Star Wars: Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow has revealed that the third installment in the new Star Wars trilogy will be shot on film instead of a digital camera.
“There’s something in my brain that says, ‘well they didn’t have video cameras then,'” Trevorrow said during a press conference at Sundance Film Festival. "It's a period film. It happened a long time ago."
So what does this mean exactly and how will it impact the film?
Well, for the average film consumer, it doesn't mean much as you probably won't notice a difference. But for those in the film industry, this is huge news as it comes at a time of great debate between film and digital.
Trevorrow's comments came during a panel discussing the merits of film. With theaters switchign to digital projects and studios pushing to ditch shooting on film, both Trevorrow and Nolan argued the importance of keeping film alive in Hollywood blockbusters.
Piggybacking off Trevorrow's announcement, Nolan argued against claims that shooting on digital is cheaper and the way of the future. He called it a "corporate conspiracy" and a "culture around wanting to kill film," pointing out the media's biased reports on Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight.
Despite its positive reviews, reports of technical glitches during an early 70mm screening of the film helped fuel the argument against film. Nolan argued biased reporting, pointing out that digital projectors break down too; however, those problems are rarely reported.
Ultimately, Nolan summed up his thoughts like this: "There needs to be a choice. As a medium it will continue to exist. It has to continue to exist. It's pointless to pretend it has to go away."
For what it's worth, director J.J. Abrams chose to shoot Star Wars: The Force Awakens on film.
