Lado a Lado

This is a documentary that every film enthusiast must watch. It will give you an understanding of the ways a feature film is shot and projected. To the unaware today most movies are shot on digital cameras as opposed to the photochemically styled film cameras of the past days. Both have their plus and minuses and in this documentary, Keanu Reeves goes about explaining the differences of the format and the opinion of most famous filmmakers on the subject. Featuring everyone from James Cameron to Martin Scorsese Side by Side is a great look at the technical aspect of cinema.

Hollywood insiders are aware of a battle that has been brewing for quite sometime now: the technology to capture the image has two camps- film and digital and each are perhaps overwhelming the other. Film is photomchemical and the method by which cinema has been created and projected for all these years (since the late 1890). Digital cameras are new on the block and because they can do everything a film camera can but with less production costs, they are vying to be the medium every director chooses. Keanu Reeves questions industry insiders from top directors and cinematographers and gets a honest non biased overview. This is a good watch for anyone interested in the technical and "behind the camera" scenes of making of film and television. The documentary is precise and educative.

this film is. It's about marking a turning point in the history of cinema and raising awareness about it. Yes, it's a subject that's been discussed and bitched about for what, 10 years now, ever since Lucas proclaimed that film is dead. But maybe for the first time it brings all the opposite opinions together. Side by side. (Loved the editing - it was just like watching a tennis match) And for people like myself, 'civilian' moviegoers who while watching a movie often found themselves forgetting about the popcorn and instead wondering 'how it's made?', this film is like Christmas in June :) I mean, I've read a bit about film making; I've come across some of the terms and looked up their definition; I knew what a DP does; I've scratched a bit the surface of the whole wide world of movie making. But to have the main processes explained clearly, precisely and in a language I could understand, all this in a one-and-a-half hour film, was like... like attending film school but without the (almost always compulsory) elitism and snobbery ;) :D

And watching the documentary at a film festival was a special experience per se. It was shown in a small old-fashioned theater, with creaking seats and wood floors and velvet curtains and no air conditioning; and old theater where once I used to go watch old cinematheque movies in black-and-white. There was a bitter-sweet irony about it. The audience was formed mainly by film festival guests and film students; people with technical background in movie making, and a few lost souls like myself, who just wanted to watch the documentary we read so much about. And it was a joy to see them react to the technical jokes; to hear a few of them hoot when on the screen someone was talking about the operator and the DP losing their god-like status on the set, or to hear them snicker when Cameron rhetorically asks Reeves 'you've been on a few sets in your life, haven't you?'

It's a film about nostalgia and inevitability, with a very light note of sadness.

But this was just the first date, and I'm quite taken with the film, so I'd really like to get to know it better. You know, take it on a second date, then a third. I'll take it to the movies, the old-fashioned way ;) I'll wine it, dine it, maybe even take it on the obligatory weekend to Paris. It could be the beginning of a long lasting relationship. So, when is the DVD gonna be released ? ;) :)

One of the most important things about a documentary is subject matter. If you do not have an interesting topic then you will not only get the viewers but you won't be able to keep them. The latest documentary film Side By Side does something a little bit different than most of this genre. It tackles a subject that those outside the industry may know nothing about but are affected by it nonetheless.

Side By Side takes a tour through the history of filmmaking through the impact that the rise of digital filmmaking has had. Featuring an impressive list of filmmakers including George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez, David Lynch, David Fincher, Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan as well as numerous industry professionals this film explores both the good and bad of this rise of the digital age through the creative eyes of those that make these films. For anyone that loves film this is a must see documentary. Not only do you see how it affected tons of different movies, but also how it changed the industry. With Keanu Reeves leading the charge interviewing the power house of Hollywood it delivers a different side of the world of imagination that we all love. In addition to getting a peek behind the curtain that audiences normally never think twice about, we are also given a look at who really had their hand in this evolutionary change and what films took these leaps. This is an effective film that works on many levels more than just a documentary on cameras. It tells the story of film processing, camera evolution, filmmaking, and a true chance for those that work behind the scenes to give their opinions and thoughts on this evolution, the good and bad.

There are some very emotional responses here that really show the love these filmmakers have for what they do and will offer a great inside look and should give you a new respect for the process and creators as well as the films themselves. Some feel this is the end of true film while others feel this is the birth of unlimited creativity, either way this film evokes an emotional response both on the screen and from the viewer which is what film is all about.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

I tend to read proper film critics for their opinions not only on specific films but also essays on themes, genres, movements and so on; I consider myself a total amateur on such subjects but I find it interested to listen to those who are not. Coming to Side by Side I wasn't sure if it would be too dry for me to get into or if it would be too simplistic for me to stay interested in for just under two hours. The film essentially looks at the transition from celluloid to digital in film making – from filming through to post through to projection in the cinema and the means of delivery to the viewer. It is an ambitious goal but it is one that it does very well and in a way that flows and is accessible.

I guess that for those with a real good working knowledge of the technology and the process, it may be too simplistic but for the casual viewer and enjoyer of films, there is enough detail here to engage and interest, but not so much that I felt overwhelmed with technical detail that I wasn't interested in. The film is really made up of Reeves acting as interviewer with a range of people involved in all the various aspects of the process – directors, cinematographers, editors, camera manufacturers etc. and he does a decent job, but not a great job in this regard. Fortunately this is not really his main role because it certainly seems that as producer he has helped Kenneally get a lot of very famous people to agree to be in the film. This range of talent and opinion makes for an interesting film, so while we follow development of things over time, we tend to get both sides as the title suggests.

Most of the contributors are interesting and their soundbites are well edited and the film itself is put together very well so that it covers time and technology in a way that makes sense, engages and never outstays its welcome. It probably won't do much for the technical enthusiast but for fans of film and cinema it is very much worth seeing as entertainment and education.