Digital Cinema Research Group
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Problem statement
For the second year in a row the two films widely considered the front runners for top Oscar awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography were shot using at least some digital cinematography. (Slumdog Millionaire shot with SI-2K Digital Cinema Camera, developed by Silicon Imaging of Niskayuna, New York and Avatar with the Sony high-definition digital cinematography cameras.) After a movie like Avatar cinematographers around the world wonder if the new 3D cinema will become an audience’s MUST and not only an occasional feast for the eye. Independent filmmakers on the other side wonder if the semi-professional camcorders and technology will be able to follow up with the fast developing professional equipment and the 3D digital cinema. Japan as a country proud to be a generator of companies like Sony, Panasonic, Canon etc although it is a country leader in the digital cinema technology still lacks a high quality digital content that will inspire the world. Ironically enough Japan doesn’t have a single movie hit that made a success on the international film scene and it is filmed fully digitally, Instead the world’s leading digital cinema country wins the hearts and the Oscar for a foreign movie with a movie like Departure (おくりびと, 2008 ; by Yōjirō Takita. ) which in the filmmaking techniques is left behind at least 10 years from it’s contemporaries. DIGITAL CINEMA AS A FILMMAKING TECHNIQUE FOR THE INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS
The digital video technology production, which started as HDTV research in the NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories (NHK STRL) in Japan in the 1960s and was further developed through the years and applied in the cinema production, changed forever the way we look at the movie production, postproduction and distribution. Moreover the research is advancing continuously turning into one of the most exciting technological revolutions of the 21st century. The film industry worldwide is in front of digital transition that television and music already made. As young filmmaker and researcher I was captured by the new possibilities and advancements which the digital technology bring to the filmmaking world and was eager to explore the subject in my master thesis “The Digital Narration-Short history of digital filmmaking” in the film school in Bulgaria(National Academy of Theatre and Cinema Art “Krstyo Sarafov”, Sofia, Bulgaria. In the current year as a researcher in Nihon University I focused my research on the digital filmmaking, on the newest digital technologies 2K and 4K cinema tools, HD Pro 24p digital camera series, digital intermediate and digital color correction. Since the digital technology is a considerably new sphere, constantly developing and advancing, the best way to learn it is through practical experience. The knowledge I gained through the course of intermediate interaction and practical test I putted in practice in making my own entirely digitally produced short film 『TiMe Of ThE WaVe 〜波の時間〜』, which won the Eibunren Award for the year 2009 in the section Social Communications. At the talk session organized by Eibunren in which I took part together with the other prizewinners, we discussed between the other things the digital filmmaking and the advantage of going digital. We all agree that digital technology makes the filmmaking much easier and budget-wise feasible and especially the young filmmakers are the one that can benefit from it. |
The Digital Cinema technologies advances every month and young filmmakers that grew up with computers and digital cameras embraces it with full energy and enthusiasm. Cameras like the inexpensive Panasonic AG DVX 100 A/B and (around 20-30man); the newer AG DVX 200 and the new and stunning AG –HMC 150 (fully HD/could be found for 40 man-50 man) both filming in 24p and 24pa (progressive advanced) are more than enough of semi-professional digital cameras that can allow to filmmakers with skills and knowledge of professional filming to produce stunning results that may overshadow the one of the movies filmed at 35 mm film track. Among all the companies in the world the Japanese companies are the one that bring up the innovative solutions to help independent filmmakers achieve their peak. The new Panasonic semi-professional series of fully HD cameras are fairly cheap, offer a great quality of picture and are easily customised in order to satisfy the demand of TV, video and film production. A host of advanced video functions like Cine-like Gamma and Dynamic Range Stretch (DRS) gives cinematographers a better chance to achieve the cine-look of a 35 mm film.
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In this we must not forget the consumer – leaning, but professional editing tool as the Final Cut Studio and the Adobe Premiere (there are several to add here but I will save the space) that are fully responding to the needs of the changing filmmaking digital environment. The software offers not only a base for smooth non-linear editing but also a range of special effects and possibilities for color correction that with every new version is closer to the software tools used in the large Hollywood film studios.
I am from the generation that easier writes on a keyboard rather then with pen, faster respond to email than to postcard, and feel more close to the cutting the shot with the digital razor on the editing software then in the old and dark editing rooms. |
For me as a young filmmaker digital cinema technology is playing essential role. It is not only the fact that this technology is cheaper, lighter for transport, easier for maintenance and more flexible for post-production manipulation, but this technology responds to my way of thinking.
For the generation that I fall in Digital Cinema is no more a question IF but we just keep asking HOW FAST and HOW FAR will the digital cinema develop further. Even though I am very enthusiastic, same as my colleges, still there are several stones on the way for faster and further development of this technology. Companies around the world daily struggle to catch up with the rapidly raising demand in quality and functionality of the technology they are expected to bring up on the market. |