Side by Side (2012)

With any major cinematic transition, there are going to be people who drag their feet before being forcibly pulled into the new era. For proof, look no further than movies like Singin’ in the Rain and The Artist, in which silent film stars laugh off the possibility that movies would ever have sound. The same thing probably happened when color was introduced, and filmmakers likely complained that film would lose much of its beauty if you started throwing all these bright colors up there. Now in the 21st century, filmmaking is in the middle of another such transition, and the new documentary Side by Side is there to capture this very specific and contentious moment in time.

The transition I refer to is, of course, the changeover from film to digital. If Side by Side is to be believed, this change is inevitable, but also the subject of much discussion amongst filmmakers, editors, cinematographers and actors. Director Chris Kenneally—along with producer/main interviewer Keanu Reeves—are able to capture the entire discussion from every angle. They talk to major digital proponents like David Fincher, George Lucas and Steven Soderbergh, film purists like Christopher Nolan, and those in the middle such as Martin Scorsese and David Lynch.

This is a film for hardcore movie geeks only; folks who have a deep and genuine interest in how movies are made, put together and projected. For all others, Side by Side will won’t hold a great deal of weight. For those of us who do obsess over such things, it’s a truly fascinating work. Kenneally and Reeves painstakingly discuss the history of digital filmmaking, its evolution, and the many differences between it and old-fashioned film stock.

The most controversial thing about digital filmmaking, at least among the directors here, is the visual aspect. For years, there was no question that film looked infinitely better than digital. Movies shot on film actually looked like movies, while movies shot on digital (such as the Dogme 95 films) looked like home videos at best. This visual style can potentially complement a film’s material, but the vast majority of projects seek a visual beauty that for ages digital cameras could never hope to catch. In the last few years, this has changed dramatically. More and more movies are being shot on digital, and not long ago several companies straight up announced that they were no longer making new film cameras. Hollywood is now in the digital business and the digital business only.

Based on the reactions of the interviewees here, that is either a great thing, a horrible thing, or—most likely—a mixture of both. Side by Side does not take a side—heh—on the issue, and no matter who Reeves is interviewing he tends to take a devil’s advocate approach. If he is talking to a pro-digital filmmaker, he throws the pro-film argument right back at them, and vice versa. In a strange way, this documentary features some of Reeves’ best work in ages. He’s a compelling and intelligent presence onscreen, and he isn’t a softball interviewer. Just as he wants to explore every facet of this transition, he wants each interview subject to make their case as best they can.

If Side by Side has a final position on the subject, it’s likely that digital is inevitably taking over and it’s in everyone’s best interest to try and fix its flaws in the transition. The film clearly and thoroughly explains how making a movie using digital is an entirely different animal, and thus the final products will look and feel entirely different from anything made on film. This includes any post-production work, since with digital it becomes much easier to alter films after they’ve been shot. According to some, even the editing process is drastically different. As one subject says, movies edited digitally tend to feel like they’re in more of a hurry, and that’s because the editors have the ability to plow through a scene at a much faster rate.

As much as there’s no arguing that film has almost always looked better than digital, there’s also no arguing that this gap is quickly shrinking. Even George Lucas’ Star Wars prequels—some of the first major motion pictures shot digitally—usually look pretty darn good, and all one needs to do for more proof is watch a recent David Fincher movie. These are films that look gorgeous regardless; with images that rival what we usually expect from film. It should also be noted that more and more movies are being projected digitally as well, and reel-to-reel projectors are quickly becoming a thing of the past. This means that movies shot on film can wind up looking like digital movies real fast, and it just depends on where they’re shown.

Above all, Side by Side is a fascinating film that is meant to simply start and be part of the debate—not to end it. It paints a picture of a new filmmaking culture, and how the shift to digital opens up many doors while also closing a few on the way out. But perhaps the most eloquent comment comes (of course) from Scorsese, who is sure to remind us all that digital is not the endpoint. It is just the next chapter in a very long book. When films incorporated sound and color, there were surely people who thought that that would be it. Well, a couple 3-D booms, a few hundred IMAX screens and a million digital cameras later, here we are. There are still several revolutions down the road that we’ve yet to even imagine. Filmmaking is a constantly evolving thing, and there will always be folks like James Cameron and George Lucas looking to push forward, for better or for worse. Side by Side brilliantly documents it all, and it will be a fun view for anyone wanting a look at how far film has come and how the medium is always looking to take the next step.

Grade: A