Too Many Shortcuts

Technology has always affected filmmaking. It's a necessary element of the medium. When the creative and technological processes are in-step, the results can be magical. The end of the silent-era is held in high regard - Peter Bogdanovich called 1928 the greatest year in Hollywood history. The creative had mastered the technology. Then "talkies" arrived... and once again the creative needed to catch up to the technological advances.

Technology in film today is moving at warp speed. At every step, there seems to be digital shortcuts to save hours and decrease budgets. But telling a story needs the priviledge of time. There is a certain discipline that comes with typing a script on a typewriter or drawing a storyboard with a pencil or cutting actual film negative. A certain amount of attention to detail. A certain amount of planning. A certain creative energy that can't be fixed digitally.

I think many modern filmmakers are aware of this. Tarantino and Nolan famously avoid certain modern conveniences to try to capture a specific quality in their films. Francis Ford Coppola attempted to make Dracula with only practical effects. I believe they are aware of the trap that "we'll fix it in post" offers.

Generally, I think the creative process is pretty far behind the technology right now. But then I watch The American Revolution (Ken Burns) and I'm reminded that great storytellers always adapt.