The ontological value of the digital format: the role of video cameras for amateur video production

In his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan quotes part of David Sarnoff's speech at the University of Notre Dame: “The products of modern science are not in themselves good or bad; it is the way they are used that determines their value”2. This quote can be extended to discuss the influence of the medium in visual arts, especially cinema and its related products. The rapid technological pace of cinema only confirms the ideal pursued by image creators since the early 20th century, that of faithfully reproducing reality. Digital (ultra) HighDefinition cinema achieves this ideal, but brings along an almost aseptic type of the image. The ontological signs of the medium have completely disappeared along with the use of digital sensors. In the case of analogue film, these signs could be materialized in stylistic intentions (e.g., the granularity of the negative, the stopcamera motion effect, the asynchronous shutter). The financial aspect and the unavailability of laboratories for processing photosensitive material make the adoption of the analogue medium in modern productions increasingly difficult. The solution proposed brings to attention the standard-definition video format (e.g. DV/miniDV, digital camcorder). Both the limitations of the CCD sensor and the constructive features of these cameras intended for amateurs can be turned into visual effects. The poor resolution, chromatic aberrations or imprecision of the automatic focusing system (i.e. uto-focus hunting) have even given rise to specific cinematic movements such as the found-footage genre. In recent years, these cameras have become popular once again among the younger Y/Z generations. Thus, media products such as music videos, advertisements or video essays nowadays contain material recorded with such devices, considered by most to be obsolete. This seemingly amateurish effect appears more and more often in media products shared online and triggers melancholy among the aforementioned demographic.