Digital video is fast becoming a popular alternative to traditional filmstock, but is it worth the cost of storage and the possibility of losing the movie forever?

From the microskill to the macroskill, I feel with the level of DV that InDigEnt uses, the hardest job on making a DV movie is really the cinematographer's job. It is really a wonderful medium for the performers and the directors, and then you get to the cinematographer. They really need to be incredibly up for the task because of the nature of what those cameras inherently want to do, which is be on automatic the whole time.

Moviemakers of all stripes and budgets have been touting the
benefits of shooting DV for several years now. But few have
staked their careers on the digital revolution as Gary
Winick has. In 1999, writer-director-producer Winick
became a pioneer of the digital medium when he co-founded
InDigEnt (Independent Digital Network), a digital film "collective."
The idea was to create ten $100,000 features with successful
and experienced moviemakers, each of whom would share in the
films' profits. Has the experiment worked? From his base in
New York City, Winick spoke with MM about
theInDigEnt philosophy and track record, and the myths of
DV.

The one lesson I've learned over and over again is that you can only learn from your own mistakes. No matter how much advice you have before you embarks, you need to learn your filmmaking lessons in the first person.

When you've spent much of your career mastering the art of visual effects with George Lucas' Industrial Light + Magic, there's only one place to go: The Orphange. Founded by three former ILM visual effects artists, The Orphanage is focused on high-end VFX services and animation for features and broadcast, original motion picture and television production and digital filmmaking technology development and licensing.

The chances of getting rich from an indie movie are so slim that you might as well consider it to be zero, so instead have some fun doing it.

Whether you're looking for a place to transfer your latest project or just to get some solid advice on the ever-changing world of digital technology, DVFilm's owner and chief engineer Marcus van Bavel will give it to you straight.

After people tell you they have "problems" with your script, let it sit for a month, change the title sheet and send it out telling everyone you've done a major "re-write"-you will be amazed how much their perception changes!

While the decision to shoot digital rather than film is a
big one for any first-time feature moviemaker, Fenton Bailey
and Randy Barbato are not typical first-time helmers.
Though Party Monster marks their feature directorial
debuts, they have been working together in the non-fiction
realm for several years now, with such films as The Eyes
of Tammy Faye and Monica in Black and White to
their credit.

Abel Cine Tech and New York-based Offhollywood Digital recently collaborated to shoot a commercial spot for Volkswagen in order to try out "the refined production path made possible by the new SDX900 DVCPRO 50 camera." Is the SDX900 really the best solution for anyone who wants to achieve a film look?

Moviemaking should be something you do with a story you need to tell. Your passion is always what drives it.

For Mark Decena, the decision to shoot with the Panasonic 720p and go the digital
route on his feature debut, Dopamine, was about one thing: having the
time--and tape--to work with his actors. Opening in theaters in October, Dopamine is
the story of a computer programmer whose view of feelings as nothing more than
a chemical activity begins to change through his relationship with a schoolteacher.
Here, Decena talks about what he hoped to achieve with the digital medium and
answers a few of the recent false claims about Sundance.

Already a celebrated novelist (What's Eating Gilbert Grape)
and screenwriter (About a Boy), Peter Hedges knew he
needed to step behind the camera for Pieces of April, a
story only he could tell. Here he discusses the challenges of
being a first-time director, adjusting a formerly $7 million
film to fit within the $150,000 InDigEnt budget and the need
to be passionate about any project in order to make it successful.

I've always thought that editing makes you a better shooter and vice versa. If you can come in and edit, you'll learn a lot about your shooting. And if you shoot a lot, it will make you a better editor also. So don't be afraid to do both.

You might think the term "digital movie" applies only to projects that were shot on a digital camera. But Martin Rhodes, founder of the biannual DV Awards, says "I think you'd be hard pressed to find anybody out there who produces anything that isn't done digitally in some aspect." As a result of this expanded definition, any works that have been "touched" by digital technology are eligible for Rhodes' popular year-old competition, which is rapidly changing the way viewers see-and define-digital projects.

Believe no one. I learned not to believe anyone. It's unfortunate, but all of those "friends" who said they would help me find a distributor or an agent basically lied to me. Maybe they didn't do it intentionally, but they didn't help.

It's not the means or the money, it's the passion and ideas.

