It's not often that Hollywood gets beaten to the punch when it comes to the production of 'new' cinema experiences, but director Pitof has done exactly that. With Vidocq, the Frenchman has won the race to produce the first full-length feature shot entirely with high-definition digital cameras. And while this won't mean much to your average popcorn-munching cinema-goer, it is pretty big news in the movie business - especially when you consider who was in the race for this 'first'.
The technology used to make Vidocq has long been championed by veteran director George Lucas and it was thought the American's latest project, Star Wars - Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, would be the first to go fully digital. But Pitof stole his thunder. Although both films started shooting about the same time, in early 2000, the Star Wars project has been caught up in post-production work that is expected to last at least until spring. Vidocq, meanwhile, was finished and in French cinemas by last September.
In Hong Kong for last month's 24th French Cinepanorama, Pitof, 40, is utterly at ease with his role as a cinema standard-bearer and is obviously delighted his film has created a stir. 'Of course we were first,' he laughs. 'Cinema is French after all, so of course we were able to do it first.'
Pitof - he was born Jean-Christophe Comar but since childhood has been called 'Pitof', an obscure corruption of his name - has long been a fan of digital technology, and the 'look' it gives to films.
He worked on television commercials in the mid-1980s with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet in the early stages of digital technology. As a visual effects supervisor, he helped Jeunet create the distinct style that flourished in their collaborations on Delicatessen (1991), City Of Lost Children (1995) and Alien: Resurrection (1997).
'At the beginning we had no idea what to expect; the directors, the effects people, the actors, no one really knew what we were doing with this digital stuff,' says Pitof. 'It was more simple at first, doing graphics for TV commercials and things like that, but with Delicatessen we really started making breakthroughs. The equipment has become much cheaper and it's really easy to use. Personal computers now are so powerful, it's become like taking photos. Anyone can take photos and now everyone can make films.'
One of the first things that are noticeable about films shot on digital camera is the colour. In Delicatessen, City Of Lost Children and his latest hit, Amelie From Montmartre (2001), Jeunet and his team use the depth of colours, and the depth of vision, that digital cameras make available to the film-maker to produce lavish, almost cartoon-like worlds.