“The move to digital is one of the biggest changes ever to have happened to filmmaking,” says Bob Daniels, the center’s executive director and co-founder. “Increasingly even major films are being shot in digital and most have been edited digitally for years. Documentaries are huge in digital - it’s liberating for documentary filmmakers who need lots of footage. For many doc filmmakers, digital makes this more than affordable; it makes it possible. And along with affordability, more portable and less obtrusive equipment brings new freedom and access.”

And the future is digital. Industry experts predict that within the next three years, high definition (Hi-Def) digital cameras will be available for $3,000 to $5,000, along with affordable Hi-Def editing solutions. Combine this with the development of Hi-Def DVD, Hi-Def broadcasting, and Hi-Def receivers in homes, and you accelerate the transition that filmmaking is currently undergoing.

Digital technology is transforming how we make films -- and how we learn filmmaking. According to Daniels, “Because digital makes it possible to dramatically bring down production costs and speed up feedback, students can shoot more and learn faster. Now with digital filmmaking the student can experiment and learn, and there’s virtually no cost for this. That means you can practice more and see your results more quickly, accelerating the learning process.” And yet, even though students work with the latest digital technologies, from digital cameras to non-linear editing (just like they would working at Discovery Channel, PBS, or the National Geographic), students still learn their craft working in the best traditions of film.

The Center for Digital Imaging Arts offers 6, 12, and 24 week long certificate programs in photography, digital filmmaking, digital editing & postproduction, and digital effects and motion graphics. They are an Avid Authorized Education Center for Avid Xpress Pro and an Apple Authorized Training Center for Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro and Shake.