Side by Side: Film is Extinct

Keanu Reeves' documentary "Side by Side" shows both sides of the film vs. digital argument, but the answer to which medium is superior is clear.  Digital is the future.  Before this documentary, I had no idea that it took a whole day for film to be processed and viewed.  The director could never be sure if they got the shot right until the next day, which made the process of movie-making considerably longer.  The increased time is not the main problem that film causes though.  Without being able to view the image as it is being shot, directors were forced to compensate and accept non-perfect takes.  With digital, the director is complete control of the scene and can make changes on the spot to be sure that the shot is perfect.  The main party that seems to be against this are the cinematographers.  I understand their concern, as the ease of digital film making takes power away from them and gives it to the director.  However, movies are vastly improved when the director has more control.  Additionally, visual effects in movies have taken a giant leap forward as a result of digital.  Effects during the film-era were accomplished using models and real lighting, but were much less imaginative than the digital effects being accomplished today.  James Cameron's "Avatar" is a perfect example of digital's superiority as the effects used would never have been possible on film.  Overall, it is clear that the movie industry is going through a transformation, and there are always some reluctant to change.  However, the benefits of digital clearly outweigh film so the future of movies is in digital.

Not Possible on Film