There is no greater fight in modern cinematography than the film vs. digital as a medium. You have proponents and detractors on both sides, with (generally) new blood preferring digital (with some exceptions), and the old guard defending film.
The latter is where you would expect to find a technically unsavvy director like Woody Allen, who has shot all of his movies on film for decades. Well that perfect run is about to come to a close, as his new film Café Society, which opened the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival, was shot digitally on the Sony F65 and F55.
Collider had a chance to speak with spoke with Allen’s two long-time producers Edward Walson and sister Letty Aronson. According to Aronson, the switch wasn’t made without some concern:
“He’s not a big technical person so he was very concerned about it but then we were lucky enough to get Vittorio Storaro for this film.”
Not only is this Allen’s first time shooting digitally but Apocalypse Now cinematographer Vittorio Storaro’s first time as well. The legendary cinematographer’s willingness to switch mediums is what convinced Allen. Here’s whatAronson revealed:
“Vittorio’s never done digital, either, but he knows that is the future and so Woody was convinced when Vittorio said he’d do it.”
I tend to find digital a bit too crisp and harsh, which I think is where film’s softness really shines through. But I also realize that there are technical limitations to film, plus there aren’t a lot of development labs in existence anymore. Just because film isn’t the first format filmmakers reach for, however, doesn’t mean that you can’t shoot digitally and make it look like film, which is how Storaro and Allen approached the cinematography for Café Society. Producer Walson remarks:
“I think they both painstakingly took measures to make digital look more like film than many other filmmakers out there today who are shooting on digital cameras. I think there was a certain artistic element that was put into it and they’re both very phonetical about light and knowing when to use natural lighting cues or what should use artificial light. I believe they developed a way to create a more film-like quality with the lighting, the time of day, and so forth. They were able to give more of the allusion of film than most digital films out there today.”
In an interview over at Celluloid Junkie during Cannes, technophobe director Woody Allen noticed no difference between shooting on digital or film on set saying:
“There’s a camera, it has to be lit. It’s an identical thing except instead of celluloid you’re working digitally. But everything has to be composed and you go through the exact same motions as if you were shooting with celluloid. If anything, you have a few more options later because you’re working digitally. But if you’re working with a master photographer the effect can be very beautiful as you can see in the movie. There were no compromises. No modifications or anything had to be different because it was digital.”
Café Society will premiere in theaters on July 15, 2016. Here’s the trailer:
July 19, 2016 By
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