Little remains these days relatively untouchable to the inspired developments of modern man. The phenomenal march of computer technology palpates and ventures into most mechanical and manual objects. However there is a development, unique in its kind, an invention originated in the last century, which has not yet been surpassed by modern high technology and this, of course, is the film. As a means of image training it is almost as good as the human eye. Certainly, there have been many advances in the design of its emulsion, as well as improvements in its ability to reproduce the original image but, in that aspect, its intrinsic superiority compared to any electronic medium remains untouched.
A considerable strength of the film as a medium is that all the improvements and advances of the emulsions, do not make any of the proven and trajinated film equipment go into disuse. For example, if you take a 16-millimeter string film camera originating from the 50s, and load it with the most modern Eastman EXR fine-grained film, the resulting image training will be better than that of any of the proposed high-definition television systems, HDTV.
Video has its strengths in terms of training speed, immediacy and ease of duplication. Therefore, without it, instant TV programming, such as news and live sporting events, would not be possible.
The film is not affected by the recognized inconveniences that the television screen has. For the best quality programs—televised dramas, documentaries, and commercials—where immediacy is not a critical issue, film is the best original medium to consider.
A frequently quoted expression is "the appearance of film". But she certainly stands the test of time. It is that appearance that conveys with great clarity the breadth of colors, delicate textures, subtle shadows and minute detail. That appearance that has the power to reflect emotions, to evoke the imagination and to inform, to influence and, above all, to recreate with a little magic.
The film inside a camera does not present any obstacle to the creativity of the cameraman and, once recorded, the image is not an electronic, invisible and abstract signal, but the entire image that is captured so that the human eye can see it continuously.
What you see is what you get on the cinema camera—full colors with controlled focus, contrasts, and textures for creative interpretation. The subsequent process in the laboratory and the final conversion of the image from film to video by means of the telecine offer margin of safety and creative freedom. Exposure errors can be corrected in the laboratory; color and contrast can be modified during the final transfer to the tape.
When it comes to post-production, the only limitations to creativity are time and budgets. Special effects and manipulation of digital film are exciting areas of development and potential and as long as what initially enters the film is good, the better outcome will occur.
First of all, the film is future-proof. Programs originating from today's Eastman EXR movie will produce revenue tomorrow, whether it's widescreen or HDTV requirements, or 5 or 500 channels need to be met. For any type of program of the future, it is mandatory to originate the image in the film of now, either to achieve the best possible in 35 mm, or for the very good Super16 mm. Neither will become obsolete, as both meet international standards and, both can easily be transferred to all kinds of video formats and standards worldwide.
The power of the film has not intrinsically changed since its original conception—it has simply come even closer to emulating the response of the human eye in all visual capacities... and nothing he has done for man can improve that.
