The Red camera is the latest – and by far the most industry-altering – change in movie and commercial-making technology in the rapidly evolving history of the industry.

WIRED recently ran an article detailing the Red camera, but the message is simple: this video technology threatens to make 35-mm movie film obsolete.

I’ve been aware of Red technology for quite some time and heard only good things about it, but convincing a creative team to try “video” is not a battle easily won if there is still the possibility of shooting on film.  For the most recent Taco John’s project, we had a unique challenge – the project required a trained buffalo.  Yes, you heard that right.  And where do we find trained movie buffalos?  Los Angeles, of course.  Deciding to shoot on Red helped to make the stars align in the notoriously pricey production market of LA.  And other than a run-away buffalo, the shoot went off without a single glitch, as did the edit.

Red will go a long way in helping agencies to solve the constant challenge of “good, fast, and cheap” when it comes to commercial production.  You still get to pick only two – but the chasm between the three has narrowed considerably. In addition to a stellar image, Red brings even more to the party by being more nimble than film.  No mag changes, and you can let the camera run (within reason) with negligible impact on post production costs.

We’re very pleased with the final results, so much so that we were the ones to suggest the Red camera for our most recent shoot for the YMCA.  The efficiency of Red made it possible for us to shoot five high-quality spots in one day – a long day, but still, one day.

The results of both of these efforts will be in evidence on your television screens starting in January.

The “rule book” for all the new technology out there is still being written, and will likely be revised again, and again, as the years and the technology progress.  But so far, so good with our first two PK projects shot on Red.