Film is Not Dead...Long Live Digital!!

But it doesn't look like film...so what, here is a surprise...it's not film!

Dynamic Range, Latitude, highlight-handling VIDEO, is it that bad?

This technology needs to be embraced and used to its best ability.

There are numerous ways to achieve fantastic "looks" on Digital Tape be it High Definition, Digital Betacam or DVCAM.

But it doesn't look like film...so what, here is a surprise, it's not film!

You cannot do with a film camera/stock what you can with Digital tape based cameras. They both have a long future in the industry and they both have applications of their own.

The Sony DVW 700/790/F900 has a full processing lab built in!

Any camera operator who has a bit of time and understanding of the menu can paint the image on location to bring out the best in the story, this is a very powerful tool and it's instantly available.

DOP's can use the camera paint tool to add value to post production by gaining more shadow detail or not...or enhance parts of the colour spectrum instantly on location with the relevant subject matter, this gives total control to the DOP.

It needs to be thought about as Oil paint vs. Water Paint vs. Air Brush.

We can’t rule out one or the other, they all have applications and aesthetic appeal of their own.

This is the same for Digital vs. film they too have an application that can add value to a production when used creatively, thank heavens we have various motion picture options.

Set-Up cards from Sony giving the various film stock are not designed to give you the same look as the stock, but rather to make the camera respond in the same way as the stock used.

So no shadow detail or lots of it or a big mid range "Gamma" with no detail in the blacks or lots of shadow detail with nothing in the mid range "2 stop latitude".

To have any stock in Digital filming instantly, no loading of magazines, no extra expense. What Digital stock, do you want to shoot today? Ektachrome Reversal 25 ASA, 600 ASA. Do you want a red bias or lose some green or add some magenta...What would bring the most out of your story?

DOP's must embrace this technology, the film craft learned by the camera DOP's and production crew is a long and difficult study, why hamper ones self by only learning one aspect of visual story telling? The DOP's job is to help tell the story with pictures so the visual medium is selected that would most suit the script.

Visuals Group Technical Department.