Well, this is pretty much an angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin question for
many of us, I think.  Certainly, I'd prefer to use film, and I'd prefer
to use 35mm rather than 16mm.  However, I teach classes such as "Third
World" Film and Chinese Film, and the celluloid resources here have been and
continue to be slim indeed--New Yorker, Third World Newsreel, some
consulates, etc.  So I use a *lot* of video 'cause it's the only way to
get access to movies that I want the students to see.  (And all too
often, those video copies--often VHS, not laser--are better than
available 16mm prints: clear subtitles, struck from better prints,
etc.).  As we all
know, the number of sources for 16mm prints (of any films) has dwindled
drastically.  Will "new" technologies (e.g., HDTV, cdrom,
video-on-demand) help to alleviate these problems of resolution, aspect
ratio, and availability?  Or will small players
not be able to buy into a market dominated by Rupert Murdoch and telecom
corporations?
 
Steve Fore
 
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