Tuesday, March 18, 2008

RED Highlight Clipping: Solved?

Art Adams | 03/18- 07:09 AM

New from RED: how to correct those bothersome clipped highlights I’ve been freaking out about for the last few days. Currently the procedure only seems to work in RED Alert using the DRX slider. This process is intended to work within REDCine using the “highlight” function but at the moment neither Adam Wilt nor I can get it to work (Intel Mac, build 90). That’s being looked into right now.

DRX works to reconstruct highlights in a clipped channel using information from the other channels. It then blends the reconstructed pixels and the original pixels together to create the most natural-looking effect.

When shooting, try not to clip more than one color channel at a time if you can avoid it. One channel isn’t hard to reconstruct. Two make it more difficult. It’s pointed out to me that two channels will rarely clip at the same time, so for part of the image only one channel will be repaired, and in other parts of the image two will be repaired (although the quality may suffer when two channels are clipped).

In RED Alert, open the R3D of the shot in question and look at the histogram. If you’ve got at least one channel that isn’t clipping, you’re in reasonable shape. If you have two channels that aren’t clipping, even better.

Using the exposure slider, back the exposure down until the curves are just touching the right side of the histogram. Then dial in the DRX slider until things look right. Make sure the matrix is turned ON with your desired white balance in place before using DRX, otherwise the algorithm won’t know what white balance you want and won’t know how to reconstruct the channel(s).

That’s it. It’s that easy. The hard part will be keeping an eye on the camera histogram when shooting to protect the quality of the highlights. It’s a strange new world, this land of RAW, and waveform and vectorscopes aren’t the only tools with which we need be familiar. The histogram is our new best friend, as that will be what tells us the quality of the data we are capturing.

A huge “thank you” to Graeme Nattress of RED for his help in solving this issue. I hope we’ll be able to bring you more info on this subject, and others, soon.

Monday, March 17, 2008

It’s All Up to Me Now

Art Adams | 03/17- 06:21 AM

I never knew how much processing cameras did for me, until I used a camera that didn’t do any.

My quest for digital truth took me to a little known corner of the world, a private spot where there are three mountains known as The Gains. The middle one, Green Gain, is considered the most stable, and that was where I sought the Guru of all Digital Media.

After a long hike through windy prairies and along steep cliffs I found myself at his abode. At the annointed hour I let myself in and took a seat on the floor opposite the guru’s prayer matte. And then I waited.

An hour later, after discovering that Zen Monthly was simply a magazine designed to help you fill the moments of your life (2,505,600 ideas just for February alone), and realizing that the centerfold model of New Solipsist was actually the editor, I was startled by a voice.

“Sorry I’m late. Take my advice, never buy a British car.”

I half jumped out of my skin. “Where did you come from?”

The Guru pointed to his green robes. “They key very nicely, even in reality. Sorry to sneak up on you like that.” He took his seat across from me. “Tell me, son, what brings you to my retreat.”

I steeled myself, thinking of all the trouble and turmoil that brought me to this point. “It’s very simple,” I said. “I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around this whole ‘RED’ thing and it’s really perplexing. For a long time we’ve all been looking forward to an affordable, raw 4k camera for the masses, and now that we have it… I don’t think we know what to do with it. For myself, I’m learning that there’s an incredible amount that goes into making a digital camera work--and if I’m to make the RED work for me I have to learn how to do in post what other cameras have been doing for me automatically all along.”

The Great Teacher looked sedate, eyes closed, a faint smile on his lips. After a few moments he started. “Ah, sorry about that. Miles away. I do love the Bahamas.”

He leaned closer to me, as if trying to determine whether I could handle the Great Truth he was about to unleash upon me. “Tell me more about these troubles you so desperately wished for.”

“Well, I thought I wanted a camera without any processing built-in,” I whined. “But now I’m learning about all the things that cameras do for me every day that I took for granted. For example, color clipping. I’ve learned that the RED creates these interesting cyan highlights if you shoot under tungsten light, with the RED’s daylight-balanced chip, if you clip the red channel--something that’s easier to do under tungsten light because of the large red component of the spectrum. Apparently it’s not terribly hard to fix and I’m talking with RED about how to accomplish that, after which I hope to publish the solution as a tip on my blog (see ‘Self-Promotion 101,’ New Solipsist, February 2008). But I never knew that this was a common problem solved by the knee circuits in all the other cameras that I use. I know I wished for a raw camera, but now I’m discovering that someone has to take care of all these problems later, and supposedly they can do it better than it can be done in camera--but I’m not sure who that’s going to be. No one knows who will be converting the footage into dailies: is that the rental house that furnished the camera, a post house, an editor who fancies himself a colorist? Will someone do a final color correction pass or will dailies be it? There are so many questions.”

“Ah, grasshopper.” The Guru smiled, seeing a grasshopper nearby. “Now you know why you must be careful what you wish for. Yes, having a camera that dumps a pile of steaming raw data onto your plate, for you to do with what you will, seems attractive at first. THEN you find out how much has been done for you all along without your ever knowing it was happening, and suddenly there’s a new learning curve: it’s not about delivering a pretty picture anymore, it’s delivering footage and making sure someone else turns it into the pretty picture you intended it to be.

