Digital Production

 Digital Production

 

 

 

 non-digital film

- Traditional films were made up image sprinted onto acetate negatives.

- These are then 'spliced' together to form a reel of film.

- These are then fed through a projector at a constant speed of 24 frames a second which makes the pictures appear to be moving, this is known as Analogue.

 The advantages of digital production

- Digital camcorders using a high-definition format called HD-CAM are much cheaper than standard film cameras.

- New digital camera technology rivals traditional film for quality.

- High quality film production is now far more accessible.

- Digital technology can store, transmit and retrieve a huge amount of data exactly as it was originally recorded.

- The quality of digital film doesn't deteriorate.

- Analogue technology (film) loses info in transmission and degrades every time you view it.

- Memory cards can be re-used many times, unlike film.

- Footage can be viewed immediately on set.

- Production time is cut and so are costs.

- By Hollywood standards digital video costs virtually nothing.

- Digital info is more flexible than Analogue info.

- A computer can manipulate bytes of data very easily.

- Virtually no processing necessary before the editing stage.

- E.g. ease of editing using a program such as Final Cut Express/ AVID/ Premiere.

- This saves time which saves money.

- E.g. Attack of the clones (Star Wars):

• first digital film
• $16,000 was made on 220 hours of digital tape
• $1.8 million would have been spent on 220 hours of film

A famous Director like, Quentine Tarantino refuses to film Digitally as he thinks it ruins the film because he prefers Analogue.

Digital Cinema- Distribution:

- Digital films are big computer files

- Can be written to DVD-Rom

- Sent via broadband

- Transmitted via satellite

- No shipping costs virtually

- Not more expensive to show in more than one cinema

What are the advantages to digital distribution?

- Film prints are very expensive (£1500 - £3000) per print

- Expensive to ship heavy reels of film and then to collect them when film finishes its run

- You have to be very cautious about where your films are played because of cost

- This is one reason why there is such a limited choice at multiplexes

- Digital films can be opened simultaneously all over the world

- When first introduced digital projectors were incredibly expensive and so the cost to cinemas were reluctant to buy them.

Digital Cinema- Exhibition:

- A good analogue film projector produces a clear, crisp, vibrant image but every time the print is projected the film is damaged

- A digital projector produces a high quality image and sound every time

- The 1000th view is as good as the first one

- A digital projector doesn't need a trained projectionist