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Film Versus High Definition: The Debate Is Dead
By Frey | August 8, 2007
Film versus High Definition debates should NOT be happening anymore (at least by people that actually work in the industry). It’s not worth the breath or time, because we as Cinematographers use the tool that gets our work finished, not the tool that everyone tells us we will need because they have a one-track mind. But no one knows each shoot’s specific situation, so they can only say, “This camera/medium should work better in this situation because of A, B, and C. But this other camera may be better for this situation because of D, E, and F.”
There SHOULD be a lot of education going on as to what each camera/medium can do (and not the sales pitch misinformation that generates a ton of other misinformation), and if you are a Director of Photography, you had better know everything about what you are shooting, how you are shooting it, how many stops your camera/medium can deal with, the lighting and lighting schemes behind it, colors, and how to do it ALL the right way to make it look good. Test, test, test.
Make your own decisions because you know what the right decision is, not because someone told you that “X” was better than “Y”. If you’re given a cheap camera by the producer and told, “This is it. It’s absolutely all we can afford.” You had better know that camera inside and out before the shoot, and you’d better know how to use it to your advantage - that’s what separates the real Cinematographers from the people that carry cameras around and just claim to be…
If the budget is under a quarter million for a 90 minute feature film, it’s pretty hard to look at film as the best solution. I’ve shot a feature on 35mm for $10,000, so I know. And it came directly out of my pocket, so I really know (and no, I didn’t run up my credit cards).
It was hard as hell to do and I wouldn’t do it again for $10k, even though I probably learned more on that one film than most film makers would in 4+ years of film school, and probably could do another 35mm feature for even less. The biggest thing I learned when shooting that film, is that film is a discipline. It can be time consuming. It can be beautiful. It can be a pain in the rump. And it isn’t cheap. I also learned that dealing with the lab is a much, much bigger pain than buying the film, loading the camera magazines, checking the gate for hairs, removing the mags and unloading the film…
Would I recommend anyone else try a 35mm feature for $10k? Maybe. Depends on what kind of set it is, what kind of Director of Photography, what kind of Director, and what the rest of the film making team is like who are involved. Might be worth it - then again, you might quickly lose $10,000 and all your hopes and dreams. It’s not for the faint of heart. (btw: I’d definitely recommend using a blimped 35mm camera and make sure to get decent sound!).
The old saying still applies: Use the right tool for the right job.
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Topics: film, high definition |
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