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News & Features
From the Idyllwild Town Crier weekly newspaper, 09.11.08 edition.
Savage
tests digital filmmaking
By J.P. Crumrine,
News Editor
Filmmakers from around the country are testing and experimenting with
the newest and most advanced digital film equipment. Doug Liman,
director of “The Bourne Identity” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” has
produced feature-length films with the equipment.
Now Showtime’s Independent Film Channel (IFC) has asked 20 independent
directors, including Idyllwild’s Steve Savage, to use the equipment in
other contexts. Savage just completed shooting “A Hunter’s Moon” with
Red One, the digital camera and lenses.
“It was an honor to work on it with these big-time guys,” Savage said.
Many of the crew were so anxious to work with Red One that Savage was
able to get several people for much less than their normal rates.
Using digital equipment can lower total film production costs. But even
though the Red One cannot yet reproduce the color, the texture of the
scene and several other film qualities to the complete satisfaction of
most directors and cinematographers, “Red One’s ability to capture
media through a hard drive digital camera absolutely compares to a
high-speed 35 mm,” Savage said.
While Savage is still a devotee of “film” filmmaking, he not only
recognizes the direction technology is going but appreciates the
changes and improvements that digital equipment offers.
“I’m not a cinematologist, but it understands light,” he said, slightly
perplexed. “When you’re looking for shadow and light, it captures
feelings. I can’t believe I’m getting this image from a hard drive
camera.”
Red One equipment is the siren beckoning directors and cinematologists
into the future.
“It will have an impact on the film industry,” Liman said. “It’s just
like shooting film. It has all the advantages and none of the
disadvantages.”
Currently, its cost is high, but it still costs less than cans of 35 mm
film. It offers other advantages, such as saving time loading and
reloading film in the camera. Changing a hard disk is much easier,
Savage said.
Liman shot scenes for the action movie “Jumper” underwater. The ability
to change the hard drive in seconds avoids multiple camera setups —
having one camera shooting while changing film in the other.
It also allows the filmmaker to shoot more “footage” without adding
film costs.
The Sundance Channel invited Savage to use the camera and produce a
short film. “A Hunter’s Moon,” a Savage script, will be the first
western shot with this camera, he said.
The western with Billy the Kid as a main character is really about a
woman who can read the future with poker cards. She tells people the
day they will die.
“Can she read the future, can we change it or do we create it
consistent with her vision? This is what the movie is about,” Savage
said.
With some of the savings he created using the digital camera, Savage
was able to put more money into authentic costuming for the film.
“Authenticity was so complete, there’s no zippers on the pants or belt
loops,” he said proudly.
Despite the improvements Red One has achieved and its lower cost,
Savage is not ready to abandon his film media. But for the first time,
he is prepared to make that leap as falling prices for Red One blunt
its cutting-edge technology.
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