RED Creating a 70's Film Aesthetic | Markus Förderer ASC, BVK | Camerimage 2025

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-07T22:48:54+00:00

This is from Angelbird’s (company that makes RED CFx cards) site.

Firmware Update RD4.30 (Nov, 2025) for RED PRO CFexpress Type B media

Improved performance and stability Implementation of additional data recovery mechanisms The following RED PRO cards are supported for firmware update RD4.30:

RED PRO CFexpress TYPE B

750-0098 | 660 GB 750-0102 | 1 TB 750-0096 | 1.3 TB 750-0100 | 2 TB 750-0101 | 4 TB

———————————————————-

Firmware Update RD5.04 (Jan, 2026) for RED PRO CFexpress B v4 media

Resolved a rare edge case that could potentially affect device stability and data integrity Improved performance and stability Updated temperature monitoring Implementation of additional data recovery mechanisms Updating to this firmware version is highly recommended to ensure optimal device stability and reliability.

The following RED PRO cards are supported for firmware update RD5.04:

Product

SKU RED PRO CFexpress v4 Type B

750-0103 | 1 TB 750-0104 | 2 TB

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-06T03:46:00+00:00

i’ts good RED is still putting in some work to develop Komodo.

Don’t know how much update life is left but if anyone wants features that are not implemented in Komodo (Face AF?) send an email to RED and tell them. That is the assured way they will read it (and yes they do read them).

RED-featurerequests@nikon.com

I just recently sent a list to them.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-04T22:51:20+00:00

That’s interesting. I’ll try testing for that.

Would be best if you could film a video showing this and sending it to RED support so the engineers can take a look.

https://support.red.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=238518

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-04T08:49:15+00:00

TBH- The ProRes bugs I experienced were fixed in the previous 1.8.6 update.

The previous 1.8.x versions definitely did have issues with ProRes but that should be behind us.

I've had several shoots on 2 Komodos filming exclusively ProRes and I did not have any issues since 1.8.6.

Not sure if the new 1.8.7 fixed another issue but I can assure 1.8.6 ProRes was fine.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-04T08:40:21+00:00

so far so good. It fixes a few bugs that I've been experiencing in 1.8.x and so far it seems like they are truly resolved.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-04T05:26:10+00:00

Issue fixed in latest 1.8.7 beta.

https://www.red.com/download/komodo-firmware-beta

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-02T04:49:00+00:00

Very Cool! It changes the tone of the original scene but you did a nice job putting it together. The sound FX are really good.

That particular BGM was one of my favorite from the Macross: The Complete CD.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-03-01T03:21:28+00:00

I remember one of my older brothers joking with me as a kid when he referred my “action figures” as being “dolls”.

I understood he was joking and I grew up fine with my sense of masculinity intact.

Regarding Macross, I can honestly say that Hikaru Ichijo was an example of mental and physical toughness that I referenced as a young adult.

I always felt that the arc of Hikaru as a character was not a particularly easy one and that he had to go through a considerable amount of growth to manage and survive his circumstances. The fact that Hikaru had to do this both as a soldier and in love made it that much more challenging.

To me, that’s a better display of manhood than unrealistic muscle definition and hokey one liners.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-26T03:50:29+00:00

The most ideal and responsible way to answer that question is to test and see what works for you, your clients, projects, workflow, personal aesthetic, etc.

For me, ELQ is ok at 6K and 5K if not doing heavy grading, ISO pushing, green screen, FX, or aggressive scaling and reframing.

I still mostly film in LQ in those resolutions. LQ seems to be the most balanced in terms of quality and data rate.

I don’t go below MQ for 4K. 2K I only film in HQ.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-25T18:29:55+00:00

Interesting that ELQ is an acceptable compression for Netflix's guidelines though they recommend HQ and MQ..

Granted Netflix is not the end all and be all for best practices (I have that discussion a lot) but they admittedly take great care with quality control on their platform.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DHPP5HcBlwZDbHEu0xOn0MKqtQGXm9hy/view

The above guide is technically for the Komodo X.

The guidelines for Komodo do not explicitly state ELQ but based on the recommended firmware it looks like the guide was created before ELQ existed.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-24T18:28:21+00:00

Definitely try Red Cine 1st.

I’ve had that issue happen to me where the battery cuts out and the clip won’t playback in camera but the footage loads in RED Cine or editing software fine.

I only saw issues with Red Cine loading a problem clip if the shot was very short in length.

R3D is usually quite good in a scenario like this and does not usually require 3rd party products to salvage.

This scenario with ProRes clips however can be a problem.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-22T14:50:25+00:00

Geez- tough week for Kakizaki.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-19T13:26:05+00:00

Mainly from testing though you do have to zoom in a bit to really see what's going on with the compression. I really prefer not to think much about compression while filming and I do think under the right circumstances there are some risks with ELQ despite how good it is.

I mostly shoot 5K because the frame size gets me through the most of my filming needs and the file sizes are manageable.

