I attended a panel on The Future of Distribution yesterday at the Canadian Pavilion, which mostly dealt with how distribution will look like in the near future. As we all know, the window system is eroding, and though I am a huge fan of going to the cinema, I am all for a release across as many channels as possible.
An interesting question popped up in the panel: Should filmmakers shoot the same story in different ways for different screens? As you know, what works on a cinema screen doesn’t necessarily translate to the TV set, let alone to a screen on a mobile device (watching Flight of the Conchords is fine on my iPhone, but I can’t watch any movies on it… it is just not satisfying).
So, this is what I think: if you start shooting the same story in different ways for different screens/channels, the story is per definition not the same any more! A filmmaker chooses a shot and to tell a story in a certain way, and if you change that shot, it emphasizes something else, and therefore tells a different story!
I am not sure how to solve this, or what will happen in the future, as we start releasing the same content across a wider range of platforms, probably simultaneously. What do you think? And would you shoot the same story in different versions for different screens? I cringe at the thought, but tell me what you think!
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‘reframing’ a story for different platforms is an interesting thing…but maybe it’s not just about loss? sure, the story might be slightly different if you shoot it for an iPhone screen rather than for cinematic release, but it also means that if you’re a fan that you can pay to download the smaller version and then also pay to see it in its full glory at the cinema? it could be kind of like collecting all versions of your favourite films. this has its flaws too, but i don’t think re-shooting is all doom and gloom…