The BFG9000

Ranger

Ranger

Well-known member
I think the Red team has done an amazing job. As others have said countless times before me, this camera is on track to redefine and set this industry on its head. The current systems rocks! It has that Oakley look and feel written all over it.

However, after I wiped the drool from my mouth, I asked myself – would I actually use it? In our present day and age where grandmothers are now forced to remove hand lotion from their bags prior to getting on an aircraft, how practical will this camera be in real world scenarios? The Red in its current configuration (with attachments) is starting to look more like an anti-aircraft/rocket launcher than a camera. In controlled environments such as a studio that would not be an issue, but I cannot image using it in a public setting without the BFG 9000 attracting unwanted (and potentially dangerous) attention. This thing gives “run and gun” a whole new meaning.

Anyway, I was just curious what folk’s opinions were on the subject.

Damn, that's one bad mutha!.
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Well the stripped down camera without the cage doesn't look all that menacing. Although, I could see it getting a little extra attention at the airport. I'm not sure I want to run & gun with my baby anyway.
I hope they stick with the badass cage & rail design. Sort of has that "I'm not F'ing around here" look to it.
 
Hey, Doom was a great game, what better weapon could you possibly want RED to resemble besides the one and only Big F'n Gun 9000. Rock on Jim!
 
I love the way the cage makes the camera look. Defenatly an conversation starter. It is the BFG camera even though its really not that big. Love it keep up the good work
 
I too think it's silly to make a camera badass looking. The word I'm looking for here is exactly that: silly. Obviously, the designers are not much interested in the documentary genre. It's a little dissapointing to me that while so well thought, the camera misses this important point. Like, isn't it hard enough to get people not to behave unnaturally in front of your cameras?

It's something that makes me wonder if marketing is becoming more important than filmaking, for this particular product.

Anyway, this has been a very exciting week, I loved what they are telling us in terms of workflow, image quality, etc... I still think RED is a hell of a product, and I'm still certain that one day, when I manage to save some cash, I'll buy a RED - It just won't be because of it's looks.
 
Well I can see the argument but i don't think the way the camera looks is going to throw documentary subjects off anymore then a big SDX900 or Arri CAM. Cameras make people act different they always will. So a cameras looks might have some sway but I don't think it is going to be as much as people think.

And you have to rember yes this is probably the most flexable camera system being devoluped the documentary market is not what they are really after. They are after the narritive film, and high end TV, Music Video and studio shoots Basicly controlled enviorments. While I lookforward to using RED in a documentary form. I realise that this is not the market this camera is aimed at.
 
Why do you say Red isn't interested in the documentary genre?

As far as I can see the scalability of Red will (if not on launch date due to lack of accessories) eventually have a different outfit for every kind of shoot, different body and different lenses... why not?

As far as airports are concerned it wouldn't be a bad idea for aviation authorities to be notified before flying somewhere that you will be bringing a camera with you. I dare say most large airports have a means of categorising different objects like this which can be looked up by security to double check against.

Personally I love the look and feel of it, and I think it would be a shame to dumb the design down just because of the current political climate, sacrificing good design because we don't want to be considered to be terrorists is in itself a small victim of terrorism :)
 
What's the problem with throwing an ENG style protective dust cover over the thing and making it look like any other ENG camera (sort of).

In the same way that it's much easier to make a 8 pound camera feel like a 40 pound camera than the other way 'round, I'm sure that it'll be easier to dumb it down when when you have a nervous subject, or nervous security, rather than trying to make a 'plain jane' camera look 'big and bad ass' when your trying to direct Kiefer Sutherland...
 
Does anybody else think this thing is just plain ugly? It's like terminator meets alien in a s/m dungeon. Why this abundance of superfluous detailing on this thing? And can anybody see a female DOP shoot with this thing?

When I get mine I think I'll have something custom build, just not to have to walk around with something that distracts so much from movie making.
 
sndrk said:
When I get mine I think I'll have something custom build...
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Yeah, when I get mine I'll be hanging some plush dice from the front!

