Short Film for 48 Hour Film Competition

The immediate turn-around of a 48 hour project means everything on a technical level has to be invisible. We chatted with a few teams that were afraid to use RED because of the perception they had of the workflow attached to it. We understand that fear, but it’s a new world in technology terms, and working with 4k/5k files has never been easier.

The project, “Sojourn”, was shot at 5k 2.4:1 and finished at… gasp… DVCPRO 480p. We started by bringing the footage into the wonderful (free download) Redcine-X Pro and pushed out Prores 2k files. I mentioned early on that we could potentially work online with the native R3D footage in MC6 or Premiere CS6, but the editor was confident that FCP 7 was the best choice because of his familiarity and editing speed. Not a problem, just added a small step in the post process. After some minor adjustments to the footage (again, 48hr not much time to fiddle around) we transcoded the prores files near real-time and were off to the races.

In sum… For those that are nervous or uncomfortable about the Red workflow, let me assure you that a lightning fast turnaround is possible… with the added benefit of having master-quality files to back you up for years to come.

Another happy customer. Another day at 5k Insight.

We are one year old, holy cow! Until you’ve actually run a business for a while, you don’t fully appreciate just how much can happen in a year. 5K Insight was officially founded July 20th, 2011. The previous month, James gave a passionate rant over the course of a four hour car ride, saying that there are better ways to do things and better things to do them with. That idea became reality, and 5K Insight was born.

But we weren’t always 5K Insight. We started as Rent Epic Denver, because we just love hitting the nail on the head, I guess. Check out our old business card:

This will be worth thousands on eBay

But, for better or worse, a certain lawyer decided we couldn’t call ourselves that, so we went the opposite direction and chose a name that assured our clients would be forced to ask follow up questions.

The camera arrived a bit incomplete. We had our system, but no on-camera battery mount, no playback, no audio connection, accessories that didn’t exist, and no viewfinder. But, we’re a company about finding solutions to problems, and we did. And, thankfully, our first customer, Orion Entertainment gave us a chance. And, now we can show you this:

The jobs came in a little at a time, and there were days when James and I began to question the sanity of our venture. But thankfully, clients like Warren Miller and Teton Gravity where there for us, as well as many friends of ours in the industry looking for a camera and professionals to help them out, which let me go on shoots like this:

On set of "The Kidnapping of Madeline Doe"

We saw the Scarlet come on the scene, did demos for local organizations, and developed a real distaste for credit merchants. I saw James make himself sick thinking he lost a red mag. We picked up lenses, and got rid of lenses. We discovered the joy of the Red Rocket, and the anxiety of film industry politics. We made a lot of friends and helped some of them get work. Most importantly, we laughed a lot. We have enough inside jokes to keep us busy for the next year.

So, thanks to everyone who helped us make it through our first year, especially the people who helped us get off the ground, and those who still helping us get on the map.

Flobots “Circle in the Square” Official Video from Endless Eye on Vimeo.

REDCINE-X PRO: Saving Looks To Camera from RED Digital Cinema on Vimeo.

The tutorial below is a quick walk-through of how to install the new Red Camera Plugin for CS6. It’s the same process that was used for CS5.5 and the older Epic plugin, but I wanted to put together a quick tutorial to promote the cool new features in the plugin that will continue to make shooting on the Red an enjoyable experience.

Download the Red Camera Plugin from Adobe labs at: http://labs.adobe.com/downloads/redepic_importer.html

The process is the same for each supported program which includes Adobe Media Encoder, Encore, After Effects, and Prelude.
At this moment, it does not appear that Speedgrade CS6 supports the Redcolor3/Redgamma 3 format.

Adobe CS6 Online Workflow

Moving R3D files with no transcoding within Premiere Pro CS6 and Speedgrade CS6

Final Cut Pro 7 – Offline Workflows

2 options: Redcine-X or KiPro Mini. Also includes a look at Davinci Resolve

Offline Workflow Overview:

This is a fairly typical workflow option used on features, big commercials, and any project that aims to use the native files (R3D) to color.

Coming Soon:

Adobe Premier Pro Offline Workflow

Avid Media Composer Workflow

Autodesk Smoke Workflow

Final Cut Pro X Workflow

An inside look at the dailies process

Moving from your favorite NLE to your favorite Color Grading Software

R3D workflow from the VFX artists’ perspective

Check out Dave’s full post at http://www.learningdslrvideo.com/red-epic-tutorial/

The tutorial below is a basic look at how to get your footage into Premiere CS6 (no more Adobe labs plugin!) and take it into Speedgrade (which supports R3D!!!)

One thing I forgot to mention is the ease of changing your R3D metadata in Speedgrade. Simply go to Clip>Format Options, and then select “Override Timeline defaults” and “Use Settings Below” in the drop down, as seen below.

Please let us know if you have any comments/questions/concerns or any ideas for future tutorials!

There are a few challenges that using FCP 7 for Red footage presents us with today:
1) FCP 7 will only work at up to 2k. FCP was designed as an “offline” tool and only recently have compressed camera formats allowed us to work “online” with our files.
2) There are a number of NLE’s that allow for working with R3D files online…FCP 7 is not one of them. The evolving R3D files and because FCP 7 is no longer being developed by Apple, we have to bring our R3D into the post supervisor’s favorite editing codec… Prores.

The first workflow we discuss is using an AJA Kipro Mini straight out of the Epic’s HD-SDI to get a 1080/24 Prores file. We can immediately eject the compact flash from the Kipro mini and bring it into to Final Cut to start editing. The R3D files can then be linked through a number of files later for finishing at higher resolutions.

The second workflow is a bit slower but much more flexible. We demonstrate the process of shooting onto the SSD card, bringing it into RCX, setting your options correctly, then transcoding and bringing that file into RCX.

We also demonstrate using XML to get to a finishing program (in this case Resolve).

Enjoy, and feel free to leave comments below!

]]> http://www.5kinsight.com/redcolor3comparison/feed/ 0 http://www.5kinsight.com/5-reasons-you-should-choose-5k-insight/ http://www.5kinsight.com/5-reasons-you-should-choose-5k-insight/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 18:03:36 +0000 James http://www.5kinsight.com/?p=1053 5K Insight believes in providing the best service for our customers, and we’ve delivered that service for major productions in film and television. But whether its for a feature or a personal project, 5K Insight is committed to excellence and building trust. Here are five reasons you should trust your production to 5K Insight:

1. Personalized Service

We enjoy providing our clients with the best customer service possible. We offer services from preproduction to post production and customize our offerings specific to each project.

2. Ready for travel and delivery

The 5K Insight Full Production package is available for delivery and shipment anywhere you need it. We understand the tight demands of production, to get what you need where and when you need it, so we’ve made sure everything is travel-friendly and ready to go.

3. 24-hour service

The production schedule is rarely just 9 to 5. 5K Insight understands that and we offer round-the-clock service when you need it. We support productions night and day.

4. Right Package at the Right Price

We’ve spent a long time talking and working with crews and productions discussing the best price point for our packages. We think we’ve found it. At 5k Insight, your production budget goes further.

5. Customizable packages and services

Whatever your production needs may be, they can be met in one place. We stand confidently behind our well-designed camera systems that are ready for long shoot days anywhere and have the experience to add to any production, big or small.