Consumer still cameras have had the capability to shoot sound video for quite some time now. The video was rather noisy and a far cry from camcorder quality. It was more a novelty than a way to save memories, certainly a far cry from real filmmaking.

As of this writing, consumer level cameras now have the capability to shoot high definition (HD) video. Though the resolution is greater, the video is still not camcorder quality because of sensor and lens limitations.

Recently, HD video capability has been added to professional still cameras (aka, DSLR Cameras), which cost $750 to $3,000. Because these camera feature extremely high quality sensors and lenses, the resulting video quality is nothing short of astounding.

For example, one of the finest camcorders is the Red One, by Red Digital Cinema, discussed in our recent posts. It features a .96 inch, 12 megapixel CMOS sensor. By contrast, Canon’s 50D features a .87 inch, 15 megapixel CMOS sensor. Tests show that the Canon 50Ds video is every bit as nice as the Red One’s.

The Canon, however, costs $900 while the Red One costs $15,000. Wow! Big difference. Same story with the Nikon D90, which sells for $1100. One of the most expensive DSLRs, the Sony A900, is $2700. That’s 5 times cheaper than the Red camera, yet it features a massive 1.4 inch, 24 megapixel CMOS sensor.

Another important benefit of DSLR cameras is that the large sensor and interchangeable lenses allow unparalleled control of depth of field. This enables you to isolate the subject in the frame for a more “filmic” look.

Because of the “bigger bang for the buck,” low budget filmmakers are seriously looking at DSLR cameras, or at least questioning the relative cost of camcorders.

So, are DSLR better than camcorders?

Here’s the bottom line:

Even though DSLRs have equal if not better image quality and are much cheaper, they are prone to the rolling shutter effect (aka, “jello effect”). This is image distortion that occurs with certain types of swift movement.

If you have never seen the jello effect, examples can be readily found on YouTube. Needless to say, you would not want have a day’s shooting ruined by this. As any filmmaker worth his salt knows, such a disaster can easily offset savings in camera costs.

Until this problem is solved, DSLRs are best suited for specialized shooting. Specifically, where high quality, shallow depth of field is required.

If you are willing to risk the jello effect, you should also consider the following features which are standard and essential on a camcorder, but not present on DSLR.

1. Articulating Video Monitor

2. Electronic Viewfinder

3. Power Zoom

4. Zebra Stripes (for monitoring exposure)

5. Multiple Resolutions

6. Multiple Frame Rates

7. Time Code

8. Stereo Sound

9. XLR Audio Inputs

10. Multi Channel Audio Input

11. Manual Audio Controls

12. Audio Monitoring

That’s a lot of missing stuff, huh? Call them the dirty dozen–features you take for granted on even the cheapest camcorders but not available on DSLR cameras.

While DSLRs will certainly become a great filmmaking tool, it may be awhile before they can suitably replace a camcorders. Perhaps by virtue of the market they are designed for, they never will:

In the first two posts of this series, we looked at the general specs and capabilities of the revolutionary Red One digital camera. Now we will examine how the camera records and stores images.

Firmware Builds

One of the innovations of the Red camera, in addition to the extraordinary 4,096 lines of horizontal resolution, is that it can be re-programmed as developments are made by the manufacturer. A reprogramming is known as a “firmware build.”

Firmware builds add new features and refine existing ones in such areas as recording, exposure control, and color science.  Ultimately this gives the camera capabilities beyond its original design.

Firmware builds are available to owners right off the Internet, free of charge. The camera displays its current firmware build when it boots up.

RAW

As we discussed in the previous post, the Red camera records in RAW, like a digital still camera. RAW images are uncompressed and involve no color subsampling. In essence, the raw data is all the information that the camera’s 12 megapixel sensor “sees.”

The amount of recorded data is so vast that white balance and gain are not required prior to shooting. These adjustments can be made after the fact in post-production. In fact, the only adjustment that needs to be made at the time of shooting is exposure.

Because the Red camera records RAW and there is only one data path (no RGB as in typical video recording), it is closer to a digital still camera than a video camera. Technically, it does not shoot video, which is defined as an RGB signal, but rather high speed still images. It seems strange but that’s how the manufacturer, Red Digital Cinema, views the camera.

Despite this, the signal can be converted to RGB to play on HD monitors. The camera has HD outputs for this purpose. There is no SD output.

Redcode RAW

Recode RAW is the CODEC that the Red camera uses to compress 4K clips into manageable file sizes. This allows the files to be recorded on different media including compact flash cards.

Recode RAW has two levels of compression Redcode 28 and Recode 36. Recode 28 is for recording normal scenes, while Redcode 36 uses less compression and is appropriate for highly detailed images.

