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RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera

RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera

by Noah Kadner
Publisher: Peachpit Press
Release Date: August 2009
ISBN: 9780321657770
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Book Description

With the release of the RED ONE™ digital cinema camera, the possibility of recording stunning, cinematic-quality images with an affordable camera became a reality. Now that the industry has embraced the nascent technology and added new tools and workflows, filmmakers—from independents on up—are leading the charge on establishing new rules.

Here to guide newcomers and RED veterans alike, popular trainer and filmmaker Noah Kadner picks up where the manual leaves off. You’ve got the basic operations down and now you’ll learn how to use the camera in a production environment and discover the various options in post. Using a clear, objective approach, he offers best-practice advice on utilizing RED’s proprietary tools, explains the workflows for Final Cut Studio, Avid, and Premiere Pro, and gives workaround solutions where needed. Well-known filmmakers and industry leaders share their own bleeding-edge production methodologies throughout, offering a rare view into this exciting new world of filmmaking.

Here are just a few things you’ll learn to do:
•Build a RED package that fits your budget
•Set up for sound recording and learn which audio tools to use
•Achieve the optimal exposure using RED’s onboard tools and external gear
•Edit your footage with step-by-step instructions for Avid, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro
•Work color correction into your HD, film, or Web projects
•Prep your project for output and archive your footage
•Learn from pros such as Rodney Charters, ASC (DP, 24), Simon Duggan, ACS (DP, Knowing), Albert Hughes (Director, The Book of Eli), and many others using RED
•Stay up-to-date and download additional resources at the companion Web site at www.peachpit.com/red


"If you want to dive in and starting using the RED, look no further. This book is the next best thing to having a top-notch production crew with RED experts working by your side." —Arthur Albert, Director of Photography, ER

"An essential guide loaded with knowledge, I recommend it as the first purchase for any filmmaker who is thinking about owning or currently owns the RED." —Rodney Charters, ASC, Director of Photography, 24

"If you're planning to shoot with the RED camera, this is the book to get!" —Rob Cohen, Director, The Fast and the Furious

"Noah Kadner takes the best practices of using the RED camera and shares them with the rest of us in this indispensable guide." —Simon Duggan, ACS, Director of Photography, Live Free or Die Hard, Knowing

"Written in an easy-to-follow style, yet thorough in covering everything from production to postproduction to making money from your investment, this is a book that should be on every filmmaker’s desk and in their kit bag." —Norman Hollyn, Film Editor, Instructor, and author of The Lean Forward Moment

"If you want to see how the pros are using the RED camera, you need this book." —Nancy Schreiber, ASC, Cinematographer, Every Day

