Digital cinema: the future in the present

Elena Medina

Professor of Audiovisual Production, director, producer and director of the Madrid Film Festival

If the digital laboratory is a real alternative to facilitate and improve post-production processes, whether the origin of the images is digital or analogue, the negative continues to be a valid tool in the hands of the creator, who will choose at all times the most appropriate medium to express himself.

In 2006, José Luís López Linares received the Goya for best photography for his work on the film Iberia (Carlos Saura, 2005) made in high definition; With this, Spanish cinema “officially” recognized that digital media is also cinematographic; Many films that are successfully screened at international festivals have been shot in digital formats. No one doubts that the future, and the present, is digital: television has a fixed deadline for the implementation of this format, we inform ourselves through the digital press... and, however, the cinematographic product, at least in Spain, continues to respond to a hybrid model in which, together with the undisputed triumph of digital post-production, the use of this support in filming still raises certain doubts, which may be due to the uncertainty of some producers regarding the durability of the new supports and the lack of definition of the model. economic that regulates the relationships between the production, distribution and exhibition sectors in this new cinema; All of this, together with the need for a strong investment in the theater, the debate on the security of the new format and the unknowns that may arise in the face of new business systems, such as atypical and alternative distribution models, are factors that may be acting as brakes that prevent the full development of digital cinema.

Technical decision and author choice

In recent years, Spanish production has been increasing its annual production spectacularly, however digital production does not grow to the same extent nor is it distributed equally in all genres.

The triumph of digital media is, for the moment, in the documentary genre and not so much in fiction, undoubtedly thanks to economic issues such as the savings represented by the elimination of the negative, the associated cost of the laboratory and the possibility of a very small human team. This saving also occurs due to the recording format used since, in many cases and almost always in the documentary, maximum quality formats, high definition or digital cinema, are not used, but rather a variety of cheaper recording formats in terms of the price of equipment rental and cost of tapes, and even based on tapeless files, considered “non-professional” when talking about cinema but with which, in short, films are also being made with a vocation for cinematographic distribution and not only intended for alternative channels.

Many of the technical problems that prevented the development of digital cinema were issues of image capture and camera configuration; Some are being solved in current models, such as recording with 4K sampling (although this improvement brings with it a storage problem), ease of use of menus, the search for ergonomics similar to that of the film camera or the modification of the sensor size, which allows the use of 35 mm optics. in addition to those designed specifically for high definition; However, some cinematographers still talk about low exposure latitude or the variation of the latitude distribution depending on the sensitivity used.

In short: There are too many technical and market considerations when defining the future of cinema as a digital reality; It will be, there is no doubt, in the areas of distribution and exhibition that will also include exploitation windows other than the theaters and considered, even today, as secondary (in the case of legal movie download portals).
But the choice of support when taking images cannot be a mere technological or economic decision, but must depend on each production and each author.

There is a tendency to think that digital cinema is pigeonholed into low-budget productions, or that young directors tend to use these technologies; Neither of the two assumptions is one hundred percent true: it is true that some low-budget films are shot with these media, but almost never with the professional option of digital cinema, because despite the savings in negative and laboratory costs, these equipment are still too expensive for these productions, which is why other formats that are cheaper and considered “non-professional” are usually chosen, as we have seen in another section of this article, even if this means a decrease in definition, a limitation in the concept of script planning or a condition for the time to light during filming.

Each filmmaker has their own reasons for using, or not, digital cinema depending on each specific project. Carlos Saura was one of the first Spanish directors who decided to use these formats; As an author who likes to investigate, he began mixing 35 mm. and the digital support based on the story, using each of them as an expressive resource; his last movie Fados It is made entirely in digital format; The photography direction of this film was shared by two professionals: Eduardo Serra who collected the exteriors in Lisbon and José Luís López Linares for the rest of the filming; Saura once again works with projected images, this time relating their movement to that of the set, which is why he used digital cinematography since, according to him, digital cameras have a better capacity to respect the artists' freedom of movement.

Julio Medem, who was awarded the “TEA Community of Cinema 2006” award for his dissemination of high definition in mainstream cinema, opting for digital filming of Lucia and sex, has once again dispensed with celluloid both in Chaotic Ana as in her latest production Room in Rome. ANDIn this case we find two types of reasons for the use of digital support; For the author, the use of High Definition allowed him to modify the photograph depending on the moments that the protagonist goes through, playing with saturation and contrast depending on her emotional moment; For Koldo Zuazua, its production director, this support represents economy and speed.

