| As a visual entertainment medium, video has long held a bad reputation because of the crappy image most of us remember from lame training videos or X-rated movies from college. The look is flat, harsh and soap-opera smooth at best.
Film, on the other hand, is soft and delicate, with rich blacks and great visual depth. It’s this discrepancy that has made it difficult for video to gain mainstream recognition as a viable alternative to celluloid.
Not for long, according to Craig Van Horne. The owner of Scorched Ice Digital, a local video production company, is a huge proponent of the emerging, all-digital era of film and television production.
In order to become an industry leader, Scorched Ice invested in a Mini 35 digital adapter manufactured by P+S Technik of Germany. What’s this? Well, this little baby fits onto a Canon XL1 miniDV camera and uses the same lenses filmmakers use on big-budget Hollywood productions. When you consider that the Canon XL1 is a broadcast-quality digital video camera that sells for under $7,000 the Mini 35 adapter is big news for low-budget filmmakers. When transferred to film for theatrical release, the image obtained using the adapter looks better than 16mm film negative – a medium often used by producers looking to cut costs.
"This is an awesome opportunity for producers to put more money on the screen," Van Horne says enthusiastically. Shooting on digital video eliminates the need to develop film and the money that is saved can give producers a chance to get higher production values. "Producers can hire upper-echelon actors, or have bigger special effects," he says.
Recently, director Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later used up to eight digital cameras to film scenes where entire sections of downtown London were blocked off and literally emptied of people for up to 10 minutes. Van Horne alludes to this example of value-enhancing, digital-filmmaking savvy.
At the same time, Van Horne admits that the Mini 35 adapter isn’t going to make film obsolete, but it provides a great outlet for those who want the film look but don’t have the funding. The presence of this technology in Calgary is encouraging for local filmmakers
"We need to nurture talent here in Alberta. Our schools need to keep up with the demand for cutting edge technology so our graduates can lead the digital revolution," he says
The nurturing has begun. On a recent Red Cross production shooting near Bragg Creek, a local Calgary crew using the only two Mini 35 adapters in Canada (the other is from Toronto), were conducting the first multi-camera shoot of its kind.
The director on this project, Dean Bennet, shares Van Horne’s passion.
"This changes everything profoundly," he says. The middle-aged Bennet huddles around the monitors pointing at the soft lens flares not easily attained on video. "Amazing!" Bennet says excitedly. "I’m very impressed."
As is often the case with new filmmaking technology, the proving ground of the digital revolution will continue to be independent filmmakers and music video and commercial producers. Big-money decision-makers may not feel comfortable making a feature-length film on a tape not much bigger than a matchbox. However, with the cost of renting the Mini 35 adapter being considerably lower than the expenses inherent in traditional film, the decision to shoot video will become a lot easier for those watching the bottom line.
Van Horne thinks that this will open up new opportunities for a lot of local filmmakers. "Once people are able to get their hands on it (and see it), I think the impact is going to be pretty dramatic ," he says. According to Van Horne, people who have been working in digital video production, who were initially skeptical of the hardware have been wowed by the results. Even local filmmakers who have only tested the Mini 35 adapter are ready to swear off film.
"Stuff that otherwise wouldn’t get made is going to (be produced) and the quality level that people will be able to produce on various budgets is going to grow dramatically," says Van Horne.
This is a transition period for the industry, with nostalgic die-hard film geeks coming around to see the benefits of the new all-digital age. While the Mini 35 adapter may rattle the foundation of filmmaking, a new, lucrative, artist-friendly structure is being assembled. |
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.