Capturing the emotion behind a person’s story is an essential skill for any cameraman; whilst filming a series of informative videos for AbbVie, a global biopharmaceutical company committed to patient-centred innovation, Tim’s skills were put to the test.
With Red’s new sensor coming out now, its about time to have idea what you are getting with 6K shooting.
So what is 6K, well it is 6144 x 3160 pixels or 19.4 megapixels at a 1.94:1 aspect ratio.
6K is 9.36x more pixels than 1080p.
6K is 8.78x more pixels than 2K.
6K is 2.2x more pixels than 4K.
6K is 1.4x more pixels than 5K.
6K is 14% more resolution than 5K for a pristine full debayer down to 4K. Meaning it’s a 66.7% down sample/debayer to 4K.
What does all this mean to me?
Well if you’re thinking about a 4K finish it gives a bit more freedom for creative re-framing, cropping, or leveling. Fine and high frequency details will actually down sample into 4K and benefit from that extra resolution. There are many ways to work with and finish REDCODE for screen and print use. Over sampling and the use of a debayer pattern help eliminate aliasing artifacts. If you want crisp and detailed images there’s options. If you want a smoother feel there’s options. Just depends on what you’re after and the workflow you choose.
So we’re now in some new exciting territory!
Many Thanks to Phil Holland for all the numbers and great chart.
This TVC is a great example of the power of shooting 5K. By choosing such a high resolution to shoot in enabled an extremely flexible outcome in post. The camera was mounted vertically to make the most use of the resolution, and the shot was framed head to toe with just enough room to allow a few hand gestures. While all the shot sizes had already been decided prior to the shoot, we didn’t have to worry about shooting anything besides the one shot size, knowing that it meant we could get a shot from an extreme close up all the way to an amazing wide shot if needed.
The shoot was a fun day. The director loved the freedom as he knew a shot take could be used in any size in the end TV commercial.
One note for this approach of reframing in post is that I would not recommend this for anything other than a chromakey shoot or white limbo background, as with reframing in post you loose all advantages of being able alter your depth of field with your shot size changes. 
The next Red Epic is Epic Dragon and it is now out and about. Red has released a few Epic Dragons for testing and evaluation of the new sensor and electronics. So far the word is great. Added dynamic range of some say 3 stops over what the current Epic has makes this truly stunning.
One test was shot by Aussie Director/DOP Mark Toia and he was quoted as saying that now the Epic Dragon see what his eye sees. Anyway proof is in the pudding so heres what he shot. Please remember this is a camera thats in beta and still has not got all the colour science and post work out, so if you like the pics now remember they will only get better and better as Red releases camera updates and Redcine software updates.
There is new firmware for the GoPro Hero 3 cameras and a new app. With these you now can watch video recorded on your GoPro via WiFi on your smartphone or tablet. In video playback mode you can only watch a low res version of the footage but its a great feature making it really easy to check a shot back straight after the shoot to make sure all went well.
You can also view stills taken with your GoPro via your smartphone or tablet. With Stills you get a reasonable high res image version.
You can also save video or stills directly to your smartphone or tablet and even share these immediately with social networks.
I love these updates, they make a great camera even better!
I shot a green screen shoot yesterday for a TV commercial. We approached this slightly differently than the usual as we decide to shoot with the Epic camera mounted at 90 degrees shooting 5K HD in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
By setting up this way it meant that then we would shoot the talent head to toe and just wide enough to accommodate any hand movements for the whole shoot. Because of the 5K resolution of the Epic camera combined with the added resolution boost by shooting with the camera mounted at 90 degrees meant all the reframing could be done in post with no loss of quality. The finished TVC will have shots ranging from close ups to very wide shots where the talent will be about a quarter of the screen height.
This all enabled us to shoot very efficiently without sacrificing quality.
So on your next greenscreen shoot think about mounting your camera at 90 degrees.
One of the most often asked questions is “How much is this gonna cost us to use 4K ?!” Well a great article from AbelCine goes through the costs on a multi camera shoot for both 4K and 1080 (HD) production.
The rumours that shooting 4K are way more expensive are busted. The cost for shooting 4K is the same as shooting 1080. The costs of the post are explained by Juliet McNally at AbelCine.
They have worked out the its a 55% increase in cost, but think of all the advantages. From an audience perspective, it starts with improved quality: unprecedented levels of resolution and contrast and, ultimately, a much more dynamic, engaging and immersive entertainment experience. If shoot and finish in 4K you are future proofing as 4K Tv sets are being sold in the states for $1200 also youtube streams 4K footage today.
To read the great article http://blog.abelcine.com/2013/05/21/the-cost-of-4k-from-acquisition-to-archiving/
I have a big interview series shoot, where we are interviewing heaps of legends from Australia’s film and TV industry. Shooting on a Red Epic to ensure nice short depth of field and and a cinematic feel to the finished video. Thanks to Eve Brown (Production Manager) for sitting in for the pre-light at the beautiful Theatre Royal.
We decided to shoot at 4K resolution with an f-stop of 2.8 to achieve a beautiful soft background. The rich red tones in the theatre look superb. I am looking forward to the next few days of shooting with the great team from The Milkbar.
The lighting I am using are a mix of Lowel Tota lights and Dedolight or Dedo’s
Off to Melbourne to shoot two one question interviews. Leaving on 8am flight return 1pm flight. Then off to shoot more interviews in Sydney. Nothing like shooting in two states on one day.
Forget the Oscars, the world premiere of the new Hi-5 movie “Some Kind of Wonderful” with director of photography extraordinaire Tim Bradley. I shot on my new revolutionary Red Epic camera. It’s in good company, Red Epic was also used to shoot Hitchcock, The Great Gatsby, The Hobbit and Mental. Looking forward to walking the purple carpet – think Hi 5 colours 🙂
The Fantastic crew was – sound by Martin Harrington, additional cameras Brigham Edgar, Dean Ginsburg and Directed by Jim Hare.
North Coast NSW & SE Queensland Videographer 