Gus Sacks

http://vimeo.com/10570139

Unoriginal, but a good display of some of the camera's strengths.

Thanks John and Gus. Now to get it all straight, would you hire me if I did this?

 

1) load the media

2) check the clips with redcine-x to see if there are any problems

3) use r3d data manager to create checksums

4) copy the files to a number of locations with data manager

5) verify the files using the checksums

6) create reports for post

7) render small quicktime rushes

7) render a number of tiffs for the d.o.p.

Unless you had a Tower with a Red Rocket I wouldn't expect you to render Rushes. I work with a Macbook Pro, which has a lot of punch, but rendering a ton of files is just too much, especially when you're using the same software to do a number of different operations. I think spot checking with REDCine-X isn't necessary - I'm still a proponent of the fact that if a Proxy runs all the way through then the camera did its job.

Otherwise, I pretty much do all of that, plus assist my fellow Camera Dept members in some of their typical operations. So, sure.

This thread creates a lot of question marks:

 

1) Would you only use the dmg-method because of the fact that disk utility does everything one at a time, instead of the finders multitasking capability? Or are there other reasons?

 

2) Isn't it just safer to watch all the files you copy? Going through the r3d file with redcine-x or some other software? Why would you need checksums if you can just check the raw files and see if they play correctly?

 

3) What kind of reports do you make? If there's a continuity report then the editor can easily match roll numbers with scene, slate and take numbers, so to me it seem like a waste of precious time to make those. What information would be useful?

Technically I would assume if any of the Proxies played correctly even in Quicktime then the clip had been processed properly. I would guess also for post a DMG as a back-up might be fine, but they're going to (again, more than likely) want an easily editable format for their Main hard drive.

Sometimes there aren't continuity reports, or camera reports, depending on the type of job. I find that it's best to just do the do every time, be able to drop a PDF on the hard drives, and make it easiest for editorial to match clips, etc than having to wade through multiple reports, especially if there aren't any.

Don't they have solid state drives for the Red now?

 

 

 

 

-- J.S.

For 5x the price you get roughly 1/5th of the storage size.

I'd say there's a big difference. The loader's job is to get everything you shoot turned over to post exactly as shot. The DIT is your full time on set colorist.

John, totally true, but a one or two day commercial operation isn't going to hire two people to do the job. At least not out here.

I'd like to chime in here. The emerging standard for all of these issues has been established by the ICG Data Handling workshop. I highly recommend this training for all L600 members.

 

For Red, R3D data manager is the standard. Make sure you use check sums when copying data from place to place to verify that it was copyed correctly. R3D data manager or shot put pro both create logs of every file transfer you make. Make sure to keep this 'reciept' if there ever is a question where/when data was copied.

 

The more copies the better. Make sure they are descrete seperate drives and live in different phyical locations. I recently day played on a Red indie feature where the digital loader had the second dive mirrored to the first drive, and the first drive got acedentally formated.. so it formated the second drive too, and production lost severals days of work. LTO tape back-ups are the best for ultimate archive.

 

Defitely go do the ICG training - two days of intensive study with the best people in the biz doing this kind of work.

The person who did that should never be allowed on a film set near data management ever again. What a joke.

I feel like taking a Seminar on this stuff is overkill. It's not rocket science. I think it just takes a careful and efficient workflow and often some creative problem-solving. I don't think you need training to do it on the level most of us are.

Hey Chris. I've done enough of this to fortunately or not be able to call myself a 'Digital Loader,' which is a silly title, but sometimes you have to differentiate yourself from a DIT, unless Production lumps both jobs into one title, but I'd say there is a difference.

When I do "Loading" for a RED job, I manage the media - by means of doing the same as you'd do with Mags, Letter them and Build a numbering system - then doing file management backups into Folders, checking the clips, then I keep a detailed spreadsheet I combine with the 2nd AC's camera reports (which they don't always keep) to give Post/Editorial a clearly defined method of matching the Raw clips with the Scene/Take numbers, and if there were any issues or discrepancies with the footage. Then I generate TIFF files, similarly, for post and color correction. I reformat the Mags on my computer and send them back out relabeled. Sometimes productions ask for other things, but that's typically the base package, so to speak. Some productions don't want that all, so sometimes I don't do it. This workflow is for one/two day commercial jobs or low budget features. Otherwise, it'd be great to send the footage to be backed up a third time before formatting drives and cards.

