Is this the Future?

Having just seen and enjoyed Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman, I was interested and not too surprised to find out that one sequence was shot on the Canon 7D (the subway scene).

Using the 7D on the set of Black Swan

There’s been a lot of talk over the last year concerning DSLR cameras and their increasing use in film production and my latest short film, The Man Who Stopped, was shot on the Canon 7D. I’m certainly a fan of these cameras and the footage we got looks amazing and using it was a pleasure - especially when shooting in tight spaces. Regarding Black Swan, it seems on this occasion Hollywood has also joined the cause and utilised a camera which has previously been the preserve of low budget filmmakers. Indeed the season finale of House was shot on the Canon 5D Mark II as well I believe. My question is how long will it be until it is the norm that the low budget producers are using the same technology as the big budget ones? Not long I feel.

The recent introduction of the Panasonic AG-AF101 onto the market, which looks and operates more like a video camera and is a camera I certainly would like to get my hands on, will, I believe, supersede the DSLR and its dominance among low budget filmmakers as well as appeal to the big budget ones. And this could just be the start as the big brands answer the needs of the budget conscious filmmaker and release more affordable video cameras that have both the professional design and results that we are increasingly coming to expect.

The AG-AF101