Should I use digital or film

[director15]

Hi I'm sorta new to this thing here. I am ready , mentally that is , to shoot my first feature , but as far as equipment go's would I be better off to find a 16mm film camera and shoot it that way or film digitally. Which would be cheaper? I have a way if I have too shoot on film to record the sound. Also when I edit this I don't want to make another film copy so is their a way that I could go directly to a dvd or vhs copy this way?

 

[Red Prince]

Re: Should I use digital or film

Which would be cheaper?

Most likely digital, since you do not have to pay for film and for the lab. Presumably, you will do more than one take for everything you shoot, so you will need more film than what the final result takes.

If you want to go to DVD, you will have to convert film to digital anyway, and that will only add to your costs.

But those are not the only considerations. Film has a different look than digital (unless you are talking about the RED ONE which, presumably, looks just as good as film, but would set you off some $30,000).

Film cameras normally require manually focusing, while a digital camera may have autofocus (though you may or may not prefer manual focus).

With film you do not see the result until you have the film developed, with digital you can check your work on the spot. That may make the difference between reshooting a scene on the spot or having to come back on another day.

With film, you need to load the camera often and handle all that film. With digital you may just have to pop a tape in and out.

So, there are many things to consider.

 

[ralck]

I would tend to think that digital would generally be cheaper, but it depends on the camera and other things.

Film can be pretty expensive as far as processing it and such, but can have more advantages over digital, such as a better depth of field, and depending on the camera you get, you may have more options as far as frames per second and shutter angle/length.

However, film has it's disadvantages as well, because it can take longer to shoot (more set-up time generally), and digital can be easier to shoot with.

I would suggest you decide on the types of shots you want to get, and then research film vs digital to see which fits the bill better.

 

[director15]

Thanks Ralk. I was planning to shoot digitally , but I was wandering about if I had to use acutal film. I was thinking that if I had to use film I would have all the footage transfered over to vhs and edit by putting it in a camcorder that shoots on vhs and plugging that into my computer and editing that way or the two vcr deal if I had to. I , of course , want to film digital , but if I come across a film camera for a good deal i would get it and shoot on film. You never know where you'll run across something for a good deal. Like my sound set up I got if I had to film on FILM I got that from my greatgrandparents when they we're moving into a retirement home they told me i could have it for free. I've heard tell that they used to have a film camera and thats how they go the sound for their home movies. i might even use the camera that shoots directly to vhs if the man will let me borrow it for that and put a new mic on it.