Many people are looking for an alternative to buying expensive lenses (PL Mount) for their RED Camera, even if it’s just a workaround to getting you out shooting in 4K, rather than having to fork out 10-50 thousand dollars on a film lens. Of course, the optics of a Zeiss Ultraprime or a hand-crafted Cooke SK4 Lens are jaw dropping, these lenses will cost you more than the RED ONE itself (we know, we’re buying a Cooke Lens ourselves).

Enter Duclos Lenses in Los Angeles. Apart from selling a range of new and used super 16mm and 35mm PL mount lenses, these guys are providing a solution for RED users by modifying Nikon mounted Zeiss primes to create an affordable alternative to shooting on PL lenses. Their lens modification includes:

** Installing aluminum 80mm Front Rings to provide a uniform 77mm filter thread.

** Installing 32-Pitch Focus Gear to ensure a slip free, smooth focus movement for use with industry standard follow focus systems such as the Arri FF series or the Redrock Micro system.

** De-clicking the aperture by removing the click stops and dampening the control ring with Zeiss lubricants allow precise aperture selection and movement similar to motion picture lenses.

The Spedex RED Camera just got back from a 10 day trip overseas, shooting in Paris, Toulouse, Brest and Plonévez-Porzay for the documentary series Big Questions? which saw cinematographer Anthony Jennings and producer Behren Schulz blindly following their gps into rural France.

Fortunately they found their way to the Airbus factory in Toulouse where they shot interviews with the Airbus design and manufacturing team behind the A380, an airplane that is capable of hurtling up to 525 people through the air. The interviews will be a part of episode 1, which features presenter Grenville Kent discussing intelligent design in machinery.

There is a great article by the guys over at Mind Warp Entertainment about everything RED.

1. REDCODE vs 35mm Film (do some research).
2. Shoot 4K and finish in 2k?
3. Some Assembly Required with RED Configurations.
4. Check, Check, & Double Check the Back Focus!
5. Use a GOOD Tripod.
6. Use Ice Packs with your RED Camera.
7. Shoot Sync Sound.
8. REDCODE 28 vs. REDCODE 36? Which one is right for you?
9. Choose your RED Workflow wisely when editing on a mac.
10. Sweet Color Correction with Apple COLOR.

Head over to the Mind Warp Blog to read more…

After a 10 day trip to France, the Spedex RED ONE camera just cleared customs in time to make it to the Botany Factory where actors Charles Firth, Nich Richardson and Dave Callan were waving the flag for the National Union of Workers (NUW) in a new promotional campaign, aimed at breaking the ice in classic John Cleese fashion.

As the two factory workers (Firth and Richardson) repeatedly try to pack the Union Spokesman into a box, he keeps popping out to give us 372 reasons why the NUW is good for workers. In alphabetical order.

Cinematographer Justin Brickle helmed the Spedex RED ONE for this project, fresh off a six month stint on Lockie Leonard, Season 2 for the NINE Network.

This NUW Promo is due to get a cross platform release in August, so stay tuned.

Producer: Xanon Murphy
Director: Jim Lounsbury
Cinematographer: Justin Brickle
Writers: Charles Firth & Nich Richardson
Cast: Charles Firth, Nich Richardson & Dave Callan

The guys over at XL Films in Texas, apart from being smitten by their affectionately named RED ONE Camera “Ginger”, have developed a very useful set of RED ONE system maps, to help users quickly navigate the menus on the RED ONE and get the most from the camera. If you’re a RED ONE owner or user, you’ll want to get a copy of the System Map appropriate for the software build you’re using.

Build 18 Menu Map Beta
Build 17 Menu Map
Build 16 Menu Map

We’ve also placed a permanent list of system maps under useful links, so… enjoy.

Gates Underwater Housings have just announced DEEP RED, an underwater housing for the Red One camera.

Underwater Housing for RED ONE

Though… the pricepoint is more than the cost of the camera itself, and we’re wondering whether all aftermarket suppliers are going to be able to deliver on the RED promise of technologically farsighted AND affordable.

Living Movie Poster - Start to Finish from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.

Wil Wheaton, actor on TNT’s primetime drama Leverage writes about his experience on one of the many shows that are opting to shoot on RED, rather than the expensive, time consuming and noisier (according to Wil) 35mm cameras.

Read article here.

In a mixture of live event coverage and cinematic, music video style filmmaking, Journey decided to shoot their concert with 10 Red cameras in Manila. They used a combination of S35mm film lenses and Nikon stills lenses (which are optically good, and lightweight for mobility) to capture the event, and plan to release it on HDTV, Blu-ray and DVD.

Read more at tvtechnology.com

Steve Gibby, using a RED camera, gets up close to Arnel Pineda.