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Brian Ferguson

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Everything posted by Brian Ferguson

  1. The Epic fans go to what they are set to in the menus- from the Epic Ops manual: Record Speed - Sets a fixed fan speed to be used during Record. Range 35 – 100%. Default is 50%. Standby Speed - Sets a fixed fan speed to be used during Standby. Range 45 – 100%. Default is 75%. . I don't think the camera guys think about that until someone asks them to turn down the Record default. I turned it down in some race track/pit interviews I did, but in a situation like that you have tons of background noise anyway.
  2. I said that Genlock was probably a camera tech issue. I said it was a RED recommendation. I work at Red as a consultant, I am paid on a retainer. I own a RED camera, I do freelance jobs. I have been at RED since it started. I answer audio and time code questions there. Matthew Mebane is one of Russ Carpenter's assistant cameramen who was directing this short film, "Down and Out". He is a friend of mine and they rented my camera. Russ was the D.P. on the film. There was very little budget on that film. The editor asked me to ask the mixer if he could run an audio reference to the camera, to make his job simpler. I asked Robert on the first day and he said no. He later complied. I had a problem with Robert's attitude towards me on that job. I posted from that point of view, and I should not have. I will refrain from posting in the future.
  3. Honestly Robert. What you provided worked out fine. There were no technical problems at all. You did not use a Clockit/Lockit. It worked fine. I asked you to provide a reference audio to the camera and you told me that was what assistant editors were for, and that you would not do it. The next day the editor went off on you, it was a no budget job, and the Director was Russ Carpenter's Assistant. They needed audio for dallies. After that you complied and it was no problem. I always say the most important thing is have a smart slate, with accurate audio TC on it it in front of the lens. You were much easier on the next short installment, I am just saying you don't listen unless you think someone is an authority. I don't have time to tell you I have 25 years of film experience before you started in the business. At that time we did "Down & Out" I was 3 months out of the ER for a burst appendix, I was done fighting those kind of battles. I already knew what dying was like and this was no biggie. You didn't want my advice then. So you were on your own. You did not want to send audio to the camera until the editor argued with you regardless of what I said. And now you post you want a larger authority than my post. Listen to who you want. I was just giving you a heads up, like I was before. I didn't say you messed up before. It is degrees of perfection. It may not have been broke, it can be better. I am just saying if you want to add one small cable to devices you are already using for better results, then you should do it. Why are sound guys so resistant to a little input? Soon this will be in the op's manual, l am sorry I gave it to you here - ahead of time, before everyone else. We are talking best practices, doesn't mean what you are doing now sucks. Brian Ferguson
  4. Agreed, I always try to mention Deneke in my posts and not exclude them. Mike Deneke was a friend of mine, we worked on several jobs together, he was a great guy and to not include his legacy is not in me. We had a mutual friend in D.P. Ralph Young, they both did a lot with Chambers and Assoc. in the 80's. A Deneke slate was all I knew when I was an AC and as a DP. I was/am also a Director and Post Supervisor and then as Editor so I think I know this subject as well as anyone could. RED may seem to have been Ambient centric because this was the direction our early features went. We test with the gear we have and when other situations occur we check those out. Other workflows have not really come up until recently. As much as I can tell until the SBT Deneke did not quite have a comparable device, correct me if I am wrong. Brian Ferguson
  5. Well Robert, Considering we met 2 years ago with my own RED camera, on the set of the short "Down & Out". I think you are very consistent. You did not listen to my advice then. Brian Ferguson
  6. No problem I saw the Chinhda cart by accident. Before I saw the post, as I was wandering aimlessly - as usual. I recognised it from pics I saw here.
  7. Timecode and sync do have a relationship. That is why sync from a SBT or Clockit should be fed to genlock on a RED while sending TC Jam, because when the camera starts its shutter it is locked to the frame TC being fed. If you are fractionally off - without genlock, it is hard to pick a frame that should be the sync mark, because you are seeing the transition of the Smart Slate LED. Also without genlock the shutter difference will be different every time the camera starts, random. The sync is available on these boxes, my advice and that of the RED engineers I work with, is that you use sync-genlock with TC Jam whenever you can. It isn't like it costs more with a Clockit or SBT the outputs are there. When the 2 are set up properly on A RED One you get a gold chain symbol for TC and a padlock for genlock. TC Jam on a RED menu is System/Project/Timecode and Genlock is Sensor/Shutter. If you are doing a 3D shoot you can use a BNC T to split the sync to 2 cameras on a rig. The Ambient Lockit has 2 TC outs one BNC the other Lemo so with the proper cables you can feed 2 RED Lemo inputs. I am not as familiar with the Deneke but I think it is similar. You absolutley need to use a TC/Sync box for 3D do not feed TC from one box and Genlock from another source as they have no relationship when separate. The tests have shown this to be a very stable system. This probably is a camera tech responsibility, but at least you have a RED recommendation. Brian Ferguson RED Digital audio tech support
  8. Very few people shoot RED at true 24 fps almost all of the shoots I know about have done 23.98 (23.976). I think "Book of Eli" was shot on RED at true 24.
