In a bold move,
Miramax stole the digital thunder heralded by George Lucas's
The
Phantom Menace by announcing that it will release An Ideal Husband
in two electronic cinemas on June 18.
An Ideal Husband is
to be released on two digital JVC-Hughes projectors in the States
on the same day
Phantom Menace is scheduled to hit four e-cinemas
in New York and Los Angeles. This is merely one example of the digital
revolution currently sweeping the film world.
Once a main tool for
post production editing and f/x, the digitalisation of film is stepping
out into the production and distribution ends of the industry, with
companies rapidly forming to cater for the revolution.
In 1995, DreamWorks
SKG announced in Premiere Magazine that it would be the first studio
to go completely digital. Four years later, the company's chief
technologist Rob Hummel is combining his talents with Raging Bull
producer Irwin Winkler and former executive VP of MGM Michael Corrigan
to create the advisory board for Real Image Digital, a company committed
to beginning the evolution from film to electronic cinema through
platform-neutral technology and industry-wide consensus. Real Image
President Donald C. Rogers states, "We have been working towards
our goal based on our central premise that electronic cinema must
emerge unbound by any single company's technology and shaped only
by what's best for the motion picture industry as a whole."
The need for industry
consensus follows the onslaught of independent filmmakers utilising
home and store-bought resources to create ground-breaking and award-winning
films as in the cases of The Last Broadcast and Festen.
The Last Broadcast made cinematic history by being the first
live-action feature-length film to be shot and distributed solely
through electronic means. Festen was the first feature-length
film to be shot entirely on DVC and is being distributed in 20 countries
and has won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 1998. Lars Von Trier
is currently experimenting with 100 digital cameras for his new
film Dancer in the Dark.
"Recent breakthroughs
in digital technology have made it possible to shoot features on
DV that will receive worldwide theatrical distribution," says Next
Wave Films President Peter Broderick. Next Wave Films is a company
set up by the Independent Film Channel in the U.S., which reaches
23 million viewers, and is committed to helping filmmakers realise
their visions. In January 1999, Next Wave Films launched Agenda
2K (A2K), a production arm to regularly finance and produce exclusively
digital video features for wide release.
The four-fold plan of
A2K is to create new production and distribution possibilities,
stimulate refinement of DV equipment for feature filmmakers, explore
the creative potential of these tools, and support the development
of new distribution opportunities using cable, broadband, satellite
and the Internet. Some A2K films will have their premier on the
Independent Film Channel.
Exploring the distribution
possibilities via Internet is D.Film, a company devoted to showcasing
the best work by talented new artists and inspiring and instructing
their audience in creating digital film. They have set up a server
space called "New Venue" to showcase the latest digital films. D.Film
Producer Bart Cheever explains, "all our features are QuickTime
3.0 multiple date-rate movies that first gauge the viewer's connection
speed and then deliver the requested flick at the appropriate variable
size."
Filmmakers now have
a plethora of possibilities in terms of producing and distribution
of low-cost films. For example, Adobe's After Effects which costs
$600 allows users to create what could only be done on a $100,000
Flame Machine. With the new Broadcasting Bill introducing digital
television to Ireland, Irish filmmakers will also have a wider range
of distribution possibilities.
The new Broadcasting
Bill launches Ireland into a quickly developing digital media. With
the advent of technology, the medium is tempting up-and-coming film
makers away from traditional forms of film making. This is partly
due to the high quality and low cost of the equipment.
Electronic chain store
Dixons owes half of its video camera stock to DVCs, ranging from
a £699 Sharp DVC to the broadcast quality Panasonic NV DX100. The
DVCs make up 10% of camera sales, up from nil two years ago. "The
sales haven't come close to peaking," says one store representative.
The independent Irish
film maker's resource, Film Base, has even had to update its stock,
taking on the Panasonic DVC Pro AJ-D200, due to demand. Technical
Manager Brid Rowley comments, "At the moment, DV is the format that's
most widely being used here."
Although at the forefront
of the cinematic industry, DVCs, like technology, are still developing.
In a recent news article, George Lucas has had to alter his plans
to make an entirely digital Star Wars II, due to DVC limitations.
According to Industrial Light and Magic f/x guru, Denis Muren (one
of four supervisors on Phantom Menace), the next picture will use
conventional film for high speed photography and scenes where the
camera might be ruined or destroyed. John Golt, senior VP of advanced
digital imaging for Panavision explains, "The reason for this is
that the new high definition DVCs that Sony and Panavision are building
for Lucas are expected to reach upwards of $500,000, the same price
of traditional 35 mm cameras." Also, the digital cameras are video
based and shoot at a constant rate of 24 frames per second, making
them unable to shoot traditional model photography or pyrotechnics
which are normally shot using speeds of 48 fps or higher and slowed
down for detailed effect.
Whereas Phantom Menace
used 5 high-def shots, the new film would reverse that, using 5
scenes on film. "90% will be on video," says John, "not all of it."
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