Equipment discussions?

[Harmonica]

Despite the clear definitions of EFP/ENG, I'm a little fuzzy as to what is appropriate for this forum. Is it strictly a platform for discussions about EFP/ENG work, or is it for discusssions about equipment (to be used in conjunction with the Red) as well? If so, is it restricted to field equipment?

I would imagine a post about a shotgun mic would be appropriate in this forum, whereas a post about a studio mic would not. I've seen discussions about equipment (sound, lighting, grip, support) in both this and the "Off Topic" forum.

Wouldn't it be nice to have all these posts in the same place? If not, at least wouldn't it be nice to have a forum other than "Off Topic" to post about non-EFP/ENG equipment?

[Mark Thorpe]

OK, so for those looking at EFP and all related issues what would be your given ideal for the following scenario:

1) A 'mission' of up to one month in the field.
2) Shooting 720P / 480P to 360GB storage units.

What does the job entail?
To shoot and prepare a rough string out for the outlines of a 30 minute program. This has to be done in the field and sent back to HQ before heading off to next mission. All logistical issues are taken care of. Each mission program will require interviews etc so the audio is an equal consideration.

What would people here think of with regards to required equipment for the above mentioned scenario? Considerations for the work flow?

Cheers,
Mark.

[HD Hildebrand]

What would people here think of with regards to required equipment for the above mentioned scenario? Considerations for the work flow?

Cheers,
Mark.

Are you talking about shooting on Red. You mention 720, so I assume no. Also, are you talking one-man-band style of shooting or a small crew? In any case, for this kind of stuff I try to stay light yet efficient, but it really depends on type of shots and once you are there some gear can always stay at the motel. For example, if shooting on a HVX200 I often go with the HVX, a redundancy of cables, 5+ long life batteries, charger, Red Eye Adapter, FIRESTORE FS-100, FIRESTORE CAGE on baseplate and rods, MARSHALL HD MONITOR (unless I'm trying to stay extra light), 2 X TEKKEON 3400 batteries, DC SPLITTER CABLES (to power both monitor and Firestor off one battery), ONBOARD LED LIGHT, 416 SENNHEIZER, HANDLE, BLIMP & FUR WIND COVER, XLR CABLES, ME66/K9 SENNHEIZER W/SOFTIE (on camera mic with wider pattern), LECTROSONICS WIRELESS TRANSMITTER/RECEIVER w/ LAVELIERS, hardwired LAVELIER. For lights I bring either a rifa 88 or 66, an inky, perhaps redheads, fresnel, or even kino's. Cartoni focus head on Miller Solo VJ sticks (or heavier for heavier camera). I also sometimes bring a dolly with custom made track (18' of track that can hold 400 lbs all fits in an O'Connor tripod hard case). The dolly I take is either one of my Matthews Briefcase dollies or a custom made dolly that also does motion control moves if I do timelapes. Additionally, sometimes I bring an advanta-jib crane and/or a skater dolly. Sometime solar panels if power is an issue, hell, I've even used Petromax Lanterns in the Himalays for lighting in MOS situation, but again it really depends on what you are doing. Also, if you are capturing to a drive you need to download. I bring my laptop with FCP installed so I can always test the footage I capture and I bring FireMAX Dual Combo SATA Enclosure and swap out 500gb drives as I fill them (I always do a redundant backup so they fill up sooner then they need to). Oh, and good protective gear to save you and your equipment from the elements.

[Harmonica]

Actually, if you read the first post, I created this thread to clear up some confusion on my part. If you guys want to hang around here and discuss equipment, that's totally cool. I just want to make sure my original questions don't get lost.

[Steve Gibby]

Harmonica,

As I understand it, and I was the guy who originally asked Jarred to establish this EFP/ENG forum, this forum is a catch-all forum for everything that relates to EFP/ENG production using RED One - techniques, equipment, field workflow, post workflow, etc. - everything EFP and ENG. To be clear, ENG is a genre related to the EFP family of production genres.

This forum was established to differentiate EFP/ENG from cine style production, especially as it relates to the RED One camera system, and to give those who are interested in learning more about that a central forum to go to.

For sure there is some gray area and overlap from EFP/ENG into cine style production, and vice versa, because with convergence of technology there is bound to be some of that. An increasing percentage of non-union motion media workers now work in both cine style and EFP style work environments.

The EFP industry represents the single largest portion of the motion media industry, and RED One can and will be used extensively in the EFP industry.

Hope this helps...

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Mark,

It's hard to imagine what all could be involved with such a project... And not sure what you mean or to what extent when you say "all logistical issues are taken care of".

But when I think of a field assignment for up to a month... Delivery on 480p or 720p, I would think of traveling light when it comes to some of the gear and especially media/storage. Seriously consider shooting in 2K with s16 lenses or a B4 setup. A 320GB RED DRIVE could potentially store up to 12 hours of REDCODE vs. only about 3 hours of REDCODE 4K. Data rate requirements for 2K are a lot lower than 4K. On the order of 7MB/s for 2K vs. 27~30MB/s for 4K. It may also make a lot of sense to have a couple shoeboxes full of pretty fast CF cards to do most shooting with. They're a lot more robust than a hard drive. And shooting 2K won't require the super expensive ~$200 ones. The SanDisk Ultra III or Lexar Gold ones for $75 each may do just fine for a 2K workflow.

[HD Hildebrand]

Mark,

It's hard to imagine what all could be involved with such a project... And not sure what you mean or to what extent when you say "all logistical issues are taken care of".

But when I think of a field assignment for up to a month... Delivery on 480p or 720p, I would think of traveling light when it comes to some of the gear and especially media/storage. Seriously consider shooting in 2K with s16 lenses or a B4 setup. A 320GB RED DRIVE could potentially store up to 12 hours of REDCODE vs. only about 3 hours of REDCODE 4K. Data rate requirements for 2K are a lot lower than 4K. On the order of 7MB/s for 2K vs. 27~30MB/s for 4K. It may also make a lot of sense to have a couple shoeboxes full of pretty fast CF cards to do most shooting with. They're a lot more robust than a hard drive. And shooting 2K won't require the super expensive ~$200 ones. The SanDisk Ultra III or Lexar Gold ones for $75 each may do just fine for a 2K workflow.

I totally agree with Jeff. If you are going Red, this is the way to go (2k or 4k). Also, your point about less expensive CF cards for 2k is very interesting.

Harmonica - didn't mean to carry on with a hijack of your thread, just thought there are better people to answer that question, though not sure I was answering Mark with the kind of info he was looking for anyways.

Cheers,
Dale

[Harmonica]

For sure there is some gray area and overlap from EFP/ENG into cine style production, and vice versa, because with convergence of technology there is bound to be some of that. An increasing percentage of non-union motion media workers now work in both cine style and EFP style work environments.

The EFP industry represents the single largest portion of the motion media industry, and RED One can and will be used extensively in the EFP industry.

Hope this helps...

It seems to me that you could easily be one of the busiest guys I know, and yet any given day's worth of your posts adds up to a small novel! Did you hire some kind of eastern communications firm to post here for you?:) Seriously though, I really appreciate and admire your dedication to helping others out on Reduser.

Your response did help clear up some of my concerns. I guess the "gray area and overlap" you mention would explain the "gray area and overlap" in my understanding.

Harmonica - didn't mean to carry on with a hijack of your thread, just thought there are better people to answer that question, though not sure I was answering Mark with the kind of info he was looking for anyways.

Cheers,
Dale

No problem, Dale. It sounds like the start of an interesting discussion. My question was answered, so this puppy is all yours. I tried to change the title to attract some more participation for you guys, but that doesn't appear to be possible...