I'm the firsttimedirector. Instead of changing the name I've created this new account.
thanks for all the input. My DP is out of town shooting a feature right now so our communication is limited but we'll have plenty of time to catch up. I've done a lot of research and have talked to a few labs to get some numbers which i have posted on a different threat: DI vs Old-school.
I have a lot of respect for 16mm the format. And think those who don't work as hard on a 16mm set will not last in this biz. I think the leadership skills of the above the line people have a lot more to do with how seriously talent and crew take the project. There are plenty of gems in every format. 16 to me has the quality of the impressionistic painting, the grain being that intentionally visible brush stroke. But it all depends on the project and unfortunately a 35mm film is still more marketable than a 16mm film all else the same. Even despite the successes of Funny Ha Ha (my dp shot), Leaving Las Vegas, Band a part, Wendy and Lucy, the Wrestler, Hustle and Flow, the Balad of Jack and Rose, Mutual Appreciation (my dp ), Half Nelson, etc.
Surprisingly after doing my homework shooting on 35mm and staying in the film world is almost the same if not cheaper as shooting on 16mm even with a 10 to 1 shooting ratio. 4 perf, recans. 2 perf of course would require DI. Assuming the goal is a film print which it is. I have 35mm prints for my old shorts which I obtained from a D5 master and also have a few HDcam masters and the difference between the print and the HDcam is very significant imho. I remember seeing this really crappy film Cargo at the largest theatre at sundance fest about four years ago and a few seconds into it you realize it was shot on 35 and it's a 35mm print, I didn't have to ask, the difference was that significant. It's night and day really.
I think DI has its place and is very useful for films with special effects, and anything that will end up on the small screen, but ultimately HD found its way into our lives because of very clever marketing. You can't pick up a film mag without HD being mentioned at least once on every page. Yet screenwriting, or original composition, or actor's performances usually get a few pages somewhere. I mean blue-ray? common. Do we really need an hd master on a 46'' tv? I'm not talking about capturing on HD here, I'm talking about the work flow. I respect all those 40K festival features shot on HD, and the special effect blockbusters... I think the DI process is being pushed onto the indie filmmaker because a) the theatrical release is becoming more of a dream these days and it'll end up on the small screen anyways cool.gif those post houses have to eat too and DI is their bread and butter. The biggest question I had to ask myself was can we realistically hope for a theatrical release? the answer is yes and we are shooting on 35mm.