I’ve seen so many movies that try to replicate an old film aesthetic, or have a sequence with a fictional vintage film, that sort of thing. The audio and video quality is always way too sharp and modern and never actually convinces the audience that it’s a legitimate piece of vintage camera work. Is it that hard to replicate the effect? Would you need an actual 80-100 year old camera to achieve that quality?
EDIT: Thank you literally everyone for your responses. Seems like the general consensus is a mix between technnology and artistry…both the way film handles light/shadow/colour/speed, and the advancements we’ve made in artistic direction. I can’t wait to watch Mank (as recommended) because just the trailer is fascinating. I can definitely tell how much of the difference is amplified by the cinematography itself–quick changes into closeups, lingering shots of objects as opposed to faces, just general directorial taste. Older films utilize fewer angles, quick shots, and camera tricks for longer, more sterile sequences and that a really matters so much. I loved learning all of this, seeing it firsthand with a different psychological lens, and I appreciate the time you took to help me along!
In: 35
Sometimes the issue you’re seeing is just a difference in the capture technology.
Old B&W film captured images directly in film stock that was only capable of capturing images on a spectrum of gray, going to black to white.
Many modern B&W images are captured by:
1. passing the image’s light through a filter that captures captures light on a color sensor, which results in a color curve that’s “off” from what you’re used to.
2. converting one or a select pair of the RGB color channels from the sensor to black and white
3. converting to B&W during editing in post production
There aren’t a lot of “pure” B&W camera sensors on the market these days. Movies that want a B&W effect have to either try to trick the camera into capturing a B&W image on a color sensor during shooting, or convert color footage to B&W later. This may very well contribute to why you think it looks off, since this conversion process will never be able to perfectly replicate how B&W film would convert color to grays.
I’ve seen so many movies that try to replicate an old film aesthetic, or have a sequence with a fictional vintage film, that sort of thing. The audio and video quality is always way too sharp and modern and never actually convinces the audience that it’s a legitimate piece of vintage camera work. Is it that hard to replicate the effect? Would you need an actual 80-100 year old camera to achieve that quality?
EDIT: Thank you literally everyone for your responses. Seems like the general consensus is a mix between technnology and artistry…both the way film handles light/shadow/colour/speed, and the advancements we’ve made in artistic direction. I can’t wait to watch Mank (as recommended) because just the trailer is fascinating. I can definitely tell how much of the difference is amplified by the cinematography itself–quick changes into closeups, lingering shots of objects as opposed to faces, just general directorial taste. Older films utilize fewer angles, quick shots, and camera tricks for longer, more sterile sequences and that a really matters so much. I loved learning all of this, seeing it firsthand with a different psychological lens, and I appreciate the time you took to help me along!
In: 35
Sometimes the issue you’re seeing is just a difference in the capture technology.
Old B&W film captured images directly in film stock that was only capable of capturing images on a spectrum of gray, going to black to white.
Many modern B&W images are captured by:
1. passing the image’s light through a filter that captures captures light on a color sensor, which results in a color curve that’s “off” from what you’re used to.
2. converting one or a select pair of the RGB color channels from the sensor to black and white
3. converting to B&W during editing in post production
There aren’t a lot of “pure” B&W camera sensors on the market these days. Movies that want a B&W effect have to either try to trick the camera into capturing a B&W image on a color sensor during shooting, or convert color footage to B&W later. This may very well contribute to why you think it looks off, since this conversion process will never be able to perfectly replicate how B&W film would convert color to grays.
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