Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
DCP Directory
MillimeterHigh-end/Low-end
Jul 1, 2003 12:00 PM, Cynthia Wisehart, Editorial Director
In this issue we complete a two-part look at how aspects of moving picture production touch the Video Systems world.
Last month we discussed what happens when inexpensive video technology — specifically DV camcorders and editors — gains acceptance in the high-flying universe of feature film. At the very least, this trend makes it possible for videographers who want to make a feature film to pursue their dreams. Whether or not they can succeed remains a topic for debate. There is the question of storytelling skills — which technology alone cannot provide. Beyond that, there are also the questions of access and marketing. Once your great film is made, how do you get it seen and distributed?
People often say that video technology will democratize the process of moviemaking; it remains to be seen what will democratize the business of moviemaking. The most famous example of a breakaway video hit — The Blair Witch Project — was a bit misleading. Although it was made inexpensively with DV equipment, its success was in large part the result of a studio marketing budget. Still, there will be other successes, and it is inevitable that the influence of video-trained shooters will be felt in what was formerly a film-only world.
However, there is also another side to the convergence of the so-called high-end and low-end. Thanks to Moore's Law, the phenomenon that continues to drive up the capabilities of computers — and drive down their price — also applies to video production technology. Now, for example, the market has an HD camcorder. Several relatively inexpensive IO devices that debuted at NAB demonstrated that an editor can now set up a slick, multi-format DV editing suite that is not just a tangle of cables (and with audio synch). Only a few years ago, buying a graphics card from nVidia, a graphics workstation from HP, or the latest release of Maya would have been unjustified for the cost. At this year's Siggraph, companies with expensive reputations will bring affordable options to the trade show floor. For more on what to look for on that front, see page 58.
Having said all that, our mail also tells us that many of our readers are not always interested in the new and improved options that pour forth from manufacturers. Many are working in Beta SP and are still eager to see fewer formats, not more. And Moore's Law doesn't help if you don't really need new gear, or if you don't like computers. For example, my neighbor recently hired a video editor to cut together some scrapbook stills and add a soundtrack for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary. She wanted five-second dissolves between the images and had some specific moments she wanted the soundtrack to highlight. The editor told her that, unfortunately, her rather ambitious plan for the video meant he'd “have to do it on the computer,” as if that were not his preference. The video came out great, but you can bet the editor was not in any particular hurry to get a new graphics card, no matter how powerful it was.
So the relative importance of high-end opportunities and technology remains a question. How important is it to have the opportunity to make feature films with video cameras? How important is it that off-the-shelf and affordable equipment is increasingly coming from companies that made their names in films and television? How important are more features and slick production values in the competitive landscape of video production? Feel free to let us know.
