[Tig] where.. neutral review RED?

[Jeff Olm]

Tigger's,
I've done a few RED projects.
I think the pictures are great.

Scratch is Windows XP and could use a render farm solution.
But it is a GPU based product and until NVidia make's a GPU renderfarm
rendering on Scratch will be a issue.
The Primary and a few secondaries Color Corrections played out in
real-time out the NVidia SDI HD and it's 4k to HD on the fly resizeon
Scratch output is a technological marvel.

Many thanks to the videogame market for making awesome GPU's avaiable
to the smaller post market.

>From the Colorist or VFX standpoint.
Here's my tip.

Use the image with the color metadata as a reference.
Then on at least Scratch. UI It loads up the metadata as tint and color temp.
I hit ctrl-reset blow the metadata out.
Grade the raw image using scopes and your monitor,
using a LUT that reflects what kind of project you are delivering.
rec709 calibrated or to Log with film printing intention LUT on your monitor.

The RED SDK (software development kit) with soon (haha software joke
term) be available for all the DI packages according to Jim Jannard
founder of RED.
Then all packages will be able to handle the RED .r3d file native.

Scratch, REDcine, RED alert, RED Code- use them for now
Use them to make .log dpx's
Don't clip the highlights give yourself the full range in the log file,
Then put it into your Lustre, Baselight, Nucoda, Speed Grade, whatever.
It's really pretty simple. And the same that we have always done.
Make it LOG or rec 709 and just deal.

Shooting it. Is another deal that playing aruond on your color system.
 I'd rent and bring a tech from the rental company your first few jobs.
Do your first shoots as spec jobs, industrial, music videos for
cousins, 4K wedding, not your top A list director that you make your
living from.

Take a day and go to SIM, 4k Ninja's, Any rental place the will let
you get at a camera for free.  shoot charts, daylight, and night
stuff.
Play around with it. See where it goes.
Download the software its free
http://www.red.com/support
 Take it back to your system grade it.
Road test it.

Or download stuff that other people shot.
http://www.reduser.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=21
Sticky: Footage links only

Don't get mired in the ra ra of this "it rocks site".
Until you have tested footage and had a big glass of RED Koolaid.

Working with RED is not a Cult or witch-hunt thing.
It may be just like learning to deal with DV for independent films.
But it's 4k, has much less noise, and does not have to be clipped if
you work it correctly.
That's my unbiased advice.

Disclaimer- It don't represent any of the above companies. And
currently am working on a 3D animated stereo project with no red or
live action footage.

The RED footgage looks nice and most likely should be downrez'ed to 2k
to deal with it as .dpx's if it's not on Scratch with their proxy
scheme so it can play on your system.

Using Apple and Mac's is good too.
 But that's a whole other thread and topic.

best,
Jeff Olm
Stereo Scratch and Lustre Colorist
LA, CA