The medium of cinema, as it relates to aesthetics and evolution, has largely been ever-shifting, impossible to define (Rodowick 13), and it is this quality which applies to the digital revolution of cinema. The new generation of filmmakers is similarly revolutionary, though it is in the sense of how they came to be filmmakers rather than the actual subject of their work, even if the subject is one also created online. The film landscape as it stands today is no longer easily defined as it may have been in the past, if it ever was. It is now marked by those given the tools to create by those who came before, by those with perhaps a more “professional” background than that of YouTube or similar platform.
Ultimately, in a grim portent of the future of independent cinema, it is the very accessibility to filmmaking which may also prove to be the demise of the independent creator. In the words of Francesco Casetti, “This leads us to a final paradox: not only is the history of cinema something that we are continuously rewriting under the pressure of the present, but it is also taking form while simultaneously confronting the danger of cinema’s demise. It is a glorious history – but also one which is ever more irremediably posthumous.” (pg. 8) With the increased growth of streaming services (Allied Market Research), these independent digital filmmakers may rely increasingly on smaller theaters in which to share their feature films; yet it appears almost inevitable, and dismally ironic, that the small theater may die out due to the monumental expenses of digital projection, increased popularity of streaming services, and the convenience of the home theater (Ahern). It seems that digital cinema has evolved into a variety of Ouroboros, that is, the accessibility of cinema does not function equally for director and theater. The future evolutions of digital filmmaking may need to better consider the longevity of each, so that their lifespans are not terminated altogether by the other.
For ease of reference, the bibliography may be found here.