Images of a revolution

 
Film The RED camera offers digital images in 35 mm quality. Daniel Reichenbach from element p works with it and is convinced: "RED will have a lasting impact on the spot industry." 
WW: The camera with the concise name RED is preceded by a real euphoria. What makes this camera so special? Daniel Reichenbach: RED has up to five times more resolution than High Definition, making it the first serious digital replacement for shooting on 35 mm film. But the RED is more cost-efficient. The detour from film to development to digitization is eliminated. In addition, all common formats from Super 35 mm to HD and web films can be derived from a RED workflow. Recording is done on flash card or hard disk. The data can be imported and edited directly in editing programs such as Final Cut. However, the images are only finally "developed" during final grading.
If you wanted to shoot your commercials with an analogue 35 mm camera in order to achieve the desired high image quality, you had to reckon with around 800 francs per 35 mm film roll, including development and digitization. For a demanding commercial, that quickly adds up to 15 rolls of film of 4.5 minutes or 12,000 francs. RED eliminates all these costs, and agencies can also assess a high-quality image on set.
And the image quality is really the same? How is this technically possible? RED has the same resolution and the same optical design options as the analog 35 mm format. But this is a topic for technology freaks. For me as a director and cameraman, factors such as economy and workflow optimization are more important. Production becomes cheaper and I can concentrate on the scene in front of the camera during filming without always having the accountant's eye on my neck. At the end of the day, movies live from their content and plot. This doesn't get better just because the picture quality in the high-end range may deviate by 5 percent.
The driving force behind RED Digital Cinema is Jim Jannard, founder and majority shareholder of sunglasses and fashion manufacturer Oakley. Jim sold his trendy brand last year for around 2.1 billion dollars and is now focusing on revolutionizing and democratizing the film industry. He sells the RED for 17,500 dollars. This is possible thanks to the series production of 8,000 cameras per year that he is aiming for. However, if you want to invest seriously in this technology, you will have to spend a few more bucks on lenses and accessories, for example. With RED, Jannard wants to provoke a similar development as in photography. Digital technology has long been accepted in this field, and both amateurs and professionals can afford the same equipment.
This means that we can expect an enormous rush for this new camera. I've been working on this thing for a long time and am in close contact with the guys from RED in the USA. Almost two years ago, I bought an option on one of the first cameras for 1,000 dollars at NAB, the biggest industry trade fair in Las Vegas - and was pretty much ridiculed in the industry for it.
You are the only owner in Switzerland - at the moment, yes. There are waiting times of up to six months for the 3,500 orders that have now been placed worldwide. Two of the next REDs will be delivered to C-Films. Tobi Fueter invited me to RED tests for the newly announced series "Day and Night" and was thrilled.
No, I want to keep my time free for our production company element p. After splitting off from Twin Productions, we moved into larger premises in Biel and also expanded our staff.
What does element p produce? We produce commercials and commissioned films, and we are also working on docudramas. Our portfolio now includes Weleda International, CSS Krankenversicherung and German companies such as Mainova and Valensina. We also work closely with orange8 interactive in the field of branded entertainment, a market of the future. We were awarded the Grand Prix at the 2006 International Business Film Festival in Vienna and bronze at the Edi 06 for our film "Mittendrin" about the Lucerne Kapo. Swissness pays off for us.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri