Rian Johnson on Red Camera Pt 3

Rian Johnson posted this last bit on the Red Camera:

Hey all - this is going to be (I promise) my last post on this board regarding the Red camera. I appreciate the amount of discussion it's caused, and I think the back and forth can only be a healthy thing, but responding to posts and emails regarding the article has just started to eat up an inordinate amount of my and (more importantly) my friends' time, and I think it's time to just let what we've written so far speak for itself and disengage from the fray.

For the Red supporters: Look guys, as a filmmaker, I'm not going to question anyone's choice of a camera format. Red is a spectacular camera considering its cost, and I'm sure it has been and will be a great tool for indie filmmakers. Let me repeat that: Red is an excellent camera. The point of the article, the singular, only, entire point, was that you can prefer whatever you like aesthetically, of course, but it is incorrect to say (as some people are doing) that Red technically beats or matches F23/Genesis/F35 at gathering and storing IMAGE DATA THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR CINEMA.

Just to put this in perspective - the Red camera costs, what, around 20 grand? High end HD cameras can cost several hundred. The fact that there's even a comparison to be made is quite impressive.

For those still considering their format choices: Read our article. Read Red's literature. Talk to the most knowledgeable, unbiased people you can find. And if you can, test test test the equipment under real world circumstances. Our article is one more piece of information for you to use in the decision making process, but at the end of the day there is no wrong choice. Red, 35mm, pixel-vision, HD, super 8 - pick what's right for your project and go for it. Happy shooting.