On Film
20 November 2003
Panel
Patrick Von Sychowski, Senior Analyst, Screen Digest - chair
Jan Dunn, Creative Director, Spotty Dog Films
Atif Ghani, Head of Development, Aimimage Productions
Anne Sheehan, Head of Business Affairs, Renaissance Films
Maureen Thomas, Creative Director, Cambridge University Moving Image Studio
Aim of debate
The panel was asked to put its opinions on five issues key to the future development of the film industry:
- digital filmmaking techniques
- the rise of computer graphics
- digital distribution
- internet distribution
- digital piracy
To conclude, the panel and audience cast their votes on the future of film - in ten years time, would we literally follow the letter (although not necessarily the slapstick) of Monty Python's "And Now For Something Completely Different", embracing new technologies and business models, or would we find ourselves in an all-too familiar landscape, gazing nostalgically "Back to the Future"?
Conclusions
In an animated debate, which swung from Lara Croft to the Lumiere Brothers via "The Matrix" and Shekhar Kapur, a number of conclusions were reached:
- There will always be a need for narrative stories, but these will be told in different ways - more interactive, more game-like, more virtual
- Digital technology will enable increasing numbers of people to pursue film as an extra-curricular activity, but whether they will produce more quality content, or indeed make a career as filmmakers, remains to be seen
- The next generation of filmmakers needs nurturing and inspiring - this is not happening at present
- Projection of live events will become more the norm
- Digital projection will benefit arthouse and niche audiences
- The only organisations with the money to explore digital distribution methods are the majors and it isn't necessarily in their interest to promote such technologies as they are mostly likely to lose out in the disruption caused to existing business models
- Meanwhile the smaller independents and filmmakers are interested in digital distribution, but they don't have the money to build the infrastructure
- Either way, we are going to see cinema change irrevocably by 2013: "And Now for Something Completely Different" won hands-down over "Back to the Future", by a ratio of 3:2
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