James Cameron
David Fincher
George Lucas
David Lynch
Robert Rodriguez
Martin Scorsese
Steven Soderbergh
and Keanu Reeves
One of these things is not like the other…I think you can guess which.
Joking aside, Side by Side is a carefully created and narrated documentary about the state of the digital transformation of filmmaking with the people who are at the forefront of the technology. The answer is George Lucas folks…ZING!
Join Keanu Reeves on a tour of the past and the future of filmmaking in Side by Side. Since the invention of cinema, the standard format for recording moving images has been film. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged, creating a groundbreaking evolution in the medium. Reeves explores the development of cinema and the impact of digital filmmaking via in-depth interviews with Hollywood masters, such as James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, and many more. — (C) Tribeca
Do you think that people, and by people I mean teens, young people, will remember what film actually looks like anymore? Film camera’s have been replaced with digital cameras, to the point where Kodak filed for bankruptcy. Will they get to know the care, detail, the know how of what film did for the medium? Even movies are slowly being muscled into the digital era, the fact that 16mm, 35mm and even 70mm film is going bye. No longer will the flicker of the bulb, the hum of the 35mm projector or the that sound of film prints being rolled past the bulb and onto the screen. No, computers and digital projection are the rage because the medium of actual film is being changed to a digital format. A format that actually will usher out the old art and bring in a new path for film to follow. I am both sadden and excited about the prospect of the new digital age in filmmaking.
The documentary is a lovely one, narrated very well by Keanu Reeves as he sits down with prominent filmmakers as they talk about the new digital age of filmmaking. Some are apprehensive, refusing to cast aside the tools of their craft while others manage to see beyond the curve and embrace it. It’s a narrative that is strung together by each director, talking about the possibilities and consequences of using this medium but it’s something wholly interesting that you must watch if you are a film fan. Seeing their eyes light up discussing filmmaking, either traditional or digital, realizing that the digital age to help achieve more in filmmaking, making it easier for anyone to try and make a movie.
Side by Side is a solid documentary that looks at both sides of the digital age of filmmaking. From the new director perspective in cutting down the barrier to entry to the established directors having to embrace a changing landscape. Well worth the look into the industry and fantastic insight into some of the best directors out there.
