Are Consumer Digital Cameras Really Preparing the Next Generation of Filmmakers?

The idea of the digital revolution is not a new concept. For years, digital products have been tested, sold, and then redesigned to keep up with the progressing technology. Now, high-quality digital consumer cameras are available to anyone who can afford the moderate price tag. Part of the marketing of these new cameras is that they allow anyone to create a decent image with mostly automated functions that have glorified the "“point-and-shoot" method of filming. This advancement in technology has helped many aspiring storytellers get their ideas out into the mainstream. Consequently, the dependence on an instant image has given amateur filmmakers a false sense of security and the misconception that a cinematographer is unnecessary.

When examining a line of consumer cameras available from Panasonic there are many similarities between the models. Each camcorder comes equipped with a L.C.D. monitor, an image stabilizer, and the guarantee of a "“quick and easy" shoot. The L.C.D. monitor allows the filmmaker to see exactly what image will be captured by the camera. A user can turn dials and push buttons until they like what they see, without any knowledge of what those dials and buttons actually do. The image stabilizer has an equally convenient purpose, creating a fixed image even when the camcorder is handheld. Digital cameras on the professional level, however, are not made with the same convenience in mind. They are designed much like film cameras, exploiting different variables to create many ways of viewing a single scene. If not familiar with the aperture, focus, speed, and lens of the camcorder (all of which are automated on consumer versions), operators will lose all of the precious time and money they have saved by using digital instead of film. But even background knowledge is not enough. The variables that are used by cinematographers in film are the same in digital; however digital photography has a different set of properties that make it, in some ways, harder than film to master.

Each camera has an optimum aperture, for example. Cinematographers know they must stay close to this setting for best picture quality. Most film cameras have an optimum aperture, or lens speed, between T1.2 to T2.2. Yet, digital camcorders, such as Panasonic's AJ-HDC27H model, have an optimum aperture of T12. At this higher setting, depth of field is very sharp, which can provide many problems creatively when trying to direct audience attention. Everything will remain in focus. A talented and knowledgeable cinematographer is needed to overcome this set back successfully. Because of the sharpness provided by depth of field, the image created by a digital camera will appear flatter and more two dimensional than 35mm. Here, cinematographers are needed to create the illusion of three dimensional space through creative lighting, color, and prop placement. Film cameras have a much larger light latitude than digital, so camcorders are much more sensitive to light. Extreme highlights, easily captured on film, must be professionallynally measured and planned for the prefered outcome.The work of cinematographer, Robert Rodriguez (Once Upon A Time in Mexico), is a great example of these elements coming together (see above).

There are so many different aspects and variables that go into making an image. Aperture, lens, and camera speed all have a huge impact. Current consumer products are great for home video, but the easy automated settings keep amateurs from learning the basic filmmaking. Throughrough the "point-and-shoot" method, they are not able to learn the tools to work at a professional level. Digital filmmaking has proved to be a challenge even for the professional, and consumer products are increasing this challenge through lazy (or "quick") film capture settings.