Training Wheels

For serious filmmakers, DV seems to be the training format. It’s cheap and easy to use a minidv camcorder. You can at least get something to come out when you use a video camera. Using a 16mm or even Super 8 is more challenging to use. It takes considerable more skill. And more often than not, it comes out very incomprehensible to the viewer. It’s very shaky and actual film is way more expensive.

Nevertheless to me, you can make a great film with just a Sony Dcr DVD505. All you really need a good script or vision. The camcorder is really just the medium of expression. Still, it’s a great deal easier to work out your story on video than on film.

There are tons of filmmakers who work in video like David Lynch, Gus Van Sant, & Lars von Trier. Lynch’s new movie, Inland Empire, was filmed entirely on DV and then transfered to 35mm. It’s extremely long and the video format helped him work in long takes (his signature style). I feel more and more mainstream films will incorporate video in the future. These directors are only the start of the movement.

Related posts:

1. Sundance 2007
2. Lo-fi music video production
3. Ancient Technology
4. Agility
5. Steady as she goes