Useful RED Information
Back to The VMI RED Guide | RED camera hire
(Note that this page contains the basis of VMI’s RED DIT Training Course)
Contents
Role of the D.I.T
Above all else, ensure the integrity and safety of the rushes by:
- Backing up rushes
- Establishing systems of labeling drives and magazines in camera
- Communicating these systems to and working alongside the AC(s)
- Helping advise on or supplying hard drives for back up
- Ensuring there is power and space at location for data transfer
- Ensuring drives are changed regularly and not allowed to stay on all day
- Correct mounting and unmounting of digital magazines
- Ensuring reel numbers correct at camera
- Establishing with Producers and DOP what your role is and that you need to be at the computer at all times when there is a transfer occurring
- Advising on the possibility of storage on non-Hard Disk media – and the hazards of Hard Disks
- (potentially, to grade an image to give a DOP a reference, sending .RSX files to Post House for dailes.)
Camera Build
- Building the camera
- Possible configurations
Camera Menus – Structure And Settings
- Tour of the menus
Pre-Shoot Setup
- Camera re-set
- Black Calibration
- Menu settings
- Assignable buttons
- Setting up LCD/EVF - cannot be calibrated
Exposing The Camera (helping the DOP expose)
- False colour overlay
- Waveform
Ramping Demo
- Use relative shutter mode
Cf Card Vs Drives
- when and why?
- Redcode 36 at 4K 16:9 not possible to CF card, 113fps only available to CF card.
- Mounting and unmounting.
- Monitor remaining capacity on CF cards.
- How much to fill the Drives? My rule of thumb – try to change before 90%
- Do not allow to fill past 60% as they become less reliable and safe
- FW800 sockets die. Use FW400 and get a replacement sent out.
Inputs And Outputs On The Body
- Main power 6pin LEMO
- Red drive interface Custom e-Sata
- Ignore the USB! Unless you need to charge your iPod
- 4pin Lemo Aux power/GPIO – (1.75 Amps 11.5 – 17 Volts DC) (ramp trigger / remote start stop button)
- AUX232 port – DO NOT run remote FF motors off it. Do run B4 mount lenses off it (500 miliAmps – 12+Volts)
- Safest and easiest to take power from D-tap on V-lock plate for accessories.
Lens Lengths
- 2k vs 3k vs 4k - - lens matching.
DOF
- 2:1 vs 16:9
Redcode 28 Vs 36
RAW and in camera LUTs
- RedSpace – supposedly more consistent than REC709 for exposure monitoring.
- Rec709 – HDTV consistent viewing space.
- RAWview –what the sensor actually records, bypassing all image adjustments.
How ISO affects RAW
- It doesn’t. Leave the ISO alone!
Accessories:
- Element technica shock absorbing drive cradle
- Remote ramping – Origo
- Shoulder mount – Arri S3
- AJA downconverter
IR and RED
- - 486 filter, when and where to use it
Colour Temperature
- 5000 kelvin sensor
- Light towards 5000
- Blue less efficient semi-conductors – avoid tungsten where possible - noise
Good Red Practice:
- If you’re data managing, don’t take your eye off the ball, never assume everything is OK, really scrutinize footage for corruption.
- Backing up – options available. Talk to Producers and suggest options – always FW800 drives or E-sata for backup HDs, backup to Blu-Ray (solid vs spinning)
- CHECK THE GATE!
- Particularly when shooting to the drives, keep an eye on the ‘DROP’ box (Drop Frame Counter) on the LCD.
- Unplug LCD/EVF when booting up.
- Have spare EVF/LCD cables with you if possible. They do die.
- Cover the CF card slot with camera tape.
- Disable side-record? Button is oversensitive, very easy to ‘double-tap’ and end up recording nothing.
- Watch out for the Auto WB on Assign Button 1 – also be aware it affects the ‘tint’ value.
- Be aware that the camera takes some time after you cut it to finish writing files and metadata – don’t be hasty thinking it isn’t cutting.
- Fan mode – Silent (or Quiet) keeps the soundie happy and the camera cool.
- Release build firmware available on CD/email/penstick in case need to reinstall.
- Use 720p output under monitor settings.
- Number drives sequentially and label them also.
- Communicate with your data technician, establish systems for labeling and naming drives.
- Have data technician wipe drive at computer after copying because – faster to format in camera – drives can take a while otherwise and – no possibility of confusion – if you get a drive with footage on it, send it back to data technician.
Troubleshooting/Bugs
Green/Magenta fuzz in EVF
Unplug and replug.
Crashes while booting
Unplug LCD, EVF and any other items pulling power, reboot.
Hangs during ‘POST’ as you cut the camera.
Cut power, via pulling battery if needs be. Send the drive immediately to Data Tech to verify that the .R3D is intact. It is highly likely that the Quicktime proxies have not been created but that the .R3D is fine.
This is the process for any kind of error message.
This seems to be related to temperature, and in my experience only happens during the first few shots of the day. Try and give it some space and time to acclimatize.
Timecode is not syncing up with Soundie’s.
You need to re-jam it every time you power cycle the camera
It is simply unreliable. Blame the camera and make sure the clap is in shot!
Camera switches off when knocked.
The RED V-lock plates are not fantastic. Switch them if you have a spare. Be firm when putting batteries on. Use camera tape if needs be to ensure good contact. (No, it’s far from ideal)
Audio has somehow disabled itself.
It does that. When you power cycle the camera the camera has a memory blank on audio settings. You need to reset them every time.
I can’t hear sound in RedAlert/RedCine.
No. But you will in the Quicktime Proxies.
Timelapse mode has recorded absolutely nothing but problems.
In the Timelapse menu, make sure ‘INTERVAL’ and ‘UNIQUE’ are selected. Then try again.
The frame guides on the external monitor have disappeared.
It’s because you have EVF and LCD plugged in. Don’t ask me why. Unplug one, mark the frame guides physically on the monitor, and then you can plug them both in again.
Playback is green / cropped in on the actual frame / mental.
It’s because you’re in 1080 playback mode – switch to 720.
Or stay in 1080, come out of the Preview BNC, and use a non-Panasonic monitor. It might work!
‘PLAYBACK CODEC ERROR’ message scares producers silly.
Hopefully this is because someone touched the magnify view button during or shortly before playback. Get the drive off and get it checked out on the computer. It should be fine.
Other assorted scary ERROR messages.
- I have seen ones saying ‘ROCKET IO ERROR’, ‘AUDIO CODEC ERROR’, ‘PLAYBACK CODEC ERROR’.
- If it’s the ‘AUDIO CODEC ERROR’ switch off all Audio settings in the menu, and it will work fine.
- Put a fresh battery on.
- Reboot.
- Try switching from CF cards to RedDrives, or vice versa.
- If consistently occurring, reinstall firmware, perform black shading calibration and try again.
