TECHNICAL EDGE

Will The DVD Format Do For Distribution
What Mini-DV Did For Acquisition?

by Logan

With advances in DV camcorders and dropping prices, independent producers have had greater opportunities to tell their stories when telling it on film would have been too cost-prohibitive. Also, the growing availability of cheap post-production systems has allowed many producers not only to shoot but also edit their own work. It has been almost ten years since Avid started the non-linear editing craze, but now there are many non-linear editing (NLE) systems to choose from that also afford broadcast capability at nowhere near the cost. Five years ago, producers would have had only the Sony VX-1000 or Canon XL1 to choose from for Mini-DV acquisition; now there are numerous options available at substantially lower cost. According to the Consumer Electronics Association (CAE), sales of consumer digital camcorders jumped to $3.3 billion last year. In fact, for less than $6000, an aspiring independent producer can purchase a 3-chip Mini-DV camcorder and post-production computer system. Creating your work has become easier, but now how do you approach the challenge of distribution?

Obviously, there are several means of distribution on the market: theatrical release, television, or ancillary markets such as pay-per-view and direct-to-video. However, it has often been up to the distributor to decide whether or not a production will be seen. Two recent technological advancements have offered the independent producer the chance to finally call the shots in the distribution arena as well: the World Wide Web and DVD.

The World Wide Web (WWW), which is part of the greater Internet, allows producers to promote and distribute their own work with more control and to a larger audience world-wide. Producers can show small clips of their work (trailers) so potential buyers, including distributors, can preview before purchasing. The final product is usually on VHS analog tape. But VHS has several drawbacks, including generation loss, limited resolution, and the tedious need to convert from digital to analog (when you have edited your piece on an NLE system). A better solution is the DVD format.

The popularity of the DVD format is astounding: it has enjoyed a faster rate of adoption than the VHS format did when it was first introduced.

Recently, CEA projected $2.4 billion in DVD player sales for 2000. Why? In addition to the better quality of the digital format, probably the biggest advantage is its capacity for interactivity. DVD allows for extra information to be stored and viewed: how your documentary was created, interviews with your cast and crew, and subtitles for foreign audiences or the hearing impaired. Hotspots are places on the DVD (including within the movie itself) that allow viewers to gain more information, including information via the internet such as the producer's website. Another advantage of the DVD format is its flexibility and mobility. Besides watching DVDs via a DVD player and your home TV, you can watch a DVD on your home computer and even take it on the road with a laptop (assuming you have a DVD-ROM player).

Until recently DVD authoring was complicated and very expensive depending on professional requirements, but costs are dropping at a rapid rate. For example, Apple Computer this month during the San Francisco MacWorld Expo, released a DVD authoring system, including DVD-Recorder, computer and iDVD software for $3,500. For an additional $1,000, you can get DVD Studio Pro 1.0, the professional DVD authoring version, which will work seamlessly with Final Cut Pro, Apple's high-end NLE software. While this may still be cost prohibitive for many independent producers, some conservative estimates suggest that it will be even more affordable in the next few years. For those who have recently purchased a Power Mac G4, keep your eyes open in the next few months for when Apple will hopefully sell separately, the SuperDrive, the combination CD-RW/DVD-recordable drive which is only available with the new top model Power Mac. In the meantime, Boston Film/Video Foundation offers a class on DVD authoring to allow participants exposure to this technology and is working on setting up a DVD authoring system for its members in the near future.

Information related to the above subjects, including links to articles, reviews and vendor information is available under services/resources at:

http://www.bfvf.org/services/index.htm.

Boston Film/Video Foundation is a non-profit membership organization for independent film and video in New England.

Logan is the Director of Information Technology and Post-Production Facilities at Boston Film/Video Foundation. Prior to this, he was a systems analyst at MIT's Sloan School of Management. He can be reached at logan@bfvf.org