Table of Contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2.  
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. About the Author
  5. Introduction
    1. Who This Book Is For
      1. New Owners
      2. Longtime Owners
      3. Editors and Postproduction Teams
      4. Renters
      5. Scarlet and EPIC Owners
      6. Enthusiasts
    2. How to Use This Book
      1. Defining Workflow
      2. Companion Web Site
  6. 1. The History of the Future
    1. Assembling the Team
    2. Technical Specs
    3. The RED Phenomenon
      1. Public Debut: NAB 2006
      2. REDuser Forum
      3. NAB 2007
      4. RED Day
      5. Industry Acceptance
  7. I. Red Planning and Production
    1. 2. Overview of the RED Workflow
      1. Comparing the RED with Other Cameras
        1. Video
        2. High Definition
        3. Film
      2. Exploring the Tapeless Workflow
      3. Exploring the RAW Workflow
        1. Comparisons with DSLR RAW
        2. The REDCODE RAW Native Camera Codec
        3. RED Files, Folders, and Proxies
      4. Working with Metadata
      5. Upgrading Your Firmware
      6. First Person POV: Rodney Charters, ASC
    2. 3. Defining Your Project
      1. Project Length
        1. Feature Films
        2. Documentaries
        3. Episodic Television
        4. Music Videos
        5. Commercials
        6. Short Films
      2. Production Mode
        1. Multiple RED Cameras
        2. Multiple Formats
      3. Delivery Format
        1. Delivering in High Definition
        2. Delivering for a Film Finish
        3. Delivering for the Internet
      4. Organizing Your Workflow
      5. First Person POV: Albert Hughes
    3. 4. Building a RED Package
      1. The RED ONE Camera Body
      2. Optics
        1. RED Lenses
        2. Third-Party Prime Lenses: ARRI and Cooke
        3. Zoom Lenses
        4. 16mm Lenses
        5. Still Lenses
        6. Lens Mount Adaptors
      3. Storage Options
        1. RED CF Cards
        2. RED-DRIVE and RED-RAM
      4. Matte Boxes
      5. Filters
        1. ND Filters
        2. IR and Polarizing Filters
        3. Diffusion, Softening, and Color-Correction Filters
      6. Follow Focus and Remote Control
      7. Tripods and Camera Support
      8. Batteries and Power
      9. Cases and Carts
      10. Monitoring
        1. Electronic Viewfinder (EVF)
        2. Onboard Monitors
        3. Studio Monitors
        4. Routing
      11. Transfer Equipment
      12. Working Within a Budget
      13. Scarlet and EPIC
      14. First Person POV: Mark L. Pederson
    4. 5. Working with Sound
      1. Why You Need Good Sound
      2. Double-System Sound
      3. Audio Equipment Shopping List
        1. Microphones
        2. Headphones
        3. Mic Accessories
        4. Digital Recorders
          1. Deva
          2. Sound Devices
          3. Cantar
        5. Mixers
      4. Working with Timecode
        1. 23.98 vs. 29.97
        2. Multi-Camera Audio
        3. Proper Slate Etiquette
      5. Using the Onboard Audio
        1. Connections
        2. Menus and Operation
      6. Postproduction Audio Tips
      7. First Person POV: Dean Georgopoulos
    5. 6. Exposing the Image
      1. Exposure Concepts
        1. Working RAW
        2. The ASA System
        3. Aperture
        4. Shutter Speed/Angle
        5. Color Temperature
      2. External Exposure Tools
        1. Light Meters
        2. Waveforms and Vectorscopes
        3. Using a Color Chart
      3. Onboard Exposure Tools
        1. LOOK Settings
        2. False Color
        3. Monochrome
        4. SPOT METER
        5. Histogram
        6. ZEBRAS
      4. First Person POV: Arthur Albert
    6. 7. Exploring Shooting Formats
      1. Recording Quality
      2. Choosing Resolution
        1. 4K
        2. 3K
        3. 2K
      3. Working with Aspect Ratios
        1. 2:1
        2. 16:9
        3. HD
        4. Anamorphic
      4. Choosing Time Base
        1. 24P
        2. 24.00
        3. 25
        4. 29.97
      5. In-Camera Effects
        1. Varispeed
        2. Ramping
          1. Postproduction Ramp
          2. Time-Lapse
      6. First Person POV: Nancy Schreiber, ASC
  8. II. The RED Workflow: Postproduction
    1. 8. Building a Postproduction System
      1. Choosing a Platform
        1. Recommended Systems
      2. Postproduction Workflows
        1. Offline vs. Online Editing
        2. File Formats
          1. Native
          2. Proxy
          3. Transcoding
        3. Finishing RAW vs. ‘Baked In’
      3. Editing Software
        1. Apple Final Cut Pro
        2. Adobe Premiere Pro
        3. Avid
      4. Storage Options
        1. JBOD
        2. RAIDs
      5. Monitor Options
        1. Computer Monitors
        2. Broadcast Monitors
        3. Converter Cards
      6. First Person POV: Michael Cioni
    2. 9. Using Helper Applications
      1. RED Applications
        1. RED Alert!
        2. REDCINE
        3. REDrushes
        4. REDLine
      2. Third-Party Applications
        1. Crimson Workflow
        2. Monkey Extract
        3. Clipfinder
      3. Color and Gamma Space
        1. Color Space Settings
        2. Gamma Space Settings
      4. First Person POV: Brook Willard
    3. 10. Apple Final Cut Pro Workflow
      1. System Requirements
      2. Ingesting Footage
      3. Editing
      4. Color Correcting
        1. Sending to Color
        2. Using Cinema Tools
          1. Going to Color
      5. Sharing with Other Formats
      6. Alternate Workflows
        1. The Native-Wrapped Method
          1. Ingesting
          2. Color Correction
        2. The Proxy Method
          1. Ingesting
          2. Color Correction
      7. First Person POV: Evin Grant
    4. 11. Adobe Premiere Pro Workflow
      1. Setting Up Your System
      2. Ingesting Footage
      3. Editing in Premiere Pro
      4. Exporting Your Project
        1. Adobe After Effects
        2. Blu-ray
    5. 12. Avid Workflow
      1. Setting Up Your System
      2. Ingesting Footage
      3. Editing in Avid Media Composer
      4. Conforming in Avid DS
      5. First Person POV: Michael Phillips
    6. 13. Finishing Your Project
      1. Film Workflow
      2. Desktop Color Correction
        1. Apple Color
        2. ASSIMILATE SCRATCH
        3. IRIDAS SpeedGrade XR
      3. Outputting for Other Formats
        1. DVD
          1. DVD Studio Pro
          2. Adobe Encore
          3. Avid DVD
          4. Creating a DVD From RED Footage
        2. Blu-ray
        3. HD
        4. Internet
      4. First Person POV: Simon Duggan, ACS
    7. 14. Archiving Your Media
      1. Archiving in the Field
        1. Recommended Equipment
        2. Transferring Footage
          1. Offloading Utilities
          2. Offloading via the Finder
          3. Directory Naming Conventions
      2. Postproduction Archiving
        1. Initial Setup
        2. Selective vs. Complete Archives
        3. Working with Tape
      3. Recommended Hardware and Software
        1. Recommended LTO Drives
        2. Tapes
        3. Tape Libraries
        4. Archiving Software
          1. EMC Corporation Retrospect
          2. Tolis Group BRU
          3. Archiware PresSTORE Archive
          4. Atempo Digital Archive
      4. Vaulting Services
      5. First Person POV: Greg Williams
    8. 15. Your Future with RED
      1. Building a Business with the RED
        1. Digital Imaging Technician/Data Wrangler
        2. Camera Rental
        3. Director of Photography
        4. Editor/Postproduction Supervisor
      2. Your Next Camera
      3. Story First
  9. A. Complete System Menu Map
  10. B. RED Gallery
  11. Glossary
  12. Image Credits