“It’s very similar to the problems my old friend, the Film Guru, used to hear all the time. His followers eventually figured it all out, and so will you. I see him less and less these days. I think he’s getting ready to retire. I guess all his silver reclamation schemes paid off.”

The Guru of All Digital Media stood, adjusted his robes, and smiled. “Let me know how things go with RED. I like them, after a fashion. It’ll be interesting to see what evolves.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a meeting with Sony. I’m trying to talk them out of another prism camera and I’m already overdue. You know, for a guy who’s always supposed to ‘be here now’, I’m always late!”

He slowly started to fade away, his green robe disappearing against the background of reality. “Be careful what you wish for, young man,” he said. “Take my advice and skip the Monkey’s Paw concession on your way out.”

And he was gone.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Three three-letter cameras: EX1, F23, RED

Adam Wilt | 03/16- 08:24 PM

An unfair comparison of three entirely different cameras

On March 7th, Tim Blackmore and I visited Videofax, a San Francisco camera rental house. Videofax is unique in the area (as far as I know) in having both a RED ONE digital cinema camera and a Sony F23 HDCAM-SR camcorder. Videofax’s Leigh Blicher kindly invited us to come by and take a look, following the DCS RED Event the previous weekend. How could we refuse?

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

HBO FILMS’ ‘BERNARD AND DORIS’ SHOT WITH PANASONIC VARICAM

Scott Gentry | 03/05- 08:06 AM

** Poignant Drama of World’s Richest Woman and Her Butler Airs through March 31 **

SECAUCUS, NJ (March 5, 2008) – HBO Films’ Bernard and Doris, a drama inspired by the real-life story of the tobacco heiress Doris Duke and her last butler, was shot by Director of Photography Mauricio Rubinstein with Panasonic’s AJ-HDC27 VariCam® HD Cinema camera. Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (Doris) and Oscar-nominee Ralph Fiennes (Bernard) deliver acclaimed performances in this intimate drama that tells the hypothetical story of these two disparate characters and their unlikely friendship.

Bernard and Doris will play on HBO through the end of March; its next air date is Thursday, March 6 (ckeck http://www.hbo.com for details). The movie was directed by Bob Balaban, written by Hugh Costello and executive produced by Balaban, Jonathan Cavendish, Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen.

Director of Photography Rubinstein, a native of Mexico, worked for many years with director Alejandro Agresti, including the films The Cross (Cannes International Film Festival - Un Certain Regard) and Wind with the Gone (winner, San Sebastian International Film Festival 1998).  His first collaboration with an American director was Casa De Los Babys from director John Sayles. Other recent films include Sorry, Haters (shot with Panasonic’s DVX100 camcorder) from director/writer Jeff Stanzler, and Puccini for Beginners from director Maria Maggenti.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Petrol Introduces Mini Camera Accessory Bag

Scott Gentry | 02/28- 05:38 PM

Effective: February 28, 2008

Petrol, a Vitec Group brand, introduces the Petrol Mini Camera Accessory Bag. This new semi-rigid carrier is the convenient and comfortable way to transport essential accessories like batteries, chargers, and spare connectors.

The top lid’s dual directional run-around “upside down” zippers open quickly for easy access.  Inside, layers of bright orange padded fabric cradle and safeguard sensitive equipment.  Two removable dividers can be custom configured to provide extra security and protection. Underneath the main chamber, a second basement compartment offers additional cushioned space. Exterior zippered pockets on all four sides offer even more options for storage. Features include Petrol’s U-Grip ergonomic carrying handle and padded adjustable shoulder strap. The bag’s exterior is constructed of heavy duty waterproof blue and black Cordura.

U.S. List Price for the new Petrol Mini Camera Accessory Bag (#PMCAB-1) is $164. For further information on this or other Petrol products please go to http://www.petrolbags.com or contact: Petrol, 709 Executive Blvd., Valley College, NY 10989, Phone: 845-268-0100, Fax: 845-268-0113, Email: 

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

AFI Digital Content Lab Looking for Mentors

Chris Meyer | 02/27- 06:02 AM

Your chance to get some hands-on experience creating interactive media.

The American Film Institute’s Digital Content Lab (AFI DCL, for short) is looking for mentors for some high-profile interactive media projects, including Grey’s Anatomy and PBS’s News Hour. Details - as well as a calendar of upcoming events around North America - are copied below from their recent press release (follow the “more” jump if you’re reading this from a main page). This is a chance to become involved with designing what some hope will be the future face of television.

Whether or not it does turn out to be the future face of television is still out for verdict: I lived through the hopeful times of CD-I and other interactive media when a lot of us thought we were going to help raise the overall level of humanity by making coffee-table books available on an expensive, not entirely easy to use medium. This episode of misspent personal enthusiasm has left me a bit more cautious, thinking the computer is for interacting and the television set is for consuming. But the number of people who vote in response to an American Idol episode (or called in to a toll number during the Shall We Boil Larry the Lobster bit on Saturday Night Live, oh so many years ago) does indicate that at least some like to interact with their mass-consumed entertainment. So here’s your chance to try to design some interactivity that works:

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