Will RED stand up to African Desert?

[Costelloe Michael]

Guys,

I've been asked a lot of questions about the RED One camera and will only comment on my personal experiences which so far have been very positive. I have been asked by a Director/Producer about the suitability of the RED camera for shooting a feature/doc in Africa. It sounds really cool. However I cannot do it, I'm too busy with commercials right now. Even if I could I'm not sure I would as it is not my forte.

So, a couple of questions.

1.Has anyone used Red continuously in 30 degrees plus heat for any period of time and how did it fair?

2. Does anyone have recommendations for a features/doc cameraman, preferably with their own camera who could do a week in Northern Kenya from the 12th of August, they have some money for kit and such.

PM me or answers in forum.

Thanks,

Mike C

[J. Eric Camp]

Well...

First off I would love to do the gig. Sadly I am booked.

Now onto the issues.

The camera will want to take a nap at around 110 f (43 c) so who ever goes will want to try and keep it shaded. Secondly, you will almost have to run the fans in "HOT" mode which means they will be cranking during takes. Which in turn means, try and keep mics a bit further away from the camera.
Lastly, a cooler with gel packs is recommended. The top of the camera is a heat sink, keep it cool and it will help keep the camera rolling.

[punchin.pictures]

Guys,

I've been asked a lot of questions about the RED One camera and will only comment on my personal experiences which so far have been very positive. I have been asked by a Director/Producer about the suitability of the RED camera for shooting a feature/doc in Africa. It sounds really cool. However I cannot do it, I'm too busy with commercials right now. Even if I could I'm not sure I would as it is not my forte.

So, a couple of questions.

1.Has anyone used Red continuously in 30 degrees plus heat for any period of time and how did it fair?

2. Does anyone have recommendations for a features/doc cameraman, preferably with their own camera who could do a week in Northern Kenya from the 12th of August, they have some money for kit and such.

PM me or answers in forum.

Thanks,

Mike C

Hi Mike,

We where just shooting in senegal..everything was working fine....and it was really hot.

So just give us a call perhaps we can do this job.

www.punchinpictures.de

[Michael Stanmore]

By the way... Don't forget that heat issues are NOT unique to the Red camera. so anyone asking whether they should shoot Red or say... a sony HDcam or other high end digital gear... they'll have the same things to consider...

[dino g]

3 gel packs at any grocery store $4.95 for a two pack = $14.85
2 bags of $1.99 ice = $3.98
2 instant cold packs, 2 to a pack $4.95 each = $9.90
1 plastic cooler to fit two bags of ice and all reusable gel packs =$24.95

total cost = $58.10 with CA tax

knowing your RED ONE is going to be able to work in 110 F for 12+ hours...

Priceless....

this is exactly what we bought saturday for the fincher nike job in glendora for shooting all day on an astro-turf field. not one problem, just kept replacing the gel pack every 10-15 minutes. and recycling them to the ice bag sandwich, ice lasted whole day 14+ hours, had to throw it into my tomato garden when i got home.

i know ice is not the easiest thing to get in africa as i was there for 3 weeks a few months back shooting with red#0031, but we used the same solution without fail. you can find ice if you really try and it is for sure worth it.

good luck

dino

[Costelloe Michael]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the practical points of view, PM's as well as posts, there really is no substitute for actual experience in a given situation and I appreciate your sharing your knowledge and experience. That is what saves this forum from all the white noise that flies around.

I think the best thing is that I give the names and contact details of those guys who have thrown their hats into the ring to the Director/Producer and let him start the dialogue with you personally.

Thanks again

Mike C

[Caleb Heymann]

Hi Mike,

We're based in South Africa (Cape Town and Johannesburg) and have two Reds available for hire as well as DP / DIT services. Our third camera will be here in the next couple weeks. We recently completed a very successful shoot in Kenya, the first film to be shot in the country on Red. I'll PM you for more details.

Cheers,
Caleb

[Jimmy Gitonga]

Yeeeh!

Another RED in Kenya shoot. This is really sad for me not to be able to join a RED crew. I was there for the Kenyan full feature shoot and totally had an interesting time.

All the best.

Karibu Kenya, Mike C

[Ramesh Jai]

Yeeeh!

Another RED in Kenya shoot. This is really sad for me not to be able to join a RED crew. I was there for the Kenyan full feature shoot and totally had an interesting time.

All the best.

Karibu Kenya, Mike C
OT Ashoka - I'm sure your spelling of DEFINITELY is an oversight.

[Tom Lowe]

I mean, if you are way out in the boondocks for extended periods, is the ice thing going to be practical? Being in LA is one thing, being in Timbuktu for weeks at a time is another. That's one issue I would consider.

I really think someone should build an easy, convenient liquid cooler for red one.

[Costelloe Michael]

I mean, if you are way out in the boondocks for extended periods, is the ice thing going to practical? Being in LA is one thing, being in Timbuktu for weeks at a time is another. That's one issue I would consider.

I really think someone should build an easy, convenient liquid cooler for red one.

