Every year about this time, spring is ushered in by a gathering of the broadcast industry in Los Vegas, Nevada, otherwise known as NAB. This annual conference of the National Association of Broadcasters showcases new technologies in support of all aspects of the broadcast industry. I’ve attended the conference many times in the past and it is quite an impressive showing of all kinds of high tech equipment, hardware, software and especially new digital cameras. What strikes me always about all this stuff – probably because I’m a Kodak guy – is that the vast majority is dedicated to a single cause…trying to replace motion picture film!

For as many years as I can recall, the floor of NAB is jam-packed with an incredibly diverse number of offerings from various manufactures of digital technologies like motion capture devices and digital image manipulation technologies – all developed specifically with the goal of emulating the look and efficiencies derived from the eloquent and mature medium of motion picture film.

When the production challenge is ‘how to limit costs’, the answer can often be ‘shoot film’ – if the filmmaker is willing to look beyond the obvious. With film, not only does ‘one size not fit all’, it doesn’t need to because with film, there are plenty of formats to choose from.

We could talk about 65mm film as the ‘gold standard of quality’ (just ask Christopher Nolan whose cinematographer Wally Pfister ASC shot parts of ‘The Dark Knight’ and the upcoming ‘Inception’ on 65mm) – the use of Super 16 for TV origination in Europe and its growing use in the US -- or the unique look possible from Super 8 footage cut into a finished theatrical print. But for this discussion, let’s just look at 35mm film.

Hype or Reality?  In advertising. ‘digital’ is a codeword often intended to mean ‘sharper, cleaner, faster, cheaper, better’.  In some applications it may be, but not in the art and craft of movie making.  As Kodak’s TV Segment and New Product Development manager, Bob Mastronardi deals with the hype and the reality of digital every day.  Here is some of what he hears – and his reactions.

Hype:   Digital capture is faster because it requires less lighting.

After attending UCLA, Bob began his career in the motion picture industry at Du Art Film Labs in NYC and moved from there to a continuing career in Kodak’s motion picture products and services business, starting in the greater NYC/ NJ area.  Through the years, he’s dealt with some of the world’s premier filmmakers, including Ethan and Joel Coen, Ted Hope, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, John Sayles, Spike Lee, Ken Burns, Fred Wiseman, and others.  In the TV arena, he’s handled Kodak’s business with NFL Films, Dick Wolf’s ‘Law & Order’, HBO’s ‘Sopranos’ and ‘Sex & the City’, among other programs.  In his current position as Worldwide Marketing and Strategic Planning Manager for Television Products and New Product Development, he led the launch team for the company’s newest product family, Kodak Vision3 color negative film.