Production and the Digital Camera

Digital Cameras have changed the way films will be made in the future. The August 2001 edition of Millimeter magazine, covered George Lucas' move into the digital film making arena by not using 35mm camera on the set of Star Wars: Episode II. 

With digital cameras everything from loading the camera to  editing the footage is made far easier. Rick Callum of Lucas films noted that they went from loading the camera 18-20 times with film to loading a digital tape only twice. 

Editing has become nearly instantaneous. With film, you shoot, develop and scan in order to get it into some sort of digital form where you can use non-linear editing bays. This process takes time and money. With a digital camera, you remove the tape, put the tape into a video tape player and import the footage into the computer in real-time. 

Other issues concerning depth of field and lenses have been solved. By not having to squeeze a 16:9 ratio image onto a square film, there is no need for anamorphic lenses. The depth of field issues can be solved in post production and/or by the use of atmospheric filters.

In addition, the "shooting ratio" is a thing of the past. With an hour long DV tape costing $70 dollars compared to $18,000 for a negative, there is no valid comparison.

The biggest advantage is the ability to see what you are shooting in real time. No guess work whether or not the shot was in focus or if you don't have enough headroom in the scene. If you mess up you know instantaneously, and can reshoot.