HD provides an unprecedented opportunity for the creative minds throughout the industry

- Mouli Cohen, July 2003

Every art form evolves as new palates, new media and new techniques are introduced. These changes often produce an expansion of the creativity and capacity of the market. As high-definition digital video (HD) grows in capability and use, the industry and its consumers can expect to see many more stories from directors who, in a film-only world, would never have had the deserved opportunity to reach their markets. This fundamental truth is what will drive the change in the movie industry for decades to come.

The art world has many examples of technique and technology changing the nature and capacity of expression. Film, in its relatively short life as a medium, has had few developments that have created the impact of digital filmmaking. For over 100 years, film has provided the penultimate medium for the expression of movement. Digital imaging has existed for less than 25 years and has really only been of a resolution useful to commercial print photography for the last three years. Even as it is now just becoming a medium with the resolution and expressive capacity of cinematic-quality for movement, HD will have lasting impact not only for the writers, directors and actors who explore the medium, but also for the producers, distributors and audiences who will benefit from the use of the medium.

For many in the movie industry, HD digital filmmaking is now mainstream. The list of HD features and A-list directors is growing as well. Soderberg, Lynch, Rodriguez, Cameron, Lee, Lucas have been quoted at length regarding their use of the medium, albeit each for slightly different reasons of their own. These directors have already become comfortable leveraging the strengths and weaknesses of the medium (each medium has them), the impact on day-to-day production and post, and the capabilities of HD cameras and lighting in situations that would be far more challenging for film cameras.

Longer scenes are now commonplace... Sokurov's 87 minute take to create "Russian Ark" couldn't have been possible without HD. "Letting it roll" on set is creating a shooting and acting environment where actors can stay in the moment and run through multiple takes in a row with direction between takes. Fewer directors and actors are reviewing dailies, because they now know exactly what they have "in the can" right after it is shot. Shooting in a location like the Richard Neutra designed house featured in "The Anniversary Party" would have required moving walls or shooting from fewer angles, if not for the use of the digital video camera. Spike Lee was able to expand the use of multiple cameras for Bamboozled simply because digital cameras were cheaper to rent. Depending on the director the list goes and offers examples of at least one key advantage of using digital video in each project.

These are not the first serious seismic readings of the groundswell to come. In the independent and broadcast production worlds, DV has become the standard with High Definition quickly growing in use. Few independent film festivals require submissions on film any more. Those that do are certainly the largest (Cannes, Berlin, Venice) but perhaps a little too steeped in tradition, or over-leveraging the value of a filmmaker who can acquire the financing for the blow-up to film.

Television broadcast is moving rapidly in adopting the cinematic quality and production workflow of HD. NBC's Dateline aired a feature "Death in the Desert" shot partially in HD in order to create a "Film look" for its story. Video production companies across the globe are upping the ante by supplying the growing number of cable and satellite broadcasters with an increasing supply of cinematic and near cinematic content shot on digital video.

For independent and broadcast producers, the most significant economic advantage to digital is not so much the costs but when the costs are incurred. With digital, filmmakers have the ability to shoot, edit and project the feature before ever finding a distributor. Only after selling the project would the cost of film transfer be incurred. For distributors, digital features expand their product offering to exhibitors and consumers with content that can be supported by the economics of digital projection theaters and direct to DVD distribution.

It will take time for digital video to really change the bottom line of feature film financing...a change that will ultimately come when each of the players in the "product development" chain get comfortable with HD as a medium. But the economics won't necessarily be cheaper for certain types of projects. The financial and workflow savings related to "going filmless" will likely be applied to other parts of the production: talent, crew, expanded production, etc. For the last 100 years, creativity and cost have maintained a healthy conflict in the production of feature films. DV is a powerful tool within which new compromises can be met.

For the players in the value chain from concept to exhibition, Digital Video represents a movement not to replace film, but certainly one with the potential to shorten the distance between filmmaker and audience. Within that dynamic move, there is unprecedented opportunity for those with the creativity and vision to hasten that connection between filmmaker and audience.