artisanSKIN - shot on RED Gemini 5K
In December 2019, I had the unique opportunity to shoot a new project with a good friend Josh Luttrell, utilizing the latest release of the RED Gemini 5K camera. 5K cameras are certainly not a new thing, but for me this was new, and as much a camera test as actual production. That said, the Super 35 format, resolution, and low light capabilities are significant features for me, as very often, I don't know what challenges to expect from project to project. As an owner/operator, the Gemini checks off many boxes for me, giving me the confidence to take on nearly any situation.
Thoughts on 5K and RED Gemini
On Set with the RED Gemini 5K.
RED Gemini 5K. A camera, format size, resolution, and low light sensitivity that is very appealing to me for many reasons. And questions. How's the image quality? The Workflow? What exactly can this amazing camera do? Let's dig in.
As for the 5K format size and low light capabilities … In a word, it's incredible. This particular form factor and features have so many potential applications in the work I do. Shallow depth of field, wide FOV possibilities, a wide variety of glass options, etc... Considering the resolution as well, I've found quickly that my close up, mid, and wide shots hold so much richness but also draws on a very film-like smoothness.
This camera can be used in many ways. There is enough resolution and format size to be extremely flexible, and the modularity of the RED system works amazingly well. In the photo below, you'll see the side-mounted monitor option, which was a LIFESAVER working in this extremely tight space. As for framing, on this particular project, there's no cropping, no reframing, no sharpening, just a 5K to a 4K downsample. And to me, I think the frames look fantastic.
Camera Settings and Rigging
Nearly all of this project was shot at 5K, 60 fps, REDCODE RAW 8:1 (RED's compressed RAW format). There are also a few clips shot at 24fps 6:1 REDCODE RAW. This project was a 6-day shoot, and I certainly have the footage to prove it. Thankfully the REDCODE RAW compression saved my skin on storage, because RED storage media is anything but cheap. I captured hours of footage each day as Josh worked on various stages of the finishing process. The ISO Rating was mostly 250; however, this was also sort of a camera test, so you'll see shots in the ISO 320-1280 range too.
RED Brick V-Mount Batteries have a decent form factor that work very well and provide long lasting power to the camera body
Each brick got me about 2.5 hours of uptime, and shooting days were long. We had roughly 6 days to pull off Josh's regular finish work on this single A-Style (Teardrop shape) Mandolin, with some gaps here and there to make room for Josh to work on his other customer's instruments.
Lens Selection
All of the shoot was shot on Rokinon Primes
I'm pretty new to the world of RED Cinema, and I don't have an unlimited budget for gear. Being an owner/operator, I've gone with a small set of Rokinon cinema lenses that have been performing great. I've compared these lenses to their Xeen counterparts, and for now, I simply can't justify taking on the additional cost of the glass. For now, we'll just keep renting specialty optics when it's appropriate to do so. Even using the Rokinon glass, which is VERY affordable, this camera yields a crazy sharp image! This shot was achieved using the Rokinon 50mm f/1.5 prime lens.
This shot was achieved using the Rokinon 50mm f/1.5 prime lens
One goal for me, was to shoot the vast majority at f/2.8 to f/4. (Though there's a fair amount of f/1.5 and f/2 in there with a couple f/5 shots as well). The light was a bit all over the place. Some of the lights were dimmable on set, but we had a crazy mix of color temperatures from 7000k down the 2800k and possibly even warmer. The Gemini did a great job, and we got pretty close in camera to the correct temperature, making grading a bit easier.
RED Gemini compact size allows me to move quickly and position the camera in pretty tight spaces
I had the camera in some rather precarious situations. Literally on the ground looking up a Josh, or having to stand up on a 5-gallon bucket to look down over the shoulder as you can see from some of the images, I used a Rhino slider setup for a couple of shots, which worked nicely with the RED package. It is compact but packs enough strength to move the camera quickly and smoothly.
Lighting the Shop
Nearly every setup was lit with available window light and practicals, and then 2 Luxli Cello’s Bi-Color units for fill
Lighting was tricky. This workshop was a SMALL room. I didn't want to go full-on with some of our more significant instruments, as there just wasn't enough space to go nuts with large diffusion panels. Josh's shop is full of materials and relatively tight spaces. So I tackled this with 2X Luxli Cellos to provide some fill in some of the background and used his desk lamp primarily serving as our key.
Additionally we used available room light, or practicals. I was mixing these with daylight and the house fluorescents while filming during the shoot. Anywhere Josh went, and I didn't find the light I was looking for in the frame, I set up those little Cellos on Justin Clamps, and it worked out nicely. More or less a documentary look and feel. However, no handheld, all tripod, and a couple of slider shots.
