“The Room” (2003) format trivia
Fascinating tidbit from the wiki on Tommy Wiseau’s cult indie triangle-bromance horror comedy which enjoys regular screenings in Los Angeles and ran back-to-back on Adult Swim last night:
In pre-production, Wiseau had to decide upon the shooting format of the film. He was confused about the differences between 35 mm film and high-definition video, so he decided to shoot the entire film in both formats with two cameras side-by-side on the same mount. This experiment allowed Wiseau to compare the formats on a large scale, and he plans to use the information that he gathered for a DVD documentary and a book.
This is incredible to me, that this guy had A) the wherewithal to shoot dual-format like some ersatz Howard Hughes and B) the technical curiosity to shoot dual-format, like some ersatz James Cameron. In 2003, shooting HD was not the insignificantly accessible task it is in 2009. The camera, definitely not prosumer at that point, was likely massive, adding to the bulk of a 35mm rig? No wonder the actors seem distracted. The titular Room was probably filled to quarter capacity with noisy, inanimate hardware (and the other 3/4ths with camera equipment zing oh no he didn’t).
If it’s true, if there really is an academic study on the comparison of the two formats employed by Wiseau in the making of this film, I need to see it. We all need to see it, in the name of technical progress and the evolution of the artform.
And by the way, of the two formats, Wiseau clearly chose to go with 35mm (trailer on YouTube). Which means the HD experiment really must not have gone so well.
To the trailblazers, for they are truly the blazers of trails. (?)