Kelley Baker is one pissed-off dude. The Portland, Oregon-based moviemaker who has worked with some of the best in the business has just released his third feature film, Kicking Bird , produced for little more than what a major Hollywood picture spends on a week's worth of bagels and Starbucks. He shot it guerilla style--no permits, no permission, no problem--calling in favors like gambling debts.

Though he named his moviemaker support group Filmmakers Alliance a decade ago, Jacques Thelemaque would never discredit the role that the digital medium has played in the success of his moviemaking endeavors. Now celebrating his organization's 10-year anniversary, the future for both Thelemaque and his LA-based group seems paved with gold… and tape stock.

In case you just woke and haven't yet heard of Mark Cuban, let us introduce you. He’s the maverick owner of 2929 Entertainment and (eerily) the Dallas Mavericks, along with Landmark Theaters, HDNet Films and chunks of Warner Bros. and Lions Gate. He also owns arthouse distributor Magnolia Pictures, TV library holding company Rysher Entertainment and lots of other nifty stuff. Cuban is without a doubt one of the most fortunate of a new breed of techno-savvy American dreamers, and he's helping change the way we view movies.

Work with people you like. Working with other creative people in a good environment will inspire you and allow you to do better work. It is much more rewarding to work with people you like on a small project and have fun than to work on a bigger film without enjoyment.

With his new film, Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party, finding success on the festival circuit, DP-turned-director Robert Brinkmann proves that it doesn’t take a huge budget—or even a high-concept idea—to connect with audiences.

The big movies either make huge dollars in their first few weekends and pay back their investments, or they turn into big losses for the studios. Small films, distributed wisely, can become profitable far more easily.

The "digital revolution" may seem a relatively new phenomenon to some, but for iHollywood Forum's Michael Stroud, it's defined his entire 20-year career. Five years ago, Stroud took that interest to a whole other level when he founded iHollywood Forum, a leading producer of roundtable discussions and networking events for digital entertainment executives. On April 28th, Stroud will host the third annual Digital Media Summit in Los Angeles. Here, Stroud speaks with MM about what attendees can expect of their latest Summit--and how MM readers can save $200!

Get to know your cast and crew very well, and open yourself up to the ideas and talent they bring to the table. More importantly, work with people who are like-minded and can understand how you think, or at least how you see and hear your vision.

It takes a long time to make a movie. You spend months getting the script just so. You spend months in production, getting all the footage you think you need. Then you go into the editing room-and there, you start from scratch again.

Say that you’re an aspiring moviemaker, fresh out of college or high school, looking for that perfect film school—the one that will give you all of the experience, training and contacts you need to help you find a great job in the industry. MM speaks with Krane about why The Krane Academy could well be the film school for you!

Despite actors with knee injuries, shark-infested waters and fighting the elements 20 miles from shore in the Caribbean Islands, luck was on the side of moviemaking couple Chris Kentis and Laura Lau. Armed with Sony NTSC VX2000 and PD-150 cameras, the couple headed south of their New York base to shoot the feature, Open Water, a film which has “summer blockbuster” written all over it.

Hire a good still photographer to not only take pictures of your actors, but of you-the director (with the camera), the producer, the camera crew, the sets, etc. It's amazing what's requested for publicity and what you wind up needing.

While there are still advocates on both sides of the film vs. digital debate who refuse to see much common ground, few moviemakers are promoting the benefits of both mediums as effectively as director Ryan Harper and producer Josh Jaggars. Their latest film, 30 Miles, is the first HD feature to make use of the P+S Technik 35mm adapter. The moviemakers recently spoke with us about their decision to go digital, how they chose the Sony HDW-F900 camera and how two motion picture mediums can complement one another.

Sometimes things are so crazy and outlandish that they're bound to work-like sending 150 cameras into Iraq.

Always embrace the contradictions.

We've heard it countless times over the past several months-in the media, from voters and from the presidential candidates themselves: One of the most important issues affecting the 2004 election will be the situation in Iraq. But what, exactly, is the current situation? As Americans grow more suspicious of an increasing media bias, moviemakers Eric Manes, Martin Kunert and Archie Drury went to the heart of the controversy-Iraq itself-to get the answers.

Some film schools have to struggle to keep up with the current pace of technology—but not CDIA. The Center for Digital Imaging at Boston University gives its students that extra boost in a fickle film education marketplace by utilizing cutting-edge technology… while never losing touch with traditional film craft.

Making movies and television is impossible, and if you do finish a project it will probably be terrible.