The video was originally posted by Kevin Riley of http://www.cinestuff.co.nz/

The guys from Kazakhstan along with some of our friends, crew and the Russian translators

Not to be confused with the parody of the country featured in the movie Borat, these guys are from the very real, and very prosperous country of Kazakhstan. Temirbek Amanzhol, Duman Kozhakhmet, and Altynbek Bektassov were part of a television production team that choose Red as their high end production format. They choose Video Resources to train them on everything from camera operation, to data wrangling and creating dailies, through post workflow.

Here is summary agenda of those days:

If you are interested in a private workshop on the RED drop us a line to discuss schedule and other details.

The camera image quality is excellent in its own right and the cinema like depth of field due to the large sensor . It works moderately well in low light and produces a pleasing image – less video like then the EX3 but not quite as cinema like as the 5D.

The photo below is of one of our EF100′s rigged with a PL mount adapter, RED 300mm, Red Rock Micro matte box, rails and follow focus on a Sacthler head.

The camera ships mit out lenses, so to equip the cameras we ordered third party lens adapters for PL, Canon EF, and Canon FD lenses. The only micro 4/3″ mount we felt worthy for video was the 20mm, 1.2 pancake lens. By now, most know about the challenge focusing with the inferior LCD and the EVF, and about the 25mb (or so) AVCHD codec. To improve the monitoring we generally use our Panasonic HDSDI 7″, and for improved image recording we have ordered (now delayed) Ninja Pre-Res recorders.

The recent firmware upgrade released by Panasonic fixes a couple of minor bugs with the camera interface, and we expect more upgrades to work with more automated lenses. A couple of nagging things are all about features buried in menus. The lens check being a couple of menus deep. The lens check, which enables and disables features of specific lenses, is one and the other is the shutter speed. I expect there are shortcuts to get to these but I haven’t found them yet. Barry Green’s book is a must have for any EF100 user (just like it was for the HVX-200).

When I take the camera out I generally use the PL Mount adapter with our RED Zooms, bringing both the 18-50 and the 50-150. With a crop factor of 1.3 to the RED, the sweet spot for interviews is around 55mm, so depending on the location I will usually shoot with the 50-150, sometimes using the 18-50 for establishing shots.  I most always toss in the 20mm pancake lens, and if the our ever popular Duclos 11-17 PL is available I will add that since it makes for a great b-roll lens.If you are using Canon full frame lenses the crop factor is 2.1x.

The cameras have been extremely popular with our shooters and in rentals. It is not a replacement for an EX3 or an HVX as an ENG camera, but is much more comfortable to use for interviews and such then a DSLR. Part of the benefits are the addition of a headphone jack (what a concept!) and built-in ND filters. Both of these features are normal for most cameras, but absent from the DSLR camp at this time.

Why would I take this camera our over my Red? Well I generally wouldn’t for interviews or studio work, but that is because I own both and there is no economic reason to. However, the Panasonic is a less bulky package, the battery life and record times that are longer with less bulk (smaller batteries and cheap SDHC media), I can bring a smaller tripod, and I can hand hold with ease. One thing that I am in love with (theoretically) is once again having sharpie friendly media. Meaning I can buy cards like I used to buy tape and after they are used, write on them with a Sharpie and put them in our library. Sure I still have to copy them to our editing bay storage and archive them to our DAM library, but I can always go back to the original media if needed. WIth RED and DSLR workflow we can’t justify not reusing the original media, but with $3 per GB for removable media we can.

Here is a good read by Mickey Grant on his first adventure with the camera while traveling abroad and by Philip Bloom in his first days with the EF100 camera. And though some of Barry’s tips are (thankfully) outdated by firmware updates, his tips post is excellent.

If you have any experience with the AF100, please drop us a note.

The “doctors office” in the above clip is actually just a empty file cabinet, a c-stand playing the part of a coat rack, a couple of plagues from around our office and a random collection of books. Control of depth of field, along with minimal art direction and appropriate wardrobe created affordable, and instant credibility.

We recommend that you watch this in HD and in full screen. To choose HD, hit play first, then use the toggle in the control bar and select 720P, then click the 4 arrows to expand to full screen. Click the My favorite parts are the interviews with Dr. John West and the motion graphics.

