Epic-M in Brisbane

[Dan Graetz]

Hi all,

With great jubilation we received our Epic-M this week, and today the amazing Redmote to accompany it. We're still in the process of kitting it up in a fashion that befits its compact dopeness, but in the meantime it's working nicely with our RED One/Arri/ET accessories.
As a side note, you really need to see this thing on our camBLOCK motion control rig. The size & weight is allowing us to pull off moves that were never possible with a RED One. The camBLOCK is also available for hire with an operator.

Feel free to contact me or Benjamin (our rentals manager):
daniel@graetzmedia.com
benjamin@graetzmedia.com

Cheers,
dan graetz

[James Press]

Fabulous news Dan! Perhaps you'll have time to shoot some promo shots for us to drool over?

BTW thanks for sharing your Final Cut Server experiences with me a few weeks ago--this week's news from Apple was not encouraging...

Best wishes with one of the first Ms in Oz.

James

[Peter D Claproth]

Hey Dan, do you know how many Epic Ms are in Aus? I'm in Melbourne. Considering an X or M.

[Cail Young]

Peter:

There's 3 in private hands that I know about, and another few with an educational institution in Melbourne.

[Adam Eden]

Mine will be in Sydney in a couple of weeks!

Dan will you share your setup for your M? I posted a request a couple of days ago and no one posted anything! BTW what I mean is how you decked your EPIC out? IE viewfactor top plate, and did you go 15mm or 19mm?

I am a steadicam guy so I need mine really light and I like to share info as I believe in Karma.

[Mark Toia]

Brooke Willard's plates top and bottom for your stedicam... that's it. :) Everything happily bolts of those like another camera.

Keep the 5 inche touch screen on it so you can do some camera adjustments and that's about that. The camera works nicely in a very basic config.
Power the camera up via a V lock. (or even better yet the RED VOLTS when they finally come out).
Play back is still a great issue though. Kipro mini or HDSDI recorder of some form is needed, or a radio transmitter from the camera out... You'll be use to that being a stedicam man.
But over all, it's easier than anything else you put on your rig.

I'm sure Daniel will come back with some handy tips as well. He's a clever dude.

[jimhare]

Some serious tools and talent happening up North!

Good on ya guys, keep up the great work.

[Adam Eden]

The biggest challenge I can see is balancing epic with a lens like my Zeiss LWZ2. You would never run a battery off the EPIC on a steadicam as you would power the unit off the sled. But since the camera is so small I would need the bottom mount to be half way up the lens!

I will post some of my photos once I get my EPIC but I find it really strange that no one has posted any pics of the epic on a steadicam sled yet.

I run an IDX cam wave for remote HDSDI, which is a necessity. But you can't really have the screen hard mounted as it throws the centre of gravity point out. Just as long as you can plug it in once in a while, whilst the power is on thats ok.

Hey mark why do you need the bottom mount from viewfactor? I ordered the top mount but was thinking of using the new RED quick release plate system as It is very handy to run 19mm and 15mm at the same time for me. If the viewfactor bottom mount and the new red quick release system can both be used at the same time then that would work for me as I can go from steadicam to sticks really quickly.

[Mark Toia]

We run the botom plate, so to run all our old slide plates, wedge plates and more importantly for the lenses to line up with the matt boxes. the EPIC is 11 mm short in height. Confused the hell out of me when I first got it. The bottom plate has gone on and will probably never ever be removed.
We were getting the quick release system. but opted to keep the camera tight and firm, we wil scew stuff onto it as we need it.

KISS method. (keep it simple stupid)
Here is our camera in simple hand held mode, we use a mono pod under this if we are sick of holding if for two long. (because we are lazy).
Screw on ND's. done..
We are thinking however of dropping the BOMB EVF's all together and getting an getting a HDSDI evf so we can run 5inch and evf at the same time.

Just wait for Daniels config pics, he loves Pimping his rides

http://www.zoomfilmtv.com.au/ftp/JUNK/easy%20setup...png

[Adam Eden]

Hey Dan when are you going to upload some pimped out shots of your EPIC?

Mark do you have any other shots of your EPIC in a more traditional setup? IE Matt box, follow focus,etc. It seems strange where you have mounted the viewfinder and would seem more logical if there was a way to mount the screen on a NOGA arm like the RED ONE.

I should get mine in the next couple of weeks and I have ordered nearly everything on the RED STORE so I can mix and match, and RED have assured me that using there new quick release system, the matt box lines up with the lens now and you can also have a 15mm rod at the same time which is what I do with my RED ONE MX now.

I really don't want to use the big handle assy that the red volts sit in as that throws the centre of gravity out on the camera and I would like to see if there is a way of back mounting the REDVOLTS in a similar way as a RED BRICK ASSY.

Again this is a Steadicam request if people are thinking i am crazy!

[JamesPuli]

Adam ....

I personally haven't flown an Epic on my Steadicam as yet, but im looking forward to it. I did fly one on a colleagues sled in the states recently
and im digging around for photos, but it flew really nicely.

There is plenty of photos around of Epics in 3d configs on Steadicams ... check out www.steadi3d.com Pedro has done a great job there!

By the time you add all the necessary accessories, its not going to end up as light as one would think. I know im going to leave the battery on there for the moment as I dont want to invest the $$ in a power cable without being on a film for a while (especially as i already have enough $$ tied up in cables~!)

What rig are you flying? I personally like a bit of weight in a camera and tend to add weight to many light cameras to make them fly nicer on my Pro sled.
Have you got remote focus etc as well? Im in the same boat with the transmitter, except I use the Boxx Meridian.

If your running a longer zoom lens, the extra thing that might be handy is an extra long dovetail plate. Again, when I fly one on my sled, ill post some pics!
Feel free to email me off board if you need more info!

JamesPuli

HITMAN FILMS
Camera / Steadicam Owner Operator
Melbourne / Sydney / Canberra - Australia and International (have passport will travel!)

+61 (0)413 231 337
www.jamespuli.com
jamespuli@live.com.au

[Adam Eden]

Hey James.. Are you attending the Garret Brown steadicam course this month in Sydney? As your name rings a bell.

I have an Archer 2 (composite lcd) with a G50 arm. And I have mastered flying my RED MX by cutting the shit out of it, IE No batteries, no hard drives, no rails except for the element technica bolt on 15mm front system where I mount my Arri wireless iris/focus motors and matt box.

The reciever bolts on top of the RED with along with a decimator and Lectro audio kit. And I have an IDX CAM WAVE sending HDSDI to the client monitor.

Works well with my super speeds, but i also have the new Zeiss light weight zoom 2 15.5-45mm lens and thats going to be a problem setting up with an epic.

I have some ideas and I have ordered a whole heap of bits of the RED store website, so I will post some pictures when I get my kit.

if you want to keep in contact my email is adam at edencreative dot com dot au

[Peter D Claproth]

Peter:

There's 3 in private hands that I know about, and another few with an educational institution in Melbourne.

Thanks Cail, would love to come down and check you guys out sometime. Whats the best way to do that?

[Cail Young]

Send me a PM Peter and I'll get in touch.

[JamesPuli]

Hey Adam. My dad Louis is an instructor at the course, and I'll be there for a day or 2, plus will be helping out at the Steadicam booth at SMPTE.

Hope to see you there!

JP

[Adam Eden]

Hey Adam. My dad Louis is an instructor at the course, and I'll be there for a day or 2, plus will be helping out at the Steadicam booth at SMPTE.

Hope to see you there!

JP

I thought you would have to be related to Louis as you have an uncommon sirname.

Your father is a legend!

Looking forward to meeting you and your father.