The trials and tribulations of HD production weighed on the minds of more than 150 independent producers, broadcasters, filmmakers, editors and business analysts who compared notes at the Playback Production Innovations Forum, held March 8 in Toronto.

Speakers and panelists examined shooting film versus digital, multiplatform distribution, HD camera options, and the longevity of HD at the event, produced by Brunico Communications, parent company of Playback.

Keynote speaker Randall Dark stressed the importance of adopting HD, with an eye on distribution and the international market.

‘You’ve got to find a way to create content with this technology,’ the pioneer HD producer said. He also spoke of the evolving multi-platform world.

‘There will be a day when I can be the creative person and the distributor,’ he said. ‘Content is not king, because you can have the best idea on the planet, but in the future, distribution is key.’

During ‘The ‘True’ HD Landscape’ review, media expert Michael McEwen discussed Canada’s HD adoption strategy, which he says was reasonable – at first. Today he is calling for a more proactive approach from the industry and the CRTC.

‘The Canadian strategy was to lag behind U.S. implementation by two years, but we’ve fallen behind,’ he noted. ‘The two-year strategy has become four years, and may become insurmountable without time, attention and money from broadcast and distribution communities.’

The CBC’s Fred Mattocks agreed that HDTV gives broadcasters the platform to deliver an immersive product. ‘It’s all about the quality and experience for the audience,’ he said.

In the ‘Myth of Film vs. Digital’ panel, content makers discussed the pros and cons of shooting in one medium versus the other, and the consensus was that it depended on the project.

‘The more formats we have, the better,’ said cinematographer Luc Montpellier (Away from Her).

‘We have to be able to do it all,’ said National Film Board filmmaker Paul Cowan, adding that the NFB now only rarely shoots on film – because there’s no room to store all that celluloid. ‘We have an enormous archive of film material,’ he said.

But Stephen Stohn of Epitome Pictures, producers of teen dramas Degrassi: The Next Generation and Instant Star, told delegates both series are shot in Super 16 because they’re getting better quality.

‘That’s what we’re sticking with for now,’ he said. ‘There’s no debate that we’re going to deliver in HD format… that’s the end product regardless of whether we shoot in film or HD.’

In the ‘BBC HD Trials’ discussion, Seetha Kumar, the head of HDTV for the Beeb, gave delegates an overview of the challenges the network is facing in its adoption of HD.

‘There’s the danger of it becoming a niche premium product,’ she said, adding that the U.K. must increase its volume of free, over-the-air HD broadcasts.

Panelists in the ‘Documentary Production – The Real Deal’ panel believed that producing in HD gives them the tools to create unique visual images.

‘When you shoot in HD, you can bring things like artifacts, rocks and paintings to life,’ said filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici, whose recent documentary The Lost Tomb of Jesus, has sparked controversy.

‘It’s not about ‘how do I do it just like film,’ it’s about how to tell stories,’ Jacobovici said, adding that moviemakers must know what they’re trying to create.

A panel on future innovations mostly agreed that HD will be around for a long time, and that producers must embrace new technology.

‘HD will continue to infiltrate our lives,’ said High Def Consult cofounder Dale Drewery, adding, ‘I don’t know if content is king or not, but HD is definitely queen.’