of the RED community.
 
I suppose with any group, forum, club that has over 27,000 members, there's going to be some negativity that goes along with the positive vibes and excitement. For me, it continues to be a place where I can catch up with some people who have become friends, keep up with news from the world of RED, and learn new things on a daily basis. Generous industry professionals from all walks of life such as David Mullen, open the vast volumes of knowledge they have collected over many years and do so with no agenda. There are others who have agendas and stir up trouble. It's bound to happen. I still feel there's far more positive things to gain here than the contrary. Guys like Jeff Kilgroe, Brook Willard, Dino, Alex Carr, Steve Freebairn, and others have helped immensely in sharing their knowledge and experience with color and data workflows on set. Guys who have shaped successful companies around RED and other emerging media technologies like Mark Pederson of Offhollywood and Greg Milneck of Digital FX have been inspirational in their passion for living on the cutting edge. And then there are the veterans, love them or hate them, know their stuff like Mike Most, who has been at this for well...longer than I've been on the planet (sorry to age you Mike). So, yeah, there is a lot of positive stuff to take away from communities like this. It just requires knowing how to navigate, finding the people and conversations that let you walk away feeling like it was worth the investment of time.

I'm almost always positive, drives people insane sometimes. Can't help it. :-)
 
nice Vibe David- If you mostly read what RED writes, I see nothing but excitement on here. Just so much cool stuff coming out... and more and more trolls doing the "one post wonder" is pretty exciting validation!
 
As I said to Jim and Jarred when I met them occasionally @ Red store: "This camera has changed my life". Last news: I've got a short film selected @ Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner (shot on Red of course) and I'm the new Red instructor @ Act school of cinema of Cinecittà, the main place for cinema in Italy. Last job: a Red shooting with the Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham.
 
I'll throw in my first experiance with RED (and thus began an obsession).

I was invited to be 1st AD on a feature and was told we weren't shooting on film but rather on a RED One. Firstly I had a 'eh?' moment.. then the DP promptly pushed some books and a manual in my hand and said that before I set foot on set I had to know that like the back of my hand.

Im a man, so I ignored the manual, but the books (which seemed to just be the DPs musings typed and printed) was amazing.
So I get on set and they're already starting to set up the first shot of the morning, and the DP was in a portacabin showing the director some 'test' shots that he'd grabbed with the camera before anyone had arrived at the location. I was amazed firstly at the quality, and then secondly at the fact the Director said 'This is great, we'll use this as establishing an shot!'

Sadly, the film ran out of money before its completion, but EVERYONE who had a chance to work with and around the camera had a positive experiance. The enthusiasm for the technology displayed by the DP and director certainly rubbed off on me, and I'm usually a difficult person to persuade (and not for good reasons- I'm stubborn, bullheaded and sulk if I dont get my own way).

And to top it all off we have REDUSER.NET. The home of (usually) reasonable discourse about the tech and its use. With active participation by the staff and some incredible sources of information.

Sure, there's negativity amonst the community- you cant please all of the people all of the time (I'm a Mac user surrounded by Windows fanboys who don't know any better :P ). But I always say the following to my friends who are negative about Red:
In talanted hands the results are ON THE SCREEN. You dont have to subscribe to the philosophy of RED, or read and participate in the forums, you dont even have to like the look or colour of the camera (mum asks why it doesnt have a Red finish). Nobody can argue with the results of the Red ONE -and I think that's going to be true of the Scarlets and Epics.

The best way to debate RED negativity and argue for its use is with the footage itself.



ps. Sorry for the long post
 
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Build 30 is a dream machine even without MX! I have been shooting a lot of content for VOGUE and they are very pleased...cheers to a positive vibe.
 
Luca Immesi said:
As I said to Jim and Jarred when I met them occasionally @ Red store: "This camera has changed my life". Last news: I've got a short film selected @ Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner (shot on Red of course) and I'm the new Red instructor @ Act school of cinema of Cinecittà, the main place for cinema in Italy. Last job: a Red shooting with the Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham.
Click to expand...

Wow, good on ya!
 
OT "Hi" to Jason - Sorry

OT "Hi" to Jason - Sorry

Jason Beckwith said:
P.S. Welcome to the boards Terry. I remember you from the marchFIRST days. I was in Jim Vandegrift's interactive group on Bandley. I still work with him at Design Reactor. I hope you get your Scarlet soon!
Click to expand...