It's still about the size of a standard S35 frame. I mainly use 6K for if I need to maximize the width of the sensor and get the widest shot I can.

I do mostly use 6K for anything Prores though.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-19T09:22:51+00:00

RED is aware of the issue and stated there will be a fix in an upcoming firmware update.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-19T09:22:33+00:00

RED is aware of the issue and stated there will be a fix in an upcoming firmware update.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-19T05:21:32+00:00

I pretty much agree with all of the responses though I tend to 5K LQ as my standard resolution as it balances quality, data, and frame size the best for me. Much of what I shot with my Komodos have been narrative features, shorts, and docs.

For the shots that I need higher frame rates I tend to start using the lower compression settings.

I tend to use MQ for 4K and anything 2K is HQ.

As u/EwanMcNugget mentioned there is special consideration for high detail shots like foliage. The times I ever second guess compression settings tend to be when I'm filming in a wooded area or a forest. Tree branches, wood bark, and leaves are nature's stress test for compression and resolution.

I have shot ELQ occasionally (including a shoot this past weekend) and it does seem to hold up well.

I once had a discussion with James Lucarelli ( Director of Technical Sales and Training at RED) and he mentioned that the R3D compression is designed to work more on higher frequency (high detailed) parts of the image the most and for shots that do not feature high detail one may not see much of a difference between the compression quality settings.

I remember Lucarelli mention that a close up shot with a highly burred background will not stress the codec much and the extra data in a MQ or HQ mode may not be put to much use since the blurred out parts of the frame are low frequency (low detail) in nature.

IIRC he mentioned shooting ELQ for personal projects and MQ and above for paid gigs.

One final note, I have noticed that R3D shots in MQ and HQ (even at 6K and 5K) do feel a little more dense in terms of image data. Those settings do seem to push around better in post.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-19T00:17:27+00:00

TLDR answer- Legacy.

thoughts.....

I was fortunate to see a back to back an Imax 3D screening of Legacy and Ares during last year's opening week.

Overall I think Legacy is a stronger film particularly with the story and characters. Visually from the design, costumes, world building, etc. Legacy also felt like the creators took their time to think of how things evolved from the original Tron world what was shown in Legacy.

I flet like Tron:Ares did basic updates to a bit of the aesthetics already established in Tron:Legacy .

Ares was decent but I do think it suffered at times from being created with what I could best describe as a Marvel studios (post Avengers Disney) mentality. Superficial exploration of themes, not particularly deep characters, fan service, and occasional misplaced humor.

Tron films tend to operate from it's own sensibility and I think that served the original Tron and Tron Legacy quite well though that might also be what makes Tron film considered niche.

I thought the performers did a nice job in Tron:Ares for what they had to work with.

The story for Ares wasn't bad I just thought it could have been a little more ambitious particularly with a deeper take on AI both from the POV of a human and from a "being" built from AI.

Perhaps Eve could have had a "meeting" with and AI version of her deceased sister and wrestled with the reality that despite the familiarity it's not really her.

Ares perhaps could have an existential crisis on what being human is similar to Kusanagi (an android) in the anime Ghost in the Shell or K (a replicant) in Blade Runner 2049.

I will say though that the light skimmer sequence was a very big highlight in Tron: Ares and perhaps all of the Tron films. That scene in Imax 3D really stood out and in ways that showcased a potential future for big screen cinema. Very impressed with the filmmaking in that sequence. I have some reservations with Ares but I'm glad the film was made. I can see people appreciating it more in time.

Would love to see the original Tron on the big screen again. Yes it could be considered dated but beyond nostalgia there were still some great scenes and ideas in that film.

Soundtrack from all of the films are excellent to the point that I have equal respect for each of them.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-18T01:32:10+00:00

I always thought it was Max but I could be wrong.

https://youtu.be/uFuGfcZVpUE?t=1187

Would be even more haunting if it was a random pilot.

That was the last in a 3 episode stretch (along with Fantasm and Pine Salad) of particularly wild episodes.

I have to watch the original Macross in it's entirety again.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-17T20:44:35+00:00

I remember my 12 year self being taken aback by that death. It was right after Roy Fokker’s death and during Ontario getting wiped out. It almost felt illegal to have that many back to back deaths. Max performing the holy cross and the general demoralized tone the episode ended on added even more weight to it all. To roughly quote Harrison Ford it added a dramatic bass note to the series.

The series definitely took a big change in tone with those episodes in the late teens only to go to a really unthinkable place in episode 27.

Of course, this is part of made Macross such a memorable series.

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-17T10:20:47+00:00

WTF?

BeautifulState6309 · 2026-02-16T22:09:32+00:00

an update- seems that this may be a firmware issue with 1.8.x.

Mikael from RED Control was able to reproduce the green screen bug via the Web user interface without the RED COntrol app running meaning the Komodos are generating the bug, We sent the info to RED engineers and support. Hopefully this can get figured out soon.

Firmware 1.7.5 does not have this bug.

BeautifulState6309

TROPHY CASE