Hey Tom,

I totally agree on this front, but the guys will have access to a genny and an equipment tent, so maybe refrigeration of some kind wouldn't be totally out of the question.

Mike C

[Tom Lowe]

Hey Tom,

I totally agree on this front, but the guys will have access to a genny and an equipment tent, so maybe refrigeration of some kind wouldn't be totally out of the question.

Mike C

Sure. It's just a matter of logistics. They will have to decide if it's worth it.

I for one am wary of shooting with Red in remote places that are very hot. The worry and hassle of dealing with ice bags and gel packs in the middle of Africa would probably outweigh the benefits for me. But that's just me. I'm paranoid and super cautious about putting myself into any position where equipment failure is going to cause me to lose that 1-in-a-million sunset or once-in-lifetime lion vs croc shot or Oscar caliber first take, or whatever.

The trouble is, there are not a lot of other cameras that could fill in. Varicam still cannot shoot 1080p at high frame rates (??!!??). The EX1 and EX3 do not overcrank at 1080p either, as far as I know. So what digital cinema cameras are you left with? Can the Sony XD cams overcrank at 1080p? F900R?

Maybe 35mm film would actually be the best bet. It all depends on the specifics of the shoot, I suppose.

[Ariana]

No risk, no gain.

Would you risk processing the film in Africa or risk getting the film
xrayed?

[Tom Lowe]

No risk, no gain.

Would you risk processing the film in Africa or risk getting the film
xrayed?

You can get film past x-raying at airports, can't you? Otherwise a lot of productions would be screwed.

Again, which camera to use would have to be based on what you are shooting. If overcranking is needed, then nearly all 1080p digital cameras would be out the window.... so all you are left with, pretty much, is film.

Maybe there is another digital camera that can shoot these specs that I am not aware of? Who knows.

As far as no risk no gain, it is simply unwise to use a camera known to overheat in a remote, hot place! That's not risk, it's just foolish. I try my hardest to avoid getting into situations where equipment might fail, mainly because I know all too well how shitty it feels to lose great shots!

[Brent J. Craig]

Would you risk processing the film in Africa or risk getting the film
xrayed?

There are international regulations that allow you to request hand searches for sensitive materials such as motion picture film. Allow a LOT of extra time at the airport. A few hours of research and some printed copies of the regulations are all you need. It also helps if you know how to say "I would like to speak to your supervisor, please" in the local language.

[Russ Fill]

Maybe a little cooler that plugs in to the USB port for power and you dont have to always have it just when you are in hot spots shooting.

[Tom Lowe]

Yeah, there needs to be some type of attachment for extreme-heat shooting.

Is anyone currently working on a liquid-cooling sollution? If not, maybe I build one and sell those babies like hotcakes to redusers. :)

[Ariana]

You can get film past x-raying at airports, can't you? Otherwise a lot of productions would be screwed.

Again, which camera to use would have to be based on what you are shooting. If overcranking is needed, then nearly all 1080p digital cameras would be out the window.... so all you are left with, pretty much, is film.

Maybe there is another digital camera that can shoot these specs that I am not aware of? Who knows.

As far as no risk no gain, it is simply unwise to use a camera known to overheat in a remote, hot place! That's not risk, it's just foolish. I try my hardest to avoid getting into situations where equipment might fail, mainly because I know all too well how shitty it feels to lose great shots!

Getting film past security in any country is a gamble. Easier in the US but potentially very hard or impossible in some latin american and african countries. I've unlucky and lucky in countries like guatemala and south africa. Sometimes you guy an inspector that doesn't care and sometime even after two hours of talking up the chain, you lose.

As far as heat, you still need to keep the film cool. I shot for four weeks in the sahara and were unable to keep the film cool for the second week in a remote location and all the colors went screwy.

With red, it's been pretty easy to keep the camera cool and in the shade. I wouldn't hesitate taking it back to africa instead of film.

[Martin B.]

3 gel packs at any grocery store $4.95 for a two pack = $14.85
2 bags of $1.99 ice = $3.98
2 instant cold packs, 2 to a pack $4.95 each = $9.90
1 plastic cooler to fit two bags of ice and all reusable gel packs =$24.95

total cost = $58.10 with CA tax

knowing your RED ONE is going to be able to work in 110 F for 12+ hours...

Priceless....

this is exactly what we bought saturday for the fincher nike job in glendora for shooting all day on an astro-turf field. not one problem, just kept replacing the gel pack every 10-15 minutes. and recycling them to the ice bag sandwich, ice lasted whole day 14+ hours, had to throw it into my tomato garden when i got home.

i know ice is not the easiest thing to get in africa as i was there for 3 weeks a few months back shooting with red#0031, but we used the same solution without fail. you can find ice if you really try and it is for sure worth it.

good luck

dino


Hello, Dino!

I'm wondering if you or anyone around here could post some pictures of their invented cold-pack solutions. We've just got our hands on red with a soon to be shoot project in hot weather and we're wondering about the best systems to try to keep the camera working. But as my english is not that good it's a bit hard to me to have a fully clear idea of the solutions for this issue from the written descriptions.

So any picture will help a lot! :)

Thanks!