Screened as part of NZIFF 2012

Side by Side 2012

Directed by Christopher Kenneally

An engrossing, open-minded investigation of the digital revolution in filmmaking and its impact on the creativity of filmmakers. Keanu Reeves interviews Cameron, Lucas, Nolan, Lynch, Scorsese, Fincher, DOPs, VFX artists and many more.

USA In English
99 minutes Colour and B&W / DigiBeta

Producers

Keanu Reeves
,
Justin Szlasa

Photography

Chris Cassidy

Editors

Mike Long
,
Malcolm Hearn

Music

Brendan Ryan
,
Billy Ryan

With

Keanu Reeves
,
Danny Boyle
,
James Cameron
,
David Fincher
,
George Lucas
,
David Lynch
,
Walter Murch
,
Christopher Nolan
,
Steven Soderbergh
,
Lars von Trier

Festivals

Berlin, Tribeca 2012

When Kodak filed for bankruptcy, the world at large finally understood what film industry insiders already knew. The conversion to digital is the biggest transition in film production and exhibition since the advent of sound put thousands of cinema pit musicians out of work and opened up a whole new world of sound engineering. This fascinating, intelligently open-minded documentary zeros in on some of the most significant creative and aesthetic issues embedded in the current revolution. Keanu Reeves, an early beneficiary of CGI himself, fronts up to key practitioners and elicits a wide array of responses. Pioneers and engineers of change such as George Lucas and James Cameron are offset by such forceful Luddites as Christopher Nolan. David Fincher exalts in the demystification of the cinematographer’s art now that everyone on set can instantly see which pictures have been captured. Designed, says Reeves, not to polarise opinion but to capture change as it happens, this is the year’s most informative and invigorating movie about movies now. — BG