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How do I make my film look digital?

This is always a hot topic in micro budget filmmaking communities, as it should be. The costs of shooting film are prohibitive, yet a ‘film look’ is what we are all trying to achieve. But what film look? What exactly about film looks so much better than video? Nothing! It’s just different. Film has existed for around a hundred years, while home video only for thirty years. As moviegoers, we expect the film look when we watch dramatic materials and we expect the video look when we watch reality (like the evening news). To make a digital movie look more like film, understand the differences between the two and modify the video however possible.

What are the differences? If you don’t care about the differences, or get confused because I’m horribly unclear about explaining things (don't worry), just scroll down to my solutions.

Films is shot at 24 frames per second and video at 60 interlaced fields per second. Think of recording motion pictures as sampling time. Film cameras normally sample time 24 times a second at 1/48th second each. Video cameras normally sample time 60 times a second at a minimum of 1/60th of a second. This difference in the way time is recorded makes motion look different on film compared to video. As moviegoers all our lives, we are conditioned to think the way film captures time (and motion) is better and more desirable for drama than video.

Film also tends to record a greater contrast ratio. This is the difference between the brightest thing in the frame and the darkest thing in the frame. When you take your camcorder to the beach on a bright sunny day, you’ll have trouble properly exposing the bright sand and your family under an umbrella at the same time. This is because the contrast is too great. The human eye is said to have a 10,000+:1 contrast ratio. Film (depending on what film) is said to have a 1,000:1 contrast ratio. Video is said to have a 100:1 contrast ratio. Video sucks.

Very similar to contrast ratio is what’s called gamma. Gamma is the relation of how light intensities are recorded and displayed compared to what they were originally. The “gamma curve” is an expression of this relation. For a theoretical example, if different areas in the frame are intensitie 1 (the shadowy area under a tree), 2 (a dark painted building), and 3 (a big grey rock in the foreground) on a scale of 1 to 10, with gamma curve "x," they may be recorded and displayed as intensities 3, 3.5, and 4, respectively. ...What? I don’t get it!... Unfortunately, I can’t think of a better way to describe it and I haven’t found a better description online (someone email me one). Just know that the intensities of light are often displayed differently than they are in real life and film gamma tends to be more curved (exponential) than video.

Resolution is also different between film and video. Digital camcorders have a resolution of 720 pixels wide by 480 pixels high. Film has a varying resolution depending on film stock, but it easily is 4,000 units wide for 35mm stocks. That is a big difference.

Grain: Film has grain. So does video. Unless it’s for a specific style, grain is bad. Video’s grain normally occurs when the video signal gain is electronically increased. It is most noticeable in dark areas of the frame and appears black and white. Film grain tends to look more multicolored, smaller sized (because film has a greater resolution), and can be noticeable in different parts of the frame (dark or light or both) depending on the film process.

Things to do while shooting

Often overlooked are things you can do while in production. First, Light video like the pros light for film. If you are new to dramatic lighting, start with basic 3-point lighting. Master the basics before you start breaking rules. Here’s a link describing 3-point lighting. In addition to 3-point lighting, divide the frame into different areas and light each area separately. For example, use 2-3 lights for the actor, and then another light for the wall behind the actor. This way you can adjust intensities separately. Try making the background darker and the subject lighter. Cinematographers think about lighting areas within a frame in terms of how light or dark they are comparatively. They use varying brightnesses to draw attention to different areas of the frame and add another level of emotional intensity to the movie. You should do the same.

In addition to lighting video like film, shoot video like film. Keep the camera on a tripod. Make use of a homebuilt steadying device, dolly or jib arm for better camera moves. Minimize the use zooms. Vary compositions from long-shots to close-ups. Use high or low angle shots to convey a character's power in a scene (camera at eyelevel is neutral). Plan more complex camera moves out to spice up a scene.

Now, adjust the camcorder as close to a film camera as possible. If you have a Panasonic DVX100/a, you can capture 24 frames per second. Use it. If your camera has a ‘movie mode,’ test it out to see if it looks good. If it looks good, use it. For any camera with shutter speed and aperture controls, keep the aperture as open as possible (lower number) and the shutter speed as long a possible (normally 1/60th sec). If this over-exposes the image, use neutral density filters to reduce the light coming into the camera. Also, try and work with the camera more zoomed in (but never digitally zoomed in!) and physically farther away from the subject. This flattens the frame and narrows the depth of field (creating a blurry background)–this look is associated with being more cinematic. Keep the focus and exposure on manual so they don’t drift mid-take. Also, consider getting filters for the lens. Neutral Density, Circular polarizing, and UV filters are a basic kit. Also sold are contrast-reducing filters–these can work great, but can also be very tricky to master. Gradients filters are great–I’ve never used them (other than in postproduction)–but this is something I hope to use more of in my productions to come.

Production design is another thing that makes video look like film. Be aware of how colors are used in the frame. Are they bright? Are they dark? Is there a dominant color or one constantly excluded? Or is everything the way it was before you got there? Make sure everything in front of the camera is a choice. Examine something as simple as the color of the walls: In a Hollywood movie, are interior walls ever off-white? No, they are either bright white or a darker, moodier color. This is a micro budget problem because most houses have off-white walls. Off-white works in real life, but looks dirty in a movie. Take control of the wall color! Paint them for the shoot-day and then repaint them so your mom/wife/landlord doesn’t get mad. This is production design. What about costumes? Have you color co-ordinated the costumes so not only do they go with the locations, but they also add a level emotional intensity? (This is where you ask: "Costumes can have emotional intensity?") Yes: If the main character wears bright, colorful outfits in the first half of the movie, but when she falls into depression at the end of act 2, suddenly she is wearing more and more black and grey, the costumes add to the emotional intensity. Production design is one thing that separates good micro budget movies apart from home videos and it will make your movie look more like film.

