Film? Fade to black. ...........R.I.P., the movie camera: 1888-2011

[stockholmer]

http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/film-fading-to-black

While the debate has raged over whether or not film is dead, ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have quietly ceased production of film cameras within the last year to focus exclusively on design and manufacture of digital cameras. That's right: someone, somewhere in the world is now holding the last film camera ever to roll off the line.

"The demand for film cameras on a global basis has all but disappeared," says ARRI VP of Cameras, Bill Russell, who notes that the company has only built film cameras on demand since 2009. "There are still some markets--not in the U.S.--where film cameras are still sold, but those numbers are far fewer than they used to be. If you talk to the people in camera rentals, the amount of film camera utilization in the overall schedule is probably between 30 to 40 percent."

At New York City rental house AbelCine, Director of Business Development/Strategic Relationships Moe Shore says the company rents mostly digital cameras at this point. "Film isn't dead, but it's becoming less of a choice," he says. "It's a number of factors all moving in one direction, an inexorable march of digital progress that may be driven more by cell phones and consumer cameras than the motion picture industry."

Aaton founder Jean-Pierre Beauviala notes why. "Almost nobody is buying new film cameras. Why buy a new one when there are so many used cameras around the world?" he says. "We wouldn't survive in the film industry if we were not designing a digital camera."

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Cecil B. DeMille


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http://www.salon.com/2011/10/13/r_i_p_the_movie_camera_1888_2011/singleton/

[LoveIsNow]

1. Sad. Movies on film are so much more beautiful than those digitially formatted.

I don't understand how people can't see the difference and aren't outraged that their movies are made inferior for the sake of cheapness.

[MineralMan]

2. It's true, and it won't change. Despite the higher quality of

movies made with film cameras, sheer economics is the reason they're going the way of many other things. When producers started making color films, the b&w purists complained bitterly and continued to make b&w movies. Not so much of that any more. Digital cinematography is improving in leaps and bounds and the process of getting films finished is markedly improved. Film is finished. There it is. A few will stick with it - for a while - but not for long.