Digital and Analogue Film making

Analogue filming:

In the 20^th century analogue filming was mainly used as it was newly introduced. It hasn’t been long since this traditional method of filming became more advanced with new technologies. But as we are progressing into the 21^st century, we should not forget the realism and the real quality of watching classic films, all made from analogue filming. Hollywood’s all time classics such as “Marry Poppins” (1964) produced by Walt Disney, had the budget of $600 000. “Bugsy Malone” (1976) had the budget of $1 million US dollars. Although analogue filming can be expensive and a longer process, it is the time spent that makes quality in a good film. Analogue films also have a real factor which I believe engages the audience. It worked well in that time period and I feel it should always be remembered.

Digital V Analogue:

Digital filming is now the new way of creating and editing films. It is a shorter process than analogue and easily accessed. However, people argue that digital filming is very unrealistic and production costs too much money. Special effects can show unrealism and it may loose the connection between the film and the audience as they cannot relate to it. But sometimes special effects enable the audience to escape into a fantasy world which makes entertainment as the audience have not seen anything like it before. Although production and the special effects involve a lot of cost, it still makes good blockbuster movies. It is also the same for analogue films, money is also spent on the production and yet we still resulted in good all time classics that are even popular today.

Another argument is that digital filming equipment can be accessed by anyone and we can film whatever we please, as technology has become so advanced that we can do this even at home. This is because everyone especially young people can buy a small HD video camera and create their own movies in their own personal ways. Unlike analogue is too complex and hard to make changes, as in digital you can always add or delete elements such as background noise. Even though we may have digital technology to improve certain elements in film production, many years back directors were still able to create enjoyable blockbuster hits as back then, the audience had small expectations. However too many digital films are ruining the beauty of old films and are starting to manipulate the way today’s generation think about old movies. For example, on TV if a film is black and white, people automatically change the channel because now some of those types of films are frowned upon. This is only because digital technology has taken over Hollywood and as an audience we always expect to watch something new and interesting.

Today in the media industry, we have to always be ahead of the audience’s expectations. We have to move on into the 21^st century with more advanced technology on our side to enhance the feel of not only watching the movie, but making the audience feel that they are also involved. I believe it is important that the audience can relate to a movie’s storyline and also feel fantasy experiences. For example, now we have movies in 3D which really do put the audience in the film situation. I think this is real entertainment and as people are expecting more from films, the media industry will continue to find new techniques of keeping us as an audience entertained. Also it does not matter how much money is spent on a film whether it’s analogue or digital. If it relates to many audiences, and has a great storyline, with great quality captured on the camera and if it is executed in the correct way, any movie could be a worldwide blockbuster.

Here is a great video to explain further points on both digital and analogue film making :