AnthonyFlores
Well-known member
Hi All,
(warning: this post is a bit long and perhaps fanboyish, but fun and informative)
Just wanted to give my quick NAB experience and why it was soooooo worth it, even though I'm a bit of a Red newbie (less than a year).
1. Meeting the Red team. Yes, I've had the privilege of meeting Ted before at the Hollywood Studios, and dealing with the awesome
staff in support and in the studio -- but this was the first time I've met Jim, Jarred, Matt or the others.
I have to say, this was so rewarding and the biggest reason why I came. I barely got to speak to Jim, he was eating and "in transit" but
I kinda said "hey Jim!" (sorry, perhaps a bit rude) and told him how much I appreciated everything and shook his hand. He was very nice
and actually sounded softspoken (I expected to be more intimidating, lol) ... and he encouraged me to catch the show. That was it, but I felt
grateful to have met one of my heros. I know he's just human, we all are, but it's always inspiring to meet someone you deeply admire.
Jarred was also great -- really funny guy -- was making lots of jokes and of course laughing ("heh heh heh" -- yes he really sounds like that!)
He seemed really nice, like a gentle giant ... but I'm sure he could go "enter the Red dragon" and kick some serious ass if needed. He
recognized me from this forum and called me a toublemaker ... not sure why. He had a line of people but chatted with me for a moment,
refusing to reveal the location of the new production batcave in Irvine. Probably a smart move, you never know who is a spy
I also talked to Matt -- the new Red accessory wizard -- who did some awesome demos of the new gear. That was another really big highlight
which I'll explain more about in a sec.
As for the others, everyone working at Red was friendly, knowledgeable and just plain awesome. The kind of people you'd like to be friends with.
I especially gotta give props to the guys working at the store -- such a great attitude and encourage me to come back to the store anytime.
2. The Tattoo Movie. This was another awesome highlight, very unexpected until I saw it announced here. For those who missed the show
I bet it will be available at some point, but also know that seeing it online pales in comparison to 4k projection. I was blown away by the
look of it -- the sharpness, the low light visibility, just everything. Perhaps even more impressive was that it was done in less than a week from
beginning to end. Some great actors in there as well. Makes me even hungrier to see the features that are being shot on Epic now, as well
as shoot my own stuff once my Epic arrives.
Also, seeing the quality of Tattoo in the small little theater made me more excited about Red's laser 4k home system that they mentioned they
were working on at the show. With the varying quality of theater projection, I think this will be huge ... something a lot of us will want -- both
professionally and personally. I know Red's priority is shipping Epics and Scarlets (including media, EVF's, etc) however I hope the 4k projector
isn't something that sits on the backburner too long. It's going to be fantastic, IMHO.
3. The New Red Accessories. Okay, maybe I'm a bit biased but this was perhaps the best surprise for me. I admit, I'm a bit of a junkie for support
gear and I've tried stuff from a lot of the major guys like Zacuto, Red Rock, etc.
With that said, I will say that NOTHING compares to what Matt is building over at Red ... and it takes just seconds with the new Clutch or Gunner
to understand what I mean. I was excited when I saw the announcement and pics from Ketch, but actually getting to try on the Clutch and have
Matt adjust it to fit perfectly on my body made me realize it's simply the best stuff in the industry now.
I know because I walked around the show and tried a bunch of should rigs and more portable setups -- but none felt as sturdy, strong, ergonomically
perfect or functional as the Red gear. Matt really hit a grand slam with this gear. Yes, it's more expensive than the others -- but I believe the performance
that you'll get ... in terms of stability, comfort and long-term durability is unrivaled. I honestly think you could drive a truck over the parts and nothing
would happen. And again, virtually any configuration is possible. Last but not least, superficially it just looks cool -- WAY more attractively designed than
anything else out there. (It was also cool seeing Matt assemble and disassemble the entire rig in like 20 seconds -- maybe less.)
If you're getting an Epic or Scarlet, I highly recommend budgeting for either the Gunner or Clutch. They are certainly high end, but it's a lifelong investment that you won't be disappointed in.
