There are numerous arguments that surround the battle between celluloid and its digital younger brother. But the only thing that anyone considering the production of a film thinks or even cares about (besides the content) is the cost. So whether you’re a frantically active student filmmaker or a Hollywood powerhouse, it is safe to say that every calibre of filmmaker will be fascinated and no doubt affected by the blow that the geek gods at RED have struck in the sparring between old and new.
When digital video was introduced in the mid ’90s it was seen as a vital jump from analogue video cameras and increasingly obsolete formats like Super 8. Lowering costs and increasing access, it created a new wave of independence and activity among aspiring film buffs. But there were drawbacks to DV despite the benefits, most obviously in the picture quality. Digital simply lacked some of the soul of celluloid.
But all that is set to change as RED arrives on the scene. And not just arrives, but reinvents. The RED Epic and RED Scarlet, which will be released later this year, are so customisable that you can shoot onto a 10.1 x 5.35mm sensor (that’s the size of a fingernail) and upgrade with an unclip-replace-click to a ridiculous 168 x 56mm sensor (the size of a postcard). However, until these are released the camera that RED is focussing its energy on the RED ONE, which you can buy for around £10,000, along with various SLR lens mounts and attachments to complete you unique set-up. Once you’re ready to go you’ll be about £15,000 out of pocket but left with a camera that possesses the same depth of field abilities of 35mm, the lightweight advantages of small DV cameras and a picture quality not yet achieved on any digital format.
For the time being, the biggest backers of this new digital technology are affluent studio-backed American indie filmmakers like Steven Soderbergh. However, there is another sector of filmmaking that stands to benefit enormously, one that is the starting ground for many of the world’s most successful directors. That is the student filmmaking scene, in its absolute broadest sense. Whether you make films on your phone or using a college’s DV camera, there is no doubt that there is an energy and passion among students that has been made all the more abundant recently by the affordability of digital. Now, to your average Joe, £15,000 is far from affordable, but more so for students. So the responsibility and investment will have to come down to the Universities, Colleges and maybe even Schools and their willingness to take a risk and embrace this technological movement.
Movies are a visual medium, and no matter what device you use to make one, it is something that people, at least the people I know, want to get right. So the lure of the RED ONE is understandable, and as much as we want to see formidable directors take them to their limits, just imagine how exiting film festivals would be if they had gallons of films shot using RED cameras by the youth of today.
I was in awe of two short films I saw at a competition screening recently, both produced by the Cornwall-based Dog Bite Film Crew. Both were, visually, absolutely impeccable. Despite feeling a little overshadowed when comparing the camera I used to shoot my short film and the RED ONE (which I later discovered that they had used), it got me thinking about the lead they had given themselves against the demands of worldwide competitions. They had eradicated the troublesome acquisition of film stock and its processing, and still produced a film (although just 1-minute in length) that won them first prize and several dropped jaws.
So really, what is this going to do for the film industry we know? We’ve seen Steven Soderbergh maximise the RED ONE’s capabilities in Che, and can count on other big dogs to prove their dexterity with them. But is this really a new page in the library of technology revolutions? Will RED do to film what DVD did to VHS, or what the combustion engine did to steam? It’s got all the attitude and colour of a strong revolution, but will it evolve cinema itself?
