Some Thoughts

[Humberto Rivera]

I was thinking! It all begins with the proprietary R3D File which resides at the “Focal Plane” of the Epic Camera, which will be on a 6K “Dragon Sensor” with 16 stops of “Dynamic Range” (T0.35 to T64) and it records onto an SSD card that is currently 512 GB and one day will be 1 TB, that is what records the “Image”, that image will continue to be improved as the R3D Files move from one generation to the another. The Arri Alexa seems to enjoy for the moment a slight lead “in-the-minds-of-some”, about a stop to be magnanimous of “Dynamic Range” but that will be wiped out with the 6K “Dragon Sensor”, “Digital Cinema” will finally surpass “35mm Color Negative”. The writing is on the wall. There may other things affecting the “Image” but one important things is what kind of “Glass” you put in front off that R3D File “Focal Plane”, that’s were Arri/Zeiss Master Primes come in, and maybe one day (LDS). We know that it will be an “Image Circle” of at least 34.5272 Ø, but is more likely to be in the range of 32.25 Ø.

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

More Thoughts

More Thoughts

Here is a copy of an email I send to the folks at SGO Mistika tonight, after thinking about it I thought I would share its contents with you. Some have been mentioned before, but I just wanted to share my thoughts with you!

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I have been thinking about the new “Dragon Sensor” and what Jim Jannard, Graeme Nattress, and Jarred Land have said in the last few weeks, so I decided to up-date my thoughts in the process. I think that with the new “Dragon Sensor” we’ll finally end the discussion about Alexa vs. Epic, from what I read around the internet, Alexa does enjoy certain popularity among Producers, and DoP, Roger Deakins, ASC, BCS comes to mind as an Arri Alexa disciple. I think it will erase whatever dough was in the minds of those people between 35mm film and the Epic. It’s kind of “catch all” of things that have been said by others, my calculations, and some of the new cinema lens on or over the horizon!

There is no ASA/ISO setting that is "More Native" than any others because in R3D Files we don't burn-in digital-gain and we don't do-analogue-gain. It’s just RAW Data in one R3D File recorded at the “Sensor Focal Plane” or HDRx File – So once you reach the Bottom you’re exposure you’re “Still in Native R3D RED RAW CODE” As long as you have “Highlight Protection” in an R3D Files you’ll have an “Image” that you can use.

We had to re-design our Camera ASIC to handle how-good the “Dragon Sensor” turned out in terms of “Latitude” and “Noise Floor”. Dragon is-no-joke, turned out to be one hell of a “Fire Breathing Menace” that eats-up every “bit-of-pixel-data” you can throw at it, from the “Deep Bottoms” to the “Highest of the Highs”. We have never seen anything like it before. Graeme Nattress and Rob Lohman definitely have their work cut out for them.

I was thinking! It all begins with the proprietary “R3D Sensor” which resides at the “Focal Plane” of the Epic Camera, which will be on a 6K “Dragon Sensor” with 16 stops of “Dynamic Range” (T0.35 to T64) and it records onto an SSD card that is currently 512 GB and one day will be 1 TB, that is what records the “Image”; that image will continue to be improved as the R3D Files move from one generation to another. The Arri Alexa seems to enjoy for the moment a slight lead “in-the-minds-of-some”, about a stop to be magnanimous about the “Dynamic Range” given to Alexa; but that will be wiped out with the 6K “Dragon Sensor”, “Digital Cinema” will finally surpass “35mm Color Negative”. The writing is on the wall. There may other things affecting the “Image” but one important things is what kind of “Glass” you put in front off that R3D “Focal Plane”, that’s were Arri/Zeiss Master Primes come in, and maybe one day (LDS) in the Red Epic Meta Data. We know that it will be an “Image Circle” of at least 34.5272 Ø based on the “Actual Measurements of the Sensor”, but is more likely to be in the “Real Range” of 32.25 Ø Image Circle, based on the “Active Part of the Sensor”.

The progression of f-stops (T0.35 - T0.5 - T0.7 -T1 - T1.4 - T2 - T2.8 - T4 - T5.6 - T8 - T11 - T16 - T22 – T32 - T44 – T64) are powers of the square root of √2 -16 Stops in all. The Dynamic Range of the Dragon Sensor is 16 (15) Stops. I’ve included 16 Stops in the above example to show the “Dynamic Range” of “Dragon”, it’s incredible. A range from T0.35 to T64! In addition, you have +6 Stops more in HDRx – OFF- 180°-1/48; +1- 90°-1/96; +2-45°-1/192; +3- 22.5°-1/384; +4-11.25°-1/768; +5- 5.625°-1/1,536; +6- 2.8125°-1/3,072. ASA/ISO 500 - 1,000 - 2,000 – 4,000 – 8,000 – 16,000 – 32,000 – 64,000 – 128,000 – 250,000 - 500,000 - 1,000,000 ASA/ISO are cited for illustrative purpose only!

