Robert Rodriguez Music Video

Rodriguez shot this little music video with two Canon 7d DSLR's.



Even the television program 'House' decided to do a little experimenting with the Canon 5d to shoot their season finale.



What does all of this mean? It does mean that production tools are coming down to the price where independents and amateurs alike can make images that are comparable to high end professionals. It means that talent can trump money.

What it doesn't mean is that films will become that much less expensive to make. Actors, production design, art direction, lighting, sound, props, editing and mixing cost a lot of money and when you want to tell a story on film you still need a decent budget to pull it off. The 'road movie' or the 'dogma' film will be much less expensive but other more ambitious projects will still require funding. Consider Francis Coppola who purchased high end Sony Hi Def cameras. 'Tetro' and 'Youth Without Youth' still cost fifteen million dollars a piece. It's not chump change. People still need to get paid and sets need to be built or decorated. Locations need to be rented. People need to be fed (don't ever cheap out on this one).

Where does this lead? I guess right back to the writer. If you can write an inexpensive film you might still get a feature off the ground for the cost of a down payment on a house. Just make sure you tell a great story or your cheap DSLR won't do you a damn good.

I always think of technology as a tool. It doesn't tell stories, it captures images and sound. The 35mm still camera has been affordable for a long time and it didn't automatically make everyone a professional photographer. The pen and paper is the cheapest of the technologies but how often is someone penning the great novel or play? It's the talent of the individual that matters.

The tool is just a tool.

I suck at carpentry. You can give me access to the greatest carpentry equipment that money can buy and I'll still make you a crooked table...