Is RED & Jim Jannard all talky talk no action? Will the Scarlet stand up to the HD-SLR's? Should HDSLR shooters be 'ashamed'?
http://www.eoshd.com/content/255-RED-quot-DSLR-shooters-should-be-embarrassed-quot
My opinion is that there are two Revolutions & two Markets going on here... they are being formed presently & they are represented by (1) an indy filmmaking revolution using existing avenues of distribution technology -the HD-SLR Revolution and (2) a revolution in cinema technology standards with the 4-6k RED cameras (said to also include a much higher resolution with the Epic sensors) -the SHD Revolution, which still has a work to be done (and that work ISN'T 'knocking down' the Canon/Nikon/Panasonics of the world because we are talking apples & oranges here). "How so?" you say...
Since the RED cameras represent a much more substantial change to the totality of filmmaking & screening technology it is simply more time consuming (& therefore costly) down the line as this technology comes into use more (but it is a revolution that is worth it in the long run).
But the HD-SLR revolution utilizes already present technology not just in use in homes- but on the web & on your smart phone... in other words it is cheaper and easier for a filmmaker to create content because he doesn't have to be involved in revolutionizing the entire process cradle-to-grave the way RED is going to have to do- he just plugs into an already established technology.
But this issue with RED is all unavoidable because of the implications of this newer technology- I mean, it truly must be a huge, no doubt, beautiful picture at such a high res!... Now, where can we screen it? Can it even be screened? Can it be broadcast? Can it be viewed online or at home? Of course distribution has to be considered by everyone involved. In contrast, it is much more financially sound to shoot in 1080p with a $2k rig with less crew requirements and still be able to distribute!
Getting down to brass tax I think RED & their reps still have a work ahead of them to make this technology practical- to put this technology in theaters- to make it practical for consumers to consume, etc. They started this mess & they need to finish it (or rather, get the ball soundly rolling in the right direction). Admittedly, much of that great work has been done & is actively being done by many filmmakers, distributors & the studios. We just need to make sure we are on the right track & solving the right questions. We need to make sure the consumers out there can 'see the difference' between 2 and 6k & that it is worth the extra coin & worth the extra hype because they haven't even seen 6k yet & still don't even know what it is yet.
Not that RED shouldn't continue to compete on a professional filmmaking level with the HD-SLR's in order to draw that line-in-the-sand. What RED has to do is solve the problems the HD-SLR's have and assist the move towards a more cinematic experience by making 'the quintessential professional SHD-SLR run & gun shooter' in the Scarlet. But this time do it without blowing smoke at the users.
I mean, listen, it is obvious RED dropped the ball this year. Use me as an example (& this is true for so many other current or beginning filmmakers) -this is me in a nutshell... since last year I was going to buy a Scarlet earlier this year so I could start shooting my own stuff (instead of hiring out) but now I'm investing in a Canon HD-SLR rig with LED lights, Zoom sound & portable power supply instead... because of all the obvious financial reasons... doing all this costs the same amount that a Scarlet was supposed to cost this year. Isn't that great?
Well, also, as filmmakers we need to recognize (& RED needs to remember this), ART doesn't wait to get made- when the inspiration hits, MAKE IT & MAKE IT NOW! DON'T WAIT! I understand RED can't just follow this principle as a camera & software development company that has to be regulated & has to meet certain standards- you can't do what you want... but as filmmakers we have to live by this principle... we kind of can't wait for the next big thing... we have to go out & shoot our story right now & fix it later (maybe shoot it again but next time on a Scarlet- nothing wrong with that). But any business needs to remember, just like RED, if any company makes promises it can't keep, it is in danger of failing.
The PAYOFF for RED or... (for whoever makes that connection):
So, again, IMHO RED's current work is that it needs to assist the digital cinema side of the business by doing some research & making a clear path for cinemas to follow in the path they've blazed... so they know how best to utilize their technology so the consumers go back to the theaters. If they do that they will ensure the relevance of their product for years to come. After all, almost all of the major studios in Hollywood started in the 1st half of the 1900's by the distribution side of the business- like the nickelodeons, etc. and that is how the the new players in film & cinema distribution can come into their own- through the distribution side of it- of course, by following these new standards that RED has pioneered! So, whoever teams up with RED to do this on a larger scale may just end up with the big payoff. But, who these people will be in the future is still TBD! Sadly, though, the movie business has been traveling as fast as its slowest ship, which is the internet. Of course this is obviously because of the incredible potential for distribution ("What? Movie distribution pipe-lined straight to every consumer? Yowsers!"), but it is also potentially the movie businesses' worst enemy as it represents the easiest way to rip-off the industry through piracy... or is it free advertising? I'm confused! What a conundrum!
