The focus of critical studies into the use of CGI and digital technologies in film-making has tended to be of a large-scale, mainstream feature production: the special effects-laden ‘blockbusters'. There are, however, two other areas of film production that are worthy of consideration in this respect: low-budget independent and Third World. An immediate reaction to the idea of using CGI in independent film production might be that the glossy, artificial look of CGIs might be antithetical to the gritty realist aesthetic conventionally assumed of low-budget indie work. But the independent sector is now so large and diverse that such restrictive definitions are increasingly outdated. Indeed, many independent film-makers are interested in using the particular look and visual aesthetic of CGI for specific purposes, to make their films stand out from the crowd of features released each year. Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004), for example, used computer imaging to add a whimsical, cartoon-like quality to the film, both to echo the quirky comedy and play in opposition to the moments of pathos delivered in the narrative.
Richard Linklater, for his substantially lower-budget Waking Life (2001), shot the live-action footage very quickly, using digital camcorders, before manipulating the images digitally on computer, using a technique called ‘rotoscoping' (a technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement). Both examples are of independent film-makers actively seeking new digital techniques to lend their films a distinctive and striking visual quality. The other interesting use of digital film technology is in the service of enabling national cinemas to produce films specific to their cultures in ways that the more restrictive structures and economics of traditional film-making prevented. Cheap cameras and computer-based editing software have increasingly enabled films to be produced for virtually zero budgets.
The capability of digital cameras to allow film-makers to shoot endless footage without wasting expensive celluloid has transformed film production in some Third World countries. And digital distribution, whether in DVD format or in cinemas with digital projection, enables easy and cheap distribution exhibition, getting the films out quickly to local audiences for maximum impact. DVD releases are of the order of hundreds of thousands of copies, while special initiatives are striving to set up networks of digitally equipped cinemas. In September 2005, for example, South Africa created 20 digital cinemas for showing indigenous product alongside foreign features. In Nigeria, film production, labelled ‘Nollywood' (after its Holly- and Bollycounterparts), is a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry. Two hundred digitally shot features are produced annually, making Nigeria the third biggest producer of features behind Hollywood and Bollywood.
The production of feature films using digital technologies is not seen simply as a quick and easy money-making initiative. There is a serious political aspect to the phenomenon; a means of bypassing the cultural blockage created by a glut of Western film products which fails to relate to the reality of life in Africa. But the ease of access and use of digital equipment for producing feature films cheaply and quickly is seen as having a downside. Some critics see access to cheap digital film-making technologies as potentially damaging, allowing inexperienced producers to ‘saturate the market with popular cheap productions, overshadow the efforts of serious directors. Filmed in a hurry, their stories lack basic narrative structure'.
Our website is not responsible for the information contained by this article. Webworldarticles.com is a free articles resource thus practically any visitor can submit an article. However if you notice any copyrighted material, please contact us and we will remove the article(s) in discussion right away.
This article was sent to us by:
Lena C. at
01202010
1. Digital culture and its impacts on contemporary life
All articles in this directory are property of their respective authors. Additionally, read our Privacy Policy
© 2010 WebWorldarticles.com - All Rights Reserved.