As an example; you can get a “Good Exposure” with the 6K “Dragon Sensor” with just “1.25 Foot Candles” @ T1.4 @ 2,000 ASA/ISO (T2/2.5 FC – T2.8/5FC – T3.2/6FC – T4/10FC – T5.6/20FC – T8/40FC) The actual 6K Dragon “Full Sensor” measures 30.7mm x 15.8mm @ 6K (5 Micron Pixel Size) - Full Sensor Size (30.7*30.7) + (15.8*15.8) √1139.96 = 34.5272 Ø By comparison an ASP-H Sensor measures (30.2*30.2) + (16.7*16.7) √1190.93 = 34.5099 Ø.

This is JUST A GUESS but I think a good one! The “Active Dragon Sensor Size” (the one that records the image) will be in the neighborhood of (28.35*28.35) + (15.37*15.37) √1039.96 = 32.25 Ø - 1.94:1 Aspect Ratio.

The 6K Dragon Sensor upgrade will be 6,144 x 3,160 @ 5 Micron Size 19,415,040 Pixel (19.5 Megapixels) -20% = 15,132,032.00 (15.1 Megapixels) If it’s 6,000 x 3000 Pixels it would be a 2:1 Aspect Ration or 18,000,000 Pixels (18 Megapixels) or -20% = 14,400,000 (14.4 Megapixels) well within the 8.8 Megapixel range of “True 35mm Frame” at 2.40:1 “Aspect Ratio” for “Theatrical Release” @ 4K - Dragon Delivers 100 FPS @ 6K – 120 FPS @ 5K - 16 (15) Stops of Dynamic Range (22 {21} Stops with HDRx) at ASA/ISO 2,000.

So how do we plan for the “Future” to shoot in 2013, 2014, for release in 2015 or 2016? I think that the Red Epic has mature to the point where the 6K “Dragon Sensor”, with its sixteen stops of “Dynamic Range”, ASA/ISO 2000, Looking down into the “Lows and High”, the creation and maturity of the “Meizler Module” with it “Swiss Army Knife” approach to things announced or to be announced is in the right direction for a good future.

The QUESTION is now, how do we STAY in R3D Files while doing Special Effects? How do we see the production all the way to the end in R3D, that’s the Big Question! R3D till the very “The END”? Is it going to be at 48 fps for the “Full Production”? Is it going to be “Parallel or Convergence” S3D? These are question that must be answer before we begin! I would like to have an answer before all the Technicians get involved, because at the end it’s going “To-Be-Me” who decides, “Humberto Rivera Garcia”!

So trying to project to the Future say; to 2015 or 2016, will S3D Television finally catch on? Will 48 fps “Digital Cinema” work for “Film Audiences of the future? “Theaters” will definitely be able to digitally project it! However the questions must be answer TODAY! Before we begin the 6K Dragon Journey, we will definitely have many things to consider in order to get an actual 4K images (really 4K - 4096 × 2160 or 8.8 Megapixels at aspect ratio of 2.40:1) once all is extracted from within the 6K recorded “Image” there is still plenty of room. VFX work must be done in 6K or higher, and preferably in R3D Red Code Files. How do we do that? In R3D all the way without changing to some other kind of CODE? How do we plan for the “Future”! That’s the persistent Question! Jarred Land recently mentioned that in December of 2012 Red expect to release a major Build “NUMBER FOUR”, it would be like a new camera all over again, and that’s one of many reasons why the Red Epic is the camera to beat, “Obsolescence Obsolete”!

I think, that a “Fail Safe” plan might include the SGO Mistika Editing System, the New Red HP Z820 platforms running Adobe CS6 or CS7, or Apple just got into the fire with R3D Native Support, they are actually very compatible in terms of editing, finally the New Apple Final Cut Pro X has Native R3D Support Directly from the “get-go”. The World is slowly moving toward “R3D REDCODE Media”; (1) Shooting, (2) DIT, (3) Archives in the original R3D Files, (4) Storage in a computer farm that is easily acceptable to all three. How the “Image” might be handled after that may be where the three might depart on their own way or maybe NOT, not sure! That’s a question? Where are the VFX in R3D?

Let’s talk about the Digital Workflow in general terms; (1) At the Epic 6K Dragon Sensor with a 512 MB Red Card, there is where we record the temporary R3D Files that falls on the Cameras Focal Plane, the SSD Card is removed from the camera; (2) At the DIT Station is where we transfer the 512 GB camera card to “Three Hard Disk Drives”, make sure we have picture, and in general do all the actual checking prior to erasing the Camera SSD Card, we’ll do an iPad version to continue with whatever production notes and a look for the Director, DoF, Script Supervisor, VFX people, all applied to one general data base that keeps on building; (3) What happens to the three Hard Disk Drive, one goes to Archives, one goes into a “Pixel Farm or Storage Device” where the R3D Red Code Files will reside forever, the third; I’m not sure, maybe Archive in a separate location! At this Point we are all in Sync as far as being able to access “R3D Meta Data in the Pixel Farm”; we’re talking Petabytes NOT Terabytes!