Things to do while editing

This is what everyone really wants to know about. What is the magic filter to make video look like film? I’ll tell you: It is called the “go back and re-shoot your entire movie on film” filter. Call Kodak and Panavision and you’ll be on your way. Now, aside from being a smart-ass, I do have some things to do to make video look more cinematic (notice I didn’t say “like film”). With any step in moviemaking, don’t rush this because you’re almost done. Take your time. Be thorough and consistent.

The easiest, and most expensive way would be to buy a filter package such as Magic Bullet or CineLook. These packages will address the motion of film as well as the look of film. I’ve used both and like Magic Bullet the best. If you plan on using it, don’t shoot in ‘movie mode’ because MB works best with 60 fields interlaced video. MB retails for $1000 or $500 for students and requires Adobe After Effects. Unfortunately, renders can take a long time (each second of video took 4 minutes to render for one of my projects). If you are a micro budget filmmaker, don’t buy a filter package. Spend that money in front of the camera on costumes or props. Almost everything that is done in these filter packages is possible just using a non-linear editing application or compositor. Listed here are a few tips and techniques to try once completely finished editing.

Color Correct
I think this should be done on all video no matter what. First, get all the shots in a scene to look the same. If the white balance was wrong, the color tone may have to be adjusted. Otherwise, fine-tune the exposure on each individual shot. Now, develop a look for the scene. Nest the entire scene into one clip and experiment with filters to see what looks good. This stage is another license to get creative. It doesn’t have to look exactly how it was shot. For example, add some green to give the scene a sickly, institutional look. Experiment with “curves” or “gamma.” The advanced will adjust the color channels separately. For a more in depth article of color corecting using FCP, Andrew Balis wrote this excelent article.

Desaturate Colors
Some people think reducing the color intensity makes video look more like film. It is a look. I have used it before, but I don’t use it in every situation. Many video editing applications have a “desaturate” filter. Experiment de- and over-saturating the image. Again, the more advanced colorist will adjust each color separately.

Crush Blacks
For whatever reason, video cameras don’t record the dark areas as black as they should (a contrast problem). Nest the scene and make the blacks blacker. This is done in the color corrector (Final Cut Pro and Avid) by reducing the lows or with a filter called “Levels” by increasing the black input. Experiment with settings until happy.

Blur the Highlights
This is a trait of some films. The very bright areas of the frame are blurry and almost bleed into the areas directly surrounding them. Duplicate the nested scene and put it on an upper video layer, perfectly aligned with the original. Add a small Gaussian blur (2-5), reduce the opacity to 3-10%, and change the composite mode to Screen.

Add Grain
Most video editors have a “noise generator” of sorts. Generate some noise that is colored and randomly changing (under it’s settings). Put this in the timeline above the scene. Reduce opacity and experiment with composite mode (multiply might be good for this). Keep the opacity low–a little goes a long way. I should note that I almost never use this anymore because I don’t like film grain anymore than I like a video look.

Widescreen
Dramatic media, whether on TV or in a movie theatre, is often presented in widescreen. This is another thing that helps convince an audience that your movie is more than just a home video. On video, add those anoying black bars on the top and bottom of the screen by putting a black color slug on an upper video layer and add an inverted 4-point garbage matte filter. This is better than appling the "widescreen" filter becuase this way you can adjust headroom on the clips. If you plan on doing this, shoot accordingly–try taping black bars onto the on set video monitor.

De-Interlace
The above 6 sugestions dealt with the look of film. This attempts to make the motion more cinematic. Video is 60 interlaced fields. Film is 24 frames per second. We can take video to 30 frames progressive (sort of). Most video editing software has a de-interlace filter. Unfortunately, it cuts the vertical resolution in half. Here’s how you can maintain more of the resolution. Duplicate a nested scene onto an upper video layer perfectly aligned with the original. On the lower layer, apply the “de-interlace” filter with even fields. On the upper layer, apply the “de-interlace” filter with odd fields and reduce the opacity to 50%. If you notice jagged edges, you may consider reducing the opacity to 30-50%. If you shot with the camera in 'movie mode' this step is not needed.

Other Options
There are tons! You can buy plug-ins or just experiment on your own. Do a google search for “video look like film.” Just remember it’ll never really look like film and be careful not to degrade the image too far with all the ‘improvements’ you made–video doesn't have the latitude of film either.

Hope this was helpful. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Below are some of the questions I've recieved. This is my version of a FAQ.

I'm about to purchase FCP & I shoot with the CanonXL1 & SonyVX2000 right now.
Are you suggesting the only way to achieve wide screen is to add an additional video layer with black bars? And use tape on the monitor for framing?
I'm a little bummed as I was hoping in DVD Pro I'd be able to create menus that did that or shoot in a wide screen format (Which explains why I can't find that in the Xl1 manual) Also Movie Mode on the XL! is deseptive. I'll look for 30fps though..thanks. 
  Suggestion: You should mention about color correction gels for shoots with windows in the shot.
The only 'real' way to achieve wide-screen with consumer camcorders is with a anamorphic lens adapter (a lens that squishes everything). But, you need a 16:9 TV to watch it (which very few people have). If you want the widescreen look (with the black bars top and bottom), the best thing to do is to add that after you edit it. This allows you to adjust headroom in post. So, for framing yes, you'd tape the monitor while shooting to simulate where you'll add the bars. This is what I was talking about in my how to. I guess it's not really widescreen.
I'm a little unclear what you are having trouble doing in DVD Studio Pro and the movie mode, but you seem to have a pretty good grasp of things. DVD StudioPro can handle all types of widescreen and letterboxing. It won't be able to magically change your footage, but it will accomidate what you've got.

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