On Saturday, August 1, 2009, over 500 DGA members and guests gathered at the Guild's Los Angeles Theatre complex for the seventh annual Digital Day at the DGA. In keeping with the times, this year's event was titled "Digital on A Dime: Create Your Own Stimulus Package," a fiscally - themed look at some of the new technologies DGA members have at their disposal.
Experiments in Low Budget Digital Filmmaking
This panel featured DGA Director-members experimenting "outside the box." Ted Bogosian spoke about his new film 50/50, a daring mix of documentary and scripted film techniques; Billy Dickson discussed his web series IQ-145; Katy Garretson revealed how she directed and produced her web series Nurses Who Kill under DGA and SAG New Media Agreements; David Orr told how he shot his film Refresh with an HD video-capable Digital SLR still camera; Gary Walkow explained how he brought his low budget supernatural thriller Callers in 20% under budget; and Kees Van Oostrum talked about Christina, a post-WWII drama shot in HD and finished entirely in the Apple workflow. Special Projects Digital Day subcommittee chair Randal Kleiser (Red Riding Hood, Grease) served as moderator.
New Developments in Financing and Distribution
Paradigm Consulting's president Peter Broderick, producer Cora Olson (Babysitters, Good Dick) and producer Rebecca Yeldham (The Kite Runner, Anvil! The Story of Anvil) lent their expertise to this discussion on the latest methods of securing financing and distribution in today's competitive marketplace.
Digital Essentials for Directors
Director/DP/VFX Supervisor Scott Billups, author of Digital Moviemaking, revealed what you need to know about on-set acquisition and data management, digital pipeline basics, and emerging VFX technologies.
Cutting Edge Apps
This series featured the following panels:
- Previs for Any Budget
- VFX on the Cheap
- 2D to 3D Conversion
- 3D Sound
Previs for Any Budget
The Third Floor, Inc.'s CEO/Previsualization Supervisor Chris Edwards (Star Trek, Avatar) showed how filmmakers could optimize their projects at any budget level to ensure that more of their money ends up on the screen.
Directing Actors for Video Games
The challenges of directing for the interactive arena were discussed by The Third Floor, Inc.'s CEO Chris Edwards (Star Trek, Avatar) and Video Game Cinematics Director Richard Taylor (Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth I & II). The audience was also treated to a live demonstration of the MVN Motion Capture Suit, an easy-to-use, cost efficient system for full-body human motion capture that uses state-of-the-art miniature inertial sensors, biomechanical models and sensor fusion algorithms.
2D to 3D Conversion
Dominic Crain and Michael Gibilisco of 3D Eye Solutions explained how to heighten the viewer's experience with cost-effective methods and new tool sets for converting 2D to 3D.
3D on a Dime
Workprint Films' Eric Kurland showed why the cost of Stereoscopic 3-D production doesn't have to be prohibitive with a combination of consumer cameras and off-the-shelf software and hardware to produce ultra low budget 3-D content.
VFX for Less
The New Deal Studios' Co-Producer/VFX Supervisor Matthew Gratzner (The Aviator, Men in Black) and Head of Production David Sanger (Spider Man 3, 300) revealed how the low budget feature, 100 Feet, managed to accomplish 200 VFX shots in both 2D and 3D for under $300,000.
