Hi David,

I just came across your site, and am interested, as I programme and manage events for onedotzero, including the UK tour that you viewed Saint Etienne's Finisterre feature.

The question "What is Digital Cinema?" generates varied responses and much debate. It's been ten years or so since the lauded 'desktop digital revoloution', with cameras, desktop editing tools etc having become more readlily accessable to an ever growing number of enthusiasts, artists, film makers resulting in increasing numbers of shorts, features, experimentations in moving image being produced. From my four years with onedotzero, the standard of entries and work submitted over the years has increased both technically and creatively. The number of festivals, events, publications, media covering this area of moving image has increased too over the years, and is reflective of the diverse and increasing audiences that are excited by new moving image works.

I do question though, the need to catagorise moving image works created using digital kit as a genre in itself - surely this is redundant? Across all arts - painting, sculpture, photography , film - it is not the tools that determine the works it is how they are employed, manipulated, subverted, how form is challenged etc. I am and onedotzero are passionate about innovation and creativity in this area of moving image, the artists, designers, directors, performers who are pushing this medium, challenging narrative conventions and creating arresting visions. Be it across commercial works (music video, computer gaming, commercials) feature films, shorts, live audio visual performances, in the new creations fused by the meeting of new media and architecture, across motion graphics, broadcast design, fashion design - onedotzero is excited by the cross - fertisation across these diverse mediums.

Best,

Anna

Thanks for your comments, Anna,

I think I agree with you that categorising "moving image works created using digital kit as a genre in itself" is more or less redundant — or at least increasingly so as digital kit gets absorbed into the mainstream. Though I'm sure there will continue to be film makers outside the mainstream who exploit the particular capabilities of digital technologies for making innovative work. And I hope onedotzero and other festivals will keep showing this stuff!

In case you haven't seen them, I've written a couple of more recent postings on George Lucas's views on digital kit and the impact of DVDs on film making.