Digital Debate

Digital Film has been a topic of hot debate through the film making world. Everyone in the film industry has an opinion on their preference, and digital film making has become the way for films to be made and edited easily, not to mention the 3D aspect that is seeping into cinema, traditional film is falling away.

In 2009 Slumdog Millionaire became the first movie shot mainly in digital to be awarded the Academy Award for Best Cinematography and the highest grossing movie in the history of cinema, Avatar, not only was shot on digital cameras as well, but also made the main revenues at the box office no longer by film, but digital projection. However the Croydon Plaza Cinema has refused to make the change. Why would a cinema prone to closing and reopening take such a risk by staying with traditional film instead of trying to cash in on the digital dollars? Especially when its major competitors, Hoyts Eastland and Village Cinema Knox have not only made the switch to the digital, but have created special theaters Xtremescreen and VMax where they can charge another couple of dollars on top of the 3D ticket price for more of an ‘experience.’ Without the converting of digital screens and projectors the cinema is unable to show big budget money making films such as Avatar and most recently The Avengers, which has jumped to the 11th Highest Grossing Film of All Time. 

In 2007, at the New York Film Festival, Director Sidney Lumet, known for Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Prince of the City, Q & A,) discussed what he believed was going to be the inevitable shift to hi-definition production and making of film. 

 Sidney Lumet weighs in what he perceives an an inevitable shift from celluloid to hi-def digital production at a Q&A following a press screening of his latest film "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" at the 2007 New York Film Festival. Video uploaded by RabbiReport

If Sidney Lumet is right then is Croydon Plaza Cinema just delaying the inevitable?

In 2012 a documentary called Side By Side will be released. This documentary explores the debate of Digital verses Film, by talking to the people who know the most, the directors. For more information on the film click here.

Documentary Side by Side Trailer. Uploaded by Documentary News

In the video below, director Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds, Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction)  and director David Lynch shares his thoughts on digital and traditional film.

Video uploaded by compovision

David Lynch talks about his experiences with digital video versus film at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, MD.

Digital Cinema is aesthetic more pleasing. With the traditional films, the image projected onto the screens can have scratches and jumps. This is eradicated with digital film. The process of projecting and shipping digital film is much easier too, as shown below. It is cheaper for make, produce, ship and project, it is easier as well. But is it like what  Quentin Tarantino, do we lose some of the magic? Or will it be like all the other cinema evolutions and we will hardly notice the difference?

Register your thoughts on the poll below.

Do you notice the difference between digital and traditional film?