Ok so you all know I teach people how to run the RED Cameras.. RED ONE, EPIC, SCARLET... RED one is called RED101 (There is a DVD and an online course) and the EPIC and SCARLET are called RED102. This is an online course at www.red102.com
Ok so with that out of the way let me talk about something:
I love to teach and I love to learn.. I always learn the most when I teach. So doing this is a match made in heaven for me. One thing I have learned as a teacher is that to teach better is to work harder. Many people who teach today are looking for the "easy way" to do it.. And so it becomes boring and uninspired. I love work, so that's not me.
The Challenge: How do you really get someone to learn to use a camera?
Another question:How did I learn?! I mean, what were times when I could remember leaving at the end of the day with my head SO FILLED with stuff I did not want to forget...
Simple: The days I was on the set of a good feature, TV show, or even music video. I saw and learned so much.
But then I thought.. Why does that work so well, and not tutorials on lighting, or camera operation, or post?!?!
The answer:
Context.
When you separate those element and teach them one at a time, they have no line to a goal.. You learn how to light a shot.. Cool, but how do you set up your camera?! A T3i is not going to behave at all like a SCARLET, and yes, it will affect how you light. Then what happens in post?! For someone learning, when one of these things breaks down, it destroys the entire learning process. "My shot sucks so there's no point in remembering the lihting cause it did not work." The lighting was fine, it was antother step in the chain that messed them up.. But of course how could they know this?
Once I broke it down, I knew what I had to create.. Made me want to cry cause of the work that would be involved. Nevertheless, I've started them.
Say hello Infotech's GTS courses. GTS stands for : G et T he S hot
The entire course STARTS with a single shot: A talking head, an exterior shot, shooting a subject by a window, greenscreen, the list will go one.
We start you on the set...show you the room, and then light the shot, walking through it step by step. The we pick up the camera, show you the menus, the lens being used, the positioning and framing, we tweak the kights, and shoot the shot. Then we move to post. Ingest the footage, color correct, show some variations, and done. You have it.
You cannot learn one without the other. And your image is only as good as the weakest link. So if I am serious about this, I have to take it from the second you walk on set, right up until you finish grading in post.
To say this is a lot of work is an understatement. But I believe it's a good way to do it. It what I would have wanted.. Hell it's what I STILL want.
Will people need all of this? Some yes, and some no. You may be saying, yeah but what if I don't want to shoot the shots you have. The respons is, you're missing the point. The shot provides the CONTEXT under which you learn. No matter what section you are interested in, a little or a lot, you still need to learn it in the CONTEXT of the shot we're going after! See what I am saying? This is major.
But wait.. There's more (This is the part that makes me cry).
Most of use who do EPIC and SCARLET have had a camera or two before we got these.. After all we're at the top of the heap with what we own.. So as much as I hate to admit it, not a lot of "1st timers" in this group. :) So using a technique I have developed over the last 2 months.. I am making these classes for the following cameras, all at the same time (Insert whimpering here):
RED EPIC
RED SCARLET
Canon 5D
Canon 7D
Canon T4i
Canon T3i
Panasonic GH2
We have shot 4 courses to date, and have more coming (None are online yet). The RED102 members will be the first to see them for their cameras. They are always our first priority.
I hope some of you find this interesting, of course ALL classes that teach have value. It's not about me thinking some are good and some are bad. It's about me pushing myself to do the best I can do, and I think this will be a hell of a push, and a wonderful thing if I can survive it! :)
I welcome your feedback, and any suggestions of shots you would like to see.
Thank you
