Film: Side by Side

Director: Christopher Kenneally
Genre: Documentary
Source: USA (2012)
Rating: NR
Location/Format: Netflix Streaming
Grade: B

Keanu Reeves in charge of a documentary? I know, I was skeptical too. But overall, this look at the transformation of the film industry from film to digital is surprisingly thoughtful and thought-provoking (if you're interested in film production that is) in part because of the quality of the talent that Reeves interviews--directors, producers, cinematographers, and editors at the top of their game. 

I'm not sure how much of this film was financed by the digital film interests, because it definitely takes the approach that the transformation to digital is inevitable and unstoppable, but that's a hard position to argue against given that the major camera corporations have stopped building film cameras. Yet the film does do a nice job exploring multiple sides of the issue--from the ease at which digital film can be edited, to the way it makes everyone an expert (or at least lets everyone think they're an expert) because you can view what you've captured immediately rather than wait for processing, to the way the image quality is still not quite up to film, to the preferences of different filmmakers (Chris Nolan, for example, has been very vocal in his belief that film is a better medium and image than digital, while George Lucas and James Cameron have been vocal proponents of pushing the switch to digital as soon as possible.)

I think I'd like to watch it again to get a better sense of the arguments, but I think when I do I might make up some questions to go along with it and offer it as extra credit to my film students. Clearly this is a transformative moment in film history, not only for the way it changes the film-making process, but also for the democratization of film that digital offers--anyone can make a movie for a relatively low cost now. Side by Side does ask whether that's a good thing: more people able to realize their visions sounds great, but does it just increase the noise more than the quality? In other words, are the diamonds in the rough harder to find when you increase the amount of rough?

I love the movie making process, and this got me thinking even more at how that process works. Do we lose the real when we turn to the digital? Or is it another tool in the artist's toolbag? Or, more likely, is it a little bit of both?

Alternate Film Title: "The Many Haircuts of Keanu Reeves"