Hope that helps,

Gus

Just DIT/RED Tech'd a commercial with a 3D RED Setup using ET's Quasar rig and Ultra Primes.

I've got to say, it was a pretty big pain in the butt to work with, even with techs trained on the rig available. At high speeds the cameras had no hope of staying genlocked, and that, partnered with a few other quirks and kinks, made it a difficult shoot.

It was a tad bit difficult for the Stereographer/CG representative to do some calculations involving windowed sensor sizes (especially the fact that when shooting in 4k you're still working with an APS-C sized sensor). But he was prepared and ready for the challenge.

I wouldn't recommend it just yet.

If the shot isn't showing the whole window you could probably put a 12'x or 20'x solid behind camera so the reflection is just of the 'black' behind you.

Ari,

I've personally read that article a few times over. It makes the point clearly that the majority of the look and feel of the film, including a large amount of the photography, was done before Fiore was even hired for the production. It seemed that more than likely a majority of the camera operation, lighting, framing, and "art direction" was done by the director, James Cameron. If the voters in the Academy (Cinematographers are the only ones voting at a certain point on the winner) felt like the look and feel and technical achievements of the film was the best of last year, then it did win for Visual Effects and Art Direction, for which I suppose it deserved it. Buuuut Cinematography is not in a basket with those two, as it relates to Avatar. The DP shot the live action sequences, which were few and far between, only a small fraction on practical sets. Otherwise it was his Director operating a camera towards Mo-Cap suits on a sound stage. Meh. Pretty unimpressive and the fact that Bob Richardson, Barry Ackroyd, Bruno Delbonnel and Christian Berger lost out to that sends a pretty bad message.

Gus

Naysayers,

 

Please read the Feb. 2010 issue of AC, and in the course of doing so please check off every step of Mauro Firoe ASC's workflow you've executed successfully.

 

I realize that as artists we're expected to hate on anything commercially successful. I was one of those people and after months of my little sister begging me to see it with her I did. While standing in line at 830am with people who had seen the film multiple times (the woman in front of me had seen it 18 times!) I asked them why they would pay $10 to see a film that relied on a gimmick (3D) to draw an audience. Without missing a beat they were all buzzing about the imagery. Not the special effects, i.e. the CG everyone seems to be complaining about. Matter of fact one woman who had seen it 5 times focused her comments specifically on the lighting!

 

A little note about lighting cg, it isn't done in lines of code. That would be like engineering your own globes.

 

The choice of medium or complexity of story has no effect on the cinematographer's ability to compose awe inspiring images. It takes a world of knowledge to be a good cinematographer, and an additional one to apply everything to a digital workflow and/or cg environment. Not to mention the mathematical accuracy required to create interocular distance that won't distract or confuse the audience!

 

In closing I think we all need to take a step off our pedestals in order award credit where it is due. Keep your mind open and your eyes focused friends.

 

Best,

 

Ari Davidson

Yeah... I saw able to get Abel down to a more reasonable price for just a two week feature, but I don't think the demand for the camera was high at that moment.

The Robinson Group is looking for a sound mixer for "Legends of Brooklyn", a full length feature to be shot in Brooklyn on every SAT-SUN in April, (9 days), with perhaps a couple of FRI. This is a non union, non paid gig, but meals will be provided. If interested, please contact Lamont Robinson.

Lamont, I hate to say so but that's never going to happen. When I was just starting out, the only time a production I worked on got a "free" Sound Mixer (for a short - not a feature) he showed up drunk Day II and didn't know any of his poop Day I. And I think posting under the name 'The Robinson Group' is way more pretentious and unnecessary than you might realize. Good luck, but you're best off not making a film until you can actually pay to make one.