Other filmmakers like Matías Bize in The good thing about cryingmade in HDV) or in his previous film Saturday and in bed, they have chosen “non-professional” supports without this having meant an obstacle to showing a world of feelings expressed in a minimalist way, with great silences and sustained shots.

Another case of a young director, low budget and “non-professional” formats is that of Rafa Cortés and his film Yo. The project was initially planned to be filmed in 35 mm. but it was made in HDV format for budgetary reasons: the director wanted to have a shooting relationship that the negative did not allow; The limitation imposed by the technology used was transformed into its own language, since the film uses planning that tries not to reveal the lack of definition of the format; Both David Valldepérez, director of photography, and the director tried to have an image that resembled cinema; For this they used 35 mm optics. with Technik miniPro 35 adapters. This work formula was complemented by adequate post-production color treatment and grading, to obtain the cold tone finish that the director intended.

For their part, Icíar Bollaín and Gracia Querejeta decided on photochemical, although with different formats and for different reasons. In the case of Icíar Bollaín, both she and the director of photography, Kiko de la Rica, decided on Super 16 mm. for Mataharis, because it offered the type of grain they wanted. The choice of this format has to do with the visual concept of the film, an image close to documentary: actresses with natural makeup, a dirty compositional concept, with many elements in the frame such as the images recorded by the protagonists, filming in the street without interrupting traffic thanks to the fact that, according to the director, the 16-inch camera is quite small and does not attract attention. In the opposite direction, looking for a transparent and bright photograph, Gracia Querejeta opted for 35 mm. for Seven tables (French billiards). The director is not a fan of artifice in photography, so in her concept of realism she does not see the need to condition the lighting a priori and tries to make it as natural as possible; To support it, he even sought to ensure that digital post-production was minimal, relying on the traditional photochemical process. Icíar Bollaín used the Luster digital grading system to correct some lights, which the filming outdoors and with sequence shots did not allow to adjust perfectly.

Roser Aguilar also used the 35 mm. to tell a personal story in his first feature film the best of me, although this is a different case because the film is the first production of First Work, R&D project of the ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya) through Escándalo Films, its associated production company; Therefore it is a production sponsored by the school, with an estimated budget of around one million euros for each production. It is interesting to see that the cinematographic bets of the schools, with new directors, can be raised in cinematic support and not necessarily in digital formats.

This range of examples, varied in artistic intentions and budgets, allows us to confirm that the technology used is another tool at the disposal of the project and the author.

The new digital room

The technology for digitizing movie theaters is ready; Not long ago there was debate about the quality of digital projection, but currently manufacturers such as Sony, Barco or Christie Digital Systems have projectors on the market with 2K and 4K resolutions that offer an image comparable to 35 mm. in projection, without the deterioration that occurs in this, both due to the wear of the celluloid in the projection, and due to the decrease in quality that the distribution copy has with respect to the original negative.

On the other hand, for several years there have been standard quality standards for digital projection, the DCI standards (Digital Cinema Initiative), a private initiative of the seven large Hollywood studios, which through their distribution subsidiaries control 80% of film distribution in Spain; standards that run the risk of becoming obsolete because technology advances quickly in this field and that, on the other hand, may imply too dangerous a dependence of exhibition companies on the North American majors.

Exhibitors have pinned their hopes on digital projection as a possibility of recovering the audience for the theater and although, in general, the viewer cannot differentiate a 2K or 4K resolution, the digital theater can allow the exhibitor to have greater flexibility in programming, exchange of films and rooms according to public acceptance: use of the room with the most convenient number of seats for each film and the possibility of diversifying the content offer with the projection of sporting and cultural events, business events or participation in a big screen video game; They are also aware that to attract viewers to the room, the difference with the home screen must be made evident, even if it has the most advanced technologies for viewing at home; For this reason, the new room must offer magic, comfort and a variety of services ranging from smoking area, Wi Fi areas, DJ area or reading points; One of the elements that can contribute to the magic of the room is precisely the projection of 3D movies.