  9. Here you go Jeff! I love the idea of user supported media. Like PBS here in the U.S. I don't know if this is considered media, but it is a very valuable resource. Brian Ferguson
  10. Did Backstage change their name to Studio Carts? Because that was the booth I saw the Chinhda cart at.
  11. If the video is shot off speed how is anyone going to sync it up?
  12. I hear you on the TC after booting issue. If you figure a Clocit/Lockit is about $1k and a Master Clock to program it is another $1k. I wonder if it is worth adding that extra capability to a camera body that costs $17,500. I have had great results on RED with the Clockit/Lockit which takes care of the reboot TC problem. It also gives me Tri-level sync for Genlock which has to be from and external source anyway. I know a lot of people don't want extra stuff hanging off the camera but it is the first generation. Have to start somewhere. I do know most of the development team but I don't know any of the details of the feature set of Epic beyond what has been published already.
  13. Hi Marc - as it said in that article Jannard sold Oakley to Luxottica in 2007. But you are right, the attitude of Oakley still has Jim's influence in it. I do consulting for both Oakley and RED so I have a good view of both cultures. Rest assured RED is not a sideline "hobby" for Jim it is his main focus, what he concentrates all of his attention on. The rolling shutter on the RED One is much faster than in the first builds. The firmware is now on Ver. 30. I heard a stat that the current build is more than twice as fast in read/reset as the early builds. The upcoming Epic camera will be closer to the rotating shutter of a 180 degree film camera at 24 fps. Something like a 20-25% slower rate on the Epic. It isn't exactly a direct comparison but the rolling shutter is vastly improved. If you want to see some rolling shutter, look at some of the DSLR HD footage being shot today. BriFerg
  14. Since the RED One uses camera/reel/clip/date to make a file name such as A001_C001_0324XX.RDC there is good reason to use Jam Sync on the time of day TC . The date is included in the file name. There is no way to have TC breaks in a file based system. I would think edge code, the RED equivalent of Rec Run, would cause problems if you are trying to do sync sound. The XX stands in for a 2 digit random character generator that prevents duplicate file names which would make editors nuts. Oh yeah make sure that post does not change clip file names on RED footage or they will have all kinds of problems if they ever want to conform.
  15. I always had matte Mac screens, I bought a Fujitsu win XP computer with a glossy screen and did not find the reflections that bad compared to the perceived increase in sharpness. So on my current 17" MacBook Pro I went for the glossy screen. So a couple of weeks ago a VFX guru gal, who's opinion I value a lot, told me that a glossy screen while evaluating an on-site grade will alter the perception of the black levels. That a matte screen is much more accurate for the down line picture pipeline. I only mention this for people you might know that need an accurate representation of a digital location image.
  16. Richard, I went back and put quotes around Adam's writing so people are clear that they are an excerpt. His linked page was a good third party view of the event so I used it. Me, I live in Downtown Orange County.
  17. From Adam Wilt's article at http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/awilt/story/red_day/ "On Saturday 16 January, RED hosted three open-house sessions in Hollywood, for CML (cinematography mailing list) members, ASC (American Society of Cinematography) members, and for RED ONE owners. I attended the CML session, and here’s a quick writeup on what we learned. [updated 10:15pm PST: M-X performance details] The sessions were held at Ren-Mar studios in downtown Hollywood. RED Leader Jim Jannard started off the presentation by announcing that RED had acquired Ren-Mar, closing the deal that very Friday—so that we were, in fact, holding the meeting in RED Studios Hollywood. "
  18. Sorry could not resist adding one more... David Letterman, on one of the Top Ten signs NBC is in trouble: "Tina Fey is having a hard time making fictional network executives dumber than the real ones."
