Rick Cook

Just stopping in to say a majority of HMI bulbs come in closer to 6000k in my experience. Recently used a Joker 1600, Arri D12 Fresnel and a Arri 1.2k Par and all were slightly different. All had new bulbs. If I remember correctly I had to add 1/8 - Green to the 1.2k Par and looking back should have added a 1/8th CTO to the Joker to make them closer. I used a color meter on set, which I rarely use so luckily I tossed it in the bag!

Hey Philipp, I recently purchased a Komodo. So far it's been great. The form factor was the biggest seller to me. The image has been really impressive and if you are used to dealing with R3D's and IPP2 it will be great. In my opinion the weakest part of this camera is the single SDI Port. I haven't personally had issues but some folks had their output go down. There is little you can do besides sending it back to red. This is an issue when folks use cheaper sdi cables and the pins are not properly sized or the locking is not tight. It seams the 12G port on the camera is very sensitive. If you use the recommended 12G cables it will not be an issue. Another issue is the wait time to receive one. I know you'll likely rent but since its 40 days maybe you planned to purchase? They are back ordered for about 5 months.

It's all a matter of taste and what fits your needs. Both are pretty good options for the price. Just remember you will also need to find third party products for powering these cameras. The noise pattern on the 4k is horrible. Under certain conditions it has a terrible fixed pattern, and the footage is pretty much unusable. Haven't seen that issue using the 2k Cinema Camera.

Ah damn, I will just miss this. I'll be out there in two weeks.

Definitely attempt putting new Cells in it. I had one die, and was able to have it rebuilt for $45. I also snipped the cable on another that had been really messed up and used it to go into a HUGE battery to run my Arriflex BL. Now the thing Runs for days but is super heavy.

Learn to manage your anxiety all together. If your continously get it before shoots, then Its likely that you get anxiety at other times as well. Look up some ways to combat that, and just relax. I just always allow myself the time I need to prep for a shoot. Leave yourself enough time to do whatever needs to be done. I also like to just sit down and think about the logistics of every day the night before, you can reassure yourself that the day will (logistically) go smoothly.

I have bounced a 1.2k HMI off some ultrabounce through three frames with 1/4 diffusion in a sort of U shape wrapping around the talent. Its not exactly the Briese look, but I like the quality it gives to a female face.

I have heard good things about that place, though I have not been there myself. I know two people who went. They both mentioned they enjoyed the athmosphere, and how the classes were somewhat collaborative. I believe one of them said he had assisted the workshop in some way in exchange for a free/lower tuiton.

I recently purchased one knowing It would barely get a return if I was to Rent it. I try to look at it this way; Its still a 4K camera, and it still shoots Raw. Thats something I would have needed to spend $20k for. In this case I put together a working system for under $6k. I would always Rent gear anyway for a project if it had a strong enough budget regardless, but being able to offer the Red One to some lower budget productions can sometimes be a deal maker. A majority of the directors I work with at the level I am at now will not complain about a camera system that has been used on Major Pictures.

Though Im still cutting my teeth as well, Ive picked up a few thing recently on the topic. Knowing when to work for free should be important to you. I am just starting to get fairly busy myself Though I have had steady freelance gigs for a few years, I had been working with people who were trapped at the same level I was (Crappy gigs, low pay, No exposure). Every now and again, someone who has been succesful, will take on a project for personal reasons that others at their level have no interest in. They will give the same line " great oppurtunity for experience Blah Blah" Thats not as important as an Introduction in some respects. Find out who they know. The DP they last worked with might be getting big in your market, and you can say " wow I'd really like to meet him/her". Get a phone number or email, and offer to do a gig with that person for experience. If your ready for that level of work and perfom well, you will most likely be considered in the future for paid work. I do have a second job. I shoot local TV programing. Its great for now, because my second job is still shooting. Don't be afraid to try and sneak a foot in with your local news company. Keep it Part Time though, with flexible hours or still freelance (Its an easy world to get stuck in)

I find myself shooting a lot of interviews lately, and I will usually go with the following gear: 2 Arri 650's with Chimera Soft Boxes 3 Arri 300's 2 Lowell Rifa's If I need too, I will rent HMI fixtures. I use standard 3 point lighting for most of my interviews. Two 300's I use as Backlights, Rifa's on the opposite side of the talent as the key. The 650's are used for fill If I need it. The other 300 I generally use to throw something interesting in the background.

Happy Holidays to everyone here! Thanks to everyone that posts and shares information here on the forum. This truely is a helpful community with a lot of great hearts.

Hey Guys, I am looking for a Red Drive, Either 320gb or 640gb. Figured Id ask here, as I prefer this forum over others associated with RED. I am also interested in used Anton Batteries. I am considering a second charger at the right price as well. Thanks for taking the time to read. Rick Cook

I started shooting around the age of 13 when I bought a Hi8 camera from a garage sale to film skateboarding. At the time, all of my friends were drooling over the older skaters new VX1000's, DVX100's, with the Century Optics "Death Lens" (which is silly considering I just bought one on CL out of nostalgia for $50!). I filmed skating for years, until My freshman year of High School I took a TV Production Class. My teacher pushed us to try shooting narratives/commercials/music videos. Having my previous experience with shooting and editing made it an easy transition. I shot my own films with friends all throughout High School. Those years shaped me entirely, we had Tshirts made, and would promote our films using the early days of My Space. The only tragedy is; looking back on some of the work I did back then, I feel I have become more focused on Standards then Creativity.

You cant create information by simply lifting the blacks in post. If there is little to no detail on the low end of the image coming from the camera, then you will most likely have that (or information that suffers greatly) if you attempt to simply boost a signal in post. In my opinion, the noise added to an image in post looks worse then noise introduced by increasing the gain in camera.