What options’ exist for editing, VFX, S3D or 2D, on the SGO Mistika System, or a Supped Up Red Station Visionary HP Z820 with CS6, or FCP-X R3D or whatever? All this would be from the “Pixel Farm” to whatever kind of device we want to “Plug Into”! Now Mistika has had the benefit of having done several years of “The Hobbit” as well as “Off-Hollywood” in NYC (staying in Digital Cinema), so there is some history there. The Red HP Z820 is a new system, but given Red’s excellence in accomplishing out anything they set out to do, I have all the confidence in the world that it will be well done right! Apple we’ll have to wait and see!

These are my initial thoughts on the matter, and I learned to think of “Warren” as an “Artist/Computer Engineer” that is going to design the various “Systems to be integrated into one seamless workflow”; one that will consider the whole picture (in R3D), from beginning to end. Please don’t make the mistake of think that Warren is a “typical technician sort of geek”, he is lot more than that! I hope that we can stay on the subject of the Red Epic 6K Dragon Sensor (or better) and not deviate down from there to a lower level system, and I EMPHASIZE 6K R3D Dragon Files! After all we’re going to release in the year 2015 or 2016 the world will be dramatically different at that time!

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Humberto Rivera Garcia

 

[Phil Holland]

There's not one answer to any of the questions being posed here because there are many ways to skin a cat. I think in terms of deliverables there's certainly more room to develop a standardized format for theatrical and broadcast use. Red knows that as well

In my opinion what's been "going on" is the right way to go. We currently have a bunch of NLEs, compositing packages, and color suites that natively work with R3Ds. This has been the goal and will remain the goal when working with R3Ds (and other raw formats).

The end user, shooter, or client are going to choose what format they are going to output to. You can indeed work natively at 6K all the way through and export out to your final delivery resolution. We know that projectors that support 48-120fps are coming, but it's not like 24/25/30fps is going to vanish as a standard. In fact I think we'll see broadcast hit 60fps eventually and that might be the new cool. No matter what you prefer there are options. However, with options come very real cost considerations.

The interesting thing here is you can choose your capture resolution and "format" with the Red system. Soon you'll be able to capture at 4K, 5K, and 6K and you'll be able to decide which works best for your budget, lens selection, and target media delivery.

A safe bet for the future we have unfolding before us is creating a very high quality 4K master (preferably a 16bit one). 4K is here to stay for a long time. 8K will be the oddity for a moment. 4K is the leap the industry is going to focus on for the next few years.

One thing is for sure. We'll need more storage in the future.

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Phil I couldn’t agree with you more! The Future is uncharted territory, but I do think we’re heading in the right direction, and I think that the “Red Digital Cinema Company” is ahead of the pack, chopping its way through the Jungle of Uncertainty with an “R3D RED CODE” machete that no one else can COPY! Every so often they stop to sharpen their blade with a new Major Build (Like “Build Four”), and their continue improvement with “Graeme Nattress Color Science”, all retroactive to very beginning, to the “Milk Girls”! At the end of the “Jungle Trail Chopped” by the “Red Digital Cinema Company” is a world of “R3D REDCODE Files”!

With the new Dragon Sensor comes, Sixteen Stops of “Dynamic range”, ASA/ISO 2,000, 6K Resolution, and all the “Goodies” in the Meizler Module! After all is said and done well within the 6K frame there is a good 8.8 Megapixel 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio that fall within the DCI Container (Digital Cinema Initiatives) with room to spare! Those are the current Hi-End constrains, and will be for the foreseeable future. Mission Accomplished! They will play theatrically in 2.40:1 or 1.85:1 as well as on a Good or Bad Television Monitor in 2.40:1 or 1.85:1, all in a REAL 4K finish product. I think the Red Epic has “FINALLY ARRIVED” with its “Dragon Sensor”, and the “Meizler Module”!

As far as the integration of the R3D REDCODE Files into existing VFX computer software, it’s a matter of finding that “Point” between what is a Computer Generated VFX, Rendering Software directly to an R3D Output in “Meta Data”, or Practical Effect and the “R3D REDCODE File” at that point of convergence to R3D REDCODE File, I don’t know WHAT! Maybe some kind of “Sensor” in a “Machine” YET-TO-BE-INVENTED (similar to a film chain, but not exactly) that can “Record the Image as Meta Data” directly to R3D REDCODE File, that’s for Red to work-out, but suddenly the world of existing VFX software opens-up to Red R3D! Someone is going to be thinking about-it, SOMEWHERE!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

I been thinking about the Software VFX engines used in “Digital Cinema Programs”, once ready; How do you transfer them to an “R3D REDCODE Meta Data File”? The ideal SSD Card would be to use the current 512 GB Camera Cards; Why? Because they are reliable! From there-on you proceed as you would with any other Red Epic Camera Footage.

Starting with an SSD 512 GB card, it’s inserted on a device that would “Record the Image”, that device could actually be three “Monochrome Cameras” that can record three different images onto one R3D HDRx file, one frame at the time, using different wave lengths to define the three colors. Special effects by their nature are usually short in duration, and long in creation. So let’s say, it will take as long as-it takes. Because there is no-optical path, the sensor can be whatever it needs to be. It should be all electronic. Remember we’re talking about a YET-TO-BE-INVENTED-TECHNOLOGY.

