Digital VS. Film aesthetics
This week i wanted to comment on something we touched on in both lectures and tutorials. Basically the idea of the visual appearance of watching digital vs film recorded movies.
I cannot remeber how 'we' classified the visual look of film on the big screen, but the word 'grey' keeps coming back to me. however im sure you know of the look i am refferring to. We have become accustomed to this particular look in cinemas and i am sure for most people it is part of the parcel of the quality of cinema projection. In terms of Digital film on the big screen, i personally feel the difference in quality to be a negative difference for viewing pleasure. After seeing a number of digital films now i keep thinking to myself that the image is quite simply too clear. this is brought about from certain aspects such as the 'depth of field' in certain shots where quite frankly a shallow depth is needed. for example an intimate conversation between two people where the focus needs to be solely on those two however youre attentiuon is constantly drwan toward the clearness and extent of which is shown in the background.
This brings me to my next point. In relation to immersion, watching digital film doesn't provoke the same immersion levels i associate with the 'grey' cinema' of traditional film. beacuse of the significant clearness i was constantly conscious that i was watching something on a screen. similar to the hpermediated face of a news channel like 'Fox'. this quickly becomes very annoying and draws your attention away from the story and narrative and toward what each shot is showing and all the little imperfections that the clarity shows up.
Finally, my last point is that i feel digital film definately has its place in cinema, however i feel its use at this stage is limited to certain genres of even to particular scenes. For example, digital film would be ideal to portray landscapes and other vast space emcompassing shots such as establishing shots. Here, the the viewer would benefit from the clarity and quality of the depth of field and what the digital image is capable of producing/showing.
Anyway, just a thought. But at this stage I prefer my tradition film when i go to the cinema however it is innevitable that the industry will entirely turn to digital. But that's what technology is all about i guess...
David Dunlop
I cannot remeber how 'we' classified the visual look of film on the big screen, but the word 'grey' keeps coming back to me. however im sure you know of the look i am refferring to. We have become accustomed to this particular look in cinemas and i am sure for most people it is part of the parcel of the quality of cinema projection. In terms of Digital film on the big screen, i personally feel the difference in quality to be a negative difference for viewing pleasure. After seeing a number of digital films now i keep thinking to myself that the image is quite simply too clear. this is brought about from certain aspects such as the 'depth of field' in certain shots where quite frankly a shallow depth is needed. for example an intimate conversation between two people where the focus needs to be solely on those two however youre attentiuon is constantly drwan toward the clearness and extent of which is shown in the background.
This brings me to my next point. In relation to immersion, watching digital film doesn't provoke the same immersion levels i associate with the 'grey' cinema' of traditional film. beacuse of the significant clearness i was constantly conscious that i was watching something on a screen. similar to the hpermediated face of a news channel like 'Fox'. this quickly becomes very annoying and draws your attention away from the story and narrative and toward what each shot is showing and all the little imperfections that the clarity shows up.
Finally, my last point is that i feel digital film definately has its place in cinema, however i feel its use at this stage is limited to certain genres of even to particular scenes. For example, digital film would be ideal to portray landscapes and other vast space emcompassing shots such as establishing shots. Here, the the viewer would benefit from the clarity and quality of the depth of field and what the digital image is capable of producing/showing.
Anyway, just a thought. But at this stage I prefer my tradition film when i go to the cinema however it is innevitable that the industry will entirely turn to digital. But that's what technology is all about i guess...
David Dunlop
posted by Dave at 9:28 AM
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