Thomas Dobbie

I normally open the file in Red Alert and make the basic first light adjustments to get the clip looking the way I want it.This process saves an RSX file to the clip folder. So long as you don't alter the folder structure you send for post,when the clip is opened again in Red Alert the director will see it with the RSX file applied. If not,it's a simple process of linking the RSX again to the clip,and at least the director is seeing it the way you intended. I usually generate proxies for editing with the RSX applied,but of course the editor or colourist can completely change this if they go back to the R3D's. Tom.

Hi Andy, I'm assuming that the rental company is based in the UK,in which case I'd seriously have a look at the Ronford Baker heads. Their Atlas head is IMHO superior to the O'Connor 2575,although perhaps overkill for the Red,but they do other heads which would be very suitable. Their service and support is superb,an important consideration for a rental company. I'm in no way associated with them,just a very satisfied customer. Tom.

I did a little searching on the web and came up with this for the credits. Couldn't find any info about how it was filmed or any BTS footage. The Louis Vuitton Journey spot was developed at Ogilvy, Paris, by creative Christian Reuilly and agency producer Laure Bayle. Filming was shot by Bruno Aveillan via Quad Productions, Paris, with director of photography Philippe Lesourd and producer Martin Coulais. Aveillan won the 2007 Mobius Award for his work on the Philips Coolskin commercial. Post production and special effects were developed at WIZZ, Paris, produced by Manuel Beard, with editor Fred Olszak and Flame artist Bruno Maillard. Music was provided by Gustavo-Santaolalla, Argentine composer behind the scores for Brokeback Mountain, Fast Food Nation and Babel.

Hi Tom, thanks for your comments. I agree with you about the screen time and dissolve,I've been trying to find the code that controls that. I'm using Smugmug to host the site,and while it's pretty customisable,to get complete control requires a level of Java Script knowledge beyond me.I think it's time to get a web designer involved. Glad you liked the work though. Tom.

Hi, I've finally got my website finished and online. www.tomdobbie.com It's a simple site,mainly stills,both commercial and personal work,my personal work is mostly B&W.I shoot a mixture of film and digital in all formats from 10x8 to 35mm. I'm primarily a stills photographer but I'm probably doing more video than stills these days. I'm still working on my reel,but I've put up some stills from a couple of recent shoots. Please feel free to comment or criticise. Tom.

Beautiful work,I think this is the best you've done so far.They just keep on getting better. Tom.

Georg, thank you for taking the time to explain. I totally agree with you regarding 35mm film.I attended the screening of the BSC Film & Digital evaluation,and while some of the images that digital can produce are very impressive,especially the D21,it's clear that digital has a way to go before being able to equal film. I've no doubt that it'll get there,eventually. Tom.

Thank you Georg,that's one of best explanations I've read. Do you know if anybody is working on a solution to the problems.If we could achieve the same kind of image quality that these camera's produce for moving pictures,it would go a long way to making digital acquisition more acceptable. Tom.

Wow Chayse, simply stunning images. Tom.

Hi, Niether Leica on their DMR,M8 & M9,or Phase One on their medium format backs use a OLPF.I'm no techie,but to my eye,these camera's produce a more acceptable digital image than the current crop of Canon's & Nikons etc. Tom.

I'm currently working on a long drawn out corporate job. The deal I negotiated was 30% up front,followed by 30% at the end of the shooting phase,and the balance upon delivery after post. That's the kind of terms I normally work for,and haven't had any problems. If the client has a history of late payments,I normally ask for more up front.Out of pocket expenses I invoice separately,and expect to have the invoice paid upon presentation. You've got to be tough,because even the best clients will take advantage if you let them.

Hi, I've occasionally had a similar issue,when the camera gets very hot,the back focus seems to go out,sometimes by quite a bit. I've seen it suggested that the large PL turret on the Red,also acts as part of the heat management system,if true it would also suggest that some of that heat is transferred to the lens. It doesn't sound like this was the issue in your case,as what you describe doesn't suggest overheating. Interested to now if anybody else has experience of this. Tom.

Just an iPhone shot of the rig,18-50 RED zoom (I'm quite pleased to have found a use for it).Arri matte box and follow focus. I Know it doesn't look like it,but it balances very well. The cost of the GH1 and PL Adapter is about the same as a 5D MkII body. Tom.

Hi, I just wanted to add that I got one of Ilya's adapters from Abel,and it's a truly professional piece of kit,and a no brainer if you already own PL mount lenses. It turns a little consumer level camera into something really quite enjoyable to use,and so long as you work within the limitations of the codec,it can yield some quite surprising results. Although the sensor is slightly smaller than S35,the FoV and DoF characteristics are very close. I was shooting a commercial last week on the RED, and just out of interest set up the GH1 as a B cam. I was very surprised at the results,as was the DIT and the editor. Check out the links in Peter's post,I might not want to shoot a feature on it,but you could shoot a TVC without any problem. Tom.

