PARK CITY, Utah - Digital tools have become so integral to independent filmmaking that it is easy to forget that "video" was once a bad word. That's according to Ian Calderon, one of the architects of Robert Redford's Sundance Institute.
Calderon, a writer and consultant who founded Sundance's New Media Center, said he remembers the days when debate over the usefulness of digital process was common. In the future, he added, the distinctions between film and video may become increasingly blurred.
The breaking down of barriers between the two media is a central mission of the Center, a sidebar project of the Sundance Film Festival.
The New Media Center grew out of Sundance's Filmmakers Lab, a workshop for independent film projects that has used the relatively cheap video technology since 1981. In the early years, filmmakers shot and assembled scenes from their films with crude video cameras and editing programs.
Three years ago, seeking to expand his techno-friendly mission, Calderon started the Center. He set up panel discussions and invited several high-tech companies to demo their wares at the Inn at Prospector Square, a Park City hotel and conference center.
"The independent filmmaking community was initially resistant to anything electronic, because it didn't have the pedigree or elegance of celluloid imagery, which is still far and away the best," Calderon said. "But as electronics have become more sophisticated, independent filmmakers began to embrace them. For filmmakers in their 20s and 30s, there is no question, no issue. They are sensitized to all things electronic."
These days, the Filmmakers Lab makes use of state-of-the-art, increasingly popular digital cameras and nonlinear editing systems, which have become the industry standard.
This year's panels included discussions on digital cinematography, optical effects, sound design, and editing. A final panel, scheduled to be held today, will explore Internet resources available to independent filmmakers.
Among those setting up booths at the Center are Adobe Systems, Digital Equipment Corporation, Intergraph, Iomega, Sony, and Avid Technologies.
On Thursday afternoon at the Center, traffic was light. A few filmmakers tinkered with the latest version of Avid's Film Composer in one room. Across the hall, a handful of others watched Sony's high definition HDW-700WS television.
However, most festival-goers at the conference center were rushing past the Center on their way to film screenings. The emphasis on film remains prominent at the Sundance festival and new media occupies a space somewhere on the periphery.
Calderon acknowledged that the New Media Center was underutilized, but said he was confident that it has had an impact on the independent cinema world.
"It has been a subtle thing, but every time filmmakers come to Sundance, they are surrounded by the best and latest tools to help them with their storytelling," he said. "Each year, the attendees seem more savvy and more informed.
"They know that they need to know what the next generation of technology is, so they can stay ahead, create the shortest distance between two points and broaden their creative latitude."
