In my last post, I unloaded the latest info on the upcoming Scarlet camera. Now it’s time for me to rattle on about the implications of such an anarchy inducing device. And yes, upon release of this camera, chaos will ensue in the media industry.

But what kind of mass hysteria are we talking about here?

Well first off, anyone thinking in a film-is-dead state of mind (as opposed to a New York State of Mind?) is off base. Other (and better) digital cinema cameras are already carpet bombing chemical-based film. And despite this binary barrage, analog cinema is never going to completely go away (nor should it). Digital filmmaking isn’t a study in necrofilmdeathrotology, it’s about accessibility. An off-the-shelf, IT based workflow allows for an easier, more forgiving, and very attainable movie-making experience/attempt. Scarlet capitalizes on this with its own inherent features and abilities, all extremely well designed around the aforementioned workflow, as evidenced by the Red One. Still, the key factor with Scarlet is not going to be how technically easy it is (by comparison) for Indiana Amateur to create their 3K (or maybe 4xHD) sci-fi historical docu-drama epic called, The Amazing Adventures of Leonardo Da Vinci: Time-Traveling Vampire Hunter Extraordinaire.

A case study, if you please…

Several years ago, I was working on a doomed short film (Ryan and I were the writers/directors of course), during which I was introduced to the now infamous (that means more than famous) Panasonic DVX100 camera. I liked it so much, I bought two. (I actually did buy two of ‘em!) The DVX100 had a major impact on filmmaking, in much the same way Scarlet will.  Basically what happened, Panasonics legendary camera strode up to the palisade surrounding the film industry and blew a hole straight through it. A new “door” was opened for a lot of creative people, who otherwise would not have had a chance to enter this world. It was a milestone that created a whole new community/breed of independent filmmakers with a DIY attitude and ideology harkening back to the early days of punk. It’s this upstart community that created the market bed for companies like Redrock Micro, RP Lens, LS Design, and others. Arguably, even Red Digital Cinema. As a matter of fact, a lot of people who cut their teeth on the DVX100 are now flexing their creative muscles with the Red One camera. All of this happened because the DVX was accessible, therefore attainable. Why? Did I mention I bought two?

It was cheap.

At the time, around $3500 out-of-pocket. I’ll let whoever reads this to extrapolate the number of units produced, what the rental fees were, etc. So how much will the Scarlet be? Even less than the DVX100 was, but it won’t create a new generation of filmmakers. It’s going to create a whole new industry.  Scarlet is going to be a mushroom cloud of a landmark.

And the Meek Shall Inherit the Theater

Your home theater that is, at first, but then you local theater as well. The technology is here to totally bypass Hollywood, the Networks, and every major Distribution company there is. Communities will make movies, not companies. People won’t fight to get into the media industry, they will bethe media industry, far outnumbering all of the Hollywood/Networks/Distro Triad. Everyone with a Scarlet is suddenly a high-end production house, and the web is one wide, direct, and free distribution pipeline. In a year or two, an individual will be able to easily stream full HD content off the web and onto their TV. After that, local theaters, both independent and corporate, equipped with digital projection (one way or another) will begin screening locally made films, as it will be the only way to bring people back to the movie hall. There will be so many choices for your entertainment, that you will truly be able to pick and choose exactly what you want to experience. The top-down pyramid flow of culture will exist no more. And everyone will live happily ever after…

Or maybe not.

This is all just speculation. Who really knows what’s going to happen with Scarlet or any future technology with the potential to opens doors and builds bridges. And it’s the potential that has everybody excited. I think there’s a good chance Scarlet will push things in this direction, but there are some missing ingredients. Like, how do you squeeze a 4K film experience into your living room? RDC has hinted they’re working on that too, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are others as well.

So, I think I’ll end this post now with an analogy that’ll get the gist across. If the DVX100 was Bob Dylan’s All Along the Watchtower, then I think Scarlet is going to be the Jimi Hendrix version. I’m not sure what this means exactly, but hey, it’s freakin’ awesome!