In case you didn’t know, the way films are being made is drastically changing during digital age. For over 100 years movies were made with film, but with recent breakthroughs in technology, the entire process can be done digitally, which has a launched a massive debate amongst some of the most respected filmmakers, editors, visual effects artists and more about the future of movie making.
Directed by Chris Kenneally and produced and narrated by Keanu Reeves, Side by Side takes us on a journey through the entire filmmaking process in both digital and film formats. We explore how the paradigm is shifting when it comes to capturing video and creating visual effects to editing and color correction in both digital and film formats. Cut with a plethora of interviews from highly respected industry veterans like Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Danny Boyle, George Lucas, James Cameron and Wally Pfister, Side by Side helps us to understand what has been gained or lost with the emergence of digital and what we can expect to see in the future as technology continues to improve. Can the two safely coexist Side by Side?
With the amount of technical detail you get and the way Reeves accentuates his narration, the documentary comes off like an interesting (or boring) science video that you had to watch back in high school, except in this case it would be used for film classes. Essentially, Side by Side is an industry and filmmaker’s film, giving you the opportunity to hear what some of the most respected men and women in the business have to say about shooting with film and/or digital.
While I personally found the documentary to be very informative and helped me clarify different items I’ve always been confused about with regards to film and digital filmmaking, I can understand why people won’t like it. First off, the documentary is too long. The feature cut is 99 minutes and the international cut is 52, which makes me wonder how many more people would thoroughly enjoy the film if they saw the international cut. The main issue is that once you understand where people stand on the digital vs. film issue, the dialogue gets to be rather repetitive. One thing is for certain, film certainly won’t die but there is no doubt that digital will eventually become the dominant choice once the technology substantially improves.
Though long and repetitive, Side by Side is the perfect film for people who aren’t familiar with the technical side. It explains everything, on occasion, in agonizing detail but the knowledge you pick up from the educational parts helps you better understand everything the interviewees are talking about. At times it may be as boring as a science class video but at least you’ll learn something. For those who already have a solid understanding of the filmmaking process, you’ll wish you could just cut out everything but the talking heads and learn exactly what the biggest names in the industry have to say on the subject of digital versus film. Hopefully the international version finds the proper balance to appease both film students and casual film goers.
Rating: An educational, but long and repetitive doc that’s perfect for film classes (5/10)
Tribeca Film will be releasing Side by Side later in the summer but you can catch it during the festival on the following days:
Tuesday April 24th at 8:30 pm at the SVA Theater 2 Beatrice
Thursday April 26th at 7:00 pm at the AMC Loews Village 7 – 2
Friday April 27th at 2:30 pm at the AMC Loews Village 7 – 3
Saturday April 28th at 4:00 pm at the AMC Loews Village 7 – 2
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