Characteristics that make film different from digital?

[dtjohns1]

I have to do a project on some of the characteristics of film that make it different from digital. I know latitude is a big difference but what are some others? Is digital being sharper than film a characteristic as well?

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

I have to do a project on some of the characteristics of film that make it different from digital. I know latitude is a big difference but what are some others? Is digital being sharper than film a characteristic as well?

1) No real time or near real time feedback.
2) Film grain characteristics for various stocks.
3) S-curve H-D log response. (dealing with latitude.)
4) Physical storage, handling, actual cutting.
5) Inter-Positive, Inter-Negatives required for production.
6) for Under $10K (or so) budget, more expensive, relative to percentage of budget of 'hard costs'.
7) Composition of multiple sources for SFX requires optical equipment, and/or mask footage being generated.

 

[scorsesefan]

Generally a more shallow DOF (although digital is catching up with bigger sensors). But this may be more of a characteristic of the camera rather than medium...

 

[Futchibon]

Generally a more shallow DOF (although digital is catching up with bigger sensors). But this may be more of a characteristic of the camera rather than medium...

That's more to do with the lenses and sensor size.

A 5dmii gives shallower DOF than a 35mm film camera.

 

[KurtF]

Film has thickness (color layers) that causes some diffusion of certain colors as light passes through the film stock itself. The emulsion swells (due to light sensitive crystals and dyes) which you can see on the back side of 35mm slides (it looks like a bas relief of the image). CCD's and CMOS sensors are precisely manufactured to be perfectly flat.

Film has the ability to do long, additive exposures. With the shutter open (as long as many minutes to hours) and you can build up lighting and detail as they did with 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and 'Blade Runner'.

 

[Leo Turnip]

Generally a more shallow DOF (although digital is catching up with bigger sensors). But this may be more of a characteristic of the camera rather than medium...

Really shallow depth of Field is way overrated, aside from stylized shots it's rarely used. I think film is less saturated, has grain, and has a subtle flicker from running 24fps that's unmistakable. That's why data capture cameras like the red look so much better than 29.98 video cameras. Data capture cameras take 24 digital photos a second. (23.98)

after that in post, adding film stock over high quality digital video looks fantastic.

I think software is lame for proper grain and subtle flicker.

Film grain libraries are far and away, the best way to make high quality digital look filmic.

Get real film shot against a grey card and overlay it onto digital that's shot 23.98, and color it properly.

Using that workflow, it's very very hard to tell the difference.