Directing, sure. But running camera? I wonder why? (Other than the Fun Factor.) And a film camera?? Would even HBO spend film money to shoot an Adam Sandler standup special??
An IndieWire article, with not a lot of add'l info. And /Film.
I get the sense that PTA has taken a page from Demme's book and decided to just do tons of side projects (non-feature film projects). I don't know too much about Demme's history, but it's possible he did his side projects because he had to in order to pay the bills, or maybe for fun, or both, or other reasons. Listening to PTA's interviews gives me the sense that Paul himself is so enthusiastic about film making, whether feature-length or otherwise, and also aware of his mortality, and thus just wants to enjoy and do all he can while he can, and Demme is a filmmaker that he respects and has shown him it's possible to things that way.
All this is to say that I think PTA enjoys the benefits of being free to call up a friend like Adam and to slip into a fun role like camera operator, all while keeping a fresh perspective on filming, meeting new challenges and situations, and expanding his skill set/continuing to learn.
Maybe, maybe not. Oh, and why film? PTA pretty much only shoots film. If you mean why would Netflix or whoever is putting out the money want to shell out the cash for film, I'm not sure it costs more than digital (can't really say because I don't know), and it's probably pocket change relative to their giant stacks ... so if PTA wants to shoot film, Sure, go ahead.
