MAIN TOPIC:
This report will examine the key factors which are shaping the short term trends within the Australian film industry across four main areas.
My part is about: technological change in Australian films.
New technology is one important factor of work in the film industry now . New technology has already made a big influence on the film industry. According to the trend of new technology in the film industry, I think it will become a significant influence in making the film. The filmmaker will totally give up the old method to make feature films in the future.
First of all, what is the main new technology used in film making now?
According to my research, I think the main point of new technology is digital. The digital technology has a big influence to both important works of the film making that include post production and shooting. But, just one word is not clear for understanding of new technology. Below, there is the list of some new digital technologies.
Shooting:
Digital camera. (This camera can save the footage to a small memory card)
Green Screen. (Green screen can make a beautiful view in the footage with the actor, but it is an unreal thing. The actor and crews do not need filming in the real place.)
3D shooting. (After this technology shooting, when the audience watches the film, they are personally on the scene)
Post Production:
Non liner editing for the scene. (Now, we already have many computer-based software programs like Final cut pro and premiere)
After effects( This is the main way to add the special effects into the footage, E.g. STAR WAR)
Digital Sound editing.( The filmmaker doesn’t need make the sound during the editing, they can use any sound source from internet and they can avoid the bad influence because of the noise during the shooting.)
I know this list is not comprehensive about new technology, There are more new technologies already happening in the film industry probably. But, this is just about my research and experience of filming during the study.
Secondly, How the new technology works to film making of Australia films.
From what I know about the new technology, I was very interested in the how these technologies work during the film making of Australia films? Therefore, I have done some research about this. The following are some details about how the digital technology works during the process of filming by the filmmaker.
EDITING
“Post production is another area where digital trumps the usage of film. Adding visual effects to film was often a precise art, where the effect had to blend seamlessly with what was being shot. This was a painstaking process that editors no longer go through. Digital effects are created and added to the shot within the same program or family of programs. This software also allows editors to work on entire sections of a film, easily piecing scenes together after the post production effects are added in. That includes audio, which now has a high definition digital file that ensures the audience will hear every word and action that they see.
The end result is a piece of film that looks cleaner, with effects that blend seamlessly with the movie. The audience usually can’t tell when CGI has been used, but it’s a powerful tool film makers have increasingly used to set atmosphere.”
Editing(Matthau, 2015).
This research is about the work process of editing, I think the new technology gives the advantage to the editor to make it easy to work during the process of editing. The editor can save a lot time by using the new technology.
SHOOTING
“Shooting in digital is much easier because you can do more in less time. Multiple cameras can run on the same shot, so you always get the angle you want without having to waste time on retakes. I like shooting digitally because it makes it easy to shoot multiple takes, and to get multiple angles more economically. A director’s bread and butter is pace and performance. I love being able to shoot everything. Even, with the actors’ permission, the rehearsals. You never know what pieces you’ll be able to use later in editing.
Coupled with the new steady cam equipment that film has taken a liking to, the end result is a more intimate shot. The audience feels present in the moment because the lens we are allowed to look through feels authentic. Film makers also spend less time re-shooting the same scene to get the right angle.”
Shooting (Matthau, 2015).
Therefore, during the filming process, the director and editor get the free space and much time for creating by easier work because of the new technology. The new technology can provide helpful work to the filmmaker and it can solve the mistake by the director.
Finally, the most important part of this report: What is influence to the Australia film by the new technology?
THE TIME SAVING
In previous times, the film maker needed to spend much time for the shooting and editing because they usually can not do the editing on the day of shooting . Why they can not do this work is because they did not have the new technology at that time. They use the tape to save the footage on the camera and every one knows the tape must work for editing in the special room.
In this kind of room, the filmmaker uses the big machine to play the footage from the tape. The editor and director need to spend a very long time in editing and stay in this room. But now, the digital camera and computer software already appear and the director and editor just use the digital memory card to save the footage. This card is very small and it can insert to the computer. The director and editor can see the footage by the computer software immediately. Thus, they can do the non linear editing in any time and any place during the shooting, even in the bedroom. The half editing work usually finishes when the shooting is over. The film maker can save time for the thinking of ideas.
PRESERVATION
In previous times, the storing of film is always trouble. We need to choose the place to store the tape. Sometimes, this place is not safe for long time. Because of this, the tape usually is in danger. I have done some research about the influence to the preservation of film’s copies by the new technology. Below, this is what Matthau says about this.
“The preservation of film isn’t something we think about as consumers, but it’s the very reason we still have re-mastered copies of Ben Hurr and the Star Wars trilogy. Film will crumble and damage over time, and it’s extremely flammable too. There are simply too many methods for film to outlive its usefulness. Digital films can be stored on company servers, without taking up too much space. The costs to maintain this infrastructure are also lower than the costs to store and re-master film.
Digital archives are also easy to backup and restore. Pixar had a now famous incident when creating Toy Story 2, where one of the animators lost almost the entire film working on it at home thanks to a bad backup. Aside from this small gaffe, the backup system has allowed production companies access to earlier versions of a film, as well as a source to store shots used for dailies and extras.”
Preservation (Matthau, 2015).
This is another important influence for Australia films, for both the academic study and audience. We must have the copies of some classical films in the school or movie theatres. The new technology can make more safe copies of film. We do not need the big place anymore in the future, we can keep the copies in the computer or any place, even in our pocket or the desk.