That’s one way, or it could be to a Non-Conventional R3D 6K Dragon Sensor (or better), same principal, again the sensor size seems irrelevant, or it could be the “Full Sensor Size” (30.7*30.7) + (15.8*15.8) √1139.96 = 34.5272 Ø.

So how do we transfer from Different Computers, with different Operating CODES to a 512 GB Card in R3D Meta Data? First we have to agree that the various Hi-End “Computer Software Programs” have their own method of “Outputting” and “Rendering Images”.

JUST THINKING OUT LOUD, but what is needed is an “Interface” between the Different Systems and the “R3D REDCODE Meta Data” in other to Record an R3D REDCODE File with Meta Data “Digital Cinema”, rather than a “Video File”. One is baked-in (Video); the other is-not (R3D Digital Cinema). That would be a “Major Improvement” along with all of the”Meta Data” that one can imagine! Without having to-go to “35 mm Negative Film” or anything else, directly to R3D, I’M NOT SAYING THIS IS THE ANSWERED, I’m just saying THERE HAS TO BE A WAY!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Thinking about a scene in Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” (Released 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_(film) and its connection to David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” (Released 1962) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) and its relationship to “Red Epic R3D REDCODE Files” and “Meta Data” in a Hi-End Digital Software FVX environment, both mix within one SCENE. They were release Fifty Years apart and yet they both work as films that ARE A WORK OF ART!

There is a very elegantly shot scene of Peter O’Toole (in his first film ever) in the basement of the “Cairo Headquarters of the British Army” (Cairo Headquarters shot in Spain) in the early 1900 during the First World War. In “Prometheus” we see the character played by Michael Fassbender (David) an Android and the Ship’s Butler waiting to wake-up his long sleeping traveler’s space crew to a planet far away, just dulyling, doing maintenance things, among one of them he looks at the “Lawrence of Arabia” scene which he has memorized. It’s interesting because you have the Mixture of two films with “Character Interaction”, all perfectly resolved into a “Modern Day Digital Cinema” release!

“Lawrence of Arabia” was shot in “Super Panavision 70”; “Prometheus” was shot with the Red Epic 5K Camera in S3D with a 2D conversion which is the one I saw. According to the “American Cinematographer” article of July 2012 the film was shot mostly with the Angenieux 15 mm x 40 mm and the 28 mm x 76 mm, there were some scenes shot with Arri/Zeiss Ultra Primes. TECHNICAL SPECS, 2.40:1; 3-D Digital Capture; Red Epic; Angenieux Optimo; Zeiss Ultra Prime.

American Cinematographer July 2012; “Although he shot Prometheus in 5K at 5:1 compression (occasionally switching to 3:1 compression for scenes with very fine detail, like water or foliage), he notes that the original photography had to be converted to 2K in post to match the resolution of the visual-effects work. “On a movie with this many visual effects, going to 4K would have quadrupled the visual-effects budget,” notes Wolski. “But, at the same time, we already have 4K projectors, so things are moving along. When we can capture in 5K, do visual effects and other post work in 4K, and then project in 4K, I think it will look as good as Imax.”

Note Dariusz Wolski last sentence; “When we can capture in 5K, do visual effects and other post work in 4K, and then project in 4K, I think it will look as good as Imax.” That’s where we need a “Resolution Independent” way of generating the “R3D REDCODE Meta Data File” from current Hi-End VFX Software Packages used in the industry, SO the QUESTION PERSIST, how do we do that directly to an SSD 512 GB Camera Card that can the treated as any other Camera Card afterwards? The VFX with the “Lawrence of Arabia” fitted rather well in the scene because it stretched all the way across the spaceship because of its “Super Panavision 70” Aspect Ratio.

Interesting dialog in the “Lawrence of Arabia” scene; they are sitting around the Map Making Table and Lawrence is summoned to talk to the General at Headquarters. Lawrence stops to extinguish a lit match with his fingers, one of the soldiers tries it and says; “it dam hurts” Lawrence turns and says; “certainly it hurts” the soldier responds; “what’s the trick then?” Lawrence; “the trick William Potter is not minding that it hurts!” The Android David, replay at the same time in “Prometheus”; “the trick William Potter is not minding that it hurts” as he combs his hair back in a Peter O’Toole fashion, Fifty Years of Film in one scene, and it all looks good!

The trick is not minding that you need a lot of Hi-Speed Storage Capacity, to-do Two Multi Feature Length Films, both shot with Multi Cameras, 6K Dragon Sensor Feature Length Pictures, with lots of Hi-End VFX Software in 6K or better, a LOT! A “Pixel Farm” or “Massive Storage System” as the Ks increases exponentially! Things have change, and are about to change again!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Why does “Lawrence of Arabia” work in 2012?

Why does “Lawrence of Arabia” work in 2012?

Last Night for the “Up-Teen Time” I took the time to watched “Lawrence of Arabia” again! I asked myself why is-it that this Fifty Year Old Film still work’s for me.

First is the “SCRIPT” of “Lawrence of Arabia” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_of_Arabia_(film) (Released in 1962, Fifty Years Ago) works today as it did in 1962! Why? There is the “Script” written by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson and closely supervised by Director David Lean, they worked on the Script for over a year.

