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the future of "film" making?


Jeff Wexler

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I find this photo depressing. If I were a cameraman instead of sound mixer, I would hate to have to operate this beast no matter how good the image quality is. Fortunately, digital sound recording with the Deva (or any of the machines we use today) is so much more elegant... and the "sound" quality is great.

Regards, Jeff Wexler

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I find this photo depressing. If I were a cameraman instead of sound mixer, I would hate to have to operate this beast no matter how good the image quality is. Fortunately, digital sound recording with the Deva (or any of the machines we use today) is so much more elegant... and the "sound" quality is great.

Regards, Jeff Wexler

This is my life, or part of it, a lot of the time.  Today (tonight, all night actually) we are going to take a rig like this and put it on a Steadicam.  The poor Steadi op will have to try to balance all this crap (various down convertors for his rig, video assist, DIT, etc, transmitters for TC, focus, iris, remote control, etc., focus monitor, on and on) AND he has to drag cables as well.  (Lost the argument about whether sound needs to go to the camera as primary, AGAIN.  Lazy, inexperienced editorial, etc.)  Our shoot tonight is Varicam, so at least we haven't given up a whole crew position to a "dumpist", but again I am amazed by the unwillingness of post to put an experienced assistant editor on for part of a day to sync double system audio (with matching TC, slates AND a guide track--how much easier could we make it?) instead of costing time for an entire production crew on set fiddling around to accommodate their demands and compromising shots and sound quality in the process.

And in case there is any lingering doubt--I've done A LOT of audio post lately where the sound mixed by various excellent pro sound mixers (not me) was shipped simultaneously to both video cameras (Sony HDV, Canon 5D, Varicam, F35, F900, EX1, EX3. HVX200, RED) and to a Sound Devices recorder (24/48), and I've gotten both sets of tracks in my OMF.  THE AUDIO RECORDER MAKES BETTER AUDIO.  I know this falls into the Department Of Things Producers Do Not Want To Hear, but it is the truth. The differences are not subtle.

Philip Perkins

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Ahhh...the RED in all its glory!!

Is your movie being shot on this, or is it for some video excerpts?

Robert

No, not my movie... this photo was posted by Rob Whitehurst on facebook (I don't know from what job). The movie I'm on is actually old standard 35mm/185 --- I like that.

-  Jeff Wexler

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No, not my movie... this photo was posted by Rob Whitehurst on facebook (I don't know from what job). The movie I'm on is actually old standard 35mm/185 --- I like that.

-  Jeff Wexler

I couldn't imagine Chuck, or Garry for that matter, would allow it for the actual film.  Sometimes video cameras are brought in for specific video things, but then it seems the RED would be overkill.  But I have been on a number of RED shoots recently for web broadcasts, which is a terrible waste of technology and production resources.  "But it's the RED, so it must be better."

Robert

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I couldn't imagine Chuck, or Garry for that matter, would allow it for the actual film.  Sometimes video cameras are brought in for specific video things, but then it seems the RED would be overkill.  But I have been on a number of RED shoots recently for web broadcasts, which is a terrible waste of technology and production resources.  "But it's the RED, so it must be better."

Robert

Robert,

I thought as much on a recent job I had with the Red, but it's both a web thing and a commercial as it turns out

Getting around staffing requirements and so on, I guess.

Best regards,

Jim

.

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I agree this cluster of a camera is our short term future for sure. At least it brought the gear head back on that shoot. That mess needs one. Jumping subjects, Jim, why do you have so few posts now? Did I miss something? Or are you a whole new person? I like your new Icon. Perhaps it is none of my business.

CrewC

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I agree this cluster of a camera is our short term future for sure. At least it brought the gear head back on that shoot. That mess needs one. Jumping subjects, Jim, why do you have so few posts now? Did I miss something? Or are you a whole new person? I like your new Icon. Perhaps it is none of my business.

CrewC

Same guy. Just been busy with other things and traveling a bit.

The profile pic is of a headstock for a mandolin made by a luthier in Australia, I think. They must be great instruments. Gruhn Guitars in Nashville has a couple of them  priced north of $20K.

Best regards,

Jim

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shapeimage_5.jpg

Handheld?  No problem.

Nick Gardner. He owns a pair of Reds, along with a boatload of other camera gear. He builds lots of his own accessories. So he's actually built the stuff to make going handheld pretty easy.

He's also a lovable curmudgeon who's been working in the business since before he got out of high school.

Best regards,

Jim

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Yea, it was pretty stripped down.  Just a matte box, hand grip, follow focus, two monitors, external battery, hard drive, and a G2 rx for the reference track.  And the rail system to hold it all together.

Nick Gardner?

Sorry, Jeff

A closer look and it's not Nick.

But man he's a ringer for the guy in the picture, especially after a 14 hour workday.

I'll look around for a snap of him... The resemblance is pretty stunning.

JG

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