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Turn Your Apple Devices Into a Fully-Functional RED Controller

By Caleb Ward

Published: October 28, 2014 Last Updated: October 28, 2014

If you’re a RED user, FoolControl is going to blow your mind.

You don’t have to be on the cutting edge in Hollywood to see that the industry is changing. With new developments in production, post and distribution, things are moving faster than ever. Sometimes new products are praised immediately for their innovation (like the Blackmagic URSA). Other times new innovations will fly under the radar. The FoolControl is one such innovation.

If you’ve ever been frustrated by using a follow focus or simply can’t get smooth results with your hands, we may have found the product for you. The FoolControl is a great app for any Apple device and allows users to change the settings of their favorite RED camera. This makes adjusting camera settings easy and precise, and can really help customize your on-set experience. Lets take a closer look.

The FoolControl App

FoolControl gives you full remote-control over many settings like frame rate, shutter speed, white balance, cropping, bit-rate, and ND Filters. Even more, users can gain access to deeper levels of customization like recording format, HDR, and target REDCODE. This custom control is even better thanks to the fact that users have the ability to save camera presets using the FoolControl app. If you have a very specific look you can easily save it for later.

When used on an Apple computer, FoolControl actually pulls double duty as a production monitor. Using it as a reference monitor you can have a better indication of what you image looks like when adjusting various color related fields like shadow, saturation, brightness, contrast, and RGB curves.

Additionally, FoolControl is also good for adjusting utility settings on your camera. For example, using the app you can change your timecode settings and create on-set logs for your DP, producers, and editing team. You can also overlay guides and reference images, making VFX work much easier.

How it Works

Connect both your camera and iOS device using a wifi network along with one of the following devices:

OFFHOLLYWOOD HOTLINK or HOTBOX R/S module
RED Ethernet-lemo cable connected to a GIG-E router
REDLINK Bridge wifi module.

After connecting, you can configure the app to work with a specific camera. Use keyboard shortcuts to easily navigate the interface and save presets on the computer version. The modules are all recallable so you have even more control.

While the computer version is strong, the iOS version is even better. A new FoolControl follow focus case labeled the DroKnob will soon be on the market, enabling users to remotely control their RED camera’s focus with their iPhones. Given that the app allows for digital guide markers to be set, this is definitely a useful tool for any RED user to have. FoolControl focusing works with most motorized motors.

Pricing and Availability

FoolControl comes in a number of varieties. For iOS devices like iPhone and iPad, FoolControl is $169 in the App Store. However, for OSX computers FoolControl is $99 for a SCARLET license, $199 for an EPIC license, and $419 for a universal unlimited license. No word on when the DroKnob iPhone case will be available but we will let you know as soon as it drops.

We’re curious to see if more remote control apps will be developed to work with production cameras outside of the RED lineup.