SEPTEMBER 20, 2013
Dear Comrades in Entertainment Imaging, Film Production, and Post Production:
Over the past few years, those of us who like having film around as a creative option have endured countless forum posts, blogs and PR hype by leaders and promoters of the RED camera questioning the future of film, saying ‘film is dead’, and touting the RED Camera as the ‘Film Killer’. Thus, it’s with a twinge of irony that I submit the following chain of events as food for thought:
A few weeks ago intrepid entrepreneur and founder of the RED Camera Company Jim Jannard announces he’s “taking a back seat” and handing the reigns to Jared Land:
www.engadget.com/2013/08/19/jim-jannard-steps-down/
A week or so after that Ted ‘Ted from RED’ Schilowitz resigns:
www.ocbj.com/news/2013/aug/30/reds-employee-no-1-departs/
And today my friend Michael Cioni, the talented and outspoken CEO at LightIron Digital, seems to distance his company from the camera that put them on the map and highlights their work with the Canon C500 and Alexa:
lightiron.com/blog/did-you-think-we-were-just-red-post-house
I’ll be honest, I really respect what Jannard, Schilowitz, Cioni and the rest of the RED Camera Team did to push our industry forward. But am I crazy or does it seem like those responsible for creating and championing the digital camera are backing away en masse, and in a time span of about 30 days?
Meanwhile, in that same 30-day period Kodak announces it’s emerged from bankruptcy and renews its commitment to making motion picture film as part of its longterm business strategy:
motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294971822/index.htm
Five days ago 12-Years A Slave, shot on 35mm, won the Toronto Film Festival:
www.deadline.com/2013/09/toronto-12-years-a-slave-wins-peoples-choice-award/
And yesterday the Canon “Project Imagination” film contest, with 99.9% of submissions shot digitally, was won by a film we produced called Here and Now shot on Super 16mm:
Maybe the RED Camera will just be an 8-year blip on the history of cinematography? A fire-starter that finally got the “big boys” to reach for better dynamic range and resolution? Maybe the Alexa is the ‘RED Killer’? Maybe Jared Land will shoulder the RED Camera Juggernaut by himself and finally release the much-touted RED Dragon camera to critical acclaim? And maybe film is still a relevant and beautiful medium that will remain a creative choice for filmmakers for decades to come?
One thing is certain, at Cinelicious we will continue to be students of the emerging and exciting world of digital cinematography. We will push the RED, ARRI A-series (Alexa, Amira), Canon C-Series (300, 500), Sony F-Series (55, 65) and whatever is coming from Panavision to its limits. But what we will not do is turn our back on the history or the future of our beloved celluloid. We will continue to lean in to film technologies and support those in the creative community who choose it as their weapon of choice to rack up wins at major film festivals, film competitions, the Emmys, the Globes and the Oscars.
We look forward to working with you.
Best,
Paul Korver
President, Cinelicious
#dontbelievethehype
#vivacelluloid