Filmmaking is a relatively new art-form; yet it has already endured many revolutions in technology. The shift from silent film to sound and the shift from black-and-white to color cinematography ushered in new eras for movie makers. These shifts also open up opportunities for new artists who are able to combine an understanding of past techniques with a mastery of the new technologies.
Digital filmmaking—the process of capturing and editing motion pictures digitally—has many advantages over traditional procedures. By using digital cameras, digital editing and new distribution methods, 21st century filmmakers will be able to make films faster and less expensively while reaching a wider audience.
Digital cameras such as the Panasonic DVX 100 are less expensive and more accessible to the average person than their film-stock predecessors. The sound-recording and lighting adjustment capabilities of most digital cameras slashes the costs and logistical difficulties associated with large crews. Shooting digitally also eliminates the cost and mechanical problems of film-stock itself. According to Rick McCallum, a producer on Star Wars: Attack of the Clones the 220 hours of digital tape used in the film’s production cost around $16,000, whereas an equivalent amount of film would have cost $1.8 million.
Similarly, editing digitally using a program such as Final Cut Pro will greatly decrease a film’s production time and cost. Digital editing can be performed from a home computer with user-friendly programs that allow even inexperienced movie makers a chance to learn the craft. Like traditional editing, digital editing requires patience and attention to detail, but it is also non-destructive and allows for continual manipulations.
The lower cost and greater ease of use are certainly great boons to the aspiring digital filmmaker, but what ramifications does digital filmmaking hold for movie distribution?
The internet, specifically websites such as Youtube and Vimeo, has given filmmakers many new venues to display their work. All-digital film festivals such as Resfest and Onedotzero have become en vogue and allow new independent filmmakers a chance to be picked up for large-scale audiences. Mainstream movie theaters also have a vested interest in the switch to digital film distribution as it eliminates the need for film prints (which can run upwards of $2,000 each).
Digital filmmaking has even begun to be accepted by the major Hollywood Studios. Top directors such as Robert Rodriguez ( Spy Kids, Sin City), Bryan Singer (the Usual Suspects, X-men) and Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Wrestler) have all made digital films. Most notably, much of Slumdog Millionaire, the 2009 Academy Award winner for Best Motion Picture was shot digitally. With audiences becoming more receptive to digital filmmaking it is likely that Hollywood will be looking to employ the talents of new digital artists!
Today’s digital filmmakers have an exciting opportunity to write the next chapter in film history. Luckily, new cameras, editing techniques and distribution forums give unparalleled freedom to 21st century filmmakers. However, the basic rules of the art-form still apply; precision and planning will be of optimum importance regardless of the camera a filmmaker uses. Technologies may change, but filmmaking is always about telling stories visually—stories that are touching, entertaining, and that challenge us to look at the world in a new way.
By Brian Koplow, New York Film Academy Digital Film School