4. The New Leicas. A lot of people have been freaking out about these leading up to NAB, and this was my first time to see them, hold them, and actually see footage projected on 4k from the lenses (according to Bandpro, the Sony 4k demo was shot on the Leicas). Bottom line: These lenses are simply amazing.
From the size/weight, to the buttery focus rotation ... and most importantly, to the amazing "look" ... I was in love. I especially remember one scene in the Sony demo where a bunch of brightly colored city lights were out of focus in the window behind the actor and the bokeh was just stunning. Reminded me of the M lenses, though perhaps even better, if that's possible.
That's why I was also incredibly happy to hear that Red and Bandpro are partnering to offer the Epic + 5 Leicas at some point later this year or next year. It will still be a pricy package, yet for those who don't want or need to spend the $$$ on a full set of 8, this will be a good option. As Jarred said, "those lenses are badass" and well worth it -- even at the outrageous pricepoint. Also, will be easier to ROI rentals I believe since high-end lenses are often rented in sets of 5, rather than 8.
Another good thing I learned -- for anyone who is considering these lenses -- is that Leica has just built a new factory for producing lenses, perhaps solely dedicated to these lenses since there are over 100 sets on order (!) Considering Leica's insanely slow speed at manufacturing (i.e. most Summilux M lenses are out of stock everywhere, despite the high demand) -- this is really good news. (The pic of me here with the Epic is at the Bandpro booth.)
Anyway, those were my major highlights. Yes, like others I wish we had the exact specs and pricing of packages and hard shipping dates ... but my experience helped me understand the "late but worth the wait" statement more than ever. That includes the Scarlet 8x -- really impressive and I'm sure will be a dream to use.
Sorry if that sounds like a tease, but I think if we can all be patient the issues will inevitably resolve and we'll have our cameras -- blissfully shooting with them. If there's one thing you see, it's how much Jim and the gang really care about their customers ... it's BY FAR their #1 priority and perspective and they want to make us happy. I think we can all rest assured that Red will ship as soon as humanly possible, there is no doubt they are doing their best.
Thanks for listening and I hope to meet many more Redusers this coming year and at NAB 2012
Anthony
(warning: this post is a bit long and perhaps fanboyish, but fun and informative)
Just wanted to give my quick NAB experience and why it was soooooo worth it, even though I'm a bit of a Red newbie (less than a year).
1. Meeting the Red team. Yes, I've had the privilege of meeting Ted before at the Hollywood Studios, and dealing with the awesome
staff in support and in the studio -- but this was the first time I've met Jim, Jarred, Matt or the others.
I have to say, this was so rewarding and the biggest reason why I came. I barely got to speak to Jim, he was eating and "in transit" but
I kinda said "hey Jim!" (sorry, perhaps a bit rude) and told him how much I appreciated everything and shook his hand. He was very nice
and actually sounded softspoken (I expected to be more intimidating, lol) ... and he encouraged me to catch the show. That was it, but I felt
grateful to have met one of my heros. I know he's just human, we all are, but it's always inspiring to meet someone you deeply admire.
Jarred was also great -- really funny guy -- was making lots of jokes and of course laughing ("heh heh heh" -- yes he really sounds like that!)
He seemed really nice, like a gentle giant ... but I'm sure he could go "enter the Red dragon" and kick some serious ass if needed. He
recognized me from this forum and called me a toublemaker ... not sure why. He had a line of people but chatted with me for a moment,
refusing to reveal the location of the new production batcave in Irvine. Probably a smart move, you never know who is a spy
I also talked to Matt -- the new Red accessory wizard -- who did some awesome demos of the new gear. That was another really big highlight
which I'll explain more about in a sec.
As for the others, everyone working at Red was friendly, knowledgeable and just plain awesome. The kind of people you'd like to be friends with.
I especially gotta give props to the guys working at the store -- such a great attitude and encourage me to come back to the store anytime.
2. The Tattoo Movie. This was another awesome highlight, very unexpected until I saw it announced here. For those who missed the show
I bet it will be available at some point, but also know that seeing it online pales in comparison to 4k projection. I was blown away by the
look of it -- the sharpness, the low light visibility, just everything. Perhaps even more impressive was that it was done in less than a week from
beginning to end. Some great actors in there as well. Makes me even hungrier to see the features that are being shot on Epic now, as well
as shoot my own stuff once my Epic arrives.