Second is the OUTSTANDING CAST of some very fine actors of their time; PETER O'TOOLE as Thomas Edward "T. E." Lawrence; ALEC GUINNESS as Prince Faisal; ANTHONY QUINN as Auda abu Tayi; JACK HAWKINS as General Allenby; OMAR SHARIF as Sherif Ali ibn el Kharish; JOSÉ FERRER as the Turkish Bey; ANTHONY QUAYLE as Colonel Harry Brighton; CLAUDE RAINS as Mr. Dryden; ARTHUR KENNEDY as Jackson Bentley; DONALD WOLFIT as General Murray; MICHEL RAY as Farraj; I.S. JOHAR as Gasim; HUGH MILLER as the RAMC colonel; FERNANDO SANCHO as the Turkish sergeant; STUART SAUNDERS as the Regimental Sergeant Major; Jack Gwillim as the club secretary; Kenneth Fortescue as Allenby's aide; Harry Fowler as Corporal Potter; HOWARD MARION-CRAWFORD as the medical officer; JOHN RUDDOCK as Elder Harith; NORMAN ROSSINGTON as Corporal Jenkins; JACK HEDLEY as a reporter; HENRY OSCAR as Silliam Faisal's servant; PETER BURTON as a Damascus Sheik; First assistant director ROY STEVENS played the truck driver who transports Lawrence and Farraj to the Cairo HQ; the Sergeant who stops Lawrence and Farraj ("Where do you think you're going to, Mustapha?") is construction assistant, FRED BENNETT; screenwriter ROBERT BOLT has a wordless cameo as one of the officers watching Allenby and Lawrence confer in the courtyard (he is smoking a pipe); and DAVID LEAN can be heard as the voice of the motorcycle driver asking Lawrence "Who are you?" at the Suez Canal.

The Cinematography of Frederick “Freddie” A. Young, OBE, BCS; he was Director of Photography on more than 130 Film! His “Super Panavision 70” Cinematography of “Lawrence of Arabia” was exquisite, the lighting, the camera moves, the Long Panoramas, all of-it! The “Super Panavision 70” Film holds up in every measure; Dynamic Range, Extremely Hi Resolution, Skin Tones, they can be transferred to “Digital Cinema 6K Dragon R3D Files” without any loss of anything whatsoever. The ASA was good because most of the film was shot outdoors with heavy outdoor fill lights; the interiors were very carefully lighted so they seem as natural as you can humanly make-it. Now with Direct Transfers from the Camera Negative to “R3D REDCODE Meta Data Files” (YET-TO-BE-INVENTED), the resolution would only be limited by the actual “6K R3D Dragon Sensor Resolution” or whatever comes next on the “Patented R3D World”. Who would have thought that Freddie Young, born on October 9, 1902 and who died at the ripe old age of 96 in 1983 would be the subject of discussion about “Digital Cinema” in the year 2012!

I think that Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” (Released 2012) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheus_(film) with the Cinematography of the Director of Photography, Dariusz Wolski, ASC, is in transitory stage from a very “Fine Red Epic Camera” to a “Great 6K Dragon Sensor R3D Epic Camera”; of epic proportions that is about to leave everyone in their dust, they better put-on their gaggles’ so they can see where they need to get-to! The next generation of “Digital Cinema” will finally get to do their VFX in at least 4K or higher. Back to the question that continues to “nag”. Why not? A proprietary “R3D REDCODE File System” that records VFX Meta Data into a “Digital Cinema” without baking anything-in?

Let’s take a Step Back and see what make Film so “Good”, First there is “Dynamic Range”, Red is about to Cross Sixteen Stops (T0.35 - T0.5 - T0.7 -T1 - T1.4 - T2 - T2.8 - T4 - T5.6 - T8 - T11 - T16 - T22 – T32 - T44 – T64) that’s quite a “Jump”; Resolution for “35 mm Color Negative” there is no problem there, for higher resolutions like “Super Panavision 70”, 35 mm Eight Perforation Vista Vision sideways, Fifteen Perforation IMAX the jury still out on that one, but most film are shot in “35mm Color Negatives” and transferred directly from the “Negative to Digital Cinema”, so I think that the new “6K Dragon Sensor” will handle that just shy of the “IMAX Image” but definitely right behind on-its track; “R3D REDCODE File in Meta Data” no one has that one because there is a U. S. Patent awarded to the “Red Digital Cinema Company” in the names Jim and Graeme, so there safe there for a long, long while, remember it does not “Bake-in-Data”; Small in size compare to a “Panavision Camera” hard for S3D; it will definitely end the discussion of the Alexa Vs. Epic; The “Hi-Cost” and lack-of “35 mm Color Film” in the future seems like “Non-Starter” to-me, and is limited ASA compared to ASA/ISO 2,000 of the “6K Dragon Sensor”.

