When I went home for dinner with my family last year, someone gave my cousin a Fuji Polaroid as a birthday present. The cousin was born in the 80s. She casually asked what the principle is, whether there is a printer or something. I was surprised and deeply impressed. Really realize that the age of film is indeed far away from us. As home photography, film and digital have long since settled. As the film industry, the general trend is basically on the way.
Until I was working on the Prince of Narnia Kasbah, our lens was almost the same. We would do film out, which means we printed the finished lens on film and sent it to Soho’s lab for washing. The next day Everyone goes to the movie theater downstairs to watch the film daily and see the effect synthesized on the film. At that time, my manager said that you should cherish this film daily. This is probably the last chance. Sure enough, since that film, we don't have a film daily anymore, and we just need to use projection to show the finished things. Although there is a missing link and the progress is much faster, in retrospect, the film daily does have a special place that people will miss.
I saw the documentary side by side yesterday, and I remembered the above two things. The topic of this film seems to be that everyone in the industry has a clear stand. The producer mentioned that everyone easily opened up the conversation when making this film. Focusing on the topic of digital or film, this documentary provides a simple introduction to the history of the process. It is easy to understand. The most important thing is that the interviews are all big names in the industry. You can look at this issue from different angles. These people will have a lot of anecdotes. , It's still quite fascinating. Through this film, whether they like it or not, the audience has to realize that as a commercial use, film really has no prospects. Fuji has also recently announced the discontinuation of motion picture film. This is really a sad fact, and even more unfortunate. Yes, because of the cost involved in making the film, it will also affect another small but significant category of the film market, such as art-this is not involved in the film. As a touchable entity, the film itself provides artists with an object of experimentation. Can the traces of the early avant-garde experimental films rubbed on the film only disappear with the disappearance of the film? So the first and most pressing thought after watching this film was'I really want to stock up on some film'. Of course, artists who use film as a medium have realized this threat. Not long ago, Tacita Dean wrote an article lamenting that the sources of film are becoming more and more limited, and there are fewer and fewer places to develop film. She even made a film-themed installation at tate modern. Art, this is the supreme tribute to this gradually disappearing media, or is it an elegy.
I personally do not oppose the advancement of digital technology. I think like most people, I hope that the two can coexist, or as someone mentioned in the film, instead of the emergence of new options, the old options are completely removed. These are two different media, the sense of liberation brought by the low cost and ease of use of digital, and the sense of urgency brought by the compact size is revolutionary. Just like Festen's photographer first came into contact with Sony's small camera, the sudden excitement was beyond words. I remembered that when I first saw New Wave movies when I was in school, I also had this kind of excitement of "movies can be made like this". The sacred halo of filmmaking that digital technology takes away brings about the democracy of filmmaking, although at the same time it will bring more rubbish works.
The promoters of new technologies interviewed in the film, such as Lucas, Cameron, etc., are the supreme geeks. They are very persistent, and they will concentrate on solving any problems. This kind of spirit can be said to be dry. My career is very familiar, admirable, and indispensable, but when Cameron proudly said that there is no leaf in the jungle of Avatar, I secretly lamented that the working hours of the weta staff are also the supreme geek. Feeling a trace of sorrow, you can play the role of the creator in front of the computer day and night, but you can also take a look at the real jungle. Can't it naturally provide people with breathtaking and unimaginable charm?
From the promotion of digital technology to the widespread use of post-grading, it has taken away the unique magic and respect of film. This is probably the source of nostalgia and sentiment for the older generation of practitioners, but it also reveals some of the self-satisfying characteristics of the film industry. . For example, in the past, everyone didn't see the images captured on film until the next day. The photographer's status as a magician, although it is very attractive, will also annoy some controlling directors. Especially the one DI interviewed was full of chuckles of "I am the last one to touch this film." . . Uh, I still hate DI. As a compositing staff, we actually respect the things we shoot. We will carefully keep the data taken. Whether the film is swept in or the digital data, the compositing elements will also match the shooting. Hey, but when an inexperienced DI comes in, and a director who has no idea, the result is often to destroy all the beauty captured at the time. If there is no special purpose, why do you want to change the color of the leaves? As a famous photographer said, except for certain fantasy or stylised films, many effects can be achieved during shooting. Naturally, color grading should be cautious. Due to the cost and physical characteristics of film, there will be less impetuousness and rush in shooting, editing, and post-production, and more respect and seriousness. I think this attitude should be retained even if the medium changes.
We see the prospect of continuous advancement and breakthroughs in digital technology. If I were to choose the medium for filming, I am afraid I would choose digital more, but I just hope that I can still have the opportunity to use film.
A simple mechanical principle, a few pieces of glass, and the light and shadow preserved on a thin strip can be reproduced immediately in front of a light source a hundred years later. It is in itself a kind of simple elegance and poetry. Although this is the emotional side, we are animals with emotions.
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