In some ways a movie shot entirely on film has a luster that digital just can’t match. And that is what distributors and exhibitors are familiar with when they plan to book a movie into most first-run theaters. That being said, it’s hard to deny that the abundance of cheap but quality digital recording technologies has had a positive effect on the lives of truly independent filmmakers, and producers, more and more, have this in mind.

The two most important factors in the production of a movie for those in the independent and guerilla filmmaking community are finance and availability. The ability to not only create, but distribute indie works to the world in digital format has opened the doors for many talented people. Although it can be argued that film stock is still the highest quality medium in which an artist can tell a visual story, the benefits of digital filmmaking cannot be ignored.

The most compelling argument voiced by many independent directors, producers, DP’s, and cameramen when dealing with digital film is the ability it gives a filmmaker to simply let the camera run. One canister of film stock allows a four minute maximum of actual shooting. Once that film is spent, it’s gone. For a director wanting to refine a vision or take multiple shots of the same scene, the expense can become legendary.

It would not be unthinkable for a filmmaker to wrap shooting on a budget of $750,000 with two-thirds having gone to film! Admittedly some directors love to take multiple shots and many takes, but for a neophyte trying to cement a signature vision, digital format affords the opportunity to let the camera run. Additionally, the results can be reviewed on the spot without worrying about the cost. Also, a 200 gig hard drive with over 100 minutes of movie time is far cheaper than buying 100 minutes of film stock, even if you cut film costs with reel ends.

The other big advantage to filming in digital revolves around the process of editing. The ability to take a direct-to-digital recording, transfer it straight into the editing software, and immediately cut the footage is a tremendous benefit. Not only is there no waiting for the film to come back from development, but doing pickups is as simple as mounting the camera on a tripod, shooting another scene, and taking it back to the editing bay.

The down-side: Once a movie is completed with digital, it has to be transferred to the conventional film reels because most festivals, the professional distributors, and first-run theaters still require media on film for submission and showing. Still, the initial use of digital leads to a lower overall budget. Another step often not realized by neophytes is that no matter how big the budget, a movie shot on film stock will be transferred to a digital format for editing and sound correction -- and then put back onto film. For this reason alone, to most movie enthusiasts and many producers, the concept of shooting with digital has become more and more the format of choice. Starting with digital means details within the budget may already be covered. Film is still needed, most often, for distribution.