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Homersapien said:
As far as airports are concerned it wouldn't be a bad idea for aviation authorities to be notified before flying somewhere that you will be bringing a camera with you. I dare say most large airports have a means of categorising different objects like this which can be looked up by security to double check against.
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:grin:

:thumbsup:
 
My customization! ...No longer a threat to society!

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EDIT: OK, it's getting late and I need to get some sleep (been up all night).
 
That's GOLD :) Or as the Aussie westies where I live would say, "Fully sick, mate!!"

Get some racing stripes on there, a NOS sticker or two, and you'll fit right in and be the envy of all the babes :)

Personally I love the industrial look, but no doubt someone will make alternative rails and/or body shell to soften it up a bit for sensitive subject shooting etc.

Bring on the BFG I say!!
 
I too LOVE the industrial look of the camera. I’m military, so this look suits my personality to a “T”, so I hope they keep the design.

Yet …

I’m just an amateur hack that likes gadgets and filming all kinds of stupid sh*t with no commercial or redeeming value, however if I was doing a documentary in places that are historically skittish to terrorism (i.e. New York) I would be more than reluctant to pull out something that can easily be misinterpreted as a weapon. The Red even has characteristics (carrying handle and butt stock) similar in appearance to a M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon). It doesn’t require MENSA to quickly realize that such an object could inadvertently create a lot of negative attention and anxiety amongst the local populous.

And honestly, could you really blame others for thinking that way. How many of us would have known what that thing was if asked? I wouldn’t.
 
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visceralpsyche said:
That's GOLD :) Or as the Aussie westies where I live would say, "Fully sick, mate!!"

Get some racing stripes on there, a NOS sticker or two, and you'll fit right in and be the envy of all the babes :)
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Visceralpsyche, you wouldn't happen to live in the western suburbs would you? ;-)

I wonder if we got Jim to give us a "That's Gold :thumbsup: ", would it qualify for the Footy Show?
 
At the end of the day I think you have to make a decision about what you really want. If you want your camera to be modular and flexible, where you can bolt on whatever it is that you need for a particular situation, then's it going to look that way! The other alternative is to make it look like any other ENG camera, is that really what you want?

Oakley has a particular design style, which obviously heavily influences the Red camera's design. If Apple were designing this camera, then I think we can agree that it would look a little different! But they're not.

Yes, it's got a bit of a crazy industrial look to it, but they make no apologies for it, and I don't they think they should. Of course there are practical considerations to be taken into account, but as long as it works well, good luck trying to change their design philosophies too much.
 
i would say the design we see today was changed weeks ago !!
and the design they have today will change by end of next week ..
this is a work in progress ...
 
Andrew Wharton said:
Visceralpsyche, you wouldn't happen to live in the western suburbs would you? ;-)
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Yes, however did you guess?! Bankstown to be precise, though I don't fit the local stereotype! PM me if you'd like to chat more about Red locally, or drop by the Aussie thread and say g'day to the rest of us antipodeans who have Red reservations :)
 
The fact that the camera doesnt appeal to everyone most likely doesn't make them loose sleep. RED isnt a normal camera, so it shouldnt look like one. It suits me fine, i love it.

Remember though.. the cage is an accessory, when its off, its a little less agressive looking.
 
Is cage an accessory?

Is cage an accessory?

Hey Jarred, I'm questioning whether the cage really is an accessory - according to Mike at HDforIndies, both the power and viewfinder (necessary elements, I find) are both designed to not mount to the camera body, but to the cage. For me, the small form factor was a major part of the appeal of the RED camera. If I had to lug around all of that in what is usually (for me) very small location shooting, I would find myself looking for a smaller camera, perhaps the HVX or its' successor. I hope that Jim and his team can find a way to keep at least a version of RED small in scale and footprint. Please, guys, don't abandon the idea of a small form factor.

Well, at least the power and recording unit - same reservations though. Here's what Mike had to say:
"Recording and power - the hard drive unit and battery have been taken out of the camera body, and put together to go at the back of the Red Rail system, or bolted to top or bottom of the camera body itself. They are saying this is for better camera balance and flexible configurations - now they can make batteries and drive modules any size and not be limited to what the internal spaces would allow for. Hmm. More to say on this later."
 
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