SIDE BY SIDE (director/writer: Christopher Kenneally; cinematographer: Chris Cassidy; editors: Mike Long/Malcolm Hearn; music: Brendan Ryan/Billy Ryan; Runtime: 99; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Keanu Reeves/Justin Szlasa; Tribeca Film; 2012)

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Christopher Kenneallydirects this probing documentary on the history of film that’s geared for techies, those in the film industry, geeks or film junkies. Actor Keanu Reeves blandly acts as tour guide, asking movie luminaries in the hundred years of film evolution if digital film-making will make celluloid obsolete or will the two current formats live side by side. The in-depth interviews are with such illustrious directors as George Lucas, Chris Nolan, Danny Boyle, Martin Scorsese, Lars von Trier, Robert Rodriguez, Lana and Andy Wachowski , David Fincher, James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, and many others. Also included are cinematographers such as Michael Ballhaus, Michael Chapman, Roger Deakins, Anthony Dod Mantle, Vilmos Zsigmond and Wally Pfister, and editors such as Anne Coates and Walter Murch. These knowledgeable film folks tell what they like and don’t like about either film or shooting in digital, ending up on pro or con camps. Most everyone seems to like that digital is cheaper and gives more people a chance to become film-makers. Though, even here, some worry that too many films will be made and standards will flag.

It’s suggested that digital, which uses a sensor instead of film, is in its infancy and is the wave of the future because there’s so much more opportunities to create new possibilities from this format than by the depleted format of film. The latest digital cameras in Panavision, Red or Arriflex are put on display.