Why 35mm film?

While I was in LA I traveled to several film development labs and looked at hand processed film and was even able to compare film with top end digital cameras such as the RED epic or Arri Alexa.

While I've always loved the look and texture of film and I had not realized how superior it was in image and quality to digital.

Resolution

Film resolution is the highest quality picture you can get. It's resolution is still unmatched by any digital camera.

Capture of Light

Film captures light differently than digital. what's the result of that? Several things Skin tones are natural and clear on film, to achieve this on digital you have to do post color work which can be expensive and time consuming.

Film also captures subtle lights and colors as they eye would where as in digital this is something that one would have to work at in post and on set to achieve.

More Efficient

People commonly think Digital is faster than easier than film because you can take your footage from your camera on digital and drag it right onto your computer. While this is true it does not make the process faster because digital requires a lot more post production work.

On digital in order to achieve the film look films must be color corrected, not only that but digital records in RAW formats. While this is good it means that when you receive your footage you it dull and flat and colorists have to spend time recoloring a scene so that it looks like what you originally shot. The information is there, you just manipulate it until you have what you want.

On film you have to send your footage to be developed, however once this is complete you have the image you filmed. It is lit and colored the way it was shot, meaning you skip the RAW recoloring process. In addition since you shot on film, you already have the film look. No need to recreate it. Not only that, but film provides So much information that a colorist can re-color a scene if they so desired.

While film isn't as immediate as digital it makes up for it by providing easier and faster color correction and instant film look.

Lighting

Film is easier to light, that's right because film has a wider latitude meaning it can see brighter and darker things and captures light more closer to how our eye does. This means you can light by eye much easier.

Digital cameras have now mostly caught up to film in terms of latitude however they do not retain information in the highlights. What this means is if something is bright, the camera looses that information there, while on film that information is still there. Since each digital camera is different you have to consider how each camera takes in light, certain sensors favor certain colors. Because of these limitations a person lighting for digital must try to light everything withing a certain brightness range as well as avoid or use certain colors more sparingly while on film you can let things get too bright and play with colors how you want because the film will capture that as your eye would.

Benefits of Film

• Higher resolution
• Natural colors
• Natural skin tones
• Easier to light
• More efficient post coloring work
• Instant film look
• more detail in shadows and bright areas, retains information
• hard copy

Cons of Film

• No playback
• Reload film magazines
• Have to be developed
• Has to be transferred/scanned to computer
• heavier/ larger

Benefits of Digital

• You can see your image instantly.
• You can watch playback
• More immediate
• Move captured video directly onto your editing computer
• fit in small spaces, more lightweight.

Cons of digital

• Requires more post color work
• Requires an understanding of specific camera
• Takes longer to light
• Lower resolution
• Requires more hard drive space
• No hard copy if hard drives break
• Overheat easier (red especially)
• Must create film look in post