Film is Dead Archives

The last of the film cameras from the major manufacturers have rolled off the production line. Panavision, Arri, and Aaton are digital only from here on out. I’m sure there are some pretty upset purists out there.

In 2001, I was shooting all film… I said I’d never give it up. Then I was a purist. There was something special about the film stocks, like Ilford XP2, Kodak’s Ti-X pan… Back then photography was like a sacred art, full of closely guarded secrets about how to achieve a certain look.

Photographers would never share trade secrets.

Then digital came along. In 2002, I borrowed a friends Nikon D1x while in Paris shooting models for the then powerhouse agency IMG. I had brought about a $1000 worth of film over… lets just say I still have those rolls in my freezer.

I’ve been all digital ever since, both for stills and movie making. Today’s cameras have and equal or greater resolution and exposure latitude. And the manipulation that can be done in post can mimic almost any film stock – if you know what you are doing.

Back in the day, I had to lobby magazines heavily to take digital submission – they were skeptical. Now, it’s all they want.

It is always sad to see the passing of such a once great technology, but this life is about embracing change, and making the most of new opportunities. So many things are possible now that weren’t before. I would never have been able to make my feature film Spirit Camp the old fashioned way. And certainly would not be able to attempt a sci-fi epic like Code of Evil, or even my short Castle of the Damned.

Thanks to Alan Cerny of Aintitcoolnews.com – I got the idea for this post from his facebook status.

Leave your comments below. Will you miss film?

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