"16mm is very much alive and well, and it's crucial it remains so, yet its future is seriously under threat. Before too long, I fear it will be film itself that's cast out, and in the stampede towards the blinding, flashing light of the digital age, the fabulous physical and spiritual magic of it will be trampled underfoot for ever."
Compare with the state of 16mm exhibition.
These comments are included as part of the newest installation at Tate Modern, a hand-tinted, hand-cut film by the artist Tacita Dean.
Update: You might think that the argument against making low-budget movies on celluloid had been well and truly decided by now; and certainly low-budget filmmakers of my immediate acquaintance wouldn't contemplate doing so, unless for very specific artistic reasons. It's usually more important that the film gets made in whatever medium, rather than doubling the budget of the production. However, the respected filmmaker and author Chris Jones, who is ahead of the technology curve in most other respects (especially digital distribution), has apparently only just noticed that "film is dead".
