[Show spoiler]They are some of the most powerful people in one of the most powerful entertainment industries in the world. And when Hollywood's grandest gather at tonight's Oscars there will be no end of smiles and handshakes. But they are also fans, and like all fans, they are given to apparently arcane squabbles. The latest is whether films should be shot on, well, film.
Some of the most successful directors, such as James Cameron and George Lucas, are so obsessed with having the best special effects that they have spent millions embracing computer-generated imagery and abandoned 35mm film. Others, such as Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan, are wedded to traditional celluloid, which is becoming the film equivalent of the vinyl record.
Epics such as Les Misérables and Lincoln – both shot on 35mm – and digital creations such as Life of Pi have all made millions at the box office. While film buffs may talk about the "feel" of film, with all its subtleties, the reality is that pixilated perfection is winning – the whirring of 35mm film projectors silenced by the hum of digital machines.
Although many love a sharp, digital picture with high definition, others prefer something a bit less "real". The split among directors is highlighted in the nominations for Best Picture. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln were shot on film. While Argo, Amour, Life of Pi and Zero Dark Thirty were shot on digital. As was The Hobbit nominated in three technical Oscar categories.
David O Russell, director of Silver Linings Playbook, said: "Maybe I'm old-fashioned, maybe I'm superstitious, maybe I'm romantic – I love film and it has a magic quality, it has a warmth. I may use digital cameras in a pinch because they are small and fast but I like film for its humaneness." He is one of a number of directors determined to continue shooting on 35mm. Another is Nolan, who made the Dark Knight trilogy: "I am now constantly asked to justify why I want to shoot a film on film," he said. Nolan likens digital to an "amazing" cookie until you realise "this is some horrible chemical crap that's giving you this bad illusion that fools you at first."
The need to change film reels every 10 minutes or so has created a tradition of endless breaks where stars spend almost as much time in their trailer as they do on set. But there's no need to stop with digital – and some pampered A-listers have had a rude awakening.
The director David Fincher reveals how Robert Downey Jr staged a bizarre protest during the filming of Zodiac. "He said, 'I can't work like this, I never get to go to my trailer, I never can get my shit together, I'm on my feet 14 hours a day, I'm shooting all the time. He actually left jars of urine on the set, just like over in the corner and stuff. He would go off and he would pee and then he would bring it back, and it seemed like a form of protest."
While film stars might resent having to work harder, James Cameron is excited by the "field of possibilities" offered by digital. George Lucas dismisses celluloid as "a 19th-century invention", while David Lynch is "done" with film and Lana Wachowski describes digital cameras as "the new aesthetic". They are among a host of Hollywood names featuring in a documentary, Side by Side, by Keanu Reeves, which recently opened in British cinemas.
The Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister said: "It's really sad to see cameras recording imagery in an inferior way, starting to take over film." While declaring "I am not going to trade my oil paints for a set of crayons," he concedes: "I will be one of the last guys shooting film and Chris Nolan will be one of the last directors shooting film, but I am certain we'll be using digital technology within the next 10 years."
And Tom Rothman, former head of 20th Century Fox, commented: "Is it the end of film? Yeah, I guess it is." Film has a different look to digital, argues Bafta-winning cinematographer John Mathieson. "The colour sophistication is simply not there." He added: "A lot of artists don't like it because it reads every crack, line and pore on their face."
Tarantino, director of Django Unchained, "can't stand" digital. "I hate that stuff. I shoot film." Yet directors seeking to stick with celluloid will struggle, warns David Hancock, head of film and cinema at the analysts IHS Screen Digest. "As a film production format, 35mm is pretty close to dying out. You may have a problem trying to find it in a year or so."
At least we have about 100 years of properly shot films. I know that I, for one, have not seen all of those, so I still have lots of properly shot films to watch in my future.
At least we have about 100 years of properly shot films. I know that I, for one, have not seen all of those, so I still have lots of properly shot films to watch in my future.
This subject was discussed by the panel of directors at yesterday's Foreign Language Film symposium at AMPAS headquarters. An interesting part of the discussion was their experience with various actors when the actor knows the movie is being shot on film stock. It seems the actors have a tendency to need less takes when it's expensive film going through the camera. The same actors, when they know it's digital, don't seem to be quite as rigorous about limiting the number of takes.