Storage

The Red camera offers three way to store recordings:

1. Compact Flash Card – records up to 10 minutes

2. RAID Hard Drive – records up to 6 hours

3. Red RAM – records up to 1 hour

The first method is recommended because it is simple and dependable. It requires a RED CF module which attaches to the camera. After shooting, the flash card is easily popped out of the camera and into a computer for editing.

As of this writing, flash cards can store up to 16GB, with a 4K recording time of 10 minutes. This may not seem like much, but it is the same running time of a 35mm film magazine.

The RAID hard drive and Red RAM are viable options, but they add weight to the camera and a slightly more involved workflow when compared to the ease of handling a small flash card.

We hope this series on the Red One camera has been helpful. Red Digital Cinema has managed to democratize production by bringing an affordable Ultra HD camera to the market in much the same way Apple helped indie film editors with Final Cut Pro.

The company is in the process of designing lower and higher end cameras, along with a 4K monitor and projector. These will prove to be a treat to filmmakers at all budget levels. – Antonio Fox

In the previous post we introduced the ultra high definition Red One digital camera. At 4,096 horizontal scan lines, it has the highest resolution of any HD camera currently on the market.

The camera also has the lowest price of any camera in its class because it is sold factory direct without a middleman. The next cheapest camera is five times more expensive and offers a quarter of the resolution! Let’s take a closer look at this revolutionary camera.

Camera Dimensions

The Red camera body is made out of cast aluminum. Unlike most other digital cameras on the market, no plastic is used in its construction. The camera body is 12″ long and 6″ high. It weighs 10 pounds. Fully configured with lens, matte box, and media recorder, it weighs 30 pounds.

Resolution

The Red One gives you the option to record using 4K, 3K, or 2K lines of resolution. By comparison, the next best HD camera offers only 1K recording. The Red camera cannot natively record in the lower HD resolutions of 1080 and 720 lines. The clips, however, can be scaled down to these resolutions in post-production. They can also be scaled down to standard definition (SD) video.

Format

Competing HD cameras use formats and recording CODECS that involve some form of compression or color subsampling of data, which ultimately degrades the image. The RED camera records the signal in RAW, which is uncompressed and unprocessed. Each frame has as much information as you might find in a digital still photograph, and indeed, RAW is the same format used by digital still cameras.

Image Sensor

Competing HD cameras use three CCD chips with three corresponding channels for the red, green, and blue signals (RGB). The Red camera uses one CMOS sensor and the data travels in a single path through the camera. The design is much more simple and streamline compared to conventional video cameras.

The CMOS image sensor is a large one. It is 12 megapixels and measures  24.4mm x 13.7mm (.96 x .54 inches). With a trademark name of Mysterium, the sensor is proprietary to Red Digital Cinema, its designer.

4K recordings use the full surface area of the sensor, while 3K and 2K recordings use windowed areas. It’s best to shoot in 4K  and scale down later because it offers more flexibility. The benefits of shooting in 3K and 2K are that it allows higher frame rates and longer recording times.

Audio

The red camera has four channels for audio recording. There is no microphone. Instead, the camera has four mini XLR input connectors for external microphones.

We hope this information gives you a better understanding of the form and function of the Red One digital camera. In the final post of this series we will investigate how the camera records and stores image files. You may find it interesting that the manufacturer doesn’t consider the Red One a video camera in the classic sense. What is it then? -Antonio Fox

The Red One digital camera is perhaps the most powerful video camera on the market as of this writing. It certainly has the highest resolution, coming in at over 4,000 horizontal scan lines (hence, the term 4K technology).

This Red camera literally came out of nowhere and blindsided the major manufacturers like Sony and Panasonic, who didn’t take the camera seriously even when they found out about it. This is exactly what happened to Avid when Apple stole a large chunk of the post-production market with their editing system, Final Cut Pro.

This is the first of a three post series that will examine the virtues of the innovative Red One digital video camera.

Red vs. The Competition

To understand the leap in technology, you must compare the Red camera to its competition. The Red has a resolution of 4,096 lines. The next best video camera has a maximum resolution of 1,080 lines. The Red is so far beyond the current crop of HD cameras that it is has been coined an Ultra HD camera.

Get this: the 4,096 line resolution is so great that the recordings cannot be exhibited at full quality. The reason is that the best monitors can handle only 2,000 scan lines and the best digital projectors, less than that.

The manufacturer of the Red One is in the process of designing a monitor and projector that can handle the camera’s full 4K resolution.

Red vs. 35mm

The Red camera’s 4K image quality is closer to 65mm than it is to 35mm. Footage shot in 35mm is transferred to video for digital post-production. Consequently, the final 35mm image is equivalent to 1K lines of horizontal resolution by the time it is projected in theaters. There is a comprehensive study on the Internet confirming this.

