Indie Film Changing

In the past month the world of independent film has seen some significant changes that should change things for years to come. In the last two to three years, the film industry has seen a revolution due to the DSLR cameras that were released. Canon's series including the T2i, 7D, and 5D has resulted in the average consumer being able to shoot video with the quality of the industry standards. Independent feature films like the Sundance hit Bellflower and established television shows like Fox's House shot on these cameras, giving it credibility within the industry. Suddenly the average person could save a reasonable amount of money, and shoot something that could end up looking like a theatrical release.

This has furthered the digital revolution, that cameras like the RED started. And it's appropriate that RED has taken the next step in the digital revolution. They announced their new RED Scarlet, their newest and most cost effective camera. It shoots 4K video and takes 5K images, all for under ten thousand dollars. Preorders have opened up, and they plan on shipping them out early next year hopefully. And the biggest question is how this new affordable tool will be utilized by indie film makers. It'll be interesting to see who will be the first of the Hollywood elite to shoot on it, Peter Jackson and David Fincher have long been advocates of RED's other cameras. Jackson's hobbit sequels are shooting entirely on the RED, as is David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. And on the other end of the spectrum it will be interesting to see what up and coming film makers will be the next to make a big splash with the new format, and launch the new style that will be emulated, and how Canon will follow suit after being dethroned.


Sources:
http://www.theverge.com/photography/2011/11/19/2573414/red-scarlet-x-camera-shipping-now

Canon vs. RED

On November 3, 2011 Canon announced its latest professional camera, the EOS C300. It features a S35 sensor, and films at 1080p. Lately, the race in the digital film world has been to get the highest resolution. The RED camera has had a 5K camera already, but Canon took a different approach and aimed more at perfecting the currently mainstream standard of 1080p. The price tag for the camera is $20,000, however...

RED finally announced the long-awaited RED Scarlet-X 4K video camera. The finer details are making their way out to the public, but it’s already known that this will be yet another big step in the digital realm of filmmaking.

RED initially released its first flagship camera a few years ago, but the most important part was its price point compared to what the industry was used to paying for. Now you have a variety of prosumer cameras that independent filmmakers use that don’t necessarily have the multi-million dollar budgets.

But back to the Scarlet-X.. It broke another price barrier, but being available initially for under $10,000. It has a superior S35mm sensor, and can film in slow motion up to 120fps at 1K. It also works with all the accessories the RED family has had for the last couple years.

So now you have a choice of two really good cameras, but both taking different approaches to what they feel is more important. I feel most independent filmmakers will opt for the RED equipment, given its already existing elite and cool status and a lower price point. But for those who already work in Canon workflows, they may opt to pay a little more money to have the convenience of not having to change things around.

In the end, it all works out for the end user, and audiences around the world will reap the benefits of seeing storytelling from people who once couldn’t afford to get their vision out there.

References:

http://www.theverge.com/products/eos-c300/3768

http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/3/2536818/red-scarlet-x-camera-announced-to-take-on-canon-c300-ships-november