Posted by Randy S. at ppp-148.tnt-1.atl.smartworld.net on November 26, 1999 at 13:32:24:
In Reply to: Digital Video posted by SRice on November 26, 1999 at 12:21:26:
Hi, I know I'm not Kevin, but I thought I might throw in my two cents worth, since I'm part owner of a small production company in Atlanta.
The whole thing about BLAIR WITCH is that it proved that any format is a viable format as long as the movie is unique, inventive, and marketable.
If you're thinking of making a movie for the first time, and you don't have that much prior experience, DV is a safe and practical option. There are certainly direct to video distributors who will accept DV if you have an interesting movie. And if the gods should smile on you and a major player wants to put your movie on the big screen, they'll certainly transfer it to film if they believe thay can make a profit.
Everyone by now has heard that George Lucas is using DV for the next Star Wars film and that he's heavily promoting that technology, but if you've ever shot 16mm or 35mm film you can quickly recognize it's beauty if an experienced Director of Photography shoots it. And quite frankly DV just doesn't have the shadow detail and richness that film does. Well, not yet anyway. Things will probably be different in another 7 or 8 years.
If you really want to make a movie, but you don't have that much money to spend, then shoot it on DV. Have fun. The nice thing is that it's just so damn affordable for us low budget people.
I don't know if Kevin is planning on shooting DV in the future, but I expect that film will be the industry standard for atleast another ten years. When you talk about an entire industry having to spend millions on new equipment for shooting, editing, and then screening a movie, then it is gonna take a little time.
: Kevin, I would love to know your view on digital video and its future in filmmaking. Do you think film is on the way out? Have you worked in digital format or plan to in the near future.
: P.S. I saw Dogma and loved it.