I was mostly aiming for f/2 - f/4. Depending on how we quickly adjusted and positioned the various lights, we were able to get f/1.5 - f/4 if I felt that suited the composition better—focusing mostly on showing Josh's process, and finding creative angles in a minimal space.
Post Workflow
Premiere Pro CC layout on my iMac 5K and Eizo CG276 Displays
I love that Adobe Premiere Pro CC that supports RED .R3D files. This mandolin project was a 6-day shoot with many days of post-production. I edited the 5K HD .R3Ds natively in REDCINE-X Pro, and Premiere with no issues on my Mac even tested them out on my Laptop with very few problems. 1/8th playback for time-sensitive cuts, 1/4 for QC related work, Full Resolution when paused for critical work. Adaptive resolution and GPU support in our NLE software have genuinely changed the way we can work these last few years.
In leveraging the REDCINE-X software, I executed the bulk of the color grade work. In the screengrab above, you can see a familiar UI that's relatively intuitive yet powerful. The grade was achieved manually in RCX, then individual clip adjustments via Lumetri within Premiere. I'm big on editing with native REDCODE RAW material on projects of this scale. This workflow should become commonplace on larger projects for me going forward, and it feels very natural coming from the world of RAW stills.
Color: How the image looked in camera
Color: Experimental Test Grade
Color: Final Color Grade
I exported several versions at 2K and 4K. What you see on YouTube is a high bit-rate H.264 4K DCI encode. Then, of course, YouTube re-encodes that, and we end up losing a fair amount in translation. My Apple ProRes, and H.265 4K and 5K masters are much better than what you can see via the web at the moment.
Color: How the image looked in camera
Color: Experimental Test Grade
Color: Final Color Grade
What you'll see in the final video is about 10% of what I shot in terms of the overall content. I had to leave a few things behind on the cutting floor, like Josh performing an initial coat of stain and then a ton of sanding, but my focus was on the overall process from beginning to end.
Stills from Motion
This frame grab received no additional post processing
One thing I kept in mind while shooting was the potential of extracting stills from the motion pictures. At 5K S35, we're looking at 15.4 Megapixels, exporting out 16-bit TIF nets a damn good looking image file. This could produce a beautiful 9x16 inch print (without interpolation) at 300 DPI for each frame. There's much potential with that from a motion picture industry point of view. Suddenly marketing stills from productions could easily be printed as very high-quality double-page spreads, used for print ads, billboards, and more. I even spent some time after finishing this cut just sifting through all of the footage, much of which that I didn't include in the final piece, to explore some additional stills processing via Lightroom and Photoshop. The potential here is exciting.
Behind the scenes iPhone grab of the Gemini and Rhino setup
Mandolin Information
Just a few notes about the Mandolin and the general concept for the shoot. As for the concept, I was looking for a somewhat unique story to tell, and have wanted to work with Master Finisher Josh Luttrell for many years. This short film would also be my first multi-day 5K RED shoot, so Josh's work fits the bill perfectly. His instruments have graced such talented musical hands as Steve Smith, CJ Lewandowski, Billy Bright, Baron Collins-Hill, Jordan Ramsey, Dan Bui, Tricia Ann Eaves, and more. This short documents Josh working over six days as he and constructs a gorgeous new finish on a Tom Ellis Custom A-Style Mandolin that features Adirondack Red Spruce on the top, and a premium grade Sugar Maple back. It was a special several days of shooting with Josh in his shop as I've always been a big fan of his work.
Through this project, I've found the Adirondack Red Spruce wood to be one the most beautiful materials to fashion an acoustic instrument from, and the way Josh finishes them is second to none. His technique in the application of every stage of the finishing work, and extreme critical focus on the smallest details, clearly sets his work apart from the rest. The finish of the wood maintains its character, but the way Josh finishes it brings out a beauty that few would deny.
Final Thoughts
I'm so thrilled that my first 5K shoot was something special and unique like this. Josh has been great friend for many years, and everything came together nicely while filming this short. It's impressive to me that this whole thing was created nearly in 6 days with so much new and amazing technology. Having access to a camera with this level of features feels very liberating, and also provides a level of creative and technical freedom. Starting now begins my journey of capturing and working in 5K and the RED ecosystem.
I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!
TRAVIS DUNCAN | ADVERTISING PHOTOGRAPHER BASED IN THE MIDWEST. SPECIALIZING IN: PRODUCTS & ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY, and VIDEO PRODUCTIONS.
Travis Duncan Photography | Advertising • Corporate • Motion
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