We saw it in 3D (Real-D) last night on a fairly small screen. I felt like the photography served the story well considering the content and themes of the story. I did not feel like the 3D served anything well in any way. I'm already getting sick and tired of 3D (especially films not even shot in 3D) and I can tell it's not going away any time soon, unfortunately, when the new Aliens is going to be done in 3D. I felt like those 3D glasses knock the brightness down some, but there's also a noticeable green tint applied I'm sure because of the tint of the glasses. But why wouldn't they tweak even the projection to counter-act that? I would take off the glasses when I could tell there wasn't much 3D going on, and it was so much more colorful and saturated and clean. Anyone else have anything to add to that or otherwise?

I love Panavision, and I hate to see them go under. But they've got to adapt. They need to come up with their answer to the Red or the Viper, and combine it with their incredible attention to detail.

 

I for one would seriously considering a moderately priced HD camera from them, just so my film could say, "Filmed with Panavision Cameras and Lenses"

 

If Panny goes under, what would happen to those cameras? Think they'd sell 'em? If so, sign me up for a Super Panavision 70!

 

BR

Productions DO use the Genesis. I don't know how it breaks down these days between Genesis, D-21, F23/35, or any of the other "expensive" HD systems out there. But at least they do have an HD system worth mentioning.

IDK what anyone is complimenting this film for, unless they are watching a pirated bootleg at 480i.

 

 

This film looked like a second-rate S35 optical blowup from the 1990s. Shooting 65mm, and, frankly, 35mm 4-perf. was a total fu-#$ing waste of everyone involved's money.

Huh? Did you watch it on your iPod?

Very cool. Thanks for the first-hand account, John.

Related/unrelated chip talk - do you have any idea what a 3MOS chip is? Panasonic's started to put it in its lower-end cameras and I for the life of me can't figure out what it is.

Thanks Mike and Bill, by the sounds of it I will have to give up hope of receiving the February issue and just start looking forward to March instead...

 

But anyway I take it I'm not the only person still receiving hard copies of the magazine each month? My college library just cancelled their subscription and has moved to digital copies instead, I'm betting a lot of people are doing the same.

Nah, with the hard copy you still get the digital one (at least I do... did I pay more for that?). I prefer the hard one anyway. It's annoying to take my laptop on the Subway just to read AC Mag...

Did they give up on the Dii then? It's taken them years to even put that thing out. With how much space the single-chip DNG files took up, I can't even imagine how much two would deliver.

Has anyone heard anything about the Richard Moore Heritage Award? Have notifications gone out yet? I'm one of the nominees, so I'm really excited about this one (though I'd expect my chances are nill compared to all the guys who went to one of the big time schools). Thanks!

 

BR

Yeah... at least one of them went to my buddy Benji Bakshi at AFI. Not sure about the other one. Congrats either way for the nom.

Meanwhile Christopher Probst who has "so far used the Red to photograph more than 50 music videos and commercials." so he doesn't exactly sound like a die hard Red-Hater, writes an Article for American Cinematographer which was no more than a matter-of-fact discussion of traps and pitfalls of the RED one, and practical workarounds that are available, and all the Fanboys were baying for his blood.

 

"Red One Slammed in AC" as the indefatigable Mr Justic put it.

That was actually a great article detailing all of the things people who actually work with the RED in real world environments have been dealing with since it debuted. Anyone who considers it a 'slam' is an a**hat.

By Q3 2010, Panasonic.

Panasonic 3D

In my taste I had...

In the Mood for Love

The Assassination of Jesse James

There Will Be Blood

Children of Men

The New World

Memento

The Fall

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

American Beauty

Fight Club

Well, Avatar just won the Critic's Choice Award for Cinematography and Art Direction among other technical awards...

Great names. I'd have many of others' lists on my own. A few I didn't think I saw on the lists:

Stranger than Fiction

Unbreakable

One Hour Photo

Oldboy

Children of Men

Bouncing in some light from another source with a bounce board works for a typically omnidirectional fill.