They use ancient technology at film school...

One of the things that has always surprised me about USC film school is the amount of ancient technology they use. Sure lights, lenses and grip last forever, but camera's do not.

As a camera fanatic I was interested in seeing what camera I would be working with for the introductory film production class(CTPR290). I expected some kind of HD prosumer camera like the Canon XH-A1 or the Sony FX1. After all it was the year 2008 and HD was pretty standard.

However when the cameras were introduced in class, I was sorely disappointed. The camera was the Sony PD170, a standard definition camera. It's not ancient, but it looks ancient.

The professors seemed excited about it though.

Professor 1: We will be using the Sony PD150 for this class.

Professor 2: No. I believe we have upgraded to the Sony PD170.

Yeah big upgrade. I bet you can't tell the difference between a PD150 and a PD170.

Anyways it's as if USC wanted to pick the biggest camera that produced the worst image. No high definition, no 24FPS, no 1/48 shutter, terrible sound(you are not allowed to record sync dialogue in 290 anyways)...

But wait... David Lynch used the PD150 for Inland Empire, Danny Boyle shot 28 Days Later on a standard definition Canon XL camera, Chan-Wook Park shot Paranmanjang on a freaking Iphone.... Those films looked good...

Those directors had their reasons. I'm not saying that the PD150 or standard definition is not capable of producing good cinematography. In fact it can produce great cinematography. But I think in an introductory class, the last thing students want to worry about is why the resolution is so bad or why there is a loud hiss in the sound or why everything looks like a documentary because the camera can only do 60i.

The idea behind the PD150 is that students get to learn about manual controls and also learn about limitations. First of all, at least 95% of 290 film will be shot in auto mode. They teach you how to manually expose and focus but they never really teach you why manual controls are important(it's not advanced cinematography!).

Secondly, HD cameras have manual control as well(well duh). They also have 24fps, 1/48 shutter speed, better sound, less grain etc. And with technology getting cheaper and cheaper every day, it is not hard to find an HD camera with manual controls that is a financially viable option for USC.

Thirdly, how uncreative is it to impose/create limitations on students? Filmmakers who aspire to make the best already have enough limitations/challenges to deal with. Filmmaking is about solving problems, not creating them. Students should be worried about how they should do a certain camera move, or how they will get a believable performance from an actor.

Cameras are not perfect. They are not meant to be perfect. But come on... Either get some HD cameras(perfectly financially viable option), or save some money and get some flip cameras.