Rule | Boston Camera Rental Shows Strength of Merger with RED ONE™.
When Rule Broadcast Systems and Boston Camera Rental merged earlier this year, a commitment was made to combine both company’s strengths and bring together the worlds of film and video. That promise is kept by being the first New England rental company to offer the red-hot RED ONE super high-resolution digital cinema camera.
“RED ONE is unlike anything that has come before it,” say Rule | Boston Camera Rental president John Rule. “While there are cameras out there that have one or two of its features, RED brings it all together in one package with mind-blowing 4k resolution.”
“This is a digital camera with a lot of appeal to traditional filmmakers,” says Rule | Boston Camera Rental general manager Brian Malcolm. “With its single Super 35-sized CMOS sensor and PL lens mount, the RED ONE works with the same lenses and accessories filmmakers are accustomed to. It is a true hybrid of the film and video worlds.”
“Like any camera it has its appropriate applications, but on some projects it offers huge advantages,” says Rule. Compared to shooting on film the cost savings and artistic flexibility can be substantial. “It’s all just ones and zeros on a flash card or hard drive, so you can shoot all the takes you want. Plus you get the instant gratification and peace of mind of actually seeing what you just shot.”
Unlike other digital cinema cameras, RED ONE is capable of recording super-high resolution up to 4096x2304 (24P hi-def), making it appropriate for a feature film with high production values. What’s more, there’s no on-board compression or balancing. According to Rule’s chief engineer Zbigniew Twarog, “what you end up with is a RAW file that represents the exact values captured through the lens. It’s pure data that gives you total control in post production taking pressure off of camera operators to achieve a perfect ‘look’ in the field. We’ve engineered workflows to get 4k footage onto Avid offline systems in order to prepare for online edits in Windows-based Scratch, and also workflows to complete a 2k project in Final Cut.”
The West Coast has already embraced RED. Industry notables such as Dean Devlin, Peter Jackson and Steven Soderbergh have been using RED and singing its praises. Here in the Northeast, it’s been slower to catch on. “Our clients don’t like adding unknowns to their projects,” says Rule. “That’s why we’ve invested so much time into putting RED through multiple shooting scenarios and workflows. We’ve worked out the kinks to make it reliable in the field. While RED ONE is a big step forward, at the end of the day, it’s just another new technology to be understood so our clients can use it with confidence.”
“As with all our rentals, RED clients will get all the support they need,” says Twarog. “We’ll custom tailor a camera set up then walk you through every step of working with RED from shooting to data migration and workflow solutions. We are available 24/7 and can have an engineer at the shoot if that’s what it takes. I tell customers, ‘everything will be okay’ because it will be. We’ll make sure of it.”
Rule | Boston Camera Rental is the only full-service rental house in New England offering RED ONE. This is a rare opportunity for film and video professionals to be among the first to shoot a project with it and expand their tool boxes.
“The process of demystifying RED ONE for our clients represents exactly what we do, why we enjoy it, and why Rule and Boston Camera Rental merged,” says Rule. “We work very hard to help our clients take full advantage of leading-edge tools like RED ONE. It’s an amazing time in the industry with technologies evolving so quickly. It’s a blast!”
Watch www.rule.com for upcoming RED ONE events and workshops.