Hi All,
this is my first posting. I am an economics researcher at Chapman University, and I am in the early stages of a research project on the impact of Digital on the creation of new filmmaking clusters.
The basic idea is that when film was the only option, it might have been a lot cheaper to shoot within easy reach of a processing facility, so you could get dailies developed overnight. If instead the shoot had to take place in the boonies of e.g. Arkansas, the director might have to wait longer to see if he got the shots he wanted or not, and meanwhile they presumably would have to keep paying for the locations, keep guarding the sets, actors available etc. My idea is that digital decreased these constraints.
Most of the comparisons I've found online of Digital versus Film costs focused on the cost of the equipment and processing itself, but seemed to assume that the shoot was taking place within easy reach of a processing facility, so these problems are not accounted for.
I would appreciate any insight you could provide on these matters, and specifically:
Big Question:
1. Does digital make an outsize impact for lowering production costs in locations away from major film centers, specifically Hollywood?
More specifically:
2. Which cities in the US (and if you know, worldwide) can you get dailies processed overnight at Hollywood quality, today? How is this different from 20 years ago?
3. Do directors typically keep sets assembled, and cast and crew available until they have been able to verify with their own eyes that they got the shot? Would this have been a significant constraint in using film out in the boonies?
4. Would the expense (and presumably risk?) of sending dailies with couriers every day to Hollywood, or other major film center have been significant in driving up costs?
5. Did the rental cost of film equipment go down now that digital is available (presumably the existing stock of film cameras is still in working order)?
Thanks a lot!
Chapman is in Orange County, so if anybody closeby would be willing to talk about this stuff I'd love to buy them coffee!
Best,
Andrea
