Movie Review: Side by Side

If one can make it through film school without having at least one debate about whether or not film is better than digital video, they either dodged a potentially tiresome bullet or live a decade in the future when all such arguments have presumably ceased to exist. Side by Side (2012), a documentary produced and presented by actor Keanu Reeves and directed by Christopher Kenneally, is perhaps the most sophisticated and interesting argument between film’s defenders  and those who are pioneering digital cinema. The documentary (shot on video) explores the history and technology of both film production and digital cinema production. A cacophony of voices, directors, cinematographers, actors, editors, digital effects artists, and technology company representatives, offer arguments on either side. Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Contagion) barely suppresses a seething hatred of film. Director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) is film’s most stalwart defender, even if it looks like he is holding vigil against the sun rising. Martin Scorsese (Casino, Hugo) emerges as the voice of reason, seeing value in both mediums.

Make no mistake, there are serious issues to be considered; the documentary presents them with a lighthearted tone without evading the honest problems. For instance, the switch to digital video cameras impacts the actor’s performance. The two to three minute break that the actor was often afforded is lost when the camera team no longer has to reload the film magazines. This is either a boon or a bust, depending upon whether you ask John Malkovich or Robert Downey Jr.

Here’s something else: what about archiving digital media? Hard drives fail or become obsolete, sometimes only after a couple of years of having been developed. I do not own a VCR anymore, so playing old family videotapes is near impossible. Yet, if I wanted to dig out the super 8 film reels from my mother’s childhood, I could view them simply by turning on a light and holding them towards the ceiling. According to Scorsese, that film is the best method of archiving visual media is a bit ironic. In a climate controlled room, properly stored film can last hundreds of years. Better still, the medium happens to also be the method by which one gains access. In the mad rush to digital, according to some, the cinema industry has not yet taken into account the need for a foolproof method of archiving digital media. The optimistic digital video defenders, such as George Lucas and James Cameron, maintain that it is simply only a matter of time.

And there is the matter of “democratization.” High definition cameras are available to nearly everyone, creating a boom of freshly-minted auteurs. Some in the industry think this might not be a good thing because the tastemakers will be flung from their posts by a radical uprising of 5D-wielding adolescents. In other words, some are fearing for their jobs.

Like it or not, we are well into the digital video age. Mr. Reeves and Mr. Kenneally explore many of the logistical problems in this moment of transition, giving shrift to issues that deserve consideration in a culture so awash with images like ours.