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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 :)

The Update Thread

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Huge fan of RU though I rarely post. A bit of an over-share perhaps here. As a Sydney AU boy I'm getting ready for 5am in the hope of getting a moment with my rep to do the business. And reflecting my experience with RED, which started when I was at film school and saw an absurd mention of a digital 4k camera - “a what?”. At the time we were super excited for an "HD CAM" on loan and even though the image wasn't exactly "filmic" it hinted at a future without film stock, processing or nasty surprises, unburdened from the industrial constrains that prevent small, personal filmmaking. I later fought to shoot my first “for hire” feature on the RED One. I'm pretty sure we were the second in Australia to shoot it, it caused a certain amount of grief in the extremities of the South Australian desert but produced stunning images, gave me and my cast rushes in seconds and saved the production money which I got to spend blowing stuff up - it was that kind of big impersonal film. A couple years later, comfortable in my director *slash* teaching career, I stumbled on Jim's philosophy of democratising filmmaking which I found inspiring to the point of sleeplessness. So when the Scarlet-X was eventually announced I acted on a sudden impulse to place a deposit, and spent the wait time applying for enough credit cards to pay the balance and acquire the requisite accessories, lenses, and other pieces. When the beautiful machine arrived I was terrified by the reality that there was literally nothing stopping me from making that film I always wanted to make - the dangerous one that no one would finance, that my agents hated but that I needed to get in front of an audience, because I held in my hands the freedom to be an artist, not just a director. And so I had to, because I could. I "took two pills of toughen the fuck up", became a self-anointed cinematographer (ya know, the producer, director, editor, colourist kind), and was thrilled to see the movie released and discussed around the world. I’d thought if the story and performances worked I'd get away with a less-then-perfect look but low and behold the images really held up in the intimidating DGA theatre and the Netflix and iTunes peeps across the pond were very kind about my lensing. The amazing RED had paid itself off but created a new problem - there was no time left for my day job or my students. So again, RED kind of "forced" me to start a production company - which to this day shoots that same ol' Scarlet-X. Sure, it's decaying from salt-exposure after a 63-day beach shoot on that second feature; it hasn't even had the Dragon upgrade because we can't part with it for a day let alone a week, but it still produces images that wow audiences and whenever I sit down with rushes I learn more and more and am amazed over again.



But yes, it's overdue for replacement and the timing is perfect. The Scarlet let me do and create things I never thought were even technically possible, let alone within my capability by any stretch. Owning the means of production meant the productions were all mine. Like many people on RU, I have a lot to be thankful for from Jim, Jarred, Brent, all the other amazing peeps and crucially for the ideology of RED. Sincerely, thanks guys and I'll chat to y'all at 5am - well, 11am your time of course! :)
 
Dean Francis said:
Huge fan of RU though I rarely post. A bit of an over-share perhaps here. As a Sydney AU boy I'm getting ready for 5am in the hope of getting a moment with my rep to do the business. And reflecting my experience with RED, which started when I was at film school and saw an absurd mention of a digital 4k camera - “a what?”. At the time we were super excited for an "HD CAM" on loan and even though the image wasn't exactly "filmic" it hinted at a future without film stock, processing or nasty surprises, unburdened from the industrial constrains that prevent small, personal filmmaking. I later fought to shoot my first “for hire” feature on the RED One. I'm pretty sure we were the second in Australia to shoot it, it caused a certain amount of grief in the extremities of the South Australian desert but produced stunning images, gave me and my cast rushes in seconds and saved the production money which I got to spend blowing stuff up - it was that kind of big impersonal film. A couple years later, comfortable in my director *slash* teaching career, I stumbled on Jim's philosophy of democratising filmmaking which I found inspiring to the point of sleeplessness. So when the Scarlet-X was eventually announced I acted on a sudden impulse to place a deposit, and spent the wait time applying for enough credit cards to pay the balance and acquire the requisite accessories, lenses, and other pieces. When the beautiful machine arrived I was terrified by the reality that there was literally nothing stopping me from making that film I always wanted to make - the dangerous one that no one would finance, that my agents hated but that I needed to get in front of an audience, because I held in my hands the freedom to be an artist, not just a director. And so I had to, because I could. I "took two pills of toughen the fuck up", became a self-anointed cinematographer (ya know, the producer, director, editor, colourist kind), and was thrilled to see the movie released and discussed around the world. I’d thought if the story and performances worked I'd get away with a less-then-perfect look but low and behold the images really held up in the intimidating DGA theatre and the Netflix and iTunes peeps across the pond were very kind about my lensing. The amazing RED had paid itself off but created a new problem - there was no time left for my day job or my students. So again, RED kind of "forced" me to start a production company - which to this day shoots that same ol' Scarlet-X. Sure, it's decaying from salt-exposure after a 63-day beach shoot on that second feature; it hasn't even had the Dragon upgrade because we can't part with it for a day let alone a week, but it still produces images that wow audiences and whenever I sit down with rushes I learn more and more and am amazed over again.



But yes, it's overdue for replacement and the timing is perfect. The Scarlet let me do and create things I never thought were even technically possible, let alone within my capability by any stretch. Owning the means of production meant the productions were all mine. Like many people on RU, I have a lot to be thankful for from Jim, Jarred, Brent, all the other amazing peeps and crucially for the ideology of RED. Sincerely, thanks guys and I'll chat to y'all at 5am - well, 11am your time of course! :)
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Good story Dean.
 
can't wait to see all the shit today definitely not sleeping now!!! anyway we can get the drunk finance option first so some of us don't get surpassed by everyone else coming from scarlet-w preorder to epic-w?
 
Justin Bush said:
can't wait to see all the shit today definitely not sleeping now!!! anyway we can get the drunk finance option first so some of us don't get surpassed by everyone else coming from scarlet-w preorder to epic-w?
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+1 on that.
 
I think tomorrow is a BIG day not because of upgrade programm but because of more details about Helium!
If it is so clean in the shadows at ISO 2000 as mantioned before it is the next RED Revolution) And interesting to find out how have they did it)
 
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Will be interesting to se the actual costs in Europe. Everything have been kind of a big blur. No info from my red squad. Hope there will be some frames to examine.
 
It's 8:45 am here in the east coast... I know I won't be getting any work done today... just a few more hours.
 
im so nervous with Jared's post on selling out day 1.....
My biggest question (which im not looking to be answered) is would they even be able to fulfill all S-W switchers in the first batch? if not when's the next batch?
and that drunken finance plan......
If it can cover all AKS i need that would be perfect.
 
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