The Raid - Must See

[Andrew Rieger]

So i drove up to Austin TX over the weekend to see The Raid: Redemption. Holy S$#%!!! I'm still sore two days later. This has the be the most intense, well shot action film that I have seen in years. Seriously, you need to see this movie if love martial arts flicks. Hollywood wishes that they could make an action movie this good.

So when I got home, I started researching the film in more detail and here is what is discovered. Budget: $1,000,000. Yes, for the amount that most studios spend on catering, Garreth Evans managed to make one of the best action films ever put on the big screen. Oh, and he shot it on a $4500 1080p Panasonic AF100, a camera most people would deem worthy of being a paper weight on Jim's desk.

Was the picture a tad soft when pumped through Alamo's 4K projector? Ya. Was there some aliasing? Ya. Did I care at all? No. Seriously, they could have shot this on Fruit by the Foot (recycled joke) and the movie still would have kicked ass. Just goes to show that it is not the camera but the person holding it that makes a great film.

The Raid was easily to most exciting and entertaining film I have seen all year and it quite literally had the audience applauding at the end. I give this film my highest recommendation. It just goes to show you what you can do with a shoestring budget and some creativity.

 

[noah newtown]

i share the philosophy "you dont need big tools" but its hard to believe to make a movie with $1,000,000 and dont spend even 1% for a great camera
maybe its part of the marketing ..anyway looks great thx for sharing andrew

 

[Lliam Worthington]

Looks terrific. Cheers Andrew

 

[Andrew Rieger]

i share the philosophy "you dont need big tools" but its hard to believe to make a movie with $1,000,000 and dont spend even 1% for a great camera
maybe its part of the marketing ..anyway looks great thx for sharing andrew

Not part of the marketing. I only found out because I watched a behind the scenes video. From what they said, they were unable to find a location that fit their needs so they had to build almost all of the indoor locations in a warehouse so I imagine that most of the money went to set construction. That and they had to have a ton of extras to allow for a crazy high body count.

 

[Matthew Bennett]

Saw it, loved it, have watched the online scenes in 4x slow-motion about a million times to figure out how they executed some of the knife kills (currently making a martial arts movie myself).

Great movie, tight, contained, SIMPLE stripped down survival story.


I really wished it was shot on 35mm. When I saw it on the big screen, the complete lack of fine texture really screwed with my enjoyment of the photography.

But then again I have yet to find someone who feels the same way as me.

 

[Robert Hart]

If you like RAID, look for "Merantau" shot on a P2 Panasonic and 35mm groundglass relay I understand. There is also some generous behind-the-scenes on that project. I think these may still be findable on Youtube or on the Merantau website if it is still up. Apparently in Indonesia, there is a can do culture and good value-adding resources.

 

[Bob Gundu]

Any camera can look good as long as you work within it's limitations. I shot a feature on the Af100 too. You can see the teaser here:

https://vimeo.com/34068290

 

[Andrew Rieger]

I found some really great clips and behind the scenes footage so check this stuff out. Some of the best production blog videos that I have seen and I learned a ton watching them.

Behind the Scenes

 

[Andrew Rieger]

Saw it, loved it, have watched the online scenes in 4x slow-motion about a million times to figure out how they executed some of the knife kills (currently making a martial arts movie myself).

Great movie, tight, contained, SIMPLE stripped down survival story.


I really wished it was shot on 35mm. When I saw it on the big screen, the complete lack of fine texture really screwed with my enjoyment of the photography.

But then again I have yet to find someone who feels the same way as me.

They shot a ton of footage for this film so I think it would been devastating to their budget had they gone with 35mm. When they made it, I don't think the Epic was readily available in Indonesia and the Red One was probably too bulky for the Fig Rig style they were after so really, the camera they picked was probably the best fit for them. The video look didn't bother me at all and I actually think it fit with the documentary style they were after. No image quality complaints on my end.