It was easy in the old days. You'd save up for a Bolex, put your
money in the piggy bank for that 8mm beauty, and after a period of
time, when you had enough money: voila; you were an amateur film maker.
We knew where we stood back then. We were amateur filmmakers, who,
by and large, made amateur films. Films of our families on the beach.
Trips to Blackpool. But that was then. There's no amateur gages anymore.
There's no linear editing anymore. We're all prosumers now.
It's one of those annoying words isn't it? The sort of thing that
you will no doubt find in the Oxford English dictionary before long,
alongside 'mp3' and 'DSL'. Prosumer is of course, an abbreviation
of Professional Consumer, which I suppose in the context of film production
is a moviemaker with the means the ability to produce a professional
piece, if not always for professional reasons.
The birth of affordable broadcast-quality digital video has spawned
a new generation of filmmakers who can now shoot with all the capability
that was once solely the domain of the professional (or the very wealthy).
Of course, the potential to shoot professionally is insignificant.
The ABILITY to use genuine talent is always going to be the factor.
You could give a monkey a Sony Handicam, but I very much doubt he
will be able to shoot a modern version of Citizen Kane…
There has never been a more exciting time to get into the world of
filmmaking. We are now in a period where we can shoot in broadcast
quality, edit in non-linear real-time and outsource it without practically
loosing a pixel of the original quality. It's almost as if we've been
given a blank piece of paper. The only limits are in the depths of
our imagination.
The advancements are growing and growing. I was stunned at the new
JVC hi-definition DV camcorder (yes, camcorder - as in 'fits in the
palm of your hand'). Finally, an affordable camera that rivals hi-quality
16mm film. Yeah, we'll all want one soon!
And it's getting better. Panasonic have continued to ripple shockwaves
through the filmmaking community with their DVX100a camcorder. The
quality of the cinematic gamma curve and the 25 frames-per-second
progressive scan engine built into this kit really has to be seen
to be believed. I saw this camera in action, just a sales guy filming
a crowd of people in a shop with the DVX100a. He then played back
what he had recorded on a monitor. I could have sworn that the footage
that was filmed in front of me moments ago was recorded on a Panavision
35mm camera, teleclined onto DV. And you can pop into a film store
on the Tottenham Court Road and pick it up today, for just over £2,500.
So what do you think? It might be controversial, but I say let's
drop this word amateur. We don't need it anymore. Let's take more
time to study our craft, and learn how the professionals do things.
Let's take more time to plan our shoots. Storyboards aren't something
to be feared. Logging tape makes things much easier. And most importantly
of all, in a world of limitless digital possibilities, let's have
even more fun. There's never been a better time to get into filmmaking.
So the amateur is dead. Long live the prosumer
Back to Top