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

I was reading through the NY Times today and I found this article about “Robert Zemeckis” and the making of “Flight” with “Denzel Washington” as an Airline Pilot with a few problems of its own. Interestingly, not once, was the Red Epic Camera mentioned, not even once! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/m...s-to-live-action-movies-with-flight.html?_r=1 and http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/m...t-directed-by-robert-zemeckis.html?ref=movies both articles insinuate the same thing FOR ME, how do we get to that “Higher Plane” (no-pun intended) of an image directly onto an “R3D REDCODE File in Meta Data” in a “Heavy Special Effects Film Environment” using current “Hi-End Software”, we must find a way of doing SOMETHING THAT HAS YET BE INVENTED! Interesting quote at the end of the first article on Robert Zemeckis; “I can’t see any reason why a dramatic story can’t be in 3-D,” he said, adding mischievously, “I think ‘LAWRENCE OF ARABIA’ would have been fabulous in 3-D.”

The New Times article points out among other things; “His determination to bring the softly naturalistic, fully dimensional look of Chris Van Allsburg’s illustrations for the beloved children’s book “The Polar Express” to the screen led him to investigate the EMERGING FIELD OF MOTION-CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY. The process, known as MO-CAP, uses scanners rather than cameras to track the movements of performers and CONVERT THEM INTO THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS, bypassing traditional forms of animation. In effect THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMS A HUMAN ACTOR INTO A DATA FIELD THAT THE FILMMAKER CAN MANIPULATE TO HIS HEART’S CONTENT. In the completed film Tom Hanks was able to portray six characters, from a train conductor to a rather sinister Santa Claus“. The article continues on; “And yet Mr. Zemeckis changed the game. It is difficult to imagine the MO-CAP-DOMINATED 3-D blockbusters of the last several years — films like James Cameron’s “Avatar” or Joss Whedon’s “Avengers” — without the innovations that Mr. Zemeckis and his collaborators nursed along through those three movies.”

We’re slowly getting nearer to that critical mass that will take us to that “Jumping Point” where we can record an “R3D REDCODE File”, a “PORTAL” to jump through to “RECORD SPEED” of an “R3D REDCODE Files Meta Data” without going through an OPTICAL LENS; we need some help from someone at “Red Digital Cinema”, or a Lab working with Red, or wherever in the “Digital Cinema World” they are residing at this moment, then we’ll have a “Non-Baked-In” recording of an R3D REDCODE File! Remember “R3D is a proprietary Technology”, so at the end of day it must involve Red!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

This morning I was reading Deadline Hollywood, and I came across an article that said; IMAX BOASTS 26% MORE JAMES BOND ‘SKYFALL’ it was at http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/imax-boasts-26-more-james-bond-skyfall/ it looked interesting, by the way there is a illustrative jpg photograph at; http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp...x_aspectratios19_finaloct17__121024162044.jpg

The article in part said; “The IMAX blog today details the latest James Bond film Skyfall and its special formatting to show 1/4 more image throughout the entire picture. The 23rd installment of the 007 franchise opens one day early on November 8th in IMAX. Here’s the IMAX info and comparison chart. The filmmakers worked with the IMAX team in the post-production process to increase the aspect ratio of the film and designed the IMAX presentation of Skyfall to allow audiences to see up to 26% more of the originally captured image. The technical term for the proportional relationship between an image’s width and its height is called aspect ratio. A film made for Cinema Scope 2.41:1, the standard in the industry, is cropped and uses only part of the image the movie camera captures. Like with Skyfall, we provide filmmakers with the ability to optimize their film’s aspect ratio for an IMAX screen during production by shooting with the extremely high-resolution IMAX camera (capable of up to IMAX® 1.43:1—up to 40% more of the picture) or in post-production (CAPABLE OF UP TO IMAX® 1.90:1—UP TO 26% MORE OF THE PICTURE). So what does this mean for moviegoers? You get to see much more of the original image, resulting in a full panoramic view that makes you feel part of the action.”

Let’s just for the sake of an argument say that “Skyfall” had been shot in the “Future” with the “New 6K Dragon Sensor Epic Camera” just saying! As a filmmaker once has to make choices, again for the sake of the argument we make “Three Choices” when it comes to “Aspect Ratio”. They are to shoot in 2.40:1 and 1.85:1 within the 2.40:1 frame where the 1.85:1 image is framed for, and a Specially Formatted IMAX frame 1.9:1 Aspect ratio for its Imax release to give it 26% more area in the IMAX Theater, they are becoming an important part of release patterns because of their ever increasing numbers, especially in such places as China and Russia. The ultimate release would be dictated by whatever kind of projectors are used, and they are varied, but there will be “DOWN-RESIGN” of the image (Good), in Skyfall they had to “UP-RES” the image (no good) depending on the release projector. We could have the option of shooting to the edge of the frame, having the IMAX image also serve for Television, or just the 1.85:1 image, lots of choices for later.

For the moment we’re guessing that the “Active Dragon Sensor Size” (the one that records the image) will be in the neighborhood of (28.35*28.35) + (15.37*15.37) √1039.96 = 32.25 Ø - 1.94:1 Aspect Ratio. All well within the Resolution (6K), Dynamic Range (16 Stops), and the Arri/Zeiss Master Primes that would be used (just as in Skyfall). All recorded at 6K with no burn-in Meta Data.