COOPERATION
Team work is very important for the film making in Australia and the cooperation is key point in the team work. Because of the influence of new technology, the form of cooperation will change. This change will happen between the Australia’s film industry and other country’s film team. Online collaboration has become more popular through improving internet technology and it is breaking down traditional physical barriers.
“In the near future, it will be possible for an editor in Australia to access digitised media on a server in Los Angeles and edit the film without ever leaving these shores. The same will be true for sound-editing, dialogue editing, automatic dialogue recording, sound track laying, preliminary and final mix downs and music recording. In pre-production, all scriptwriting, script-editing, financing, budgeting, casting and auditioning will be enabled by the online world. ”
Established and Future Changes (PMSEIC, 2000).
Because of the new technology being digital, all things of film can be saved in the computer. Therefore, we can upload our work to the internet. During the film work process of Australia’s films, the main shooting team can send their work to the editing team by the internet, even if this team is from other country. Each team in whole feature films do not need stay in one place or in one country. Every team can stay in their country and city for working and the cooperation will happen on the internet.
We called this form of work is the Remote collaboration.
Certainly, the editing team of Australia also can work for the industry from another country. For example, Hollywood usually have cooperation with the famous editing studio of Australia.
“The potential business-to-business applications involving the Australian film industry with other countries are expected to be highly significant. Outside the rarefied world of the Hollywood studios, producers the world over are looking for cost-efficient deals, particularly in post- production. Australia’s production and post-production industries are benchmarked against the best in the world, and more significantly, among the best in the English-speaking world. However, our fabled “tyranny of distance” has meant that producers outside this country would never consider us as an option for full post-production services. There are some exceptions to this – one-off productions from China, Taiwan and Indonesia which have undertaken post production work in Australia. ”
The On-Line, Globalised Film Industry (PMSEIC, 2000)
“In the online film production world of the near future, this “tyranny of distance” will all but disappear. Producers looking for the best possible deal will no longer be constrained by geographical problems. The Australia industry is ideally placed to take advantage of the “globalisation” brought on by the new technologies. ”
The On-Line, Globalised Film Industry (PMSEIC, 2000)
“99% of my work is delivered online”
– Peter Mitchell, Big Animated Digital, quoted in Crows Net Market.
The On-Line, Globalised Film Industry (PMSEIC, 2000)
Below, there is a list from a report about what place and area will use the remote collaboration.
“The prospect exists of being able to manufacture feature films by online linkages between:
• production house and production house;
• within local areas (such as Crows Nest and South Melbourne);
• between States; and
• between countries. ”
Established and Future Changes (PMSEIC, 2000).
From here we can see this form of work about the film making will become the unstoppable trend for the Australian film industry in the future.
In addition, although the new technology will provide a good influence to the Australia feature film making,however, it will have some problems about other parts of film making. The filmmaker and industry will face this problems when they want to use the new digital technology in their film project. It will become the block to the development of new technology in the film industry. Some filmmakers need solve this kind of problem by themselves or they probably need the support from the Australian government.
But, what is problem of technology to the filmmaker and film industry in Australia? When I know many advantages of new technology, I have one another question:
IS THE TECHNOLOGY DEMOCRATIC?
The digital technology may be making filmmaking more affordable.
“Going digital largely means foregoing the large canisters of film that used to be synonymous with film making. It also means production companies complete their shoot schedules with less waste, keeping the entire project under or close to budget.” Cost (Matthau, 2015).
But for cinemas needing to convert to digital, it is very expensive.Thus it favours big, well-established exhibitors, while prompting the closure of smaller, independent cinemas.Digital cinema is also prompting the closure of traditional stock manufacture, exhibition and print industries, which are used by local productions. Thus, it impacts negatively on local productions by closing down full film laboratories.
“This is likely to further widen the divide between the large, international, well-funded productions, and smaller local productions, which may not be able to afford the cost of providing their final products in the formats needed for digital exhibition.”
Established and Future Changes.(PMSEIC, 2000)
“The time scales, degree of change required in distribution mechanisms and exhibition, and overall costs of, moving from conventional photochemical film to E-cinema is not yet clear.
It will also be some time before the impacts of E-cinema on the processes and technologies of making films become apparent.”
Established and Future Changes.(PMSEIC, 2000)
Therefore, the digital technology is just for the team of large, international feature film project in Australia and not for the team of smaller local film production or indie film. In fact,they can’t spend the high budget for digital technology in their final production.
In conclusion, through the research for this report, I have know why the new technology is the key factor for the Australian film industry. There are so many new digital technology will be using in the Australian film industry. Along with the devolvement of the technology of digital and computer, The new technology will enter into each part of film making of industry in the future. I believe, more and more people will make their own film in Australia because the work become easier by the new technology. Although, we still have some difficult problems that needs solve, but the trend of change about technologies will not stop and its speed of development is very fast. Because of this, about the short term trends of Australian feature film, I think it also will get the big influence, recently. The traditional film company will be dangerous and they should think about how to transform from the old school methods to new technology for the filmmaking. Otherwise, they maybe lose the market and audience in the future.
References:
Matthau, C. (2015, January 9). How tech has shaped film making: The film vs. digital debate is put to rest. Wired. Retrieved from: http://www.wired.com/insights/2015/01/how-tech-shaped-film-making/
Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering And Innovation Council (PMSEIC) 2000. Innovation in the Australian film industry. Fifth Meeting, 2 June 2000. Agenda Item 4. Retrieved from: http://www.industry.gov.au/science/PMSEIC/Documents/InnovationInAustralianFilmIndustry.pdf