Side by Side (2012)
A really interesting documentary made just around the time where the movie industry switched from film to digital. It delved deep into many aspects of the movie making process I as a casual watcher haven’t thought much about. The important difference is not really whether film or digital can give the best quality or best picture, but how it affects the whole production. How instant feedback versus having to wait for the next day to see what was capture changes how directors, actors and cinematographers work. This documentary focuses mostly on all the benefits of shooting movies digitally, but also presents some interesting points on what might be lost. It would be really interesting to make a followup doc now more than 10 years later where practically every movie is shot digitally and how it affects things in the movie making process. It is clear that digital shooting provides endless possibilities, but sometimes creativity comes from being restricted. I don’t think it isnecessarily always a good thing that anything is possible.
Rating: 4