But, as long as there is no agreement on the economic model between distributors and exhibitors, the digitalization of the rooms will not be possible; The majors are going to save a lot of money in production and distribution and the exhibitors want to be part of this savings; On the other hand, the exhibitor needs to be sure that their investment can be guaranteed with a regulatory framework that homologates the products and ensures that their equipment does not become obsolete in a short time, since a period of seven to ten years is needed to amortize the investment.

At the European Digital Cinema Forum, three formulas have been discussed to reach a financial agreement between distributors and exhibitors:

1) By renting films: the proposal would consist of lowering the price of films for those exhibitors who make the change to the digital system; It is a model that very few distributors support.

2) Financial third parties: a third party, a banking entity for example, would make a loan for the exhibitor to be equipped with digital equipment; The guarantors would be the distributors and the studios, that is, the majors; Antitrust regulations must be put into practice to prevent multinationals from increasing their ability to influence exhibitors. It seems to be the formula that is working in the United States.

3) Leasing contracts: in this case, the exhibitor would rent the projection equipment to the distributors to avoid large investments and in return would have the commitment to display the distributor's advertising; The risk is in the possibility of abuse by the distributor when imposing its products, in addition to the loss of ownership of the projection equipment by the exhibitor.

It is likely that the most equitable formula is the first since the exhibitor's investment is compensated, in part, by those who save in digital migration, but it is not easy; Let us not forget that the abusive attitudes of the big five distribution companies ended with a conviction by the Competition Court for anti-competitive practices when signing film contracts with Spanish exhibitors.

Currently in Spain the advance of digital theaters is slow and there are even those who believe that it is due to the interest of multinationals in securing their position, for fear of the competition that the entry of alternative content and new cinematographic content may entail.

Some evaluations

We are at the beginning of digital cinema, although digitalization has a different penetration depending on the areas; It will still be a while before theaters make the switch, and while that happens, exhibitors will have to make 35mm projections compatible. with digital ones; When distributors and exhibitors reach a financial agreement, migration seems clear.

In the case of the production area, the situation is different: some sections are completely digitalized, in the case of assembly and post-production; Only some celluloid romantic today would think of using a moviola and giving up tools as convenient as Avid or Final Cut. In the case of post-production, who more, who less, uses digital resources, even in the last section and with negative cutting, to carry out digital grading; and of course, many of the films that use the full digital lab run do so from 35mm footage. scanning the negative.

It is precisely in filming where taking images on digital media has not yet been fully implemented; It is striking that a portion of the films with digital registration are not made with the professional option of digital cinema, high definition, but with other cheaper media, and this despite the efforts of manufacturers and service companies to gain a foothold in the market; The rental prices of some equipment are hardly justifiable in average production.

The use of cheaper formats may be a possibility of democratizing audiovisual production that allows an increase in independent films (and also low-budget ones), which will see their transition to the cinema truncated since the difficulty of releasing them remains the same: little availability of screens for modest films and high cost of release (due to the number of copies and the investment in advertising, necessary to become visible); It is possible that with the digital theater the difficulty in reaching the premiere could come from the hand of a technology imposed by the studios or, hindered by the agreements between exhibitors and distributors, in the form of influence of the majors on the exhibitors, to promote digital change.

Independent products will have to be channeled into other Internet-related marketing channels, such as legal download portals; The possibility may also be in small theaters, more dedicated to auteur cinema and alternative cinema; theaters that aspire to be, simply, places where films can be seen in the best possible way; We must not forget the importance of the theater in terms of the amortization of films, not because of their performance at the box office, but because our current aid system requires the commercial release in the theater to obtain them and does not count the release in other exploitation windows. Television networks are also willing to pay more for those films that are shown in the theater; In turn, digital projection will also be a solution for large complexes, with aspirations of being large leisure centers, thanks to spectacle cinema, as some theaters are already heading with the adoption of 3D cinema.

And finally, why does all cinema have to be digital? Why does this support have to completely replace the photochemical one? If the digital laboratory is a real alternative to facilitate and improve post-production processes, whether the origin of the images is digital or analogue, the negative continues to be a valid tool in the hands of the creator, who will choose at all times the most appropriate medium to express himself.

The full text of Digital cinema: the future in the present, by Elena Medina, is available in the book Media, technology and entertainment: a connected future (Ed. Laertes)