UPDATE: We are proud to announce that we won another national award for this video. This one a Silver Reel from the MCAI (Media Communicators Alliance International), formally known as the ITVA.

Tech notes: Shot on RED ONE, 4K, 24fps, RED 18-85, 18-50, 50-150.  Post was done in FCP with the proxies, then online via RED cine in FCP. Color timing was done with Colorista.

Today the most popular cameras in this arena are the Canon 5D, 7D, and the new, reasonably priced 550D/Rebel T2i, the Nikon D90, and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. We own Canon 5D and 7D camera systems with various lenses and accessories and find that they suit our needs very well. I will plan a special report on how we use these cameras in our productions, but in summary we use them as primary cameras, but mostly for B-camera and background plate work.

Canon 5d with Z-Finder

This week we are co-hosting an event at our Orange County location on using DSLR in production. This overview is from the MCAI website:

Shoot a Film with a Still Camera? No Doubt you’ve been reading about DLSR Videography in the trades. Now find out in person why and how DSLR works and if it’s right for your next production. For the MCAI Feb 2010 meeting weâ??ve gathered 3 experts to cover all the bases from technology to practical shooting tips…

What is all the buzz about DSLR? “I am thankful for the hybrid DSLR. It has changed things in so many ways: it has created an unprecedented level of price and performance for shooting motion video that was previously unthinkable at this price point. Perhaps most importantly it ‘let the cow out of the barn’ that a huge 35mm chip that shoots video is possible at a very low price. Camera manufacturers previously led us to believe it would be too expensive, but Canon has proved them wrong!” Brian Valente, Redrock Micro

So, how does DSLR work, how does it compare to other HD cameras and how different is it to use for HD video? Answering those questions and more are a trio of experts: from Canon USA,http://www.usa.canon.com Michael Cutler, will explain the EOS 5D and 7D. Bob Wilde, video expert and Regional Sales Mgr from Samy’s Camera www.samys.com will compare DSLR cameras, discuss purchase, ownership and accessories including those from Red Rock Micro,www.redrockmicro.com RRM is a developer and manufacturer of some great gear which makes handling a 35mm still camera practical for film production. Last but not least is Cinematographer-Producer Rob Terry. He recently shot a series of videos on DSLR and has plenty to tell you about the good and bad of his experience, including capture and editing.

Our moderator and host for the event, Brad Hagen, the owner of Video Resources Inc.www.videoresources.com/ has shot with a DSLR. And VRI has two Red One cameras on their rental list as well as numerous other models, so Brad has a great basis for comparison. Three experts and a knowledgeable moderator will insure you get all your questions answered. For an in-depth discussion of the pros & cons of DSLR videograpy do not miss this important program.

As always, with MCAI meetings come early to network with our guest speakers and other professionals. Bring resumes, brochures, headshots, DVD reels and any other promotional materials for your business.

EVENT: MCAI LA/OC Chapter February Meeting
DATE: February 17th, 2010 Wednesday
LOCATION: Video Resources, Inc.
1809 E. Dyer Road Suite 307
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 949-261-7266
www.videoresources.com/

This shoot was a great example of using the right resources to be economical, efficient and professional. A proper scout, load in and pre-light on Friday helped to make the Monday shoot go extra smooth and reminded us all about the benefits of being prepared.

Most of the shoot was directed interview style (our preference with non-professional talent), however, we used a prompter for a one scene. As an aside, our new prompter worked well and we were able to divert the usual expense of hiring an outside tech and gear towards acquiring the additional assets we needed to add another prompter to our arsenal. Also, the budget didn’t allow for makeup, but since we had high profile executive talent, Jamie stepped in an did a brilliant job with the “powder kit”.

The proof is in the pudding as they say. Here is a frame grab from our shoot.

Click to see larger JPEG version

Tip: To add production value, we added background elements to add interest. The painting in the background was suspended with fishing line off a c-stand. Gotta love good depth of field control!

What we used for the shoot: RED ONE Camera, SN#15 RIPLEY, Red Drive, Red 18-85 zoom, Kinoflo & Arri lights. Project stat: No filters, 24FPS, 4K, ISO 320