Did Digital Cinema Kill Film?

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Directors like George Lucas would argue that digital is the way to go, albeit, his creativity is limited in regards to his movie genre of choice, Science Fiction. On the other hand his fellow Film school buddy, Steven Spielberg, would argue the point that film is the way to go. I believe that both of them truly believe in their choice of capture and are unwavering in their decisions to deviate from that. Film will be around for a while longer and it’s not totally dead by any means at this time. I love film and what it has contributed to the cinema for the last 100 years. Silent films all the way up through film noir and the French New Wave can never be duplicated. It’s the look that I admire so much! It’s kind of like an old wine, as film ages, it shows through the film as the look of an old painting. This is what makes it more valuable to us. It’s the age! The older it is, the more unique it becomes. Film is nostalgic indeed! But, I think that all had its time in place. In 60 years from now, I don’t think anyone would want to watch “Baraka” if it had the same aged look as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” Continue reading

Experimental Filmmaking “Un Chien Andalou” & “Baraka”

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Un Chien Andalou” I see Un Chien Andalou as being a formalist film. This film is heavily influenced by the director’s vision and intent. What a mess!!! Un Chien Andalou is a little on the disturbing side for me. I felt the movie did not flow very well. Yes, I know that was the intention of the filmmakers, nevertheless, it did not work for me. The editing was all over the place and then you add to the fact that it’s a silent movie, now you have an audience feeling like they are lost. This film requires it’s viewers to have very imaginative minds, because it requires it to be so due to its lack of direction and vision. This movie is definitely Avant Garde in its approach and for it’s time, late 20’s, which I felt was a brave attempt at pushing the envelope back then. Continue reading