Reduser 4K Portrait Competition...

[Bob Gundu]

Is there a RED Registration code for an Exhibit pass this year?

[Michael Cioni]

How are the 4K Portrait's coming?

I wanted to send out a word of encouragement to the people that are creating or considering creating some content for the Reduser Party.
I've had some great conversations with people that have come up with some very cool ideas and many of them are simple, smart, cleaver and should be really compelling.

Some of you may still be considering if you should enter - will your portrait be good enough? Is your idea possible? Will it be worth it? The answer to all this is yes, yes and yes. While there will always be the concern that some Redusers are more advanced than others, the truth is I've seen some of the best footage come from some of the most common people and places. No joke. Let the strength of your city, your area, your unique resources play a key role in capturing images or telling a small story.
From the simplicity of "the world of city rooftops" or "winter in the country" or "behind the scenes of fashion" or "closeups of small things" or even "fast things in slow motion" -all of these are interesting ideas full of unique, custom, 4K imagery that show off the camera and your talent.

Some of you are considering doing short MOS narratives, which are going to be amazing as well. I even thought of the idea of the "movie within a movie" concept where you actually shoot a real artist painting a real picture and making the piece all about the creation of an actual art piece...ending with the art in 4K.

There are many ways to go about this and there are a lot of ways to do it fast, simple and inexpensively. I encourage you to make use of what's around you and not to be too concerned about who else may enter. This is also a great opportunity to see how systems like Adobe CS are able to create 4K pipelines that make this possible on a single tower! I encourage some of you to document it and show off your workflows and how you pulled this off! I'll bet Adobe might even want to feature that on their site this April!

If you have questions, concerns or just want to run an idea by us, don't hesitate. There are 3 weeks until the due date and I hope that everyone considers taking this unique opportunity to show their content to our great community.

m

[Jason Beckwith]

I'm definitely one of the 'Common Guys'. I am lucky enough to work in video and post full-time on corporate videos. While much of the content may be dry, at least I'm not working in an entirely different field than where my passion lies. I am one of the guys that saw Red at their first NAB, but couldn't afford to buy into the camera until I saved for two and a half years. I wouldn't even be in the game still, if it wasn't for the generosity of the upgrade program. While I've been a Red owner for a number of years, I haven't had the financial or prestigious success story that some red owners have. Everything I do seems to be 'brute force' and 'hard work'.

I am entering this contest. I spent all day Saturday in the studio shooting, to the point of incurring overage charges for the studio rental. I didn't get everything that I wanted, but I think I got what I needed. Isn't that always the way? But, the footage is in the can, and I've started my edit. While I have played with Premiere in the past, I've been primarily FCP based since 2000. So far, the Premiere experience has been good. I'm working on a Macpro 1,1 from 2006, and it's really cool to be able to work natively with the .R3D files. I'm still stumbling, seeking out the functionality and techniques that I use in FCP, but everything that I need seems to be in there. As someone who has used After Effects since it was owned by COSA, the integration with Premiere is amazing. I am enjoying the process very much, so far.

My goal for this project is 10th place. There is a reason that I'm behind the camera, instead of in front. I'm kind of on the shy side, and I suck at networking. All that I'm hoping for out of this contest, is a piece that I can be proud of, that is on display. I'm hoping that this will be a conversation starter and I can get to know some of my peers (you all) a little better.

I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but time will tell. Until the 20th, I'll be taking the kids to school, working hard at the day job to avoid over-time, picking the kids up, taking care of them until they go to bed, then working on this contest until I can no longer remain conscious. Hopefully, I can get it all done in time.

I am looking forward to seeing what those with more resources submit. I went down a number of roads with concepts, and the guidelines and topic are suitably vague to allow for a number of different ideas to be realized. I have no doubt that there will be an amazing array of content to enjoy at the event. I wish all my fellow reducers the best of luck with their projects.

I have some VO that we recorded, but it is ambient, as opposed to narrative. It will be mixed with the music, and support some motion graphics. There was no 'Sync Sound' recorded with the talent. I am not certain that this is allowed in the rules. Should I submit with music only, and provide an alternate on the drive with the VO mix? Or would it be better to just provide the music track and hold the VO out for my 'director's cut' when all is said and done?

I have enjoyed the Reduser events in the past, and can't wait to see you all at this year's.

[Michael Millichamp]

I am definitely entering.

I think everyone should!

This should be an amazing opportunity for us all. Filming with the cameras we love and possibly seeing your work shown at the resolution it should be shown at. Couldn't get any better.

Also, I had questions and Michael answered them. So now im on the right track and super excited about what I can do.

[Paul Kalbach]

My shoot is wrapped and I'm almost finished with my 1st rough cut. This is my 1st time using Premier Pro (coming from FCP world), so even if I don't make it into the finalist exhibition, it's been a great way to get familiar with the workflow. My wife and I are coming to the NAB party and are looking forward to seeing what other redusers have come up with!

[Zhibo Lai]

Add me to the list. As a new Red Scarlet owner of 5 days, this will be my first real project shot on Red. Been testing and shooting the hell out of this to prepare for this contest to make sure we get the best images possible. We're shooting on a bare bones package, no side handle, so we're handcuff to a power outlet. Using my beautiful roommate as talent and trusted filmmaker friends as crew, we gonna make this work. Spent the past month flushing out an idea that is a bit risky and a challenge, but hopefully it'll pay off. I know I'm going against much more experienced Red shooters and filmmakers with tons more quality gear and access to resources, but as Michael said, can't let that stop you.

We'll be shooting this Saturday over green screen. It'll be an experimental art piece. Looking forward to seeing everyone else work. Happy Shooting.

[Michael Cioni]

Nice post, Zhibo.
If you come out of this learning more about the camera, your tools and yourself, then you have totally hit it out of the park.

Like Paul just posted, getting familiar with new systems and tools is really worth it. Some people forget how helpful it is to speak more than 1 language in the world. Knowing more about different tools out there - even if you don't use them everyday - can prove to be a very valuable asset when you're on a project and need to solve problems. Good luck to each of you and good job for leaving the comfort zone and trying something new. The peripheral gear you have doesn't necessarily make your pictures better!
m

[Kenny Mosher]

Do you guys recommend staying at the Tropicana vs the MGM Grand? I had already booked my hotel but I could switch. I also didn't see a shuttle from the Tropicana to the convention center. Thoughts?

Thanks

[Zhibo Lai]

Do you guys recommend staying at the Tropicana vs the MGM Grand? I had already booked my hotel but I could switch. I also didn't see a shuttle from the Tropicana to the convention center. Thoughts?

Thanks

I stayed at Tropicana 2 years ago for NAB and Reduser party. Hotel is "eh" but they made lot of renovations, so prob much better now. To get to convention center:
Walk across the street to MGM and catch the monorail, or hop on the the shuttle from there. It's a nice brisk, short walk over the pedestrian bridge.

[Blair S. Paulsen]

Still curious if 48 fps base rate is an acceptable format...

Cheers - #19