Side by Side

An immensely intriguing tour of the evolution of filmmaking process in the cinematic medium over the years, Side by Side is a side by side comparison of the two formats of crafting a motion picture that's available to filmmakers today; first is shooting on photochemical film which has been in use since the dawn of cinema while the other is shooting digitally which dominates the industry at present & has made the traditional film stock an endangered format.

Directed by Christopher Kenneally, this documentary presents Keanu Reeves as the questioner discussing about the evolution, impact & innovations the film camera has made since its creation and joining him in the discussion are Hollywood's esteemed directors like Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Richard Linklater, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan & many more plus it also asks the opinions of various cinematographers, editors, VFX supervisors & others as well.

Side by Side provides a thorough examination of the history of 35mm print while also capturing the dawn, rise & revolution of digital format in the past two decades which as of today threatens the very existence of traditional filmmaking format. We get to see strong proponents for both formats, each presenting very valid arguments when it comes to the benefits & limitations of both film stock & digital recording in things like ease of use, economy, flexibility etc.

On an overall scale, Side by Side beautifully covers the still ongoing battle of the superior format in the film industry today and my only gripe with it is that it's only 98 minutes long. Even though in my opinion digital cinema seems to be a valid choice in the long run, IMAX has given film stocks a fresh breathe of life, and if only both formats can mutually co-exist then it's a win-win situation for the industry. Extremely gripping, highly entertaining & downright informative, Side by Side is a must-watch for every cinema fan out there.

This is a fantastic documentary which provides a window into the technical elements of the way an image is captured by cameras for motion pictures. Most of us are aware that there are two mediums- film, - which has been the method of application up until the last decade or two, and digital- which is trying to supplant film. It is an interesting look at the junction of art and science to create a feature film and the kind of hurdles these mediums, and the people using them have to overcome. Keanu Reeves is an excellent host and the usually drab actor seems full of energy here, asking furtive questions and giving feedback and opinion. There are a host of subjects interviewed here, from legendary filmmakers and cinematographers to producers and movie moguls. I prefer the look of film stock and will side with it, but there is no denying the strides digital cameras have made in recent years. And perhaps the greatest takeaway from this documentary is that it doesn't really matter what medium you shoot on- it is the person behind the camera that matters.

As a film student or just a movie lovers, you rarely got a chance to connect with cinema history, or meet with famous people in the industry who set the standard and created the masterpieces. This documentary gives it all in a friendly story telling mode that could benefit both professionals or just any random viewers

As much as it is about digital, it's equally about how cinema develop and what it would be like in the future. The documentary points out an interesting finding that it's the professionals, not the technology that drives the storytelling art forward. Each and every of them offer their best performance and artistry via the choice of techniques they made.

It's fantastic to see how filmmakers form different groups of opinions and stay faithful to it. While the film did not intend to come to any conclusion about future of cinema in digital or old style film, it clearly set up a basic understanding about filmmaking as a painstakingly process that require endless decision making based on personal visual creative interpretation.

A nice to watch movie for film students, especially those are fans of David Lynch, James Cameroon or George Lucas, the main speakers

this film is. It's about marking a turning point in the history of cinema and raising awareness about it. Yes, it's a subject that's been discussed and bitched about for what, 10 years now, ever since Lucas proclaimed that film is dead. But maybe for the first time it brings all the opposite opinions together. Side by side. (Loved the editing - it was just like watching a tennis match) And for people like myself, 'civilian' moviegoers who while watching a movie often found themselves forgetting about the popcorn and instead wondering 'how it's made?', this film is like Christmas in June :) I mean, I've read a bit about film making; I've come across some of the terms and looked up their definition; I knew what a DP does; I've scratched a bit the surface of the whole wide world of movie making. But to have the main processes explained clearly, precisely and in a language I could understand, all this in a one-and-a-half hour film, was like... like attending film school but without the (almost always compulsory) elitism and snobbery ;) :D

And watching the documentary at a film festival was a special experience per se. It was shown in a small old-fashioned theater, with creaking seats and wood floors and velvet curtains and no air conditioning; and old theater where once I used to go watch old cinematheque movies in black-and-white. There was a bitter-sweet irony about it. The audience was formed mainly by film festival guests and film students; people with technical background in movie making, and a few lost souls like myself, who just wanted to watch the documentary we read so much about. And it was a joy to see them react to the technical jokes; to hear a few of them hoot when on the screen someone was talking about the operator and the DP losing their god-like status on the set, or to hear them snicker when Cameron rhetorically asks Reeves 'you've been on a few sets in your life, haven't you?'

It's a film about nostalgia and inevitability, with a very light note of sadness.

But this was just the first date, and I'm quite taken with the film, so I'd really like to get to know it better. You know, take it on a second date, then a third. I'll take it to the movies, the old-fashioned way ;) I'll wine it, dine it, maybe even take it on the obligatory weekend to Paris. It could be the beginning of a long lasting relationship. So, when is the DVD gonna be released ? ;) :)

Hollywood insiders are aware of a battle that has been brewing for quite sometime now: the technology to capture the image has two camps- film and digital and each are perhaps overwhelming the other. Film is photomchemical and the method by which cinema has been created and projected for all these years (since the late 1890). Digital cameras are new on the block and because they can do everything a film camera can but with less production costs, they are vying to be the medium every director chooses. Keanu Reeves questions industry insiders from top directors and cinematographers and gets a honest non biased overview. This is a good watch for anyone interested in the technical and "behind the camera" scenes of making of film and television. The documentary is precise and educative.