Also, seeing the quality of Tattoo in the small little theater made me more excited about Red's laser 4k home system that they mentioned they
were working on at the show. With the varying quality of theater projection, I think this will be huge ... something a lot of us will want -- both
professionally and personally. I know Red's priority is shipping Epics and Scarlets (including media, EVF's, etc) however I hope the 4k projector
isn't something that sits on the backburner too long. It's going to be fantastic, IMHO.
3. The New Red Accessories. Okay, maybe I'm a bit biased but this was perhaps the best surprise for me. I admit, I'm a bit of a junkie for support
gear and I've tried stuff from a lot of the major guys like Zacuto, Red Rock, etc.
With that said, I will say that NOTHING compares to what Matt is building over at Red ... and it takes just seconds with the new Clutch or Gunner
to understand what I mean. I was excited when I saw the announcement and pics from Ketch, but actually getting to try on the Clutch and have
Matt adjust it to fit perfectly on my body made me realize it's simply the best stuff in the industry now.
I know because I walked around the show and tried a bunch of should rigs and more portable setups -- but none felt as sturdy, strong, ergonomically
perfect or functional as the Red gear. Matt really hit a grand slam with this gear. Yes, it's more expensive than the others -- but I believe the performance
that you'll get ... in terms of stability, comfort and long-term durability is unrivaled. I honestly think you could drive a truck over the parts and nothing
would happen. And again, virtually any configuration is possible. Last but not least, superficially it just looks cool -- WAY more attractively designed than
anything else out there. (It was also cool seeing Matt assemble and disassemble the entire rig in like 20 seconds -- maybe less.)
If you're getting an Epic or Scarlet, I highly recommend budgeting for either the Gunner or Clutch. They are certainly high end, but it's a lifelong investment that you won't be disappointed in.
4. The New Leicas. A lot of people have been freaking out about these leading up to NAB, and this was my first time to see them, hold them, and actually see footage projected on 4k from the lenses (according to Bandpro, the Sony 4k demo was shot on the Leicas). Bottom line: These lenses are simply amazing.
From the size/weight, to the buttery focus rotation ... and most importantly, to the amazing "look" ... I was in love. I especially remember one scene in the Sony demo where a bunch of brightly colored city lights were out of focus in the window behind the actor and the bokeh was just stunning. Reminded me of the M lenses, though perhaps even better, if that's possible.
That's why I was also incredibly happy to hear that Red and Bandpro are partnering to offer the Epic + 5 Leicas at some point later this year or next year. It will still be a pricy package, yet for those who don't want or need to spend the $$$ on a full set of 8, this will be a good option. As Jarred said, "those lenses are badass" and well worth it -- even at the outrageous pricepoint. Also, will be easier to ROI rentals I believe since high-end lenses are often rented in sets of 5, rather than 8.
Another good thing I learned -- for anyone who is considering these lenses -- is that Leica has just built a new factory for producing lenses, perhaps solely dedicated to these lenses since there are over 100 sets on order (!) Considering Leica's insanely slow speed at manufacturing (i.e. most Summilux M lenses are out of stock everywhere, despite the high demand) -- this is really good news. (The pic of me here with the Epic is at the Bandpro booth.)
Anyway, those were my major highlights. Yes, like others I wish we had the exact specs and pricing of packages and hard shipping dates ... but my experience helped me understand the "late but worth the wait" statement more than ever. That includes the Scarlet 8x -- really impressive and I'm sure will be a dream to use.
Sorry if that sounds like a tease, but I think if we can all be patient the issues will inevitably resolve and we'll have our cameras -- blissfully shooting with them. If there's one thing you see, it's how much Jim and the gang really care about their customers ... it's BY FAR their #1 priority and perspective and they want to make us happy. I think we can all rest assured that Red will ship as soon as humanly possible, there is no doubt they are doing their best.
Thanks for listening and I hope to meet many more Redusers this coming year and at NAB 2012
Anthony
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