Montreal-based director Caroline Wrinch is on a mission to make digital filmmaking sexier. Repped in the Quebec market by Soma Films and in the rest of Canada by Apple Box Productions, Wrinch recently completed work on a spot for McGill University Health Centre through Soma, and she shot it on digital video.

Wrinch, who began her career as a production assistant in England, says she has been interested in digital filmmaking technology since she first heard it existed and took on the challenge of figuring out how it all worked for monetary reasons.

‘When I started out, because I never had the money to shoot on 35mm, I would shoot on digital,’ admits Wrinch. ‘Really it was a case of necessity rather than original desire.’

Wrinch, like many other directors, says once she started experimenting with the digital filmmaking equipment, she grew quite fond of it.

‘I’ve done everything from Hi-8 to 35mm, but as soon as I discovered digital and I started shooting stuff on low-format, digital home cameras, I would borrow from agencies that had the better graded cameras and I would just work on that,’ she says. ‘I started to realize that depending on how you shot and how you designed the work, you could actually get some really cool images.’

Through her experimentation with digital cameras, she figured out proper lighting techniques for digital video. She also perfected her technique by putting together a four-minute film shot on digital. This all led to the muhc spot. Wrinch says she jumped at the opportunity to shoot a digital commercial.

‘When I shot muhc we didn’t have a lot of money,’ she says. ‘The style of how I was going to shoot it, because I had done my storyboard, was very graphic and very pure, so I figured I should shoot it on digital video. If I shot on 35mm I was just going to totally deconstruct the image anyway and it is kind of crazy to do that.

‘I think, in a way, I’m trying to prove that digital can look very sexy, but it kind of depends on the concept and the style the agency is after,’ she says. ‘The digital culture is very interesting and I think it is fun to put that into commercial filmmaking.’

Wrinch goes on to say that some creatives appreciate the early steps she has taken toward incorporating digital filmmaking into commercials, and the fact she can offer an alternative to standard 35mm shooting. And while some still maintain digital does not retain the same quality on screen, Wrinch is unwavering in her belief that it can be just as pleasant to look at if shot and produced properly.

‘You almost shoot as though you are shooting on 35mm, with beautiful sets, nice props, soft lighting. You avoid very garish stuff,’ Wrinch explains. ‘You do spend some time in post, but I think it still works out cheaper than shooting on 35mm. It’s not a bad idea if someone has a great concept but not necessarily a huge budget. You can offer them an alternative.’

Wrinch says she is encouraged by the fact that Apple Box and Soma are slowly but surely receiving more boards from agencies that want to take some of their spots digital. To further prove the power of digital filmmaking, Wrinch says she is looking to shoot a feature film called Not Normally on digital.

‘I’ve proven to myself I can make it look nice, so I’m more confident about going digital on this, now that they can transfer and get it up on the screen,’ she says. *