---
title: 'Why Are Movies Still Shot On Film? | Why Do Some Directors Like Film | Film vs Digital'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=8nYjWgBrBhU'
video_id: '8nYjWgBrBhU'
date: 2026-06-30
duration_sec: 342
---

# Why Are Movies Still Shot On Film? | Why Do Some Directors Like Film | Film vs Digital

> Source: [Why Are Movies Still Shot On Film? | Why Do Some Directors Like Film | Film vs Digital](https://youtube.com/watch?v=8nYjWgBrBhU)

## Summary



## Transcript

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