Jason - yes, I remember you, too. I have kept up just a little with Jim and some of the folks from m1. I was riding my bike with Chris Martin recently and he mentioned you and your RED (as you probably know, they LOVE RED at Apple - killer Specialized footage, eh?) Glad to cross paths with you here on REDuser!

Terry
 
I have started my business here in Korea based on the Red gears and technology using it. It's been just a year and a half since it all begun, and without Red, I'm not sure if I could even imagine to break into the industry since I had just moved from the US.

Of course, there were (and still are) times I got stressed with how Red do things, but these times are to make their things and my things better. I never thought of this as negativity.

Truth is.. Red always makes me feel like I'm living an extreme cutting-edge life style.
 
Having no experience or even seeing a RED camera in person yet, for me it has a lot to do with the community that RED has built around it's cameras. Maybe in a sense I feel like the early Red One enthusiasts with my waiting and excitement over the Red Scarlet Fixed and S35.

I've never been so thrilled about an upcoming product as I am with the Scarlet. I really feel like I am on the cusp of a huge technology shift within a price point that I can get into. I'm sure my enthusiasm is going to help sell a bunch of Scarlets in North Carolina, that's for sure! :) There are filmmaker meet ups all over the place here in the Triangle and I spend a lot of time setting people straight on what to expect. It's amazing how much wrong information there is out there.

But in a nutshell, I just wanted to thank those who share their Red experiences, good or bad, because in the end, people around here, including Red, do work together to make these products the best they can be for all that use them. I wanted to make sure before I made a large investment in Red that I didn't feel left out or left helpless with problems with no solutions. My time here has proven this isn't going to be the case. I can stand behind that.
 
Just a small side story....Tasha and I drove up to Red Day bringing our chihuahua Yoda. He travels everywhere with us, is extremely well behaved, and trouble to no one. We arrived at Red Studios where I was expecting the problems of bringing an animal (not me, the dog) to the event. First thing Kelley tells me is "We're dog friendly here." Great! We saw amazing stuff in too short of time. Tasha leans over to me and says "That's the way I always thought it should be." Just as we were leaving we met Jim, very gracious. He met Yoda and of course we talked about dogs. He has some Papillon's, great dogs. I find out later that Oakley was named after his dog. Gotta luv it. Oh yeah, the sandwiches and the rest of the food was great. Thank You, Michael, Tasha, and Yoda
 
One thread that seems to be emerging is people.

I have to say that I have met some really fantastic, creative, like minded people who have been a big part of the RED experience.

I have worked with new people, learned a lot and forged some great face to face and online friendships because of my interest in this tool.

I'm pretty grateful for that.


David
 
David Battistella said:
One thread that seems to be emerging is people.

I have to say that I have met some really fantastic, creative, like minded people who have been a big part of the RED experience.

I have worked with new people, learned a lot and forged some great face to face and online friendships because of my interest in this tool.

I'm pretty grateful for that.


David
Click to expand...

And for newer users (like myself) there is a welcoming community eager to help, advise and share stories
 
My time at Oakley (over 32 years) was wonderful. I worked with some incredibly special people in the sports world... Michael Jordan was on our Board of Directors for 7 years for cryin' out loud!

But RED has been a more incredible ride if you can believe that. I have felt connected to each of our customers in a way not possible with Oakley. Sure.. there have been the Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh moments (WOW)... but also the direct relationship with people that began their creative businesses and lives around RED. It really is astounding.

Where Oakley was mostly athletics and culture... RED has been creative. To see what has been accomplished with the "RED Tools" is something I could only dream of.

Thanks to all of you for making this such an impossible ride.

Jim
 
Jannard said:
My time at Oakley (over 32 years) was wonderful. I worked with some incredibly special people in the sports world... Michael Jordan was on our Board of Directors for 7 years for cryin' out loud!

But RED has been a more incredible ride if you can believe that. I have felt connected to each of our customers in a way not possible with Oakley. Sure.. there have been the Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh moments (WOW)... but also the direct relationship with people that began their creative businesses and lives around RED. It really is astounding.

Where Oakley was mostly athletics and culture... RED has been creative. To see what has been accomplished with the "RED Tools" is something I could only dream of.

Thanks to all of you for making this such an impossible ride.

Jim
Click to expand...

The Red culture is a breeding ground of talent and creativity. After reading the many many many posts, its obvious that there are a number of people here who have opened themselves up creativly with the possibilites provided by Red technology!

But tell us Jim, if you had to pick one project or film that used Red that made you and your team proud, what would it be?
 
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