Puttin down the sauce:
My prediction on the Revolutions? Well, eventually what might happen is that (1) full HD would be the standard internet video res so consumers can get everything on the internet on their screens at home... & (2) RED's 4, 5, or 6k (what i call SHD or Super-Hi-Definition & I believe Steven Soderbergh called it that too) could be the new cinema standard that the big studios utilize IF it can finally be brought to theaters successfully(?). Pretty please? :)
The other factor is home theater. It's the gap-factor. What home theater does is in the hands of these LCD & computer manufacturers... nothing less, nothing more. They can charge massive coin to get 4k at home if need be...
But, to re-iterate, if this is achieved (internet on one end, theaters on the other) there would be a clear cut difference between these markets (2k res made by indy filmmakers with prosumer HD-SLR's for the internet/TV & 4k up to ?k resolution (SHD) made by the Major Studios with RED, ARRI, etc for the digital cinemas).
This division between technology is actually desirable for many reasons... First of all, it simplifies things for the consumer and therefore justifies a higher cost for certain products. Secondly, it simplifies things for the studios & filmmakers- since there's too many problems to solve right now as it comes to standards in technology... filmmakers & content-makers have now been engaged in this endless debate for years since the indy filmmaking surge in the 90's, since HD has come to all the networks & now the gap grows larger since the advent of this new camera technology. Currently, its all just techno-chaos for the studios so they don't know how to relate to their audience as well. In order for the studios to continue making money they have to standardize and control some niche just like any business tries to do. So do they go to 3D? Do they spend money on servers & internet distro sites like iTunes/hulu/Netflix, etc? Do they upload their product to theaters with all the new digital distribution models being touted around in that industry? What about the resolution discussion and all the new technology? How do the studios require the indy filmmakers to hold up to certain standards of filmmaking when we are all over the map here?
As it comes to the big digital cinema distribution discussion Hollywood can control its own by helping to make 4k, 5k, 6k theaters and selling the hi-res beauty of that... if they can 'sell it' good enough, people will want to see the theater version of it & will not accept a 2k pirated version as 'the real deal'. It's too large of a file to pirate (at least for most) it might even be able to be uploaded to digital theaters but obviously it would cost too much for pirates to upload it- they wouldn't be able to screen it in full 4-6k glory even if they found some way to pirate it- but don't see that as some lame excuse to let people pirate it because you think "it doesnt matter". As editing suites get better in order to edit this 4-6k content we will need to make these monitors more affordable for editors. At that point there will be pirating that will begin to make sense again because then they can view the content. But, if you control the technology, you control the doorways to the content. Problem solved. As it comes to the editing- editors will edit a low res version & then send it to a 4-6k render house to be 'developed' (sound familiar?) and in this case utilize the meta-data to help make it what it should be in its full 4-6k glory or whatever res can be offered (I keep assuming 4-6k for some silly reason). Then it can be screened for the final pass at the render house's digital theater with the producers, director & editor -etc etc.
As it comes to the original discussion of HD-SLR vs. RED... the fact is, RED was on track to keep the revolution brimming- but Canon, Nikon & Panasonic got it right by undercutting them (which is what they should do to compete). After all, it's these prosumer camera companies that started this revolution in the late eighties/early nineties because it brought the tech down to the consumer- but RED really isn't a consumer or even prosumer cam & it really shouldn't try to act like it competes in that market. In fact just the word 'cam' and RED don't belong in the same paragraph except to make the distinction. It just don't sound right... *snicker* :P
As it comes to the Scarlet- you can try to talk the talk, RED- but the caveat is that you have to buy that right by first walking the walk... So until the Scarlet hits the stores- it is the HD-SLR Revolution for me. Hopefully something of mine gets sold & then, with that happening, maybe afterwards I can afford what RED is cooking up. But I wish all of you some good testing, manufacturing & product reviews. Til then, a little more action- a little less talky talk. At least for now. But please, RED, let us know when you have something to show... we can't wait much longer... because the street cred is starting to wither a bit.
Jon
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