Film vs. Digital "Side by Side"

I’ve written many blog posts about the advancements of technology and my desire to cling on to the tools and traditions of the past, mainly due to my inability to pick up new technology quickly and efficiently. Well, there’s been a movement in the film industry over the last 5-10 years which certainly reflects this trend. It’s no secret that film is becoming a thing of the past, and that more and more major movie projects are being shot using digital cameras. For the purists this is a big shame, as they want to cling on to the heritage of the film industry, and believe that film is still the best medium. However, like so many forms of technology the advancement into a digital format has made things easier for those people without the classical training or money required to shoot in traditional methods. It also allows for new methods in film making, in particular stereoscopy. Certainly for visual effects, the use of digital cameras and the kinds of digital rigs available now have made large scale effects movies that much easier.

Well, who better to hear about changes in filmmaking than from filmmakers themselves, and some of the most important ones to ever work in the industry. Thanks to Keanu Reeves and his new documentary Side by Side, that is now possible. The project interviews a group of directors including James Cameron, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and David Lynch to ask their opinion on the move from film to digital, how it impacts their processes and film making as a whole. It proves to be an extremely interesting piece, and one I will certainly be hunting down when it comes out on release later this year.