[0:00] Have you ever wondered why some Hollywood
directors still make movies using film,
[0:05] and why not just make everything
digitally?
[0:07] After all, today's digital cameras
shoot everything in very high resolutions,
[0:12] providing very crisp and vibrant images.
[0:16] Messing with film
seems antiquated by today's standards.
[0:19] So why is film still a thing
[0:29] if you're watching this?
[0:30] Chances are you know that Christopher
Nolan is a huge advocate
[0:34] for shooting movies on film,
specifically in 65 millimeter IMAX film.
[0:39] However, he's not alone.
[0:41] Directors from movies
such as The Hateful Eight Nope.
[0:44] Wonder Woman, 1985.
[0:46] Zack Snyder's Justice League, Jurassic
World, Dominion and Death on the Nile
[0:51] all have portions of their movies shot
with various types of film.
[0:54] But why is this?
[0:56] If you grew up in the early 2000s
or earlier, you know the hassle of working
[1:00] with film cameras,
specifically the disposable ones
[1:04] and using those was on the easy end.
[1:06] Things you just aimed clicked,
[1:09] took it to a store
and had the film developed in an hour
[1:13] and hope the pictures you took turned out
well exposed and were framed properly.
[1:17] And that's just on the consumer end
[1:19] for a movie like Oppenheimer,
where there's lots of film,
[1:22] there are considerable logistics
considerations.
[1:25] Not to mention that film for large
format cameras
[1:28] like IMAX, 65 millimeter
cameras isn't cheap.
[1:31] Even before the cameras start
rolling, directors and their directors
[1:35] of photography will need to choose
which film stocks to use on set.
[1:39] Film for movies comes in a variety
of sizes and capabilities
[1:42] to capture light from daytime film
to tungsten and black and white film.
[1:46] These stocks will also have
[1:48] a predetermined amount
of film, grain and color balance.
[1:51] These can further be adjusted on set
with a color filter on the lens.
[1:55] Directors and crew have a plethora
of other considerations to worry about.
[1:59] The for the film starts rolling.
[2:01] For one thing, once film is used,
there aren't any redos, unlike digital,
[2:06] where you can just delete a film
[2:07] or have an unlimited amount of disk space
with which to store files.
[2:11] This puts added stress to ensure
a scene goes right and not a waste film.
[2:16] This isn't to say there aren't reshoots,
but it's something to consider
[2:20] as you'd expect.
[2:21] Digital offers a plethora of advantages.
[2:23] Digital cameras are cheaper to use
since there is no film to purchase
[2:27] less likelihood of errors.
[2:28] Since there are less moving, parts
[2:30] can continuously roll versus
a finite amount of film in a camera.
[2:34] While there are less chances of exposure,
error of a scene being recorded
[2:37] and what was just recorded can be watched
instantaneously on set to see if a retake
[2:42] is needed versus going through the hassle
of getting film played back in develop.
[2:47] Probably the biggest
[2:48] reason why many directors choose
film, though, is because many of them
[2:51] feel film offers an esthetic quality
that digital cameras cannot capture.
[2:55] With the look not being accurately
reproduced on computers just yet.
[3:00] Directors like Christopher
Nolan and Quentin Tarantino have stated
[3:03] they find the look of film
to have a unique look, texture
[3:07] and feel and is more visually appealing
than digital.
[3:10] Both are very vocal advocates
of making movies on film.
[3:13] Film also has an added benefit of being
able to capture a very wide dynamic range,
[3:18] which allows for more detail
and highlights in shadows of images.
[3:21] To learn more about dynamic range
[3:23] and wide color gamut, check out this video
I made with Sony after this one.
[3:27] The other reason why directors choose
film is for the workflow process.
[3:31] While digital can capture around a 90%
approximation of film, digital requires
[3:36] a lot of work in post-production
to recreate the look of film.
[3:40] Whereas film can capture the intended
look right out of the box, by and large.
[3:44] Finally, the type of camera used can help
set the mood for a movie.
[3:48] Movies such as John Wick chapter four,
or Top Gun Maverick, are shot entirely
[3:52] with digital cameras.
[3:54] The sharp edges and color
saturated image of these movies
[3:56] help give them a modern feel.
[3:58] Whereas movies shot on film
like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,
[4:02] Dunkirk or Zack Snyder's Justice League
are shot almost entirely, if not entirely,
[4:07] on film, and help give their stories
a time period fantasy feel.
[4:12] While directors may choose to use
film on set,
[4:14] the film reels must still be converted
to a digital file for editing purposes.
[4:18] Regardless.
[4:19] Film reels are skin and color
graded by third party companies,
[4:23] and because of the amount of data
contained inside a film, they can take up
[4:27] a tremendous amount of disk space.
[4:29] However, this level of raw footage
gives directors greater ability
[4:33] to achieve their desired look.
[4:34] These large files are usually converted
into lossless files with around 24 minutes
[4:40] of 35 millimeter footage taking up around
one terabyte of disk space.
[4:45] Upon completion of editing,
the movies are exported onto hard drives
[4:48] for playback at theaters or converted back
to film for what is called a film out,
[4:53] which is pretty standard
for any Nolan or Tarantino film.
[4:56] So while you can make a movie entirely
with digital cameras,
[5:00] it's hard to dispute that movies
such as Dunkirk or The Dark Knight
[5:04] or A Quiet Place would feel the same
if they had been shot digitally.
[5:08] Let me know your thoughts on digital
versus film cameras in the comments below.
[5:13] This is no university education in cinema.