Price

Just as amazing as the image quality is the price. The camera body cost a mere $17,500. At the time of it’s introduction the cheapest HD camera of this caliber was $65,000.

The Red One was introduced by a small mom and pop company called Red Digital Cinema. There was no marketing campaign, just word of mouth. In addition, it sold factory direct without a middleman.

Needless to say jaws dropped in the industry when the Red One was unveiled. Extremely high quality at an extremely low price–everyone wanted one. The camera was back-ordered for over a year and new owners said it was well worth the wait. Many put in followup orders.

In the next post, we’ll take a closer look at this amazing camera. -Antonio Fox

If you want to understand how to make a movie, you’ve come to the right place.  This is an overview of the filmmaking process–a primer, if you will.  Chances are that the actual process is different than what you think it is.

For example, novice filmmakers often believe that the director is also the cameraman. This is not the case. In fact, the cameraman is not the “cameraman.” The job is split between two specialists: the cinematographer (who oversees the photography of the movie) and the camera operator (who physically runs the camera). So, in practice, the duties of the cameraman are two steps removed from the director and performed by several people.

But hold on! We are getting way ahead of ourselves. Let’s back up and start from the beginning. It’s obvious that making a movie involves “light, camera, and action,” as they say, but how is this actually accomplished? By understanding the steps used to make a movie, you will better see how the pieces fit together.

The filmmaking process can be divided into five basic steps:

Development

In the development stage, the producer secures the script and raises financing. The script is perhaps the most important ingredient used to make a movie. It serves not only as the blueprint for production, but the foundation for everything that follows.

The story must be outstanding, otherwise the finished film is destined to failure. The producer can locate a great story by purchasing the rights to a book, optioning a spec script (a script written on speculation by an aspiring screenwriter), or adapting a news story or historic event.

Pre-Production

During pre-production, the director, cast, and crew are brought on-board. Casting is perhaps the most important element after the script. Great acting gives life to a great script, but poor acting is its death knoll.

On major productions, the casting can take many months.It’s important to find actors that are not only fine performers but have the ability to bring depth and dimension to the roles. In addition to casting and crewing, pre-production also involves finding locations and developing the production schedule.

Production

When people think about making a movie, they typically think in terms of production. As you can see, however, a lot of work is invested prior to the camera rolling. During actual production, the director is the artistic leader, responsible for translating the script to the screen. To accomplish this he relies on different craft departments–camera, sound, design, etc.

Each craft department has it’s own boss. For example, the cinematographer is in charge of the camera department, the mixer is in charge of the sound department, and the production designer is in charge of the design department. Based on years of union regulation, each department is carefully structured with it’s own chain of command. You wouldn’t think this because film is considered an art form, but a major film production is run like a well-oiled corporate machine!

The director has his own little department as well, composed of the assistant director and the continuity supervisor. Believe it or not, the assistant director has no creative duties. His job is solely to keep the set running smoothly and on time. Depending on the size of the production, there can be one or more assistant directors. The continuity supervisor is the person you see following the director around with a notebook. The job involves keeping track of the director’s shots and preferred takes.

Post-Production

As you might expect, post-production involves editing the film, which is shot in small snippets and usually out of sequence. What most novice filmmakers don’t understand is that sound editing is a huge part of the post-production process. There are special editors called “sound designers” that add all of those great sound effects that contribute to the excitement of a scene.

Sound actually goes through two cycles in post-production. The first cycle involves adding the right sound effects and music, and the second step involves blending all the sound tracks together so that they sound right. The latter step is called sound mixing and it is crucial indeed. Without proper sound mixing, dialogue might sound too low, music too loud, and sound effects a mishmash. Sound mixing puts all of these tracks in proper perspective.

Distribution

When a movie is completed, it goes through a roll-out process whereby the film is distributed to different outlets for exhibition to the public. There are many steps involve, including: developing an advertising campaign, assessing how many theaters to open in, determining whether to enter film festivals or use sneak previews, etc. Later considerations are DVD, TV and international release.

Like the other areas of the filmmaking, there are people who specialize in the different areas of distribution. Although many low budget films wait until the end of the filmmaking process to secure distribution, successful producers know that this is one of the first steps and it goes hand in hand with raising financing.

If you are a low budget filmmaker, you will not be able to afford all of the specialists discussed above. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make a great movie.

To achieve the highest level of efficiency for your limited money, it is important to combine jobs and duties in a logical way. Remember, you cannot do everything yourself, and if you try to, the final product will be inferior. At the very least, you should have a competent cinematographer, sound person, and assistant director.

Finally–and this applies to all levels of production from no budget to mega budget–you must have a great script and talented actors. Otherwise, you are wasting your time.

We hope that this primer is helpful in understanding how all the pieces fit together to make a movie. Best of luck! -Antonio Fox