RED Workflow
Workflow is one of the most important questions of any production. How will you handle the data on set, how will the data be offloaded, and what is the process for post-production. With the RED One, this workflow could not be any easier. The best thing about the RED One is that the workflow should be familiar to anyone who has ever shot digital video. Below we have listed a brief five step process that should see your production from beginning to end.
FIRST STEP – Choosing Your Glass
The RED offers a series of mounts for various types of lenses, including: PL Mount, Nikon Mount, and a B4 mount. These mounts offer a wide range of glass options that are available through Outrider Entertainment and rental houses across the country. Outrider offers PL and Nikon mounts and has a full set of Nikon glass available for rental.
SECOND STEP – Choosing Media Storage
Your images are captured RAW off the sensor through a proprietary file developed by RED called the .R3D file. This .R3D file acts just like a standard video file in the sense that you can drop the files into your favorite NLE software and edit the files directly. These .R3D files can be captured on a variety of formats, including: RED Drives, RED Rams, CF cards, or SSD (Solid State Drives). Which one will work best for you? The RED Drives hold the most storage (320G), but are sensitive to large vibrations or jarring movement (as they are spinning hard drives). While the CF and SSD have limited space, they have become increasingly popular as they can withstand the large vibrations of helicopters, rock concerts, etc. The new “Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides” used CF cards exclusively.
THIRD STEP – Production (exposure)
The best thing about shooting with the RED One is that the workflow should be familiar to anyone who has ever shot digital video. You can expose your shot through a series of built in camera tools, external light meters, or “eye-balling” your image through a series of monitoring options. The built in camera tools include: live histogram, RGB Meters, RAW Meters, surround view, frame guides and safe action, title overlays, zebra and false color exposure overlays, waveforms, camera status and operation menus. The RED Digital Cinema Company suggests that the RED One MX should be rated at 800ISO for maximum highlight protection. The Mysterium sensor is rated at 320ISO. These are simple suggestions and are easily adjusted in camera.
Fourth STEP – Production (media formats)
Finally, before you shoot you must specify what type of format you would like your media captured. The options include resolution size and broadcast dimensions: 4.5K RAW (2.4:1), 4K RAW (16:9, HD, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1), 3K RAW (16:9, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1), and 2K RAW (16:9, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1). Also, just like any other film camera, you must specify your project frame rate. These rates include: 23.98, 24, 25, and 29.97 fps. The maximum frame rate for the RED One MX is 120fps at 2K.
Fifth STEP – Post-Production
Once you wrap production you can offload and backup your files onto your PC or MAC through CF card readers, RED Stations, and simple FIREWIRE exports. Once offloaded, you may edit your .R3D’s natively through almost any NLE software on the market, including: Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid, Final Cut X, and effects software such as After Effects. What does nativiley mean? It means drops your .R3D into the timeline and go (no trans-coding). Within these programs you can output to 4k, 2k, HD, or SD while still maintaining the nondestructive .r3d for future use.