That fits nicely within the three Editing Systems contemplated; The SGO Mistika System, or the Red HP Z820 CS6 System, or maybe FCP X with Native R3D. The Films could be shot at 48 Fps for S3D or 24 Fps for 2D.

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

I couldn’t resist! “Sony's new slogan: "RED made us do it." Quote; Radoslav Karapetkov” - “NO REDCODE - NO RED.... SIMPLE as that." Quote; Mark Toia”

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Thinking cap back on!

Thinking cap back on!

I have been struck by how silent the “Main Stream Hollywood Media” has been by the announcement of the “Red Price drop”! By that I mean; The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, especially Jon Fauer’s “Film and Digital Times” and others of important media outlets, the ones that create the entire-buzz; they were on the “Sony F55 and F5” two months ahead of their release in January 2013. But on the “Red Price Drop” which was effective “Thirty Days” before its announcement for accessories, and immediately upon its announcement for a “Price Drop”, NOTHING! Interesting! What that too hard for them to handle as an industry that prides itself in incremental prices increase, making the customer pay through the nose, look at all the Cameras collecting dust in bins, the most egregious has been the F65!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Pictures shot on Red!

Pictures shot on Red!

I got thinking, how many “Pictures” have been shot using the various incarnations of the Red Camera, with its R3D REDCODE Files in the various advancements it has made over the years for better and better “IMAGE ACQUISITION”? You count them!

On the Wikipedia referenced bellow are all the “Digitally Acquired Films” on my list, they’re all “ALL THOSE SHOT ON RED”! There have probably been others, actually to many to mention all over the World, write to Wikipedia so they can include you’re movie is you don’t see it there! Some have notes scribed on the side; you’ll find them on the Wikipedia Page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_digital

Title DP Camera Type Year
1.) Bachelorette - Doug Emmett Red One MX 2012
2.) That's My Boy - Brandon Trost Red Epic MX 2012
3.) Bad Ass - John Barr Red One MX 2012
4.) The Man with the Iron Fists - Chi Ying Chan Red One MX 2012
5.) Get the Gringo - Beno`it Debie Red One MX 2012
6.) Maximum Conviction - Nathan Wilson Red One MX 2012
7.) Texas Chainsaw 3D - Anastas N. Michos Red Epic MX 2013
8.) Albert Nobbs - Michael McDonough Red One MX 2011
9.) LUV - Gavin Kelly Red One MX 2012
10.) Unconditional - Michael Regalbuto Red Epic MX 2012
11.) Parker - J. Michael Muro Red Epic MX 2013
12.) Stand Up Guys - Michael Grady Red Epic MX 2013
13.) The Hobbit: There and Back Again - Andrew Lesnie Red Epic MX 2013
14.) Pacific Rim[1] - Guillermo Navarro Red Epic MX 2013
15.) 42[2] - Don Burgess Red Epic MX 2013
16.) Oz: The Great and Powerful - Peter Deming Red Epic MX 2013
17.) Elysium - Trent Opaloch Red Epic MX 2013
18.) Hitchcock[3] - Jeff Cronenweth Red Epic MX 2013
19.) Deus Ex Machina - Giuseppe Badalamenti, Sebastián Rivera Red One M, Canon EOS 5D Mark III 2012
20.) The Great Gatsby - Simon Duggan Red Epic MX 2013
21.) Flight - Don Burgess Red Epic MX 2013
22.) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Andrew Lesnie Red Epic MX 2012
23.) Dredd - Anthony Dod Mantle Red One MX 2012
24.) Big Sur - M. David Mullen Red Epic MX 2012
25.) Resident Evil: Retribution - Glen MacPherson Red Epic MX 2012
26.) Mental - Donald McAlpine Red Epic MX 2012
27.) Total Recall - Paul Cameron Red Epic MX 2012
28.) Think Like a Man - Larry Blanford Red Epic MX 2012
29.) Billa II - R. D. Rajasekhar Red Epic MX 2012
30.) Jack the Giant Killer - Newton Thomas Sigel Red Epic MX 2012
31.) Prometheus - Dariusz Wolski Red Epic MX2012
32.) Gone - Michael Grady Red Epic MX 2012
33.) Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Brandon Trost Red One MX 2012
34.) Underworld: Awakening - Scott Kevan Red Epic MX 2012
35.) Haywire - Steven Soderbergh Red One MX 2012
36.) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Jeff Cronenweth, Fredrik Bäckar Red One MX, Red Epic MX 2011
37.) The Muppets - Don Burgess Red One MX, Red Epic MX 2011
38.) Headshot - Chankit Chamnivikaipong Red One MX 2011
39.) Dolphin Tale - Karl Walter Lindenlaub Red One MX 2011
40.) Our Idiot Brother - Yaron Orbach Red One MX 2011
41.) Contagion - Steven Soderbergh Red One MX 2011
42.) Margin Call - Frank DeMarco Red One MX 2011
43.) The Devil's Double - Sam McCurdy Red One MX 2011
44.) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Dariusz Wolski Red One MX 2011
45.) TT3D: Closer to the Edge - Thomas Kürzl Red One MX 2011
46.) The Lincoln Lawyer - Lukas Ettlin Red One MX 2011
47.) Drive Angry - Brian Pearson Red One MX, Silicon Imaging SI-2K 2011
48.) The Future (film) - Nikolai von Graevenitz Red One M 2011
49.) Blue Valentine - Andrij Parekh Red One M 2010
50.) Red State - David Klein Red One MX, Canon EOS 7D 2010
51.) Winter's Bone - Michael McDonough Red One M 2010
52.) Jackass 3D - Dimitry Elyashkevich Red One M 2010
53.) Fair Game - Doug Liman Red One M 2010
54.) The Social Network - Jeff Cronenweth Red One MX 2010
55.) Certified Copy - Luca Bigazzi Red One M 2010
56.) Casino Jack - Adam Swica Red One M 2010
57.) Rabbit Hole - Frank G. DeMarco Red One M 2010
58.) Twelve - Steven Fierberg Red One M 2010
59.) The Informant! - Steven Soderbergh Red One M 2009
60.) District 9 - Trent Opaloch Red One M 2009
61.) The Secret in Their Eyes - Félix Monti Red One M 2009
62.) Valhalla Rising - Morten Søborg Red One M 2009
63.) The Girlfriend Experience - Steven Soderbergh Red One M 2009
64.) Gamer - Ekkehart Pollack Red One M 2009
65.) Antichrist - Anthony Dod Mantle Red One M 2009
66.) Samantha Darko - Chris Fisher Red One M 2009
67.) The Book of Eli - Don Burgess Red One M 2009
68.) Knowing - Simon Duggan Red One M 2009
69.) Achchamundu! Achchamundu! - Arthur Wilson Red One M 2009
70.) My Bloody Valentine 3D - Brian Pearson Red One M, Silicon Imaging SI-2K 2009
71.) Neighbor - Marc Jeff Schirmer Red One M 2009
72.) Che: Part Two Steven Soderbergh Red One M 2008
73.) Che: Part One Steven Soderbergh Red One M 2008