  19. I have worked with both Jay and Conan while doing promotions at a NBC affiliate in the 90's, they were both great to work with. Professional and no attitude at all. That being said, lately I have a lot more respect for Conan. The Leno experiment was like having 2 Tonight Shows a night, who thought that was a good idea? Conan brings up a point about Jimmy Fallon in his letter - but what about Carson Daly who comes on after that? Should he be on at 2:05 AM? Here is a great bit on Jimmy Kimmel who actually discovered Carson when Jimmy was a budding radio guy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6I4LJVsrX0
  20. Here is an article about what digital cameras are being used on different high profile shoots recently. Might help straighten out some confusion. The article does have some small factual errors, like RED is not based in Northern CA. http://www.dgaquarterly.org/BACKISSUES/Winter2010/TechnologyLightsActionCamera.aspx Not to go off topic again... Marc, or anyone, if you think a RED ONE is excessively noisy on set you should mention it to the owner or rental house. It shouldn't be that way during recording. There might be a fan issue or a menu setting problem. Have them call their rep (aka Bomb Squad) and tell them I told them to call and forward the issue to me and we will work it out. I have shot a lot of interviews in different situations and while recording the camera is usually quiet. When you cut it might get loud if it is hot! Brian Ferguson Storyteller and RED audio support guy.
  21. I just wanted to make everyone aware of a feature on RED that has been enabled for a while but may not be that well known. The RED HD-SDI monitor outputs carry embedded digital audio and timecode. If you had a HD monitor that breaks out this data you would be able to see the camera picture, TC and monitor audio from a RED ONE on one coax to your cart. If a camera is set-up with an EVF (electronic view finder) and a RED LCD, at that point the HDMI and HD-SDI don't carry a visible TC window. This is because of a limit on the graphics processor to handle more than two devices, and the EVF and LCD get priority. The HD-SDI preview will add pull-down to make the 720P 59.97/50 fps display so there will be repeat TC numbers from the 24/25 but you will be able to see it updating in real time and the embedded digital audio is probably the most accurate monitor source from the camera. Sort of like comparing your Mac's headphone circuit to an external FW or USB audio out, it is just better. I know most are still using standard def on their carts but this might make a case for bringing HD to the cart and getting or renting a AJA or something similar to down convert and break-out the audio from the signal. Still researching something that will break out all 3 image/TC/audio but with the amount of cameras out there I am sure someone will fill the niche. There are several larger monitors like Panasonic and JVC 17" LCD's that do all of this. So soon I am sure this will trickle down to smaller DC powered monitors. Brian Ferguson
  22. This is from the latest RED ops Guide 21.4.1 SMPTE TIMECODE "As each recording is made, the RED ONE camera records two independent timecode tracks. Edge Code is a SMPTE timecode track that always starts at 1.00.00.00 on the first frame of each piece of digital media. It is a sequential code that is continuous from frame to frame and also between clips. Edge Code is equivalent to RUN RECORD as used on broadcast cameras. Time Code is a SMPTE timecode track that syncs to the camera’s clock, or if operated in Jam Sync mode, syncs to an externally supplied SMPTE master timecode signal. It is therefore a sequential code that is continuous from frame to frame, but discontinuous between clips. NOTE: Time Code and Edge Code are only output from the 5-pin timecode connector if OUTPUT is enabled in the TIMECODE setup menu, but are always embedded in HD-SDI. " So I guess you could use edgecode and set the TC menu to Output and slave all TC off of the RED but as Robert said earlier Record Run is sort of worthless in a file base recording and you will have duplicate TC because the clock always resets to hour 1 with each Roll change. The RED TC clock doesn't "wander" it still has the internal clock, it just puts the display in standby mode until you roll. Both Edge and ToD are always in the metadata you are just selecting which one to display.
  23. I just noticed this quote and thought it was ironic that Ari Emanuel was the inspiration for Ari in Entourage. He is Rahm Emanuel's brother who is President Obama's Chief of Staff. Rahm was also a high ranking member of the House of Representatives before working for the White House. His other brother Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, 50, chair of the department of bioethics at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "“Ari and I tell Zeke: ‘You haven’t done squat for the family,’ ” says Rahm, the middle brother. That’s because Zeke hasn’t had a TV character based on him, as have Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois congressman and former Bill Clinton adviser who was said to be part inspiration for White House aide Josh Lyman on The West Wing, and Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, the model for lovably trash-talking agent Ari Gold on HBO’s Entourage." http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/7712.html Art imitating life.
  24. Stuart English the RED "Workflow Wizard" is asking for audio suggestions for the new cameras, so if you want to give him your ideas here is the url http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34044 I work there also if you have a question you can pm me here or briferg at red dot com Brian Ferguson
  25. In "Bowling for Columbine" he had an interesting segment about Canada having lots of guns but a different culture regarding violence. Canada has a low murder rate compared to the U.S.. Making a point about it not being the weapons and ammo but the mentality of the society. Then in the next segment he goes to Walmart to ask for a refund on some bullets that were lodged in a kids body from the Columbine shooting. Making a big deal about the easy accessibility of guns. Contradictory at best. Is it the culture of our society or is it the firepower? His work is a string of opinions slapped together. I turned it off after that flip flop in presentation.
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