The Coming Revolution: A Warning
03/02/10 08:00 Filed in: Red One | General Musing
The many surprises Indi-productions are about to encounter.
The last two years have witnessed an exponential growth and advancement in digital acquisition, and I am truly grateful to be a part of these exciting times. It was not long ago (around 1995) that Sony released the VX1000 which brought digital video to the masses. Then Panasonic upped the ante by bringing 24p to the DVX100. And it is from these humble beginnings that the indi-productions find their roots in state of the art technology that challenged the status quo. Fast forwarding to 2010, we find ourselves on the cusp of another revolution from yet another manufacture: RED Digital Cinema. For the last couple of years Red has aggressively pushed the market forward in digital cinema with their Red One. And while this camera is very affordable in comparison to other cameras of its’ caliber on the market, it is still relatively expensive for mass market indi-productions. This is all about to change with the release of the Scarlet.
The next revolution in filmmaking is upon us, however, I fear and it is my prediction that a lot of small indi-productions are about to get burned. Now, do not get me wrong- I really enjoy shooting with the Red. Shooting RAW has changed my life and I do not want to go back - ever. But that is not to say that it has been a smooth transition, nor is it as friendly or easy as it may appear from the outside looking in. I have had the opportunity to shoot on the Red from almost day one (Thanks Shawn Nelson.
), so it is from these experiences that I offer this word of warning to all those who plan on buying the Scarlet when it is released. Proceed with caution otherwise these got-ya’s will bite you and your production:1. Solid State Recording: PROPERLY BACKUP & MANAGE YOUR FOOTAGE-
I love being tapeless, but it comes with it’s own draw backs and perils. Regardless of what camera system being used, when shooting onto solid state media the importance of a GOOD DIT cannot be stressed enough. Even on commercial productions I have witnessed poor and improper handling of data that has resulted in the loss of footage. The role of the DIT often gets looked over, and unfortunately not much importance is given to that position. I understand how tight budgets are, especially on a small production- but consider this: Can you afford to loose a whole day of shooting? Can you afford to loose an entire scene? It is going to be cheaper to have someone there who knows what they are doing then it will be to schedule reshoots and add additional days to the schedule. I cannot stress enough the importance of proper handling of the data. Just read my post on The Importance of the DIT ...
2. RAW is not WYSIWYG: It is not quite film, it is not quite video-
Many indi-productions are used to shooting in some flavor of a compressed format be it DVCPRO HD, H.264, or what have you. The great thing about these formats, is that they are immediate. What you see IS what you get, nothing is hidden and nothing can be drastically changed later on. When you are shooting RAW you do have a video tap where you can see an approximation of what you are shooting- but even then that is not an exact representation of what you are shooting. (Not unlike the video tap on a film camera- but the video tap on the Red is far superior.) The closest approximation that I can think of is shooting RAW on DSLR’s verses shooting JPEG. If you are shooting in JPEG mode on a DSLR you are baking in all of your settings. Sure you can push it around some in post, but not nearly as much as you can if you were to shoot RAW. Now when you shoot RAW on a DSLR you can push that image around in post. The image you see on the back of the camera is a good representation of what you have, but it is not the actual image- just a representation. When you take it back to Photoshop to process that is where you can truly take advantage of the RAW format. Shooting RAW on the Red is very similar to this process. So spend some time with your camera and figure out the nuances to shooting RAW- if done well, you can open up a new world of possibilities, but if done poorly, you will just have a VERY expensive handicam. Do not expect this system to be the same as shooting on your HVX, EX1, or MKII.
3. Processing makes all the difference & it is going to cost you-
The beauty of shooting RAW is that the image is processed later. This is great as it allows a lot of flexibility in post production, however, that means that the heavy lifting is left for post and it is going to cost you. There is no way around it, one way or another it will cost you and your production - there is no free lunch and this is especially the case when shooting RAW. Not only will you need the proper post tools to handle the footage, some free, some not so free, but you will also need the appropriate hardware. Now you can use your iMac, or your MacBook Pro to get the job done at not a very large expense- but it is going to cost you in time. Slow machines equal hours and days of processing time. If you have the time to spend, and not the money, then that is an option, but do not be under the allusion that it will be a quick process. On the other hand, if you need quick turn around times, and you want to see your footage play back at full quality in real time, then you are going to have to invest in some hardware- most notably the Red Rocket. (Which by the way, I cannot recommend highly enough- you NEED one of these.) And if you get the Rocket, then you’ll need a tower to put it into, or a laptop enclosure like the one from MaxxDigital. Either way, this is going to increase the expense of the package and should be taken into account when shooting RAW.
4. The learning curve-
Be ready to spend a lot of time figuring all of this out, and be ready to re-examine your previous thoughts & conclusions. Something I love & hate about Red is that they are constantly working on their system and improving it. I love it because things are always getting better. One of the benefits of shooting RAW is that you can process old footage with the new programs and get the benefits of the new processing as if you had shot that image today. However, what that also means is that things are somewhat always in a state of flux. As everyone figures out how to get the best out of the image processes change, programs are updated, and recommended standards adapt to the new knowledge. This camera system is a new way of thinking and approaching digital filmmaking- be prepared to encounter and embrace the challenges as they come your way- in the end it will be worth it, but it is not as easy or as straight forward as shooting on mini-dv. (But then again, why would you want to be shooting on mini-dv- that is so 1995 ...)
Do not get me wrong- I do not think that we should go back to shooting on compressed formats. Shooting RAW is a revolutionary way of digital image acquisition that is light years ahead of compressed formats. But it is not to be taken lightly. I hope that with the release of the Scarlet, that the Indi-productions who hope to adopt it as their camera of choice take these consideration to heart, otherwise I can see a lot of unhappy productions wondering why they cannot just treat the camera like they have always treated their HVX or MKII. As much as I love shooting RAW, it is not for every project, nor is it for every production. Just like 35mm and 16mm are not for every production. Used well, RAW can allow for creative opportunities not possible with other digital formats. So consider yourself warned, and let’s get out there and push this format as far as it can go!
Until next time, get out there and shoot!
Cheers,
Ryan E. Walters, Cinematographer
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