Hi, One of the members here Karel Bata,did a fairly exhaustive comparison,his site can be found here http://kareltests.co.uk/. It's a great resource,well worth checking out. Hope this helps. Tom.

Hi, Probably a combination of bad luck and a sloppy rental house,the quality of maintenance that you get with some Red rental's leaves a lot to be desired,pity you didn't get your prep day. I remember reading that the early Red Nikon mounts had a problem with the lenses not locking properly,as far as I can remember, Red issued some rubber bushings which were supposed to address the problem. Sounds like it was an early mount which hadn't been upgraded,or perhaps just worn. I have one of the Red Nikon mounts,which I've never used,but I must say, I don't think I would trust it with Preston's. Action Products in Switzerland make a Nikon and Leica mount for the Red which both have locking collars similar to a PL cine mount,seems like a more reliable design. Their accessories are also really well made,which can't always be said about the Red accessories. Tom.

Hi Max, Congratulations,beautiful cinematography,looking forward to seeing it,hope it gets a release here in the UK. Tom.

sounds worth the round trip from Fulham,please count me in. Tom.

I second that. It's amazing that such a distinguished cinematographer takes the time to share his knowledge. I've just registered on the forum,and I would encourage other members here to also join. Tom.

I did quite a lot of research into this recently and looked at various options,everybody has different requirements,but in the end I bought a Ronford Baker modular Bazooka with the skateboard wheels, Ronford track and a Panther Vario Jib. I'm mainly studio based,so it fitted my needs perfectly. Big investment though,I spent just over £11k GDP,really well made heavy duty kit,which I can expand to suit different jobs. Phil,PM me if you want to take a look at it. Tom.

I would agree,whether we like it or not the Red's with us,warts and all,and quite a lot of us will have to use it at some point,so anything that helps in achieving a better image and avoiding the many pitfalls with this camera is welcome. I've just finished a 10 day shoot with the Red,and I'm currently shooting a commercial on it,images are looking good,but it's almost like you have to fight with the camera to get them. Not an easy camera to use IMHO,although it's real easy to get poop out of it. Tom.

Hi Stephen, I've never shot with the SI-2K,but I have shot quite a lot with the Red in helicopters without any particular problems,just using the standard hard drive without any shock mounting,and no dropped frames. It's essential that the camera and hard drive don't come into contact with any part of the chopper,otherwise you will have problems. I found my body,isolated the vibrations quite well,enough to prevent dropped frames,but I'm, shall we say quite well padded. :lol: I'm assuming you're hand holding the camera,so you will certainly need gyro's,if you're only using the head,you can get away with quite a small one, like the Kenyon KS6. You'll need something a lot more substantial like KS8's,if your using the camera fully built. I've been told by colleagues,that an easyrig works quite well in isolating the vibrations,especially coupled with a couple of gyro's,although I've never used one personally. The obvious down side to using this,is that you will have to have quite a large helicopter in order to give you enough headroom,it would be impossible in something like a Robinson 44,just not enough room. Hope that helps. Tom.

Hi, In the smaller formats for commercial use the Fuji is so much better,Polaroid with a Hassy back was crap. What I miss is the 5x4 B&W with the neg which makes beautiful prints,and the 10x8,I kept my 10x8 processor in the hope that it would be revived. Last time I bought it,10x8 Pola cost over £100 GDP per box (can't remember if it was 10 or 15 sheets) but I would happily pay double if I could still get it again,beautiful quality,quite unique. Tom.

Hi, Perhaps of interest,is that the BSC are presenting the results of their camera test,tomorrow at the NFT in London. It involved,I believe, all the cameras, HD & film, that were currently being used in productions at the time (Spring 09),from the Canon 5D MkIIthrough 435's,Pani's etc ,Phantom HD,D21.Genesis,Red,Viper and lots of others. I also understand that it also involves all the current film stocks available,although I'm not clear if that includes 16mm. Although it's not too long a day by DP standards,starting at 10.30 until 6.30,my only problem is going to be staying awake. Day off,darkened film theatre,lunch etc,I'll be in the land of nod,unless the presentation is compelling. Further information can be found at http://www.bscine.com/. Worth coming along to,if you're in London with a free day. Tom.

Phil, I'm grappling with trying to do my own site at the moment,so I can appreciate what you've achieved. Really good site,and loved the reel. Tom.