I know this topic will come up at some point or another. For years there have been two camps in Indie filmmaking--film and video, but with digital technology improving rapidly and many large films requiring a DI (digital intermediate) from film for CG effects and editing, the line is beginning to blur. I’d like to get a discussion going from folks who have had success getting around the medium’s limitations to produce good product. I don’t really care for this to be a “RED is going to change everything” discussion, as there is another topic already posted on that.

I think a discussion on technology, lighting, software, cameras, glass, etc. would be much more helpful than repeating over and over, “video is not film!” We all know that video is not film, and that film has many wonderful properties, but when you have a quality DV camera in your hand, a good script and some talented friends willing to tell a story, it is more important to know up front what challenges you are going to face and how to avoid or correct issues that will help you tell your story in the least distracting way. This doesn’t have to be a “how to make video look like film” discussion. Let’s just talk about how we’ve used digital video to tell visually compelling stories in a seemingly film dominated movie world.

Thanks,

PJ

Essentially, my argument has always been that film looks like film because of the “film approach”.  When digital first became popular, many would just turn a digital camera on, point and shoot, and say it doesn’t look like film.  When people shoot a film, there’s a “film approach”: Lights, Gels, Flags, Shotguns, Tripods, Cranes, Dolly’s, Production Design, Camera Angles, Costumes, Color Correction, 35 mm lenses… you get the point.

Many Hollywood DP’s have 40 years of manipulating film under their belt.  Digital is always changing and DP’s have just begun to use HD.  It’s only a matter of time - possibly 40 years forward - before masters of HD develop.

Below is a link to a feature I shot on a JVC GY-HD100u in 720/24p employing many of the things I mentioned above (the one’s I could afford, at least) to create a “film approach” on a HDV feature:

http://christopherodom.com/odom-booker/psalm23/Trailer.html

nice film twenty...but terrible acting..from what I saw..that’s what’s wrong with christian films...like second chance and others..terrible acting..although the scripts are awesome! but the talent makes the difference. God bless.