Two of the directors were quite obviously film fans. But even they admitted that they know they'll be shooting exclusively in digital before too long.
Me too. Chris Nolan is so up his own arse that he's not even remotely funny. His 'Protest credit' on the languid Dark Knight Rises that read 'This motion picture was shot and finished on film' made me rather annoyed. I have no problems with the first part of that quote, but rather what does Nolan think is going to happen if he uses the Digital Intermediate process to do his colour timing? Honestly, the arrogance of the man.
This subject was discussed by the panel of directors at yesterday's Foreign Language Film symposium at AMPAS headquarters. An interesting part of the discussion was their experience with various actors when the actor knows the movie is being shot on film stock. It seems the actors have a tendency to need less takes when it's expensive film going through the camera. The same actors, when they know it's digital, don't seem to be quite as rigorous about limiting the number of takes.
Two of the directors were quite obviously film fans. But even they admitted that they know they'll be shooting exclusively in digital before too long.
Mark
Do you what directors were present who said that they knew they would be shooting in Digital soon?
Me too. Chris Nolan is so up his own arse that he's not even remotely funny. His 'Protest credit' on the languid Dark Knight Rises that read 'This motion picture was shot and finished on film' made me rather annoyed. I have no problems with the first part of that quote, but rather what does Nolan think is going to happen if he uses the Digital Intermediate process to do his colour timing? Honestly, the arrogance of the man.
My wince had nothing to do with Nolan himself but with Pfister's valid desire to stay with film and acknowledgement it can't last.
Count me in as wishing they could coexist. Without Nolan (head up his humorless arse or not), Tarantino and other high profile directors being vocal I don't think that can happen.
Do you what directors were present who said that they knew they would be shooting in Digital soon?
Again, these were foreign directors. One was Pablo Larrain (Chile - No) and the other was Nikolaj Arcel (Denmark - A Royal Affair). And they didn't say "soon", they said something more along the lines of "eventually".
Having watched the Social network,I am not overly concerned by the demise of film.But think it's kind of sad too.It's like shooting stills using digital camera:Superior in every way (35mm),but like better to shoot film.
I should mention that, yesterday, when the directors were talking about their love of film (vs. digital), a good number of audience members were enthusiastically applauding each and every syllable! Some folks don't ever want to see film go away. Just like some folks enthusiastically rooted for the horse & buggy over those newfangled cars.
I should mention that, yesterday, when the directors were talking about their love of film (vs. digital), a good number of audience members were enthusiastically applauding each and every syllable! Some folks don't ever want to see film go away. Just like some folks enthusiastically rooted for the horse & buggy over those newfangled cars.
Seen any buggy whip stores lately?
Mark
Are you in favor of going digital or stay with film?
I honestly don't care if film is overtaken by digital. Maybe I need to view comparison footage in order to find out how "obviously superior" film is to digital but... meh.
Are you in favor of going digital or stay with film?
I'm in favor of letting the movie makers choose whatever format suits their needs and desires for as long as they can. I don't inherently have a preference for one over the other. Though I'm a technology nut, I'm not in love with the technology used to make movies. A well-scripted, well-directed, and well-acted film can be entertaining whether it was shot with an Super 8 film camera or with an iPhone.
That said, it's also my opinion that newer and emerging technologies give directors, cinematographers and even the actors a lot more freedom to "get it right".
My wince had nothing to do with Nolan himself but with Pfister's valid desire to stay with film and acknowledgement it can't last.
Count me in as wishing they could coexist. Without Nolan (head up his humorless arse or not), Tarantino and other high profile directors being vocal I don't think that can happen.
Call it a logical assumption, but surely the likes of Nolan, Spielberg etc who are stalwart supporters of film as a shooting format could actually choose to invest in the troubled emulsion companies that are seeing droves move to digital? Spielberg is an extremely rich man, so the idea of him buying a majority stake in Kodak as part of a group of other film-makers should help prop up this ailing format.
I'm a movie enthusaiast. Not a film enthusiast or a digital enthusiast. There are good movies made on film and good movies shot digitally. As long as good movies are stil being made, I'm happy.
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