by Steven J. Cohen, Publisher

The LADV show was a big success for its promoters, bringing together a diverse group of over 10,000 attendees from film students to independent filmmakers to those simply curious to learn more about this popular format. It was also a success for the Editors Guild. We distributed over 2,000 copies of this magazine, which were snatched up almost as soon as they hit the publications table, and thanks to board member Patrick Gregston's efforts, we held an informative panel discussion describing professional post production and the Guild's role in it to an eager, overflow crowd. Many prominent Guild and ACE members gave well-attended talks.

Together, DV and HD are creating a tidal wave of change that's likely to affect every aspect of motion picture production and post production. Studios, labs, post facilities and rental companies must all deal with these dislocations. Some will go so far as to say that they must reinvent their businesses. We've seen a few firms go bankrupt in the last year, and we may see others disappear if they don't adapt to changing production and post-production workflows.

Another thing the show made evident was the strength of pent up demand for alternative ways to make movies. Much like the 16mm revolution of the 1960s, DV cameras and Final Cut Pro have dramatically lowered the price of entry for budding producers, directors and distributors. We're seeing a surge in low-budget independent filmmaking, and a new group of voices is starting to be heard. DV may not look like film, but it can be blown up and shown in a theater. If story is what matters and money is limited, DV is a reasonable way to get your movie made. And that means that we're going to hear from a whole new group of filmmakers who didn't have a way to express themselves before. That can only be good for the industry.

LADV also reminds us of the number of people, all across the country, who are learning to do basic editing in their homes and schools. Some think this democratization is going to debase the craft -- it creates the impression that editing is nothing but technology and that anyone with a computer can be an editor. But have word processors harmed writing? Have desktop publishing programs killed good design? In fact, both of these technologies did have negative effects, especially when they were first introduced. They empowered creative professionals, but they also opened up relatively closed fields, allowing those who weren't so creative to put a professional gloss on mediocre work. However, in both cases, the pendulum has swung back. Few would want to write with a typewriter anymore (or with a quill pen), but there's plenty of good writing available.

In fact, nobody really knows what the long term effects of digital tools will be. We're all living through a grand experiment, a technology revolution that is unprecedented in its speed and scope. Are we going to see a happy ending, with empowered individuals producing great work? Or will we see everyone and his uncle making junk, with price winning out over quality? More than likely, it will be a little of both.