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which red for indie action feature?


Eduardo Sausa

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hey folks, i am offered to shoot an independent feature film in south east asia. the project is an action film and we will be using Red.

The question is which one. I worked with Red One before i mnow it is good image but i find bit bulky for hand held action camera work.

However i haven't used Red Epic or Scarlet before. They seem better for type of work we will do.

 

What are the pros and cons? What would you prefer? Why?

Any knowledge, sugestion and information will be highly appreciated.

 

Thank you all for you time in advance

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hey folks, i am offered to shoot an independent feature film in south east asia. the project is an action film and we will be using Red.

The question is which one. I worked with Red One before i mnow it is good image but i find bit bulky for hand held action camera work.

However i haven't used Red Epic or Scarlet before. They seem better for type of work we will do.

 

What are the pros and cons? What would you prefer? Why?

Any knowledge, sugestion and information will be highly appreciated.

 

Thank you all for you time in advance

 

I've only worked with the Red One as well, but after seeing a number of projects shot with the Epic I think that it might be your best choice based on what you say you need. The RED One as you say is fair too bulky for an action film, and the setup time is a little bit longer than what you might find with the Epic or Scarlet. Both the Epic and Scarlet have very easy menus to navigate so learning it shouldn't be a big deal. Both seem to have superior image quality (and the HDRx looks very nice). But, I don't know how any of the RED cameras hold up in an action film so I can't offer any advantages of one or the other in this specific situation. Bottom line, the Epic and Scarlet are smaller/lighter with a slightly shorter setup time and easy to use touch screen menus.

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Let me preface with this: If your story is good (or bad), no one is going to give a poop what you shot on.

 

That being said, I've operated both in many face paced handheld environments (including action feature), and also been spoiled by the studio setting. The Epic/Scarlet body style is compact before you outfit it properly (batteries, mags, monitors, handles, rails, FF, etc...), in fact I know an operator that added an additional 5 lbs to a fully outfitted Epic handheld rig because it was too front heavy. As to such I actually prefer the feeling of the One for handheld.

 

You do get higher frame rates per resolution in the Epic but all that data will cost you on the back end. Make sure you allocate this properly.

 

The Epic menu navigation is MUCH easier, but after a few days with the One it's navigation becomes second nature.

 

Lastly if you have a chance, try doing what we used to do with film and shoot tests.

 

Good Luck.

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in fact I know an operator that added an additional 5 lbs to a fully outfitted Epic handheld rig because it was too front heavy. As to such I actually prefer the feeling of the One for handheld.

 

The Epic menu navigation is MUCH easier, but after a few days with the One it's navigation becomes second nature.

The One is much better for handheld. I've done the same thing with the Epic regarding adding weight.

The Epic menu is better, but if you're operating off of the eyepiece it's a total pain to go into the menus because you have to disconnect the eyepiece and connect the touchscreen monitor to make any changes, and the touchscreen doesn't always work very well. Forget the Redmote. It's a piece of junk.

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