In 2002, George Lucas was just making the first feature to be shot entirely in HD Digital: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. That January, the first Digital Video Intensive semester began. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Digital Video Intensive training, we asked those who’ve been with the DVI to reflect on the changes in digital technology since then.
CRAIG ABAYA (Founder & Program Director)
Craig received his first screen credit (on KRON-TV) for film he shot when he was 12. However, he was not fond of the expense and drawn-out process of working with film stock.
“There were numerous milestones in the development of digital. For me, the significant one was the release of QuickTime in 1991. This provided a universal video format requiring no extra hardware for your computer. Next was Let’s Kill All The Lawyers in 1992, the first film to be fully edited on a computer; and the Sony VX1000 in 1995, the first ‘prosumer’ digital video camera. Finally, in 2002, Attack of the Clones was released, vindicating our obsession with a digital future.
During the first few years of the DVI, we taught how certain things would be done in the future. But as technologies advanced and industry practices migrated, it’s become about how things are done.”
JARID JOHNSON (Video Tech Instructor)
When interviewing potential faculty for the DVI, Jarid Johnson was recommended to Craig by producer/academy award-winner, LA Johnson (no relation).
“In 1981, as I was about to graduate from SF State’s broadcast department, our production class talked about the possibility that hard drives and solid-state media would replace tape within 5-10 years. It has been 30 years, and the transformation is nearly complete. The move from tape to solid-state recording is one of the major revolutions in production workflow that has taken place since the inception of the Digital Video Intensive.”
PHILIP J. GALLEGOS (Lead instructor & co-founder)
Phil Gallegos had been a seasoned pro, working on feature films and episodic television in Los Angeles when he received a call from Craig about coming up to SF to teach.
“My aesthetics and directing classes haven’t changed much in the past 10 years. Good lighting, composition, editing, and acting have remained pretty much the same. The recent explosion of 3-D might be considered new, but the technology has been around for many years. It’s only now that we’re starting to experiment with its full potential. I see the most change in the rapid development of technology and the new business models that technology has fostered. In 2002, the DVI shot standard def, on tape, and outputted to DVD or small web clips. Now we shoot HD, transfer to hard drives, and upload HD to the web. Successful streaming technology is changing and adding to the value of film and TV product. I definitely spend more time updating my lectures on the business side of this industry, but it makes for an exciting time for independent digital filmmakers, with all these new avenues for the distribution of our product.”
TONEY MERRITT
Toney Merritt has been an independent filmmaker since 1969 with countless releases to his filmography. He was also a seasoned lecturer who, among other things, served on the board of directors for the Film Arts Foundation and Canyon Cinema Coop, Craig called Toney in early 2002 to get his perspective on independent screenwriting and his take on teaching it in the new DVI program.
“The creation of dedicated screenwriting software such as Final Draft and Movie Magic 2000 that took the drudgery of manual formatting out of the equation and put the focus on creative screenwriting, was a significant advance to digital development.
The ensuing digital video evolution has ‘democratized’ the creation of telling stories with the moving image through the use of moderately priced cameras and postproduction software. A new generation of makers has been able to create feature-length productions. Funding and distribution paradigms are also changing with organizations such as IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, YouTube, and Vimeo to name a few. It’s a brave new world.”
DVI Grad Dia North in MacLife Magazine
Dia North is an author, filmmaker, and creator of Lovers at First Sight multimedia project, featured in the December 2007 issue (You will need Adobe Reader to view this PDF file.) of MacLife magazine. She is founder/principal of Expert In A Box, the high-definition corporate video production company.
Digital Video Intensive Students Help Develop Video Podcasts for the Stern Grove Festival Video
Stern Grove Festival brings you a series of video podcasts. The Stern Grove Festival video podcasts were developed with the help of the Digital Video Intensive program.
Go behind the scenes and hear from the artists...learn about their music, their inspirations, and their insights.
The Digital Video Intensive Teams up with the John Lennon Bus at Macworld 2007
The DVI once again teamed up with the John Lennon Bus—this time at the Macworld Expo, January 9-12, 2007, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.
The DVI Partners with the the John Lennon Bus
The Digital Video Intensive has partnered with the John Lennon Bus to bring digital media to a new generation. Watch the video and see how we are working together.
DVI Grads Film Stern Grove Concert Series
San Francisco's historic Sigmund Stern Grove is filming their weekend concert series this summer. The film crew is comprised exclusively of recent graduates of SF State College of Extended Learning's Digital Video Intensive program. Learn more about DVI students and the Stern Grove concert series.
Craig Abaya Featured in CampusMemo
The multi-talented DVI program co-director, Craig Abaya, is featured in the December 20, 2004 edition of SF State's CampusMemo. Learn how Craig's experience as an award-winning songwriter, singer, musician, producer, filmmaker, Web designer, and performing arts photographer help him create classes for creative students. Read the article.