Humberto Rivera

 

[Humberto Rivera]

Some Notes about list above!

Some Notes about list above!

To me some of the more notable films from the above list are; we’ll FIRST see are the two “Hobbit” Films by Director Peter Jackson, after all this time they’re finally finished or near finished they are Number; (22.) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Andrew Lesnie Red Epic MX 2012, and (13.) The Hobbit: There and Back Again - Andrew Lesnie Red Epic MX 2013. After all this time, effort, and working on the edge of “State of the Art” they can see the end at hand. This FIRST will be screened for the general public in December, and we’ll see how well the 48 fps S3D does, the mystery will soon be solved, and a new standard born!

Another interesting film that surprised everyone by the Director of "Flight," by Robert Zemeckis, and star, Denzel Washington. That’s Number; (21.) Flight - Don Burgess Red Epic MX 2013. It’s got all right kind of Buzz for the Academy of Awards and it has not been too shabby at the Box-office either; it only cost $30 Million to make, with the payment for the BIG BUGS on the back end. One interesting “TIP BIT” of interesting information was revealed by “Michael Cioni” IS THAT IT COST 40% MORE TO DO 4K THAN 2K ON VFX, I suppose is the extra “Render Time” attention to detail, and all sorts of other things, but like Michael said, that’s all changing!

One of my favorites was; (31.) Prometheus - Dariusz Wolski Red Epic MX2012, Directed by long time film innovator Ridley Scott, I’ve stated all the reasons why I like the Film here previously. But the color of the combination of lights sort of makes the argument for the Alxea mute in my opinion, and will totally be “THROWN UNDER THE BUS” when the “6K Dragon Sensor” comes out! Maybe we’ll get a new convert in the person of Roger Dearkins; who knows why the Great Cinematographer talks about “Dynamic Range” continually and ignores the rest of the things that makes the Red Camera Exceptional, so we wait for the “6K Dragon Sensor” to arrive!

Haywire was the kind of film that broke all the rules, one UNKNOWN ACTRESS with an impressive cast of Notable Actors, its Number; (35.) Haywire – Shoot and Directed by Steven Soderbergh Red One MX 2012. A nice Film, I liked its pace!

I Suppose I could go-on down the list, but I’ll stop, MY OPINION, is that “Digital Cameras” were not ready to replace “35 mm Film” at least not YET (they were very, very close), but with the “New 6K Dragon Sensor” we will finally reach that point, and GO-BEYOND, and we owed all of it to the “R3D REDCODE File System” that records “Meta Data” that could be manipulated forever, that’s is the answered with their “New Build Four” and the “6K Dragon”! Of course the persistence of Red.Com in the face of an industry not wanting to budged from their BAKED-IN 2K RGB Files, but faced with a U. S. Patent that went unchallenged by Arri, Sony, Canon, and granted to Red.Com, what could they do, ADAPT as best they could! With Red came a new way of doing business, that’s another thing that threw them of their game!

Humberto Rivera

 

[Leland Haushalter]

I think any film that David Fincher has used REDs for has turned out looking really well. I loved the look that was crafted for Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.