Practicality:
- Film cameras can be heavy and clumsy to use;
- Cheaper film cameras are noisy, causing sound problems; Film stock needs to be kept at a certain temperature and requires 'warm-up' time, which is costly when 'time is money' on a production;
- Digital cameras are lightweight and portable.
- 60 minute digital tapes are half the size of a pack of cards; digital cameras record CD quality sound directly in-synch with the picture, saving the need for post-synching the sound.
Editing
Non-linear editing has revolutionised the video and filmmaking industry in general as it gives the programme maker an enormous amount of flexibility. If a documentary is shot on video (analogue or digital) it can be fed into a computer system and edited completely within the computer. The programme can be stored on a computer and changes can be made to any segment of the programme at any stage of the post-production phase. The way that it works also means that there is no generation loss due to copying. The master edit can be of the same quality as the original footage, unlike traditional editing where there will always be at least one-generation loss.
If the documentary is shot on film, it can still be edited in the same way. It requires the negative to be telecined to video, complete with the relevant frame information. This can then be fed into the computer and edited as above. Once the editing is completed, the computer compiles an EDL (Editing Decision List) with all of the relevant information. This can then be sent to a laboratory with the negatives to be developed and cut in the traditional way. One of the key benefits of this method is that the director and the editor can view a variety of shots and edits and see the results, without physically cutting the negatives (as was previously necessary when editing using the analogue or linear method).
The advantages of non-linear editing
Cost:
- A traditional three machine linear system costs around £10,000, whereas a complete non-linear system capable of producing television quality pictures can be as little as £3,000.
- Non-linear editing can be done on location or nearby; different edits can be produced and viewed without destroying any of the film/tape;
- Backers or potential backers can be shown the edits at an early stage of the production at minimal expense;
- The mechanical restrictions of traditional editing are removed since video and audio material can be stored onto a hard disc as digital data and then manipulated an infinite number of times before committing the final copy to a tape.
Recent technological developments
Steadicam: developed in the 1970s, this is the trade name for a widely used device that balances hand-held cameras gyroscopically, allowing for greater flexibility and fluid movement that is usually used to provide point-of-view (P.O.V) shots. (The corresponding device made by Panavision is known as the 'panaglide'.)
Video Assist: this is an adaptor with a video camera inside, which is fitted onto a film camera. When shooting, the video images are shot simultaneously with the film images and through the same lens, allowing the director to review the scenes as soon as they are completed.
D.A.T. (Digital Audio Tape): this enables crystal clear sound recording that can be synched to film or video.
